Tag Archives: democratic primary

The “Glad That’s Over” Dem Run-Off Report 2022

Posted on May 25, 2022 | Comments Off on The “Glad That’s Over” Dem Run-Off Report 2022

With 100 percent of the polling locations around the state reporting, it looks like the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor will be Mike Collier as he has around 55%. A little closer than I hoped, but I was surprised to see Beckley showing well in South Texas. That said, Collier will be an active participant in this election.

Also, Rochelle Garza was doing extremely well in South, Central, and North Texas on her way to a decisive victory with over 62% of the vote. Glad we’ll have some highly qualified diversity on the ballot because the rest of the statewide team is not diverse at all.

Janet Dudding (61%) and Jay Kleberg (52%) end up as the Dem nominees for Comptroller and Land Commish, respectively.

In a race that took a negative turn in the last days of the campaign, Lesley Briones held a steady lead with 54% (or so) of the vote over Ben Chou on her way to becoming the nominee for Harris County Commissioner Pct 4. I guess the unfounded, negative attacks against her didn’t work. Briones will take on right-wing incumbent Jack Cagle, who recently voted against a county resolution decrying gun violence. Yes, on the day of the Uvalde, TX shooting, Cagle made it clear that he doesn’t care about dead children. I’m all in with Briones and it is time for all to come together to win this race.

It was also a sad day for incumbents Criminal District Judge Jason Luong and Family District Judge Chip Wells. I guess I need to learn more about the winners. Beverly Armstrong defeated Kim McTorry for the Dem nod for 208th District Judge in an open race.

Also, Treasea Trevino didn’t make the cut for County Court #4, though she was a great candidate who was challenging the local Dem establishment with her race against Monica Singh. Don’t give up, Treasea! Also, Sonia Lopez ran a great race for JP Pct 1, falling short to Steven Duble. Sonia has a great future in local politics.

In San Antonio, Judge Peter Sakai won the Dem nomination over Ina Minjarez for Bexar County Judge. He’s not a bad guy; actually, quite beloved, so Bexar County will be alright once he defeats the Republican.

And in Congressional District 28, Jessica Cisneros was nipping at the tail of Nancy Pelosi’s anti-woman lapdog, Henry Cuellar, down by less than 200 votes most of the night. While Bexar County results showed a few boxes still out, they didn’t seem to change the final result. Newsflash: Nancy Pelosi will get nothing for Democrats from Cuellar, other than a “W” for selling out women, migrants, and poor people.

Anyway, the results are in and we have a ballot to support, while also having the ability to demand more from our candidates in the form of GOTV, issues support, etc. It should already be expected, though.

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Posted in 2022, Accion, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Historia, History, Local Politica, Media

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Race For Precinct 4 Is Almost Over, But…

Posted on May 23, 2022 | 1 comment

The Precinct 4 race for County Commissioner continues its negative track as Leslie Briones responded to Ben Chou with her own attack ad, which called out Chou’s self-crediting statement as the inventor of drive-thru voting. In addition, Briones offered up some receipts regarding Chou’s alleged acceptance of money from folks who work for Harris County vendors. Also, Briones pointed out that Chou and his supporters created a fake organization that violated all sorts of campaign finance rules. Though the receipts didn’t really resonate with me since they were small, personal donations to Chou, the rest of the ad did because everything else Briones states is true.

Unfortunately, a doctored photo of Chou on the headline of the ad is what has caused the race to go rather ugly, with charges of racism against Briones. Briones has apologized and gotten rid of the designer of the photo and ad, but Chou continues his attack against the Latina candidate, while not accepting the apology. As if either community isn’t under real attacks by forces who will effect racist and bigoted public policy if we don’t win this seat in November.

If Chou and his supporters were offended by the doctored photo, Chou’s use of an unflattering, grainy, black and white photo of Briones, a highly successful, professional Latina leader, may be equally offensive to some. It is to me as our Latina sisters are under relentless attack. But it’s part of the business as one campaign tries to paint the other as sinister and bad in order to convince voters to decide for whom to vote by way of artwork, instead of actual words. I mean, have you seen the imagery the Republicans create as they tear each other apart?

In this case, both campaigns are guilty of going negative. And both campaigns are guilty of trying “gotcha” politics as the election winds down because it may be that close of an election. Ultimately, it’s about who one believes and who presents a better story of themselves to convince whatever voters are still undecided. And, yes, doctored and grainy, unflattering photos are something that Democrats should avoid. Both campaigns are guilty of this. Above all, we seem to be bad at it.

