Posts Tagged ‘Susan Combs’

Statewide Race Update for December 31, 2013

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

I thought I would do a better job of keeping tabs on Texas statewide races, but there are just too many for me to do a good job tracking all of them. Going into next year, I’ll try to do a decent job of keeping track of the Governor’s Race (Spoiler: Greg Abbot wallops Wendy Davis), the Lt. Governor’s race, and the Attorney General’s race, and tidbits on any other races will just be a bonus. (If you know of any sites doing extensive coverage of the Ag Commissioner or Comptroller races, let me know.)

Here’s a roundup that will include some oldish news.

  • The most hilarious liberal initiative in the Texas governor’s race has to be Lady Parts Justice PAC. No, this is not an Instapundit parody. Liberals have actually reduced half American citizens to their genitalia. “Ladies! Why think with your brain when you can think with your vagina?”
  • Wendy Davis hires out-of-state consultant to run her campaign. This is my shocked face.
  • On the Democratic side, Wendy Davis and a Reynaldo “Ray” Madŕigal have filed for governor (I’m assuming it’s the same Madrigal who pulled in 5.7% in a run for Corpus Christi Mayor in 2012) and outgoing El Paso Mayor John F. Cook is running for Land Commissioner.
  • Interview with Madrigal:

  • Greg Abbott pledges to keep Texas budgets small.
  • Abbot and Davis wrangle over redistricting lawyers fees.
  • Davis is not ready for prime time. “All this leaves me seriously wondering whether Davis’ campaign has any chance of winning in 2014. Or worse: whether Davis didn’t take the Valley seriously enough to come here polished and ready and with her A-team. Surely this type of poor venue and repetitive shallow non-statements and unprofessional media handling wouldn’t play, in say, a Dallas crowd.” And that’s from a liberal Democrat.
  • There was a Lt. Governor’s debate:

    kcentv.com – KCEN HD – Waco, Temple, and Killeen

  • Todd Staples releases a good list of heavy hitting donors.
  • David Dewhurst releases a better one. Harlan Crow, Jerry Jones, Red McCombs and Drayton MacLane all stick out as particularly heavy hitters. (Another name, Kevin Eltife, is probably best know as a Republican state senator who wants to raise taxes.)
  • David Dewhurst has a campaign video out:

  • Jerry Patterson touts his 2nd Amendment credentials:

  • Dan Patrick touts the endorsement of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.
  • A closer look at how Michael Quinn Sullivan and TFR do endorsements.
  • Democratic State Senator Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio makes her Lt. Governor’s run official.
  • Attorney General candidate Ken Paxton racks up over 220 East Texas endorsements for his Attorney General bid.
  • Paxton also campaigned in East Texas.
  • He also announced the endorsement of Ted Cruz for Senate chairman Kelly Shackelford:

  • As well as state senator Brian Birdwell

  • The Texas Tribune does a roundup of the AG race, noting Paxton had won 6 out of 6 straw polls, while Dan Branch raised the most money (including a check from George W. Bush).
  • Meanwhile, AG candidate Barry Smitherman touts his right to life endorsements.
  • AG candidate Dan Branch vowed to defend Texas Voter ID Laws. I doubt that’s a differentiator among GOP candidate…
  • Branch also picked up a lot of business endorsements, including Texas Association of Builders’ HOMEPAC, the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND, and the Texas Apartment Association. It was always pretty clear Branch was going to get the lion’s share of “moneybags PACs” endorsements…
  • Susan Combs endorses Glenn Hegar for Comptroller.
  • Sid Miller is running for Agricultural Commissioner, and he’s already wrapped up endorsements from Young Conservatives of Texas, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and Ted Nugent.

    • Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    Posted in Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas, unions | No Comments »

    Perry’s Decision and the State of Play for Texas Statewide Races in 2014

    Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

    With Rick Perry declining to run for reelection as Governor, we finally have the crystallizing event that will set the 2014 field. So here’s an early look at how the next year’s statewide races are shaping up in Texas:

    Governor

    Attorney General Greg Abbott and his $18 million warchest is going to be the overwhelming favorite almost no matter who else jumps into the race; he has all Perry’s strength’s without Perry’s disadvantages. If David Dewhurst jumps into the Governor’s race, Abbott will still be the prohibitive favorite. Tom Pauken will be hard-pressed to match Glenn Addison’s 2012 senate race total of 1.6%. On the Democrats’ side, instant abortion celebrity Wendy Davis might be the favorite, but there’s no reason to expect Abbott won’t cream her by 20 points, and as a politician since 1999, there’s no indication she can self-fund. Neither of the Castro brothers strike me as stupid enough to want to tarnish their national office chances by losing a governor’s race. Beyond that it’s random state senators and reps (reportedly Rep. Mike Villarreal and Sen. Kirk Watson are considering runs), or retreads from the 2012 senate race.

    Lt. Governor

    His humiliating senate race defeat proved that David Dewhurst is vulnerable to a challenge from the right, but I remain unconvinced that any of the three currently declared candidates (Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples, and State Senator Dan Patrick) are the ones to do it. Dewhurst and Perry both moved up from the Land and Agricultural Commissioner positions (respectively), but neither ran against an incumbent, much less a well-heeled, entrenched one. Patrick tested the waters for the 2012 senate race, but found the groundswell for him non-existent. Moreover, Patrick’s candidacy appeals most to social conservatives, but after the abortion dustup, they would seem among the least likely to desert Dewhurst. Presumably U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul (the only man currently in Texas politics richer than Dewhurst) could defeat Dewhurst were he to get in, but so far he hasn’t made any moves to get into the race. In this, and all lower statewide races, whoever runs for the Democrats is whatever random candidates decided to skip the governor’s race.

    Attorney General

    With Abbott running for governor, this race is wide open. With Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman’s website already touting him as a potential candidate, his entry is pretty much a foregone conclusion. State Rep. Dan Branch is also said to be considering a run. Someone on Abbott’s staff could also get in, or a state legislator with a law degree who has been blessed by Texans for Lawsuit Reform. (Maybe Ken Paxton?)

    Comptroller

    Incumbent Susan Combs has said she’s not running for reelection. Early word was she was eying the Lt. Governor’s race, but I don’t see her getting any traction there. Losing 2010 Tea Party/Ron Paulite gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina is rumored to be considering a run (and the previous link goes to a webpage for an exploratory committee for that race). State Senator Glenn Hegar is also said to be considering a run, as is state Ways and Means chairman Harvey Hilderbran. (State Senator Tommy Williams has preemptively bowed out.)

    Land Commissioner

    With incumbent Jerry Patterson gunning for Dewhurst’s job, George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, nephew of Bush43, and grandson of Bush 41, is considered a lock for the race. Though nothing about George P. Bush’s limited public appearances suggests he’s invulnerable, it’s doubtful he’ll draw a serious challenger this far down the ballot who’s willing to take on the Bush Machine’s renowned fundraising prowess.

    Agricultural Commissioner

    State Rep. Brandon Creighton is rumored to be interested in a run. Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt is passing on the race

    Railroad Commission

    When Smitherman runs for AG, his position will open up. State Rep. Stefani Carter will be running, along with “Dallas businessman Malachi Boyuls and geologist Becky Berger of Schulenburg.” Greg Parker, who made it into the runoff with Smitherman in 2012, is another possibility.

    And don’t forget all those wildcard Texas millionaires and billionaires who might suddenly decide to run for office…

    Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | 3 Comments »

    Susan Combs Stepping Down as Texas State Comptroller

    Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

    Texas Comptroller Susan Combs won’t run for reelection in 2014. And that despite having a $7.3 million warchest.

    Naturally lots of Republicans are lining up to run for the spot, though many are probably waiting to see what Rick Perry and Greg Abbott are going to do before jumping in.

    Tags:, , ,
    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »

    Texas Senate Race Update for July 26, 2012

    Thursday, July 26th, 2012

    A quick roundup Texas Senate race news. Less than a week before the runoff! I’ll try to do at least one more update Monday.

  • Friday the Ted Cruz campaign is having a big get-out-the-vote rally in The Woodlands featuring Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint.
  • Saturday brings another get-out-the-vote rally, this one in Southlake (DFW area), featuring Rick Santorum and Congressman Michael Burgess.
  • Greg Groogan of Fox Houston seems impressed at the lineup.
  • Palin has also cut an automated call for Cruz:

