Aug 15, 2017 | Campaign News
Special Session: The First Called Session of the Texas Legislature has adjourned sine die. Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill increasing penalties for committing mail-ballot fraud. Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) also repeals a bill,...
Aug 10, 2017 | Campaign News
GOV: Austin musician Thor Harris announced on Twitter that he would challenge Gov. Greg Abbott (R) but did not indicate a political affiliation. House Speaker: Rep. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound), chair of the House Republican Caucus, has called a meeting of the caucus...
Jul 30, 2017 | Campaign News
GOV: Houston resident Demetria Smith reauthorized her campaign committee for a potential challenge of Gov. Greg Abbott (R), likely as a Democrat. She unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Hubert Vo (D-Houston) in the 2016 Democratic primary for HD149, receiving 35% of the...
Jul 19, 2017 | Campaign News
Updated July 20 to correct HD67 candidate Matt Lagos’s occupation at his request. GOV: Houston attorney Daniel O’Neil established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Gov. Greg Abbott, likely as a Democrat. Meanwhile, Dallas businessman Jeffrey...
Jul 18, 2017 | breaking-news, Campaign Finance
The seven non-judicial statewide elected officials on the 2018 ballot collectively have more than $72M on hand, nearly triple the amount from the corresponding elected officials in 2010, the last year the slate of statewide officers ran for re-election. Leading the...
Jul 17, 2017 | Campaign Finance
Special Session: A called session of the Texas Legislature will convene tomorrow at 10 a.m. At this point, only a single item – adjusting the Sunset review dates for several agencies – is on the call, but Gov. Greg Abbott has promised to add 19 other items via a...
Jul 16, 2017 | Campaign News
GOV: On the day Gov. Greg Abbott formally announced his plans to seek re-election, Dallas businessman Jeffrey Payne announced he would seek the Democratic nomination and pledged to loan his campaign $2.5M. He is the second Democrat to take a formal step toward...
Jul 13, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: The federal trial over the districts drawn in 2013 for the Texas House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives continued in San Antonio for the fourth of what is now expected to be six days. Plaintiffs called their final witnesses, and the...
Jul 7, 2017 | Campaign News
Redistricting: A week-long trial over the state’s congressional and House districts adopted in 2013 begins Monday before a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio. GOV: Dallas street rapper and marijuana legalization activist Yvette “Will Rap 4 Weed” Gbalazeh filed...
Jul 6, 2017 | Campaign News
Voter ID: The U.S. Dept. of Justice has asked the federal court overseeing Voter ID litigation to “decline any further remedies” following the Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 5. The brief completes the federal government’s reversal of its position during the...
Jul 5, 2017 | Campaign News
GOV: Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled a “special announcement,” widely expected to be an announcement for his re-election campaign, in San Antonio on July 14. LTGOV: Former Rep. Allen Vaught (D-Dallas) has taken to Facebook to seek “candid input” on whether he should...
Jul 2, 2017 | Campaign News
With federal and state campaign finance reporting periods now closed, and the Independence Day weekend upon us, we anticipate a significant number of new candidates to announce their plans and file campaign paperwork over the next few weeks. GOV: San Antonio hospice...