I voted for Lesley Briones because she has a track-record as an executive, educator, attorney, and as a member of the judiciary. She has given of herself to her community and the community at-large. She is proven in all facets of leadership, whether as a decision-maker or as a paper-pusher. Above all, she makes herself accessible and is responsive. These are qualities we need on the Commissioner’s Court and Lesley is the only candidate who offers these qualities.

Vote on Tuesday!

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Posted in 2022, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Local Politica, Media

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Are You Ready for the Democratic Run-Offs?

Posted on March 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Are You Ready for the Democratic Run-Offs?

Well, the vote counts are in, despite the whining of the Trumpy, Abbott-appointed Secretary of State and republinuts who probably started all the whining, and we can see who will be facing off in the run-off in a couple of months. This is what we see, so far, locally.

US Rep, District 38 – Diana Martinez Alexander, Duncan Klussman

Lt. Governor – Mike Collier, Michelle Beckley

Attorney General – Rochelle Mercedes Garza, Joe Jaworski

State Comptroller – Angel Luis Vera, Janet Dudding

Land Commissioner – Sandragrace Martinez, Jay Kleberg

SBOE – 4 – Staci Childs, Coretta Mallett-Fontenot

State Rep, 147 – Danielle Keys Bess, Jolanda Jones

Judge, 185th District – Jason Luong, Andrea Beall

Judge, 208th District – Beverly Armstrong, Kimberly McTorry

Family Judge, 312th District – Clinton “Chip” Wells, Teresa Waldrop

Judge, County Civil Court #4 – Treasea Trevino, MK Singh

County Commissioner, Pct. 4 – Lesley Briones, Ben Chou

Justice of the Peace, Pct 1-2 – Sonia Lopez, Steve Duble

Those in italics are not on my ballot, but maybe they are on yours. Either way, all of us will have a busy run-off ballot. Those in bold are folks I’m voting for and/or rooting for. Those races I haven’t picked, well, I haven’t learned anything about them, yet.

Outside of Harris County, eyes will be looking toward South Texas where there will be some interesting run-offs, including CD28 where Jessica Cisneros gets one more chance to unseat the old, searched-thru furniture that is Henry Cuellar. Kuff has a good round-up on all of the run-offs in Texas.

Kuff also expands on the coverage of the printer/paper ballot issues at Harris County. I agree that more voter education and election worker training is needed to ensure people don’t scuff their paper ballots while voting. Hell, even I held my paper ballot sheets gently and from a corner while voting on the machine because I worried about it folding or whatever. Ultimately, less that one percent of ballots were damaged, but counting them just added to the delays in results because Longoria and her staff are trying to ensure actual vote security.

What we really need less of is voter suppression from the Lege with laws like SB1, whose mail ballot issues caused even more delays for election staff. And maybe local news media that treats this story in an educative manner (Miya Shay), rather than in a sensational manner (the other reporters).

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Posted in 2022, Accion, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Local Politica, Media, Republinuttiness

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Dem Primary Part 1 is Done, On To Part 2

Posted on March 2, 2022 | Comments Off on Dem Primary Part 1 is Done, On To Part 2

Looks like County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s strategy of ignoring her opponent (and the naysayers who put up the opponent) worked quite well. After the mail and early votes were tabulated, Hidalgo had amassed a healthy lead with almost 70% of the vote which continued all night. I didn’t have a doubt she could win, but my worry was about her taking hits from awful Republican ads and how that could affect the Dem vote. It didn’t. Those that put up an opponent against Hidalgo better watch out in a couple of years when their seats come up. And those who fought to keep her in office did a great job in the field, where it really counts.

My Commish Precinct 4 seems to be headed to a run-off between Leslie Briones and Ben Chou. In an open seat race with seven in the running, that’s to be expected. Briones edged out Chou 35-23 in early numbers in our recently redrawn district and that margin remains. What used to be a precinct that took up most of the west side is now a lot more sprawling. I think we’ll find that Briones did well enough on the west side to be the top vote-getter, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be quite the competition to earn the votes of those who voted for the five other candidates. I’m sticking with Briones.

One race that caught my interest was a 10-county race for the 14th Court of Appeals between Cheri Thomas who ran in 2020 and Kyle Carter, a current district judge with a good stack of campaign cash. Thomas, who is the DC-supported candidate, had an 18,000 vote lead after the mail and early votes were announced and her lead continued to get healthier as the first election day votes were announced. Thomas held good leads in Fort Bend and Harris Counties, which still had many votes to be counted. By this morning, Thomas’ lead of around 20,000 votes was holding as more votes in Harris County were counted.

