Tag Archives: Election 2010

What the future may hold for Wendy Davis

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Patricia Kilday Hart has her take on the Wendy Davis phenomenon, including the reaction of some Republicans to it. For both proponents and opponents of SB 5, the legislation that would have banned abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy and … Continue reading →

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Abbott is gearing up for Governor

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Gov. Rick Perry hasn’t yet said whether he’s running for re-election — but Attorney General Greg Abbott doesn’t appear to be waiting for him to make up his mind. Abbott is collecting … Continue reading →

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A Q&A about the TCDCC

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I introduced you to the Texas County Democratic Campaign Committee (TCDCC), which is focused on recruiting and supporting county-level Democratic candidates outside of our current urban strongholds. It’s an idea and an organization that is long overdue. I … Continue reading →

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The red light camera debate keeps raging on

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Elsewhere, thankfully. Not here. League City is the latest to put the plug on red light cameras at intersections. Cameras at three League City intersections were to be turned off by midnight Wednesday, after the City Council voted to cut … Continue reading →

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Early voting safe for now

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. A bill that would slash the number of days allowed for early voting is likely to be pulled after scathing testimony Monday from opponents who said the bill was discriminatory and retrogressive. House Bill 2093, by … Continue reading →

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The politics of refusing Medicaid expansion

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ron Brownstein posits that by his stubborn and increasingly isolated resistance to Medicaid expansion, including via the Arkansas option, Rick Perry is putting Republicans in electoral danger in Texas. Brownstein runs through the economic arguments and touches on the legislative … Continue reading →

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County redistricting lawsuit costing a bundle

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Redistricting is expensive, y’all. Harris County has spent nearly $1.3 million fighting a 2011 lawsuit filed by a group of Hispanic activists against the redistricting plan it adopted that year for its four county commissioner precincts. The plaintiffs, led by … Continue reading →

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Hall makes his announcement

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Former Houston City Attorney Ben Hall formally launched his mayoral campaign against incumbent Annise Parker Wednesday night, decrying the burden of taxes and fees he said are driving city residents to the suburbs, and saying Houston’s mayor must … Continue reading →

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Trib poll shows Perry leading Abbott

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Gov. Rick Perry would defeat Attorney General Greg Abbott by a nearly 3-to-1 margin if a Republican gubernatorial primary were held today, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Such a contest … Continue reading →

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Gubernatorial speculation: Mike Villarreal and Bill White

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few days back, BOR had a post about who was on deck for 2014, and the first two candidates they speculated about for Governor were two I had not talked about here before, State Rep. Mike Villarreal and 2010 … Continue reading →

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Battlegound Texas officially launches

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You have probably heard by now that Battleground Texas has officially launched. Spearheaded by organizers of Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 — when Republican nominee Mitt Romney handily carried the Lone Star State — a new push, called “Battleground Texas,” … Continue reading →

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A Republican view of 2014 in Harris County

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Big Jolly is feeling pessimistic about his team’s chances in Harris County next year. Now let’s look at who will be on the playing field for us. There will be a lot of statewide action, with unknown Dems – let’s … Continue reading →

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PPP polls Texas

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Texas voters- even Republicans- have had enough of Rick Perry. PPP’s newest poll finds that only 31% of voters think Perry should seek reelection next year, compared to 62% who think it’s … Continue reading →

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When, Wendy?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

When will Sen. Wendy Davis run for statewide office? Fortified by a convincing re-election victory, state Sen. Wendy Davis is resuming her role as a fierce critic of Republican-led education cuts as she enters her third regular session of the … Continue reading →

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Last day of early voting in SD06 today

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the last day for early voting in the SD06 special election. Voting has not been terribly brisk so far. Through Monday there have been 7,178 total votes cast. You can see the daily figures here. Monday was a … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s millions

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s one thing Attorney General Greg Abbott is good at, it’s accumulating money. Fueling growing speculation of a bid for the Texas Governor’s Mansion, Attorney General Greg Abbott reported Tuesday he has amassed a campaign war chest of $18 … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of SD06

