Tag Archives: Congress

Yeah, we won’t get the CD18 election until November

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the conclusion to draw from this Trib story. Three weeks after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death and just over a month before the state’s next uniform election, Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet called a special election to fill … Continue reading →

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An early overview of the CD18 special election

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whenever it may be. After a whirlwind week of campaign announcements, endorsements and articles by national media, voters in Congressional District 18 could be forgiven for thinking Election Day is right around the corner. In fact, the candidates vying for … Continue reading →

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Walz and Beto host Fort Bend town hall

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In case you’re looking for something to do. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke are coming to Fort Bend County for a Congressional town hall event Thursday. The town hall will take place from 6 to 7:30 … Continue reading →

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Menefee and Edwards

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Christian Menefee has gotten off to a strong start in his candidacy for CD18. In his congressional campaign’s first 24 hours, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee has raised contributions from more than 5,000 supporters and garnered endorsements from some of … Continue reading →

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Menefee files, Martin announces for CD18

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I woke up to this on Monday. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee announced on Monday his bid for the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Democratic U.S. Rep. and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “I’m running because working … Continue reading →

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Justice Department drops Texas redistricting lawsuit

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. The U.S. Justice Department withdrew from a lawsuit alleging that Texas’ legislative and congressional district maps drawn after the 2020 U.S. census discriminated against Latino and Black voters by denying them an equal opportunity to participate … Continue reading →

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Chron calls for Abbott to get on with it in CD18

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I doubt he’ll listen, but it can’t hurt to try. When the Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee died in July, the 18th Congressional District mourned the loss of a dedicated and longtime public servant. Fortunately, there was already a well-publicized election … Continue reading →

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Remembering Sylvester Turner

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A fine sendoff for a dedicated public servant. Sylvester Turner represented Houston on a national stage for decades as a state representative, mayor and congressman, but on Tuesday he was “Uncle Sylvester.” Turner received one of Houston’s highest honors Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Rep. Turner’s funeral schedule

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what we know. Funeral services for U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor who died early Wednesday morning, will be held in Houston next week in Acres Homes, the community he called home and always treasured. Turner will lie in … Continue reading →

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Considering the CD18 special election question

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Press dives right in. Shortly after the news broke Wednesday morning of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s death, speculation began about a special election for his U.S. Congressional seat — a post he’d held for just two months. Political … Continue reading →

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RIP, Rep. Sylvester Turner

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This came as a total shock yesterday morning. U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, state legislator and institution in Houston Democratic politics, died early Wednesday morning. He was 70. Turner’s death comes two months into his first term … Continue reading →

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If you get the chance to attend a Congressional town hall, do so

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look at all the fun you can have. About two dozen demonstrators greeted 3rd District Congressman Keith Self at a town hall in the Collin College Conference Center in Wylie. “Do your job!” chanted the crowd carrying signs including “Dump … Continue reading →

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Republicans don’t care at all about the NIH cuts

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Or on their constituents or even themselves. For years Republicans and Democrats alike have touted the medical breakthroughs at Texas medical research institutions like MD Anderson and Baylor College of Medicine. But after President Donald Trump announced a policy change … Continue reading →

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January 2025 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Harris County offices City of Houston And the cycle starts anew. There will be new names coming and current ones departing in the coming months, but to close the circle here’s where things stood after Election Day. The October … Continue reading →

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The drone crackdowns

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I learned a lot from this story about how drones are being used and how that usage may come to an abrupt end as Chinese technology is increasingly limited by law. Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to … Continue reading →

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Abbott wants federal reimbursement for all his border boondoggle spending

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We all want things. Gov. Greg Abbott is asking the federal government for more than $11 billion in reimbursements to Texas for the costs of border security operations and wall construction during the Biden administration. In letters sent Thursday to … Continue reading →

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Reps. Hunt and Jackson cleared in ethics probe

