Is Scott Walker Having His Moment?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks at the Iowa Freedom Summit at the Hoyt Sherman Place theater in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks at the Iowa Freedom Summit at the Hoyt Sherman Place theater in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015.

One of the biggest news stories of the week was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker having his moment in the still-nascent campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

The University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll finding him neck and neck with Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz among Texas Republicans fed part of the narrative:

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All the more remarkable is the fact that he was at 2 percent in October:

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But Walker's surge is evident elsewhere. Below is a poll from over the weekend from Public Policy Polling followed by index polls from RealClearPolitics showing Walker second to Jeb Bush in national polls and leading those in Iowa and New Hampshire. So if you're noticing more scrutiny of Walker this week, these charts help explain why.

PPP (Feb. 20-22):

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Real Clear Politics, National:

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Real Clear Politics, Iowa:

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Real Clear Politics, New Hampshire:

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A Texas-Sourced Push to Reauthorize Ex-Im Bank

Bill Hammond is the CEO of the Texas Association of Business.
Bill Hammond is the CEO of the Texas Association of Business.

Two prominent business groups — the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Association of Manufacturers — are mobilizing support for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the reauthorization of which has proved divisive among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

The effort by the two business organizations involves a collective letter to be delivered to Texas’ congressional delegation.

The two groups back reauthorization of the bank as a support to Texas’ status as the country’s leading exporting state.

Critics, though, have recently seized on the news of the decision at the bank to no longer disclose information on businesses that unsuccessfully apply for financing.

One of the biggest critics of the bank is Dallas Republican Jeb Hensarling. As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, reauthorization legislation would go through his committee. The Hill reported that Hensarling hasn’t said whether he would allow any such bill out of his committee.

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In other legislation news, legislation that would allow Tesla to sell its cars directly to Texans was referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources on Tuesday.

Filed by Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, Senate Bill 639 would allow manufacturers that have never sold their cars through independent dealerships in Texas to operate up to 12 stores, skirting the traditional dealership model.

For background, here’s a Tribune piece on Tesla’s legislative push this session.

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A few weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott called local ordinances like plastic bag bans one of the biggest threats to the "Texas model," state Rep. Matt Rinaldi has taken up the charge.

The Irving Republican filed a bill Thursday that allows a business to provide customers with "a bag or other container made from any material," and it nixes any local bag bans. The legislation drew swift condemnation from Texas Campaign for the Environment, a big proponent of the bans, which called Rinaldi's action a "trampling of local sovereignty."

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State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, filed the second of three bills expected from him this session on improving windstorm insurance access for coastal homeowners and businesses.

This one targets school districts that are buried under the weight of huge windstorm insurance premiums. Those that are closest to the coast pay far more, which means local property owners bear more of a burden than other areas of the state.

Taylor's solution is to appropriate money through the school finance formula so that school districts can get reimbursed for windstorm insurance costs. No word on how much money he's asking for yet, but a similar pitch he made in 2013 — which was left pending in the Senate education committee — would have cost the state about $133 million.

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State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, began his campaign against a proposed high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas in earnest on Wednesday when he filed a bill that could effectively kill the multibillion-dollar project.

HB 1889 would require that the leadership of every county and city along the route of the privately funded bullet train that Texas Central Railway hopes to build would have to approve it before it can be built. Officials with several rural counties along the route have already publicly come out against the project.

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And at the risk of burying the lede, it was Washington County Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, meaning that those under the Dome were treated to the county’s most famous export, Blue Bell ice cream.

No immediate word on how many scoops were handed out. We are told that, among other flavors, scoops of Homemade Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Southern Blackberry Cobbler and Mint Chocolate Chip were served.

Disclosure: The Texas Association of Business and Tesla Motors are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Inside Intelligence: About Those UT/TT Poll Questions...

We keyed this week’s survey of politics and government insiders off a sampling of questions originally asked in this week's University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

So let's start things off with a disclaimer: the original questions were developed for a testing instrument designed to yield statistically valid readings of the mood of Texas registered voters. As is stated every week, this survey is nonscientific. So the numbers below can't be meaningfully compared to those from the UT/TT Poll, which has been featured on the main Tribune site all this week.

So with that out of the way, here's what we found:

On the question of whether voters would change behavior if a Tea Party emerged as an organized third party, only 4 percent would transfer allegiance to a Tea Party candidate. About two in five would back the Republican while roughly one in three would back the Democrat.

