Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

Emerson primary poll: Talarico 47, Crockett 38

Posted on January 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. A new poll of Texas’ Senate primaries shows state Rep. James Talarico leading U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett by 9 percentage points among likely Democratic voters, marking a significant shift from a December survey that found Crockett … Continue reading →

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Slightly better but still bad

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

That’s how one would describe the latest UT/Texas Politics Project poll numbers for Donald Trump and Texas Republicans. The dominant political narrative for much of the past year has been that Democrats are sitting pretty heading into the 2026 midterms, … Continue reading →

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San Antonio to install rainbow sidewalks

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t have rainbow crosswalks, so this will have to do. The City of San Antonio has started preparing the sidewalks on N. Main Avenue to be painted in rainbow colors. The decision comes after the city was forced to remove … Continue reading →

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Andrew White drops out of Governor’s race, endorses Gina Hinojosa

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Houston businessman Andrew White on Monday dropped his Democratic bid for governor and endorsed state Rep. Gina Hinojosa to take on Gov. Greg Abbott in November. “With the primary just weeks away, the responsible choice is to come … Continue reading →

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Feds settle lawsuit with Colony Ridge developers

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Federal authorities and the Houston-area developer Colony Ridge have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which the government accused the company of duping Latino homebuyers into seller-financed mortgages that many defaulted on in a scheme that … Continue reading →

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The full slate

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In case you hadn’t heard. A Democrat is running in every state and federal race on the Texas ballot next year, the first time in modern state history that either party has fielded a full slate of candidates, according to … Continue reading →

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San Antonio rainbow crosswalk appeal denied

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. The Texas Department of Transportation has denied the City of San Antonio’s request to keep the pride district’s rainbow crosswalks after Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to remove “any and all political ideologies” from Texas streets. In an Oct. 8 news release from … Continue reading →

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Whitmire resolution passes

Posted on December 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t close. Mayor John Whitmire will no longer be able to get endorsements from the Harris County Democratic Party following an overwhelming vote Sunday by the party’s precinct chairs, issuing what could pose as a debilitating blow to his … Continue reading →

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A brief thought about the Jeffrey Epstein situation

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is from Brian Beutler’s Off Message Substack, and it’s actually about Ghislaine Maxwell, but I think you’ll take my point. Look at this week’s warning about Trump and the files from the New York Times editorial board. They rightly caution that Trump has … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds the new Congressional map

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Shocked, shocked I am. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Texas Republicans’ new GOP-heavy congressional map, handing the party a key victory as it heads into what is predicted to be a bruising midterm cycle. In a 6-3 ruling, … Continue reading →

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Camp Mystic’s reopening

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. The owners of an all-girls summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, where 25 campers and two teenage counselors died in catastrophic July 4 flooding, announced plans on Tuesday for new safety upgrades that will be in place when … Continue reading →

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The SOS still can’t figure out citizenship

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Same song, different verse. County election officials investigating the eligibility of 2,724 Texas voters flagged as potential noncitizens have so far found that hundreds of the voters registered through the state Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship … Continue reading →

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Class action lawsuit filed over the Ten Commandments law

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

About time. After receiving two favorable rulings from judges, a coalition of advocacy groups filed their third lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in Texas. The new … Continue reading →

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We may never know what’s in those intimate Abbott-Elon emails

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was from just before Thanksgiving week, I’m just getting to it now. Months after fighting to keep secret the emails exchanged between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, state officials released nearly 1,400 pages … Continue reading →

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On not endorsing Whitmire

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to make for a fun debate. And by “fun”, I mean the sort of thing that will make me want to gouge out an eyeball or two. The Harris County Democratic Party will vote on a resolution … Continue reading →

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Redistricting plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to put the old map back in

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The original civil rights groups who challenged Texas’ new gerrymandered maps back in August of this year have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower court ruling that would temporarily block the use of the redistricted … Continue reading →

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The rainbow crosswalk ban comes for student artwork