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The House Ethics Committee on Monday cleared two Texas Republican congressmen — Wesley Hunt of Houston and Ronny Jackson of Amarillo — for violating campaign finance law by allegedly spending campaign money for personal use. In a statement, the … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: President 2024

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I know you’ve been waiting for this, and now here it is, the 2024 precinct data for Harris County. We’ll start at the top, with the Presidential race. Dist Trump Harris Lib Grn ========================================= CD02 101,141 73,399 1,112 1,027 CD07 … Continue reading →

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On Rep. Kay Granger

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

On Saturday I was perusing Bluesky, and posts like this were all over the place: US Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, hasn’t voted since July. The Dallas Express reports that it found her in a “memory care and assisted living home” … Continue reading →

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Looking ahead for Rep.-elect Sylvester Turner

Posted on November 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This article starts off with a look back at the career of former State Rep and Mayor, now US Rep-elect Sylvester Turner and his relationship with the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, and then gets into what he will face … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, November 8 edition

Posted on November 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, election results, and only election results, because we’re all dealing with our grief right now. Next week … Continue reading →

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Well, that sucked

Posted on November 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about 10:30 PM as I write this, and I don’t care to stay up any longer. The national situation looks dicey, but it’s not yet clear what will happen. I’ll put that off for now. It was bad here … Continue reading →

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A brief list of things I’ll be watching for today

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In no particular order… 1. I don’t expect Democrats to win statewide in Texas. It would be great, it would do a world of good, but I’d be setting myself up for disappointment if I start there. What I want … Continue reading →

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October 2024 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re about to get into early voting, so you don’t need much of a preamble here. Just one final check-in on the finance reports for our Senatorial and Congressional candidates. The July 2024 reports for both are here, the April … Continue reading →

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The South Texas Congressional races

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like I’ve heard less about them this year than in 2022, but as the story notes, the Dems are on offense this time. It’s déjà vu in South Texas. Texas’ two most competitive congressional races will feature rematches from … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kristin Hook

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I said on Monday that I had reached out to the campaign of Dr. Kristin Hook in CD21 for an interview but hadn’t heard back. As fortune would have it, I got a reply from her later that morning, and … Continue reading →

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On longshot candidates

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks at candidates running in districts they are highly unlikely to win. I have a few thoughts. In the 2022 election, a Houston Chronicle analysis found only about 5% of Texans lived in districts with competitive races for … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The obvious choice in the special election

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Erica Lee Carter in the special election for CD18. Erica Lee Carter isn’t her mother. “I can never be that iconic,” she told the editorial board. When her mother, the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee passed … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rhonda Hart

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the Railroad Commission to Congress today, where we meet a candidate that I specifically wanted to meet. I wrote about Rhonda Hart after she announced her candidacy in CD14, a red district with a truly awful incumbent (yes, even … Continue reading →

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Court reform has to be about more than just SCOTUS

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Exhibit A. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton returned to court on Thursday to press his case against the Biden administration’s workforce protections for transgender employees. Texas’s lawsuit, filed in federal court on Thursday against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and … Continue reading →

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One “Trump Train” defendant found liable

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The rest were cleared. An Austin jury cleared all but one of six Donald Trump supporters who were accused of breaking federal law when they surrounded a Joe Biden campaign bus driving down a Texas highway days before the 2020 … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Still catching up

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of endorsements of interest for you. First, the Chron stuck with incumbent Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. A routine inspection of the state’s largest jail really shouldn’t garner headlines. Meeting “minimum safety standards” should never be cause for celebration for … Continue reading →

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Jury deliberations begin in “Trump Train” lawsuit

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Axiously awaiting a verdict. A jury in Texas began to deliberate Friday whether the so-called “Trump Train” that surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus days before the 2020 election in a heated highway encounter amounted to political intimidation. “This case is … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Catching up

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has been doing endorsements a few days a week, one at a time, in no particular order. Here are three recent ones, to catch up a bit. CD22: Marquette Green-Scott Marquette Greene-Scott says she never got to know … Continue reading →

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