On the question of legislative priorities, nearly two in five insiders thought that providing public funds for transportation should be the highest priority. About a quarter listed increased funding for primary and secondary education. Lowering property taxes was identified by 10 percent, trailed by expanding Medicaid — 8 percent — and lowering business taxes — 7 percent.

On which is the best handgun carry policy to have in Texas, nearly three in five endorsed the current framework of concealed licensed carry. Another one in five endorsed licensed open carry while 4 percent supported the "constitutional carry" option. Another 17 percent thought Texans should not be allowed to carry handguns in public under any circumstances.

More than half the insiders thought that Texas has occasionally executed someone who was wrongly convicted while about a third said it has happened but almost never. Four percent said a wrongly convicted prisoner has never been executed and another 5 percent said it happens a great deal of the time.

A majority endorsed legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for any purpose with almost 30 percent saying possession should be allowed for medical purposes only. Nearly the same percentage thought that marijuana possession should be legal with no restrictions — 8 percent — as those that would keep marijuana entirely illegal — 9 percent.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

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Suppose the Tea Party movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district?

• "I'd rather focus on the candidate and his or her qualifications and experience, but I'm old fashioned."

• "What a shallow question. Believe it or not, there are still those who walk among us who consider the actual candidate — not just a political affiliation."

• "Depends on stance on issues. I lean fiscally conservative, socially liberal (meaning government needs to get out of my private life.) The way some Republicans have been trending toward more intrusion into my private life, I'm finding it hard to identify with any party."

• "I might vote Tea Party for federal, but at state level we need to keep getting things done in the same conservative manner we have been for 15 years."

• "In many cases, especially in Texas, the tea party candidate would be the same as the Republican."

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Below are some proposals that have been made for this session as the Texas legislature considers the budget for 2015-2016. Which of the following do you think should be the Legislature’s top priority?

• "Expanding Medicaid is a fiscal no-brainer. But among options that could potentially actually happen, better support for public education, including pre-K, is the clear priority."

• "Governor Abbott will use his bully pulpit to ensure his No. 1 priority, pre-K, gets funding."

• "Rural highways are in terrible repair, many without visible stripes and little signage. Urban areas are choked by traffic. Bridges throughout the state are in disrepair. This is not due to conservative policies, this is the result of irresponsible stewards of our great state. Tolls roads are NOT the answer!"

• "The state should increase funding for transportation and water infrastructure, but maintaining a small-government, low-tax government should be the overriding priority."

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As you may know, Texas law currently allows legally licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns in public places. Which of the following do you most agree with?

• "I really liked it better when we didn't talk about guns, everyone just had one if they needed one."

• "I am a card carrying NRA, CHL guy, but no license? Why not get rid of driver licenses too?"

• "I don't see the value of open carry, which makes a lot of people nervous."

• "Am I the only person who just doesn't care, provided that folks carrying a weapon have passed a background check? No matter what happens, I won't be carrying a handgun — at least, not anytime soon."

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How often do you think people are wrongly convicted of death penalty offenses in the state of Texas?

• "Isn't sending one innocent person to his death too many?"

• "The death penalty should be thrown out not because it might have a fault, but because Judeo-Christian beliefs tell us every life is precious."

• "No idea, but since humans are fallible — I’m certain innocent people are convicted of the death penalty more often than we'd admit to in public."

• "The justice system isn't required to provide justice, just due process. We know for a fact that wrongful convictions occur. Given those facts, one would think we shouldn't go so far as to take people's lives."

• "We know it's happened in the last 20 years, but I doubt it's very widespread."

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What is your opinion on the legalization of marijuana possession?

• "Small amounts coupled with a high tax; incentivize legal domestic production regulated by Food & Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture."

• "If you can carry a loaded Roscoe in public, what is wrong with Roscoe being loaded in public?"

• "We use other powerful drugs for medical purposes. Marijuana should be used for the same purposes and in the same ways."