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Every day and in every way, this gets dumber and dumber. Two crosswalks painted by students in Bedford will be removed this month, in line with a new Texas state policy banning “non-standard surface markings, signage, and signals that do not directly support … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts temporary pause on redistricting ruling

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is just until they can make a ruling. Texas is back to using its 2025 congressional map, at least temporarily, after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the state’s request to pause a court ruling that would have required … Continue reading →

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CAIR sues Abbott over “terrorism” designation

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, though of course that they have to do this is an outrage. Two Texas chapters for the Center on American-Islamic Relations sued Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton in federal court Thursday after the governor designated the … Continue reading →

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Redistricting ruling roundup

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that time again… We’ll start with the big one. A decision on Texas’ congressional map now before the U.S. Supreme Court could ultimately decide which party will hold control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm … Continue reading →

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Federal court blocks Texas mid-decade gerrymander

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and … Continue reading →

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Another ruling against the Ten Commandments law

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Two for two so far. A federal judge sided with 15 Texas families suing public school districts — including Conroe ISD — to stop the Ten Commandments from being displayed in classrooms, saying the requirement interferes with their religious freedoms. … Continue reading →

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CD18 runoff set for January 31

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Gov. Greg Abbott has set Jan. 31 as the date of the special election runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, meaning the Houston-based seat will remain vacant for over two more months. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee … Continue reading →

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The rainbow crosswalk ban comes for Buddy Holly

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. An order from Gov. Greg Abbott has made rainbow crosswalks celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride disappear across Texas. But Abbott’s directive also has one of Lubbock, Texas’ most famous residents catching strays. As part of Abbott and … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Galveston ISD over Ten Commandments display

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We need some real guidance here. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Galveston Independent School District on Friday for not following a new state law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms while the legislation is challenged in … Continue reading →

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San Antonio and Dallas to fight the rainbow crosswalk ban

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them! San Antonio has formally asked the Texas Department of Transportation to approve an exemption allowing the city to keep its rainbow-colored crosswalks at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, arguing that the intersection has become safer … Continue reading →

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A bit more election miscellany

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Pondering the County Attorney situation. Despite technically resigning, [Harris County Attorney Christian] Menefee has remained the acting county attorney throughout the campaign period. It’s not clear if he will remain in the position as he prepares to campaign for a … Continue reading →

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Tuesday was a good day for school boards

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I refer you once again to Franklin Strong and his much-valued Book-Loving Texans’ Guide to the school board elections. There weren’t that many school board races on the ballot in November – May is a more common month for these … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit to hear Ten Commandments case in January

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. The U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals says it will hear appeals in January in the legal fights in Texas and Louisiana over whether public schools must display copies of the Ten Commandments. Oral arguments for the … Continue reading →

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Where the rainbow crosswalk ends

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is deeply stupid and deadly serious at the same time. At the intersection of North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street just north of downtown San Antonio, semi-faded rainbows connect each street corner in place of standard, white crosswalks. … Continue reading →

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“Death Star” lawsuit filed in Dallas

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Two years after state lawmakers passed a sweeping law aimed at preventing Texas cities from adopting progressive policies, that law may finally get its first major test. Three Dallas residents sued the city in Denton County District Court Wednesday … Continue reading →

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The latest UT Politics Project poll also has some warning signs for Republicans

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Two data points isn’t enough for a trend, but it is worth noticing. A small majority of Texans oppose the deployment of the Texas National Guard for law enforcement in cities out of state, according to a recent statewide survey. … Continue reading →

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Judges can discriminate against same-sex couples

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Texas judges who decline to perform a wedding ceremony based on a “sincerely held religious belief” do not violate the state’s rules on judicial impartiality, according to a comment the Texas Supreme Court added to the state’s judicial … Continue reading →

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A brief wrapup of the redistricting trial

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to do this awhile ago but never quite got my act together. The future of Texas congressional elections and minority voting rights are in the hands of three federal judges after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony in a … Continue reading →

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