Big Dem Night In So Many Ways

The Stace Slate had mixed results last night, some amazingly good, others heartbreakingly bad. The numbers were slow in coming, but I don’t blame our County Clerk. This is a huge county and it takes a long time to close down a precinct and get the machines delivered to a rally point then delivering results to central counting. It was a well-run election.

First of all, a huge congrats to Sean Teare on a decisive victory over the incumbent DA. Though one local poll had him winning easily, I didn’t think it would be this easy, but her record alone called for massive change and the voters responded. The bigger losers were PACs and past leaders who so publicly endorsed Kim Ogg or tried to play both sides, but I guess it’s time for unity, right? Congrats to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Christian Menefee on equally decisive victories over their opponents. Teare, Gonzalez, and Menefee will definitely be strong leaders on the countywide part of the ballot.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee achieved a huge victory herself over Amanda Edwards. There were many doubters of Jackson Lee after her loss in the race for Houston Mayor. Many of those doubters endorsed her opponent. But voters enjoy having an incumbent that works for them and fights for them and it would be hard to lose her given a choice. Congrats to SJL! Likewise, CD7 voters will send Lizzie Fletcher back to DC, as expected. As I stated, she and her staff do the work of the district and the voters like that sort of thing in my neck of the ‘hood. This voter will continue to press her on a need for a ceasefire in Gaza and leadership on immigration reform.

No surprise, Colin Allred will be our candidate to take on Cancun Ted. Let’s hope he leads the ballot with a mix of media and ground that will help the entire ballot.

In the race for Texas Senate District 15, it is no surprise that there will be a run-off. Outgoing State Rep. Jarvis Johnson earned 36% of the vote, with Molly Cook holding steady at 20% in second place the rest of the evening. Given lower turn-outs in round 2, it’ll be all about the ground game. Cook was impressive on Election Day.

Challenged Judges Kyle Carter, Cheryl Elliot Thornton, and Ursula Hall get another chance to return to the bench. My good friend of over a decade, Tracy Good, defeated the incumbent in the race for the 333rd District bench. Allison Jackson Mathis was also on her way to a big win, and Vivian King and Gemayel Haynes will be in a run-off in the 486th. Fran Watson defeated two opponents to win outright her race for Judge of the County Probate Court #5.

Unfortunately, we will be losing Ravi Sandill, Mike Engelhart, Robert Schaffer, and Family Court Judge Julia Maldonado. My mind is blown on these because I was there when they were first running, but not surprised by the results. I hope for active involvement from the newbies as we head toward November.

In the race for Tax Assessor-Collector, Annette Ramirez had earned over 40% in the early vote, with a 3-way race for 2nd. There will be a run-off and hopefully, Ramirez can raise that ceiling.

In the HCDE Trustee Position 3 race, Richard Cantu defeated another challenge from Josh Wallenstein. In the race for Constable Precinct 5, Jerome Moore was close to an outright victory after the early vote, but will end up in a run-off with Jerry Rodriguez. Constable Precinct 6 Silvia Trevino cruised to another term, too

In some local Texas House races, Harold Dutton was re-elected easily to HD142, as I expected; however, as we wait for a final count in HD146, challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons is just a few votes away from winning outright, otherwise, it will be Simmons and Thierry in a run-off.

In other parts of Texas, my cousin Roberto Serna was re-elected to another term as DA in the 293rd District, which is made up of Zavala, Dimmit, and Maverick Counties. Our friend, Lupe Valdez, former Sheriff and Guv candidate, challenged Dallas County’s current Sheriff for her old job and is now in a run-off. Good luck to her. Travis County DA Jose Garza outlasted a challenge from the center and will be re-elected in November.

That’s all from me. In the near future, I’ll look at Biden’s percentages in South Texas, where voters may have been sending him a message that is cause for concern–and action. For now, we have a few run-offs in a couple of months but it’s all about November!