The Midday Brief: May 11, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Several Democratic and GOP strategists reached out to me after today’s story on President Obama’s push into Texas — and skepticism among Lone Star Democrats about his willingness to invest the $15-25 million they think is necessary to compete there.  Their follow-up point: Yes, Obama suffers from a demographic-political disadvantage with a generic Republican challenger in 2012 among white Texans. But that disadvantage is reduced considerably if the GOP nominee happens to be one Mitt Romney." — Obama, Romney and Texas, Politico

• "Democrats haven't won a major statewide election in Texas in more than 20 years. But they hope that retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's announcement that he's running for the Senate in 2012 will break the Republican party's streak in what's considered a very solid red state." — Will retired general have the firepower to defeat GOP in Texas?, CNN

• "It's getting to be a broken record: Comptroller Susan Combs announced Wednesday morning that Texas' sales tax revenue receipts increased by 11.4 percent last month, compared with April 2010." — Double-digit rebound of Texas sales tax receipts continues, Trail Blazers

• "Some economic development information held by chambers of commerce and nonprofits would be available to the public under a bill approved by the Senate today." — Senate opens up some economic development info, Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Travis County would get two new out-of-town senators, and Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, would be squeezed into a district designed for a Republican, in political maps proposed by Senate Redistricting Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo." — New Senate District Maps Proposed

• "Today, the Senate approved a bill that would allow landowners with feral hogs to sell helicopter seats to hunters who want to help them get rid of the destructive animals on their property." — Senate Approves "Pork Chopper" Bill

• "At a Capitol press conference this morning, Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and daughter of the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, said her organization is under siege by GOP lawmakers." — Planned Parenthood Rallies Against Funding Cuts

• "Charles Chatman spent 27 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. DNA testing helped clear his name and a state court released him in 2008. On Tuesday, he and other former prisoners who have been exonerated joined state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, in urging House lawmakers to act quickly to pass bills that could help put an end to wrongful convictions." — Ellis Urges Lawmakers to Act on Innocence Bills