More than a few court benches will be changing occupants one way or another as a good bunch of Dem incumbents are being taken out by challengers. Hopefully, those new Dem candidates will work hard for the party’s bottom line in November and not just ride whatever wave is caused by the strong candidates at the top of the ticket, like Judge Hidalgo and Beto O’Rourke.

One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of run-offs to keep us busy for the next couple of months, including Lt. Governor and Attorney General, which I expect to be spirited. I expect the local run-offs for Commissioner and some court seats to provide much of the energy.

Where there will not be run-off is the race for Precinct 2 Commish in which Adrian Garcia reclaimed the Dem nod for re-election in explosive fashion. As I stated yesterday, it would seem that his opponent’s angry white guy strategy probably won over some of the target audience, but Garcia actually ran a good campaign that reached all voters by selling his actual accomplishments. He probably carried other candidates to victory in the process. Congrats to the Commish.

State Senator and Houston Mayoral candidate John Whitmire will continue to be both, though Molly Cook did put herself on the map for anything, but specifically for what will be a crowded SD15 if Whitmire moves to a downtown office in 2023.

One outcome I did not like at all was that of the County Treasurer’s race in which incumbent Dylan Osborne was defeated. As I said after some good judges were taken out in the 2020 primary, when someone wants to play the odds, or play the latest in scare tactics, and the voters feel like it, they were surely oust you without much effort. That seemed to happen a lot in this primary.

In other areas of the state, it was Greg Casar rolling over several opponents in a Congressional District 35 that runs from San Antonio to Austin. In CD28, Jessica Cisneros was giving FBI-searched incumbent Henry Cuellar an excellent run. As the votes from Bexar, Zapata, and Starr Counties were finally counted, Cuellar came out in the lead. By this morning, Cuellar was just under the 50% mark, so we may have a run-off in this one pending any additional ballots coming in, and thanks to a third candidate who got a little less than 5%.

We’ll have more on local run-offs as the numbers continue coming in in Harris County. There is one race for County Civil Court #4 which still has 2nd place to be decided for the run-off. Rooting for Treasea Trevino in that one.

That’s all I got. Happy Wednesday! Also, thanks to the folks at Harris Elections for their work. Problems will happen as things get perfected, but a dumb tweet from a Trumpy Secretary of State will always cause even more problems.

Kuff has more.

UPDATE:

Another race likely headed for a run-off is the race for the Dem nomination for Congress District 38, where Dem activist Diana Martinez Alexander has the lead against her opponent. Fingers crossed.

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It’s Dem Primary Election Day 2022!

Posted on March 1, 2022 | Comments Off on It’s Dem Primary Election Day 2022!

OK, folks! If you didn’t vote early, today is the day to VOTE so you can pick your choices for the November ballot! Print out your sample ballot here. Find a polling location here. Remember you can vote at any polling location in Harris County. Take a photo ID, your sample ballot, (AND A MASK), because there are too many names to remember.

Also, the 2022 Stace Slate is available for printing. (For those races not on my ballot, here are my choices for those.) There are a lot of slates out there–some are pretty dangerous anti-Democratic ones, too. I think mine are the best.

All that said, I’m glad it’s over today. As Dem primaries go, this one didn’t have too many explosive happenings. Sure, County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Dem opponents came off as Republican-Lite in their attacks. And the dude wanting to unseat County Commissioner Pct 2 Adrian Garcia came off as the typical angry dude, but that may have been his target audience.

In the Pct 4 Commish race, Leslie Briones and Ben Chou and the rest ran races about who was the best for the job. I was hoping to have seen a response to Chou’s pothole vid-ad using one of those pothole patching trucks that are the rave, though. In open seat races, it’s all about introducing ones self and stating ones case. Not too much controversy.

But in the judicial races, particularly the Criminal Courts, there was talk of opponents to incumbent judges being recruited by the local DA, using bond reform and crime as a scare tactic. Of course, it doesn’t help when people who bond out are committing crimes once back on the streets, thanks to bail bondsmen discounting the cost of bail bonds instead of keeping the cost at 10%. It never fails that those who rake in the cash from the criminal justice system are the least blamed or reformed by the system. And the ignorance among the voters continues and is exploited by bad people, especially republicans. It was hard to figure out who was whom on the Dem side, but if you voted for all or most of the incumbent judges in the criminal courts, then you came out pretty good. Let’s hope that this is the result tonight.

