The latest defection from Speaker Joe Straus’ list of supporters is state Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who claims the speaker’s team is “using the redistricting process as retribution.”
Austin
Posted in
State Government
The Most Unpopular Fraction
Whatever the size of their majority in the Texas House, Republicans in the Texas Senate have to contend with the rule requiring two-thirds of members to agree to bring a bill up for vote. That’s 21 out of 31 — and there are only 19 Republicans in the upper chamber. As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some in the GOP want the rule changed.
Posted inState Government
Libertarians and Greens Win, Sort Of
The 2010 elections will be remembered for Republican victories and Democratic defeats, but as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, it was a notable year for two other political parties on the ballot.
Posted inState Government
TribLive: Mark McKinnon and Mike Baselice
Full audio and audience Q&A from our TribLive post-election debrief with pollster Mike Baselice and media strategist Mark McKinnon.
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State Government
TribBlog: Kuempel Dead [Updated]
State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, died this morning of an apparent heart attack. He was taken to Austin’s Brackenridge Hospital with heart problems; an aide in his Capitol office said his defibrillator went off and said he was taken to the hospital.
Posted in
Politics
Trust Busted
The Texas Democratic Trust might have been the biggest single loser in Tuesday’s general election, as Texas Republicans swept away most of the advances that the group financed and fought for during the last three election cycles. And the losses came as the Trust prepared to shut down its operations — its mission ended, if not accomplished.
Posted inState Government
Perry, White Look to the Future
As Gov. Rick Perry won another four years in office last night and his Democratic challenger, Bill White, conceded defeat, both men hinted at what they might do next. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Joe vs. the Volcano
House Speaker Joe Straus says he’s got 122 votes for another term as speaker — in spite of the fact that at least a dozen of his past supporters were defeated in Tuesday’s election.
Posted inState Government
2010: R’s Lead in 2 of 3 Key County Races
In the race for Harris County judge, Republican Ed Emmett is leading Democrat Gordon Quan by 26 points with 9 percent of precincts reporting. In the race for Nueces County district attorney, Democrat Mark Skurka is leading Republican Anna Jimenez by 7 points. Gov. Rick Perry appointed Jimenez, then a prosecutor in the DA’s child victims unit, as district attorney in March to replace Carlos Valdez. Skurka, who spent 10 years as chief prosecutor and another 10 years as first assistant district attorney, is vying for the final two years of Valdez’s unexpired term. In the race for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 2, Republican Judge Pat Ferchill is leading with 85 percent of the vote, with 11.8 percent of precincts reporting. Ferchill, who has come under fire for holding secret hearings to take child-guardianship rights away from families, is up against Libertarian Bob Shelton. Ferchill recently recused himself from a case in which a disabled girl’s parents had their guardianship rights taken away because they opposed a group home’s reliance on psychiatric medication. The judge who received the motion to re-hear the case postponed a scheduled October hearing last week, citing Ferchill’s upcoming election.
Posted inState Government
Accusations Abound as Parties Fight to the Finish
Candidates, campaign workers and election officials are all gearing up for an end to the 2010 election cycle — and tension is the order of the day. In Travis County, there’s a battle brewing between the Republican and Democratic parties, with allegations of voter intimidation and illegal voting flying back and forth. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
