The Evening Brief: Sept. 24, 2012

Culled:

•   FreedomWorks Supports Rep. Bryan Hughes as the next Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives (FreedomWorks): "Here is a sneak peak of the letter we are sending our 110,000 Texas members in the next couple of weeks. FreedomWorks will be supporting state representative Bryan Hughes to be the next Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. This is a key battle for conservatives in Texas at the end of this year, and we need your help to get it done."

•   John Cornyn Open to Campaign Finance Reform (Roll Call): "Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) has seen enough of the perils of outside influence on elections in his two terms as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman that he's now taking an unusual position for a GOP leader: Congress should consider campaign finance reform next year."

•   Fred Meyer, former Texas GOP chairman, dies (The Associated Press): "Fred Meyer, a former chairman of the Dallas and state Republican Party has died. The Republican Party of Texas says Meyer died Monday. He was 84. Meyer served as state party chairman for six years, from 1988 to 1994. He also served as chairman of the Republican Party in Dallas County."

•   National GOP’s redistricting gurus paint Texas’ mapmakers as blundering know-it-alls (The Dallas Morning News): "Texas GOP legislative leaders blew off advice from some of their national party’s redistricting experts and went for broke in their congressional remap last year, producing 'chaos' and denying the state a chance to slow the Mitt Romney bandwagon in March’s super Tuesday presidential primary, according to a published report."

•   Guess which other superstar mayor joined Julián Castro in San Antonio (Houston Chronicle): "Newark’s superhero Mayor Cory Booker visited San Antonio this Friday and met with Mayor Julian Castro. As Castro, who after his Democratic National Convention keynote speech has become a superstar in his own right, and Booker tweeted out pictures showing them smiling side by side, their followers couldn’t help but wonder if this duo wasn’t planning to be the 'winning ticket' in 2016."

•   Romney enlists Rick Perry, Pete Olson to boost campaign, blast Obama (Houston Chronicle): "Mitt Romney’s campaign is getting a Texas kick. Last weekend, both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Rep. Pete Olson, released statements providing a rallying cry for Romney backers. … 'There have been a lot of (Texans who have) come out for him in the campaign,' Texas Romney campaign spokesman Chris Walker said. 'The governor (Perry) has been a very vocal supporter.'"

•   Public records show SpaceX buying local properties (Brownsville Herald): "SpaceX is investing more than research in Cameron County. It is now a property owner in the county. SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., has been purchasing property in Cameron County since June, The Brownsville Herald found."

New in The Texas Tribune:

•   Kimbrough Leaving Youth Agency, Returning to DPS: "Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman Jim Hurley said Jay Kimbrough, who served as interim leader of the agency from May until this month, will be returning to the Texas Department of Public Safety."

•   Texas SAT Scores Drop, But Participation Rates Surge: "More black and Hispanic students in Texas are taking the SAT, but they aren't doing as well, according to a report released Monday by the Texas Education Agency."

•   Gallego's Spanish-Language Ad Foreshadows Debate: "State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, challenging U.S. Rep. Francisco 'Quico' Canseco, R-San Antonio, in the race for Congressional District 23, is running a Spanish-language biographical spot in advance of their Spanish-language debate this week."