Tag Archives: Erin Zwiener

Filing update: Not that Rick Perry

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to let this speak for itself. Rick Perry is running for governor — but not that Rick Perry. The Republican Party of Texas updated its list of candidate filings Monday — hours before the deadline for the March … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The proposed State House map is out

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The last of the bunch. Texas House members on Thursday released the first proposal for a new map redrawing the chamber’s 150-member districts. The initial draft would both increase Republicans’ strength across the state and the number of districts in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s fine

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some things never change. The Texas House Democrats who bolted for roughly six weeks to stop the Legislature from passing new laws would have racked up about $20,000 each in fines under a rule change proposed to stop such quorum … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s fine

Houston police reform items announced

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday unveiled a sweeping effort to reform policing in Houston by banning no-knock warrants for non-violent offenses, restructuring the police oversight board, publicly releasing body camera footage when officers injure or kill residents, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston police reform items announced

How our water systems failed during the freeze

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good analysis of something that has received far less attention than the blackouts that resulted during the freeze. Which is interesting because the blackouts were the main cause of the water outages and resulting boil notices. And the fix here … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

And we already have our first COVID cases from the Lege

Posted on January 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not the last. A Texas House member tested positive for the coronavirus after being on the chamber floor for three straight days, giving lawmakers an early indication of the dangers of governing during the pandemic. State Rep. Joe Deshotel, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A closer look at county races, Part 2

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Part One is here. As before, this is about taking a closer look at the counties where Democrats made gains from 2016. Collin County: Our reach may have exceeded our grasp, but it’s important to note that progress was made. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A closer look at county races, Part 2

30 Day 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 4

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Last but not least, here are the 30-day finance reports from the 10 non-Houston-area seats that Dems flipped in 2018, plus four others of interest. Part One of my stroll through the 30-day finance reports, for statewide, SBOE, and State … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on mail ballots

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a second story from the Trib on the attempted destruction of the Postal Service in the name of vote suppression by Donald Trump. “I think the goal of Donald Trump’s comments are to destabilize faith in voting systems and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 4

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So yeah, after my previous entry I went and talked myself into checking on the finance reports from the 10 non-Houston-area seats that Dems flipped in 2018, plus four others of interest. It’s a sickness, I admit it, but here … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Our wishy-washy Governor

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about evading responsibility. At least now it’s starting to become clear to people. Counties and cities across Texas swiftly followed Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff’s lead this week after he ordered businesses — without opposition from Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SCOTUS delivers a win for equality

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Quite a pleasant surprise. In a major victory for gay and transgender workers in Texas and nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal civil rights law prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of their sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Texas GOP accidentally releases its 2020 strategy

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. In a bizarre political blunder, a document laying out the Republican Party of Texas’s election strategy for the 2020 elections has ended up in the hands of Texas Democrats. Attacking Democratic candidates through websites and mitigating “the polarizing nature” … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Initial thoughts: The Lege

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Live by the gerrymander, die by the gerrymander. At the end of the 2011 legislative session, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, a Dallas Democrat, sat down to dinner with a Republican colleague from the Texas House. Anchia was exhausted and incensed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Omnibus election report

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s after midnight, I’ve mostly posted stuff on my long-dormant Twitter account (@kuff), and I will have many, many thoughts in the coming days. For now, a brief recap. – As you know, neither Beto nor any other Dem won … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

July 2018 campaign finance reports: State House

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’e seen a lot of very good campaign finance reports, all of which speak to the enthusiasm and engagement of Democrats this cycle. This batch of reports is not as good. These are July reports from State House candidates, take … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Runoff races, part 2: Legislative

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one Democratic primary runoff for SBOE, one for Senate, and seven for the House. Here’s a brief look at them. SBOE12 Suzanne Smith Laura Malone-Miller Smith led with 48.12% in March to Malone-Miller’s 26.31%. Smith has the DMN endorsement, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Runoff races, part 2: Legislative

More on the national wave of female candidates

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As the second Women’s March was taking place yesterday, there were stories in two national publications about the plethora of women running for office this year. Here’s TIME Magazine: Erin Zwiener returned to Texas to settle down. At 32, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opinions differ about Congressional prospects

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m gonna boil this one down a bit. Moments before the polls closed in Virginia’s Democratic sweep, Houston-area Republican Ted Poe, across the Potomac River on Capitol Hill, announced his retirement in 2018 after 14 years in Congress. Poe cast … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment