ICYMI: Here's our recap of the #tx2022 primary filings for the #txlege and statewide races. Bookmark this for the future. #txgov #txag #txed https://t.co/Y9N1VrUvSV
— RA News (@RANewsTX) December 15, 2021
Really am enjoying everything Nick Anderson and his gang are doing.
Beto's wave is building.
Midland’s Beto Meet & Greet was a great success. pic.twitter.com/UZAWfXMr6t
— Cathy Broadrick (@CathyBroadrick) December 15, 2021
My latest column for @thenation . Don't sleep on Texas and @BetoORourke. Not only is the race winnable, but just as is happening in Georgia, Beto's candidacy can accelerate flipping Texas, which will reorder US politics overall. https://t.co/PBmoOofAaH
— Steve Phillips (@StevePtweets) December 15, 2021
Candidly I've seen this before. First in 2006 when David Van Os went to every single county courthouse in the state in his bid against Abbott for attorney general. And nobody in my estimation had more momentum to defeat Governor Fish Lips than Wendy Davis in 2014, when she delivered a filibuster that shook the Capitol. Literally, some will recall.
A lot of things have changed in the Lone Star State since then, not the least of which is that it's gotten redder and more extreme. And now, of course, there's fresh gerrymandering and voter suppression to contend with. So you'll have to forgive me if I don't deem this early enthusiasm all that contagious.
2/ Our @dallasnews analysis shows that counting prisoners in their cells during redistricting inflates the political power of Republican districts and drains population from Democratic strongholds.https://t.co/Zebn1IEgKQ #txlege pic.twitter.com/dAt4SBsLav
— Lauren McGaughy 🌟 (@lmcgaughy) December 15, 2021
The marquee race remains, IMO, the state's attorney general contest, in both the GOP and Democratic primaries. Just yesterday K-Pax was rebuked by the appeals court for overstepping his authority in prosecuting alleged voter fraud charges.
An election code provision granting the Office of Attorney General the ability to prosecute criminal election fraud cases is unconstitutional, the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled in an 8-1 decision. The case arises from an alleged campaign finance violation by the Jefferson County sheriff, a case the county district attorney declined to prosecute.
Section 273.021 (of the Texas) Election Code provides that the “attorney general may prosecute a criminal offense prescribed by the election laws of this state.” The Court ruled that power properly resides with county and district attorneys, who are part of the judicial branch, and not the attorney general, which is part of the executive branch.
“Absent the consent and deputization order of a local prosecutor or the request of a district or county attorney for assistance, the Attorney General has no authority to independently prosecute criminal cases in trial courts,” wrote Judge Jesse McClure for the majority (PDF). “Any attempt to overlap the Attorney General’s constitutional duties with county and district attorneys’ constitutional duties in the sense of a Venn diagram of sorts is unconstitutional.”
The CCA is all Republicans. And none of them are moderates. They're death penalty freaks like Sharon Keller. (Sidebar: Regarding the death penalty, there's good news on that front.) So let's hope the TXGOP primary voter can scrounge around and find enough logic to follow their lead and rebuke Paxton themselves in March.
'During the winter storm, @KenPaxtonTX was off in a luxury resort in UT while the rest of us were freezing,' @georgepbush tells @KarinaKling.
— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) December 14, 2021
But he's sitting on emails, texts, Bush said, referring to this exclusive by @lmcgaughy, @MorrisReports: https://t.co/JKi154XWvz 1/2
Eight Republicans run to replace George P. Bush as Texas land commissioner https://t.co/gVClDAbbkd via @HoustonChron #tx2022 #txlege
— Joshua M. Blank (@JoshuaMBlank) December 15, 2021
Without straight-ticket voting it might be easier than in the past to dislodge some of these squatters from office in November, but that's too far away to be concerned with just yet. Focus on spring turnout, Ds. Media will make hay if your numbers are lower than the Pachys'.
Stace reviews his favorites for the statewide Donkey races and also Harris County, linking to the Erik Manning spreadsheet. The San Antonio Report profiles the race for Bexar County judge, sure to be as spirited as the one in Harris.
I have some catch-all items.