  • Cruz is at FreePAC in Dallas…and David Dewhurst isn’t.
  • Former Texas GOP chair George Strake, Jr. says the latest Dewhurst smear is the dirtiest he’s ever seen.
  • George Will says that Dewhurst is good enough. I would take issue with one of Will’s assertions, though: If you read that letter signed by eighteen Texas state senators, it is not “in support of Dewhurst,” but rather a technical description of the various legislative fates of the various bills Cruz said Dewhurst either killed behind the scenes, or else didn’t push hard enough for. It’s not an endorsement of Dewhurst’s candidacy by those Senators. However, Dewhurst did just pick up the endorsement of…
  • State Senator Dan Patrick. Given the significant differences Dewhurst and Patrick have had over the years (most notably the fate of the anti-groping bill), that’s a good pickup for Dewhurst, though I don’t think it really moves the needle.
  • Many members of the legislative Tea Party Caucus are not pleased.
  • Erick Erickson is not impressed with the Will column.
  • Texas Comptroller Susan Combs also endorsed Dewhurst.
  • Sen. John Cornyn is maintaining strict neutrality in the race.
  • Dewhurst’s conservative credentials get examined by Rice professor Mark P. Jones, who concludes that “Dewhurst’s ideological location is somewhere in the moderate or centrist wings of the Republican Senate delegation,” while passing legislation acceptable to “most” Republicans.
  • Blogger Befuddled by the Clowns says that “Dewhurst because he clearly feels he will be able to swing in and buy the votes. In my mind, this represents the same old arrogance that has existed in Washington DC for decades. This prevailing attitude is the very essence that I want evaporated from our Federal Government…It is clear that David Dewhurst is out of touch with the real working class and will bring his elitist ideals with him. These are the reasons why I voted for Ted Cruz.”
  • Dewhurst appeared on KIII in Corpus Christi:

    KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend

  • The fourth day of early voting, and I just received my first piece of Dewhurst direct mail since the primary.
  • On the Democratic side of the runoff, Paul Sadler, the establishment candidate, picks up the usual establishment endorsements.
  • Sadler also appeared on KUHF.
  • Sadler had just over $30,000 cash on hand as of July 11.
  • Grady Yarbrough, who evidently still hasn’t filed an FEC report, has still somehow managed to buy air time, using the same video he put up on YouTube in June.

    • Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »

    LinkSwarm for January 12, 2012

    Thursday, January 12th, 2012

    I had a maid service come clean my house in advance of a family event I’m hosting this weekend. It’s amazing the difference between “Bachelor Clean” and “Clean Clean.” It’s almost as big as the difference between “Obama Smart” and “Actually Smart”…

  • Micheal Totten could use your help. He does good work, and I still need to review The Road to Fatima Gate. I donated, and so has insta.
  • Rick Perry tears into “Big Government Conservatism.”
  • Comptroller Susan Combs denies a wind farm subsidy. Personally I’d end all “green subsidies.” Let the market pick energy winners and losers, not government.
  • Free Pepper Spray for women being handed out in Austin. (Hat tip: Stuff From Hsoi)
  • Why it’s uneconomical to manufacture anything in the UK:

    If we build the Raspberry Pi in Britain, we have to pay a lot more tax. If a British company imports components, it has to pay tax on those (and most components are not made in the UK). If, however, a completed device is made abroad and imported into the UK – with all of those components soldered onto it – it does not attract any import duty at all. This means that it’s really, really tax inefficient for an electronics company to do its manufacturing in Britain, and it’s one of the reasons that so much of our manufacturing goes overseas. Right now, the way things stand means that a company doing its manufacturing abroad, depriving the UK economy, gets a tax break. It’s an absolutely mad way for the Inland Revenue to be running things.

    (Hat tip: Slashdot)

  • The difference between Obama’s vision of America and Republicans’.
  • After blowing over half a billion dollars in taxpayer funds, Obama’s green energy crony capitalism favorites are asking the bankruptcy judge to let them pay bonuses to remaining employees. And that’s on top of the hefty bonuses they paid executives right before declaring bankruptcy. Your tax dollars at work…

  • Obama is not so popular in Florida.
  • The New York Times, in its infinite genius, sends a vegetarian to review steakhouses and BBQ joints in Kansas City. That’s some mighty fine reporting there, Lou. (Hat tip: Dwight)

    • Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
    Posted in Austin, Crime, Media Watch, Obama Scandals, Regulation, Texas | No Comments »

    LinkSwarm for Monday, April 11, 2011

    Monday, April 11th, 2011

    A few links of interest:

  • What happens when liberal fantasies, like the Euro or Global Warming, finally fall apart.
  • All the momentum is with Republican budget cutters. Let’s hope so…
  • And the reason is Obama’s fecklessness.
  • Today’s target of liberal ire for letting taxpayers keep more of their own money: Roth IRAs.
  • Oopsie! Texas Comptroller Susan Combs says that the personnel information of 3.5 million Texans was inadvertently exposed on a comptroller server.
  • Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie announced he’s stepping down.
  • China posts a trade deficit. No, really, That’s what rising food prices will do for a country whose per capita income is still less than half that of Mexico. Maybe the “China will take over the world” types can give it a rest for a while…

    • (Hat tips: Real Clear Politics, Ace.)

    Tags:, , , , ,
    Posted in Budget, Democrats | No Comments »