Tag Archives: Election 2024

Here’s the voucher proposal

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. Get ready to be sick of the whole debate by the end of the session. The Texas Senate revealed a bill on Friday to create an education savings accounts program, a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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GLO contests the allegations on their Harvey screw job

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Going through the motions here, since we all know that Justice Department investigation will never happen. Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has penned a letter to federal law enforcement officials encouraging them to reject “unsubstantiated findings” submitted by the U.S. Department … Continue reading →

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TEC drops ethics complaint against state GOP Chair

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Boy that was fast. The Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against the state Republican Party Chair alleging that he illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers over their support for a House speaker candidate, according to the state House Member … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: County races 2024 part 2

Posted on January 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President Senate Railroad Commissioner District Attorney and County Attorney Last time we looked at the low-performing countywide races for Democrats. This time it’s the three races where Dems did the best. The starting place is exactly where you’d expect … Continue reading →

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Yeah, we’re still not getting sports betting

Posted on January 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

But Axios is gonna write about it as if there’s a chance, because it’s that time of the biennium again. Texas remains a holdout in the nationwide push to expand gambling, but industry representatives are headed to Austin for the … Continue reading →

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Of course the Paxton investigation is dead

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I strongly disagree with the use of the word “could” in this story. When President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom last spring to face a slew of criminal charges, he was joined by a rotating cadre of … Continue reading →

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What happens now with Colony Ridge?

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Probably nothing good, but how much of that remains to be seen. A newly elected state representative this week suggested Colony Ridge, a 33,000 acre majority-Latino residential development in Liberty County, will be a focus of immigration enforcement for President-Elect Donald Trump’s administration. … Continue reading →

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Next assault on mifepristone gets the rubber stamp

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. The Texas judge who previously halted approval of the nation’s most common method of abortion ruled Thursday that three states can move ahead with another attempt to roll back federal rules and make it harder for people across … Continue reading →

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DA’s office recused from Hidalgo aides’ case

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Done and done. A judge signed off on Harris County prosecutors handing their case against three former employees for County Judge Lina Hidalgo to the Texas attorney general, effectively ridding District Attorney Sean Teare’s office of the politically fraught charges … Continue reading →

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Justice Department asked to investigate GLO’s screw job of Houston on Harvey funds

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure that late is actually better than never in this case, but here we are. A complaint stemming from the Texas General Land Office’s allocation of Harvey disaster recovery funds, which originally awarded no money to Houston or Harris … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: County races 2024 part 1

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President Senate Railroad Commissioner I’m going to break up the countywide race analyses into two posts, to make my life a little easier. I’m also going to reduce the overall amount of information I’m putting in them, to make … Continue reading →

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Republican State Rep accuses state GOP Chair of ethics violations

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my. A Republican Texas House member is calling for the state party chair to be investigated, alleging that he illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers who are not supporting the party’s preferred candidate for House speaker. In a complaint filed to the … Continue reading →

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Possibly the last time I will write about Kim Ogg

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Congrats on the new gig. Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has been hired in a new position within the county. On Sunday, it was confirmed that Ogg had been hired as a senior policy advisor for Harris County … Continue reading →

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Abbott appoints a bunch of judges

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to be the king. Justice Jimmy Blacklock, a conservative ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, has been named the new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He replaces Nathan Hecht, the court’s longest serving justice, who stepped down … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis 2024: Railroad Commissioner

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President Senate Dist Craddick Culbert Lib Grn ========================================= CD02 99,112 65,117 3,921 3,996 CD07 66,167 95,853 3,751 5,025 CD08 71,653 66,412 3,176 5,058 CD09 31,772 90,778 2,260 4,700 CD18 61,743 139,540 5,594 8,483 CD22 16,983 10,714 706 758 CD29 … Continue reading →

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Teare recuses his office from the Hidalgo aides’ cases

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As he said he would. Recently-elected Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare filed a motion on Thursday to recuse the Harris County Attorney’s Office from three cases related to the prosecution of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers. In April 2024, former … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Senate 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President The US Senate race between Colin Allred and Ted Cruz was easily the best Democratic result, the race most like 2020, with Allred winning by over 11 points and 175K votes. The precinct numbers reflect this margin of … 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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Late to the party

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m kind of fascinated by this. On election day last month, 29-year-old Shannah Becker from Pasadena showed up at a polling location to cast her ballot, but was turned away. Although she had submitted her voter registration application in early … Continue reading →

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Charles Johnson elected Mayor of Baytown

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There were a handful of runoff elections following the November 5…whatever you want to call it. This was the most consequential of the local races. Charles Johnson, who served as District 3 city councilman from 2017 until 2023, has come … 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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There was some good news from Odessa last month

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. When Craig Stoker pulled the flyer out of the mailbox, he chuckled. It was a political mailer, one of many deployed this fall in Odessa, the West Texas city in the heart of the oil-rich Permian Basin. … Continue reading →

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The leopards are going to be very busy

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a story about how the Trump administration is targeting Medicaid for cuts, mostly to finance its future tax giveaways to the wealthy, and how states like Texas could come in behind that and make even further cuts to … Continue reading →

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The plea deals no one wants

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things are going great in the waning days of Kim Ogg’s time as Harris County DA. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has ordered prosecutors to make a plea recommendation of life without the possibility of parole in every pending … Continue reading →

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The HISD Board doesn’t want to hear it

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Curious move. Houston ISD’s board of managers signaled early support Tuesday for limiting the public’s ability to speak freely about any topic during its monthly board meetings. Board members voted 8-1 to advance a policy proposal that would eliminate a … Continue reading →

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A different perspective on turnout

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the December 3 New York Times daily newsletter: If you’ve been reading post-election coverage, you’ve probably seen one of the big takeaways from the returns so far: In counties across the country, Kamala Harris won many fewer votes than … Continue reading →

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Gina Ortiz Jones joins the crowded field for San Antonio Mayor

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Former U.S. Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones, who has long been rumored as a potential 2025 mayoral contender, launched a campaign website this week. Jones served as Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force under the … Continue reading →

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Phelan withdraws his Speaker bid

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Palace intrigue time. House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced he is dropping his bid for another term leading the lower chamber, ending a bruising, monthslong intraparty push to remove him from power. Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, had previously insisted … Continue reading →

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I guess we have to talk about fluoride again

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

deep sigh Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, is taking a swing at fluoride in drinking water. In a post earlier this month, Kennedy said the Trump administration … Continue reading →

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A couple of thoughts about moving forward

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got the canvass data for Harris County and will be working on it to bring you the usual analyses and insights. For whatever the reason, the voting precincts are presented differently than they were in the May/June elections, which … Continue reading →

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The HVAC and lighting effect

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

One of the main promises of the now-failed HISD bond referendum was funding to fix many issues with HVAC and lighting and other physical plant matters. In the aftermath of the bond’s failure, the Chron takes a look at the … Continue reading →

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My quadrennial warning to be careful with charts and percentages

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From City of Yes: The sun came up Wednesday morning, but for many, no doubt, our proverbial American “shining city on a hill” had lost some of its luster. While the presidential election results have disappointed many city dwellers, the … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Dallas over its marijuana decriminalization law

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Dallas over the newly approved Proposition R — which decriminalizes up to four ounces of marijuana in the city. The filing names the entire Dallas City Council, Mayor … Continue reading →

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Can HISD pass the next bond?

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It depends. After Houston ISD’s historic bond failure in November, several parents, teachers and community members are wondering if or when the state’s largest school district will go back to voters to place another measure on the ballot. […] Some … Continue reading →

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