The best thing about the end of the primary is the end of republinut ads. From blaming migrants escaping poverty and violence for their suburban kid’s fentanyl and other drug addictions, to labeling a right-wing zealot former justice as “woke” when she’s pretty sleepy, to some pendejo riding daddy’s 4-wheeler from the huntin’ ranch at the border wall, to a threat by a nut-job running for Congress against people protesting police violence, to demeaning and violent right-wing statements flashing on screen, the republinuts took fear-mongering to new levels.

Republinuts have always been about fear-mongering; unfortunately, Dems not of color have been in denial about this for decades. (My guess is they were defending their nice, yet racist, neighbors and relatives.) Dems who vote in the republican primary for the “better” nut-job are the worse. And look at where all of us are now. On top of being constantly attacked, it’s the policies that are taking effect that are hurting people. It’s weak Democrats who use the same scare tactics who weaken the Democratic message.

Anyway, the state of Texas keeps digging itself into a bigoted hole that will be harder to dig out of. We have good candidates in Beto O’Rourke, Mike Collier, Rochelle Garza and others to offer a real alternative. Despite the failures of Greg Abbott, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and a Democratic majority on Commissioner’s Court have led us through a pandemic while keeping their promises of transparency and open-government–the two things that scare republicans the most. We have a good team for the most part. But we need to VOTE to keep them.

So, get out there, make your voice heard. And don’t fall for the republican bullshit.

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Posted in Accion, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Local Politica, Republinuttiness

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The Other Side of the Stace Slate

Posted on February 15, 2022 | Comments Off on The Other Side of the Stace Slate

My voting experience went pretty flawlessly at Tracy Gee on Day 1 of the Primary. The TDL was scanned, my information appeared, and I was given excellent instructions before heading to my station to vote. And I wasn’t even asked to remove my mask to prove my identity.

All in all, I think there were 89 candidates that I picked, though, some were unopposed. But those contested races did add up to a few minutes of clicking through the ballot and ensuring I clicked the right person. A few minutes. Not bad at all if you go prepared.

Now, some have asked who I’m picking in other races. Hell, I don’t live in those districts! But some are my friends and I know they appreciate the support. Others probably despise me for making picks, so, con mas ganas I’ll make a pick! More than anything, just vote…in the Democratic Primary! Find your sample ballot and your polling location.

So, here is The Other Side of the Stace Slate:

Congress, District 38 – Diana Martinez Alexander

SBOE, District 4 – Larry McKinzie

State Senator, District 17 – Titus Benton

State Senator, District 15 – Molly Cook

State Rep, District 131 – Alma Allen

State Rep. District 132 – Chase West

State Rep., District 142 – Candis Houston

State Rep, District 147 – Reagan Flowers

County Commissioner, Pct 2 – Adrian Garcia

JP, Pct 1 – 2 – Victor Lombraña (Sonia Lopez is also a good choice.)

JP, Pct 2 – 2 – Dolores Lozano

The Stace Slate featuring those for whom I could vote is right here.

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Posted in 2022, Accion, Cultura, DC Promo, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Historia, History, Las Mujeres, Local Politica, Media

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The 2022 Stace Slate – Dem Primary

Posted on February 14, 2022 | Comments Off on The 2022 Stace Slate – Dem Primary

It’s time for another Stace Slate and it’s a big one as is our ballot in the Democratic Primary. My picks are based on observation, issues, and information found along the way, mostly thanks to Charles Kuffner and the Erik Manning spreadsheet. Sometimes, all it takes is a candidate to ask nicely for support. (Note: The ones that asked nicely this year don’t even have opponents in the Primary, so, there’s a lesson for challengers and incumbents alike.) It never fails that half the candidates are happy with my picks and the other half not so much. Hopefully, we can all unite for November.

DosCentavos is not a PAC, no memberships are needed, no ads are required to be purchased as with some other sites, and there’s no club vote. It’s mostly just me, as well as some discussion with friends and siblings regarding what we think about certain candidates. When it comes time to vote, many friends and relatives ask me my thoughts, or for a list of candidates for whom to vote. So, the Stace Slate is a tradition that is in its 17th year.

Also, there won’t be minions at polling locations passing out cards. So, print it out and take it with you!

Early voting begins on February 14th and continues through February 25th. Then, Primary Day is March 1. Find your sample ballot and early voting location here.