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The day before early voting begins in the SD06 special election (which is today), the Chron previews the race. It has a lot of stuff we already know, and it mostly focuses on the two frontrunners, Sylvia Garcia and Rep. … Continue reading →

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White Ds and non-white Rs

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few points to make about this. White Democrats are an increasingly vanishing species in the Texas Legislature, where there will be only 10 when the new legislative session starts in early January. The face of the Legislature has undergone … Continue reading →

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The payday lenders won’t go without a fight

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Where there’s a fight, there’s sure to be lots of money. Payday lenders were big spenders in the most recent Texas political campaigns – contributing more than $1.6 million to state races in the 2012 election cycle and giving most … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst campaign aide accused of stealing contributions

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s campaign manager is under criminal scrutiny, suspected of stealing at least $600,000 — and possibly more than $1 million — from the Republican’s political accounts over the past several years. Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield, a longtime … Continue reading →

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Once more to the judicial elections well

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I swear, I thought I was done talking about judicial elections, at least for now until one or more of the bills that would affect them comes up in the Lege, but then there was this op-ed in the Chron, … Continue reading →

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It’s the vote spread that matters

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I had an email conversation with Judge Mark Davidson regarding my post about straight-ticket voting and its effect on judicial races. He said I misunderstood the point he was trying to make in that Chron story. From his email, quoted … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor judges

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard out here on a judge. For longer than anyone remembers, you had to be a Democrat to be a district judge in Texas – or just about any other political office. When the Democratic Party split apart in … Continue reading →

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Harris County redistricting lawsuit kicks off

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the lawsuit that was filed over the redistricting map for Harris County Commissioners Court? It’s been on hold since the beginning of the year, after an interim map was drawn to get us through this election and since the … Continue reading →

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Draft Julian?

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to see Julian Castro run for Governor in 2014? His fellow Bexar County Democrats, at least. Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina launched a social media movement last week to draft Castro for the 2014 Texas governor’s … Continue reading →

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Cuts are not increases, no matter how you spin it

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is the Chron overview of HD134, which is once again the highest profile legislative race in the county, in part because it’s a referendum on the 2010 election and the cuts to public education funding that resulted from that … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Ann Johnson

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I noted on Monday that the Chron listed Ann Johnson as one of its endorsed candidates. Yesterday they wrote the endorsement editorial to go along with that. The tea party turnout of 2010 gave Republican candidate Sarah Davis the narrow … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ann Harris Bennett

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

To wrap up my interviews for 2012, today we have Ann Harris Bennett, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Tax Assessor. Bennett is a former Court Coordinator and was the Democratic candidate for Harris County Clerk in 2010 – you … Continue reading →

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Overview of the HCDE races

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has an overview of the races for the Harris County Department of Education, and in describing the one At Large race between incumbent Michael Wolfe and Democratic challenger Diane Trautman they do the useful service of describing what … Continue reading →

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Which way for Hays?

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Two years after Republicans trounced Democrats in Hays County, the GOP again is aiming to win. Ten incumbents are running for re-election in Hays County races, but the six Republican candidates are … Continue reading →

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Another reason why math is your friend

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman asks the question whether the newly-drawn HD48 in Travis County might be easier for a Republican challenger to win, then never gets around to providing the simplest answer to that question. Starting in April and carrying on through … Continue reading →

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A national view on redistricting

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Atlantic has an interesting view of the redistricting process. Every 10 years, after U.S. census workers have fanned out across the nation, a snowy-haired gentle­man by the name of Tom Hofeller takes up anew his quest to destroy Democrats. … Continue reading →

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Once again on bail and jail overcrowding

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits returns to a familiar topic. Harris County has successfully reduced its jail population in the last couple of years to the point where they no longer must ship inmates to jails in Louisiana and other Texas counties due to … Continue reading →

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Waiting for an investment

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some day, the national Democratic Party will make an investment in Texas rather than just use us as a glorified ATM. Just don’t ask me when that day will be. Texans have become accustomed to occupying the nosebleed seats at … Continue reading →

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