Negative Partisanship in Texas Stifles Potential Crossover Voting in #Tx2022, w/ @JoshuaMBlank via @TxPolProject https://t.co/lWLfeab88M #txlege pic.twitter.com/8t6GDeFdI9
— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) December 13, 2021
Wow don’t see this every day in Texas — a joint statement from conservative @TPPF and liberal @EveryTxn slamming TX state comptroller’s proposal “to radically reduce the #transparency” of a multi billion dollar tax incentive (critics say ‘giveaway’) program. #txlege
— Jay Root (@byjayroot) December 10, 2021
Texas is close to becoming the job-quitting capital of the country https://t.co/mawQLPotu9 via @wfaa #TXLege
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) December 15, 2021
Gerrymandering? Or should new Texas maps be called “Jerrymandering” for Jerry Garcia because of the psychedelic shapes some districts have. @toddgillman takes you on a redistricting trip. #txlege #redistricting #gerrymander #txcong #Congress #2022Elections https://t.co/3N64sS5c1j
— John Gravois (@Grav1) December 15, 2021
Thanks for interviewing me for this column @cltomlinson. The changes proposed are massive & there are few details w/ even less analysis. The @PUCTX needs to consider customer impacts more fully & listen to the general public before adding billions to bills
— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) December 15, 2021
#energytwitter #txlege https://t.co/bUZvGCnYRi
A couple of environmental headlines:
In West Texas, an abandoned well is creating the "Dead Sea" — and no one thinks it is their job to fix it.https://t.co/L48PNLI4tT
— Russell Gold (@russellgold) December 8, 2021
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is revisiting the idea of building a massive tunnel to alleviate Houston's flooding https://t.co/O45VRepgFG via @houstonchron #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) December 15, 2021
An expansive collation of border and immigration developments.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was nominated to head ICE in April, and approved by a Senate committee in August.
— Houston Public Media (@HoustonPubMedia) December 14, 2021
But if he's not approved in the the full Senate by the end of December, it's back to square one.https://t.co/6B0mA19dXv
“I thought he was going to kill me”: Migrants say return of Trump-era border policy will put asylum seekers in danger.
— darlacameron (@darlacameron) December 15, 2021
Stunning, devastating story from @ujohnnyg about one woman who was sent to Ciudad Juárez after seeking asylum in El Paso:https://t.co/f3zocwtTiO
"There were just staggering levels of misconduct...that just indicate top-to-bottom issues with the mission."https://t.co/npQ5kyVDyz
— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) December 13, 2021
3rd of 4 new videos of Texas National Guard trespassing on our private property--a nature center open 7 days/wk to visitors. They have likely come off the levee at our place, where they have no authority to be either, b/c the IBWC has a tightly-prescribed nonpossessory easement. pic.twitter.com/kZLuQ2zOsZ
— National Butterfly (@NatButterflies) December 13, 2021
More than 100 civil rights groups ask feds to slash Texas funding over migrant trespassing arrests, @jsmccullou reports https://t.co/dd6K5fVUfT via @TexasTribune
— James Barragán 🌟 (@James_Barragan) December 15, 2021
And the criminal and social justice news.
Aguirre, a licensed private investigator at the time, was hired to investigate fraud claims and paid about $266,400 by the Liberty Center for God and Country around the time of the incident. https://t.co/9yhMiMzgKr
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) December 14, 2021
Both men belonged to a militia group called the "Patriot Boys of North Texas," and appeared to use Facebook in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 attack to plan their role in the riots. https://t.co/4FFaGnzuyy
— KENS 5 (@KENS5) December 15, 2021
#BREAKING: Williamson County settles Javier Ambler wrongful death lawsuit for $5 million https://t.co/8owVhZeUps pic.twitter.com/7f2WaHli23
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) December 14, 2021
Two items regarding critical race theory.
Sen. Ted Cruz has released an eBook outlining how to "fight" against so-called critical race theory from being taught in K-12 education.https://t.co/hutliBOOx3
— Ariana Garcia 🇵🇷 (@Ariana_noGrande) December 15, 2021
“What's happening in Fort Worth ISD is a reflection of a greater narrative that's going around nationally."
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) December 16, 2021
The parts of school board meetings devoted to public comment used to center on improving student success, but they've become venting sessions. https://t.co/5ju0MEKpUq
And today's soothers.
Our first female publisher: Nancy Meyer, Miami Herald president, named publisher of the Houston Chronicle https://t.co/czkVFgUBhW via @houstonchron
— Alison Cook (@alisoncook) December 15, 2021
Texas, and Austin in particular, played a key role in the birth of Gilbert Shelton's canonical comic 'The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers,' which is now an animated TV show. https://t.co/l12NkQ1tmd
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) December 9, 2021
DEVELOPING: Feral hogs take over Southeast Texas neighborhood and cause all sorts of problems in a short period of time.https://t.co/zlO1prpQmo pic.twitter.com/hdHRG5TlLr
— KFDM News (@kfdmnews) December 14, 2021
Members of the Cigar Makers Union Local No. 128, American Federation of Labor, in El Paso, September, 1909. This image is fantastic! El Paso was once the center of a thriving cigar industry, which provided work to hundreds of people in the early 20th century. Courtesy UTSA. pic.twitter.com/lUP297BU1g
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) December 14, 2021
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