So, here is the 2022 Dem Primary Stace Slate:

Governor – Beto O’Rourke

Lt. Governor – Mike Collier

Attorney General – Rochelle Garza (Jaworski and Merritt are also strong candidates)

State Comptroller – Angel Luis Vera

Land Commissioner – Jinny Suh

Ag Commissioner – Susan Hays

Judge 183rd – Chuck Silverman (I)

Judge 184th – Abigail Anastasio (I)

Judge 185th – Jason Luong (I)

Judge 189th – Lema May Barazi

Judge 208th – Greg Glass (I)

Judge 228th – Frank Aguilar (I)

Judge 230th – Chris Morton (I)

Judge 245th – Tristan Longino (I)

Judge 248th – Hilary Unger (I)

Judge 263rd – Amy Martin (I)

Judge 270th – Dedra Davis (I)

Judge 280th – Damiane Curvey

Judge 312th – Paul Calzada

Judge 313th – Natalia Oakes (I)

Judge 315th – Leah Shapiro (I)

Judge 482nd – Sherlene Cruz

Judge County Civil #4 – Tresea Treviño

Judge County Criminal #2 – Jannell Robles

Judge County Criminal #3 – Staci Biggar

Judge County Criminal #5 – David Fleisher (I)

Judge County Criminal #6 – Selina Alaniz (It’s not often when I get to vote for a fellow South Texan who has found success in the big city, like so many of us.)

Judge County Criminal #7 – Andrew Wright (I)

Judge County Criminal #8 – Franklin Bynum (I)

Judge County Criminal #10 – Juanita Jackson

Judge County Criminal #14 – David Singer (I)

Judge Probate #2 – Michael Newman (I)

County Judge – Lina Hidalgo (I)

District Clerk – Marilyn Burgess (I)

County Treasurer – Dylan Osborne (I)

County Commish Pct 4 – Lesley Briones

JP Pct 5 – 2 – Eman Afshar

14th Court Place 2 – Cheri Thomas

14th Court Place 9 – William Demond

Other races not on my ballot…Tuesday.

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Posted in 2022, Accion, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Local Politica, Media

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Former State Rep Gina Calanni Enters Race for Pct 4 Commish

Posted on November 18, 2021 | 1 comment

The newly redrawn Precinct 4 is quite busy, as folks will notice.

Former State Rep of District 132 Gina Calanni has entered the race for the Dem nod for County Commish Pct 4.

Calanni states her proven success at the Texas Capitol as a “bold advocate that understands what it means to work hard and struggle for their loved ones, and for what they believe in” makes her the one to be the candidate. Calanni is running on issues, such as climate change policy and infrastructure to minimize the impact of severe weather events, as well as ensuring health care and mental health services that are accessible. Issues that affect the western reaches of Harris County and all of Harris County.

More on Gina Calanni:

Former State Representative Gina Calanni is Vice President of Finance for CalyxPure, an American manufacturer of air purification devices and LEDs, an author, cancer survivor, and mom of three boys.

Gina is running for Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4 to continue serving the public as an unyielding voice for Texas families. Gina firmly believes in giving all Texans the opportunity to pursue success and happiness, no matter their race, ethnicity, zip code, gender, or sexual orientation. She is ready to continue the fight for critical issues like increasing access to affordable healthcare, tackling rising property taxes, defeating the plague of human trafficking locally, and making sure Harris County is equipped to handle future catastrophic weather events.

The big news in her press release is that she has earned the endorsement of her former colleague, State Rep Gene Wu (District 137). Wu cites the hardships Calanni has overcome which have made her a fierce advocate for Texas families. “It’s about time Texans had someone fighting for them and not just wealthy donors.”

I guess we’ll need to wait until January to see who’s getting the big money.

So, the race for the new Precinct 4 Commish seat gets more interesting despite republican whining about redistricting.

Voters have their homework to do in learning more about the candidates–a lot more than waiting for direct mail pieces with photos of endorsers. While the issues will have their similarities, it may come down to one question: Who is willing to fight for the issues by not running away from them after the Primary?

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Posted in 2021, Accion, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Harris County, Health Care, Local Politica, Media, Texas Lege

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Rochelle Garza Announces for Texas Attorney General

Posted on November 2, 2021 | 1 comment

The race for Texas Attorney General had a couple of active candidates in Joe Jaworski and Lee Merritt. They’ve been pressing the flesh and working the state of Texas for a few months. Yesterday, the race added another candidate with former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza announcing her candidacy. Here’s her intro video and it’s pretty good.