• "It's only a ‘gateway drug’ because it's illegal. So if you legalize it, it's like tobacco, and I haven't heard claims that tobacco use leads to harder drug use."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Brandon Aghamalian, Jennifer Ahrens, Victor Alcorta, Brandon Alderete, Eddie Aldrete, Clyde Alexander, George Allen, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Dave Beckwith, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Chris Britton, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Janis Carter, Corbin Casteel, William Chapman, Elna Christopher, Harold Cook, Kevin Cooper, Beth Cubriel, Randy Cubriel, Curtis Culwell, Denise Davis, Nora Del Bosque, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jon Fisher, Neftali Garcia, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Scott Gilmore, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, Jim Grace, John Greytok, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, John Heasley, Ken Hodges, Deborah Ingersoll, Cal Jillson, Mark Jones, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Leslie Lemon, Ruben Longoria, Jason McElvaney, Mike McKinney, Kathy Miller, Steve Minick, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Keir Murray, Richard Murray, Nelson Nease, Pat Nugent, Sylvia Nugent, Todd Olsen, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Robert Peeler, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Ted Melina Raab, Tim Reeves, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, Jeff Rotkoff, Grant Ruckel, Tyler Ruud, Jason Sabo, Andy Sansom, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Bruce Scott, Robert Scott, Ben Sebree, Christopher Shields, Nancy Sims, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Mark Smith, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Bob Strauser, Colin Strother, Tom Suehs, Sherry Sylvester, Trey Trainor, Vicki Truitt, Corbin Van Arsdale, John Weaver, Ken Whalen, David White, Chad Wilbanks, Seth Winick, Angelo Zottarelli

The Calendar

Monday, March 2

  • Texas Independence Day

Wednesday, March 4

  • 2015 State of Texas Children Report Release; 701 E. 11th St., Austin (8:30-10:30 a.m.)

Thursday, March 5

  • Christian Life Commission Advocacy Day — Legislative Briefing & Luncheon; 302 West 13th Street, Austin (9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.)

 

 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Senators grilled Gov. Greg Abbott's appointees to the University of Texas System Board of Regents for more than five hours on Thursday, in what was a rough reception for the picks of the newly elected governor from the conservative wing of his party. A committee vote to recommend their nomination will come at a later date.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and fellow senators announced a slate of three bills designed to provide $4.6 billion in tax relief to businesses and homeowners in Texas. The residential component would rework the homeowner exemption to tie it to the state median home price while, on the business side, more businesses would be exempted from the franchise tax.

After 24 years in the Legislature — 16 of them in the Texas Senate — state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte bid an emotional farewell to her colleagues on Tuesday. She now faces a crowded field in the race to be San Antonio mayor, which includes current Mayor Ivy Taylor, former state Rep. Mike Villarreal and former County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson.

Rick Perry's lawyers have asked a state appeals court to dismiss the indictment against the former governor, saying he lawfully used his power to veto funds to the Travis County district attorney's office and his right to do so is protected by free speech. Earlier in the week, his lawyers argued an amended indictment against Perry was "woefully deficient" and should be rejected.

Retired state District Judge John Dietz, who found the Texas school finance system unconstitutional last year, told a training event hosted by the Association of Texas Professional Educators on Sunday that Texas is "dooming a generation" of children. The Legislature, not the courts, should fix the problems, he said.

Disclosure: The Association of Texas Professional Educators is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Political People and their Moves

Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve as his designee to the Southern States Energy Board for a term to expire at the pleasure of the governor.

Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton has been appointed by Abbott to serve as his designee to the Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC) for a term to expire at the pleasure of the governor.

Brent Leisure and Tim Hogsett have been named by Abbott as State Liaison Officer and Alternate State Liaison Officer, respectively, to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for a term to expire at the pleasure of the governor.

Former state Comptroller Susan Combs has joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) as a visiting senior fellow, focusing on the state budget, government spending and debt as well as property rights.

David Reisman has been hired to fill the newly created position of chief ethics officer at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Reisman previously served with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) where he initiated an ethics program and, before that, was executive director of the Texas Ethics Commission.

Thomas W. Gilligan, dean of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin since 2008, is leaving to take over as director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution on Sept. 1.

Jessica Sandlin has joined the Texas Association of Health Plans (TAHP) as communications director, having served most recently as Texas press secretary to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, the UT McCombs School of Business and the Texas Public Policy Foundation are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Quotes of the Week

Operation Imminent Divorce.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, telling lawmakers this week the informal nickname given to the ongoing border operations by state troopers who are rotating through the region on a regular basis

You’ve only been here about a month. There's a learning curve here, and institutional knowledge.

State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, advising freshman colleague Don Huffines, R-Dallas, during a Senate Transportation hearing to listen more to experienced senators

Dios y Tejas. It has been an honor to serve with you for the people of this great state.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, in saying goodbye to her colleagues. Tuesday was her last day in the chamber, closing a 24-year legislative career.

Local control generally sounds good until you realize that some cities are out of control.

State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, on the push at the Legislature to limit municipalities' control

There wasn’t anything about her background that suggested she could do this job.

South Carolina state Sen. Brad Hutto on former Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman, who this week withdrew her name from consideration to direct that state's Department of Health and Environmental Control