Garza hits on all the right issues, but also backs it up with experience. As an ACLU lawyer, she represented “Jane,” a 17 year-old immigrant who found out she was pregnant while in detention and wanted to exercise her right to an abortion. ACLU took on the Trump administration who wanted to force the young woman to remain pregnant and ultimately give birth, while Ken Paxton supported that effort. A federal judge ruled in favor of Jane.

As a sister to a brother injured at childbirth, she and her family took on a health care system that fell short to ensure her brother received the care they needed. It’s a story that many Texans experience everyday.

Check out Garza’s intro video. Check out her website. Her entry into the race certainly makes it a battle of regions as far as voter behavior goes. With a couple of months left to finally file, Garza will have to do some catch-up work, but can certainly get some attention in a short time.

Stay connected!

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Posted in 2021, Accion, Cultura, DC Promo, Democratic Stuff, Elections, Las Mujeres, Local Politica, Media

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The Dem Primary Run-Off Results

Posted on July 15, 2020 | Comments Off on The Dem Primary Run-Off Results

As far as Texas Democrats are concerned, I’m sure we are all glad it’s [almost] over. For DC, well, it wasn’t the best night for those I supported. Still, it’s on to November like the good little Democrat I try to be.

Royce West’s campaign against the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (and MJ Hegar) fell short, but I sure am proud of my friends who worked on West’s campaign and came up with a respectable result against the odds and the DC cash. We shall see what kind of campaign is run against Cornyn, now. Issues? Trump? Both? Will the DSCC even stick around? Questions that must be asked and answered, and now.

Family friend and fellow Cristaleño, Roberto Alonzo, gave it a go for Texas RR Commish, but it was obvious that Chrysta Castañeda was too much to overpower in the big cities. Still, we are proud of Roberto and the whole Alonzo family because they just don’t give up when it comes to the issues that matter.

Michelle Palmer cruised to victory in her race for SBOE-6, as did Te’iva Bell for the 339th District Court. Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas was soundly defeated by Cheryl Elliot Thornton for the 164th. Thornton is well-qualified and will be impressive in November. Cheri Thomas came up short for one of the appellate court seats against Tami Craft, but she is a great candidate who should remain in the game for future consideration. And Mark Alan Harrison is on his way to November in his run for Constable Pct 5.

Diana Martinez Alexander ran a great grassroots race for County Commissioner Pct 3 against big money and influence. I’ll still give her credit for being the only candidate in the running to shake my hand when asking for votes at one event I attended with most of the candidates in attendance. After doing some campaign finance sleuthing and seeing how she was outspent, and considering the final result, I must say that I am quite impressed with what she accomplished. She’s another one that should stay in the game because her activism will be an asset to Democrats up and down the ballot.

The race that was the most interesting was Texas House 148 with Penny Shaw and incumbent Anna Eastman, who won a special election to replace retiring Jessica Farrar earlier this year. No doubt, Eastman has said the right things on most issues important to Democrats, but it was Penny Shaw who may have gotten a late boost because of the policy differences she had with Eastman on public education and the out-of-town PACs that filled Eastman’s campaign coffers. It always seems to be the difference in these races–Teacher Unions -vs- Big Charter School Money. In this case, it was the union-supported Penny Shaw winning the early voting period and election day to put her over the top. While one side blames “negative campaigning,” it really was all about who turned out the most votes from their targeted base. I mean, c’mon, it was 200 votes difference. In non-COVID times, that would be a candidate attending a quince in the northside as the difference. As this is a Democratic district, Shaw will likely win in November.

Akilah Bacy cruised in HD138 and it seems incumbent State Rep Harold Dutton will squeeze by to another term. Incumbent Constable Chris Diaz was unseated by Jerry Garcia by less than 300 votes. Again, whomever turns out their base wins, no matter how negative it gets.

Big wins elsewhere include Dr. Jennifer Cantu for Fort Bend County Commish Pct 1, Delia Garza for Travis County Attorney, Jose Garza for Travis County DA, and Candace Valenzuela for Congressional District 24.

In Austin, it looks like State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt will be in a run-off later this fall for Senate District 14. While this special election brought out Republicans to support their own, it’ll be interesting to see which candidate Republicans choose as their candidate. It could be the difference in the race if Republicans decide to even come out.

It’s been real, y’all. Let’s win in November!

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Posted in 2020, Cultura, Democratic Stuff, Education - K12, Elections, Harris County

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