musings

• Number Crunching on the Houston Mayoral Runoff

  My buddy Greg Wythe crunched numbers from bell weather precincts in Houston neighborhoods for the December 12th mayoral runoff and got these results:
  
  Acres Home: Parker 18%, Locke 82%
  
  UH/TSU: Parker 16%, Locke 84%
  
  Clear Lake: Parker 64%, Locke 36%
  
  East End: Parker 67%, Locke 33%
  [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2009, 8:58am EST
  

• Harris County, Bill White and the 2010 General Election

  I'm always saying that 20-25% of the statewide vote comes from the Greater Harris County area. Not sure if I read that somewhere awhile back, or if it's because I know that figure holds true for other data points, such as the number of school age kids. Anyway, Jason' [...]
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  Posted: December 15, 2009, 8:24am EST
  

• Kinky Says, Why the Hell Not?

  And, jumps into the race for Ag Commissioner, which already has a Democrat in it - Hank Gilbert.
  
  The Texas Tribune has all the details from his announcement today. The Democratic Primary should be interesting. I think Gilbert made a tactical error endorsing Farouk Shami for Governor when [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2009, 12:45pm EST
  

• Scenes From Mayor-Elect Annise Parker's Victory Party!

  I spent a long evening following election results at the blogger table, and finally Parker entered the room and took the stage to deafening cheers! She had some great things to say to all of Houston. From the Chron:
  “Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the doors to [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2009, 9:44am EST
  

• Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night

  
  
  For Annise Parker supporters everywhere, here's our song for today! Find your polling location at harrisvotes.com, go vote, then go to Parker headquarters and volunteer (map here), and come party tonight at the George R. Brown, starting at 7 PM! We'll be' [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Election Eve at Annise Parker HQ

  After work, I lit dropped a Museum District precinct for Annise Parker, then headed over to her HQ where I stickered a bunch of door hangers for tomorrow's GOTV field effort. The place was jam packed with volunteers - some who had been there from the beginning, and some who [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 10:43pm EST
  

• Election Night Parties

  Lillie Schechter put all the info together on Election Night parties, and here it is!
  
  Go vote tomorrow! Find your polling location and follow election night results at harrisvotes.com.
  
  Annise Parker
  George R. Brown Convention Center - Room 360 - 1001 Avenida De Las Americas - 77010
  [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 10:09pm EST
  

• Mayoral Roundup

  What a relief. This will soon be over! Election Day is Saturday and we'll know who the next mayor of Houston is by sometime that night after 7 PM. Here's a roundup of some recent voices on the internet about the mayor's race - some familiar, and some maybe not:[...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Even More Anti-Gay Hate Mail in Support of Locke

  This speaks for itself. The only thing I would add is that if the same amount of hate mail came out in support of Annise Parker and against black people, don't you think there would be absolute rioting in Houston? I, for one, would hope so.
  
  If Gene Locke' [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Locke Lipped With Hotze

  I know this gets confusing - and, frankly, tiresome - but the Hotze saga continues, and this time there is a question of campaign coordination between the Locke campaign and Hotze's PAC. That would be illegal. A third party PAC can't, by law, coordinate campaign activities with the campaign.
  [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Big Numbers on the Last Day of Early Voting!

  Remember, 51,136 voted early in the mayor's race in Round one, and 8564 voted by mail. Today was the last day of early voting and it was big - click on the image below to make it larger to see how big at all of the voting locations.
  
  The [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 9:33pm EST
  

• Shami's Sham of a Campaign

  
  Color me unimpressed, and not surprised. The Texas Tribune has "combed over" (pun intended?!) Democratic candidate for Governor of Texas Farouk Shami's voting record, and has found some gaps.
  
  For example, he's never voted in a Democratic Primary (but he wants you to vote for [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Monday, December 7th

  Turnout increased today with 7494 people early voting in person, the largest amount for any day of early voting in the runoff so far. 42,572 have voted early through Monday, with tomorrow, Tuesday, being the last day to early vote. 9828 have voted by mail.
  If you believe the mayor's' [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 9:17pm EST
  

• Parker Asks Locke to Show Us the Money

  It's a little hard to believe that this late in the game, Locke cannot, or will not, give straight answers to how he will fund the major projects he's proposed. In this exchange from last night's KHOU debate, Parker asks Locke how he would fund one slice of his police [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Locke Has Hurt Feelings

  There was an odd moment in last night's KHOU debate between Locke and Parker when Locke was asked about his involvement in the gay mailers. Here's what he had to say:
  "I've said before, when people introduce hate, it hurts. And, it hurts me that people would think that I'" [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 6:45am EST
  

• Locke Rocking the Illegal Vote

  Bay Area Houston has a new post up on Locke's illegally placed signs, plus this photo:
  
  
  
  He's also got this which is required by law to be printed on every political sign:
  
  "NOTICE: IT IS A VIOLATION OF STATE LAW (CHAPTERS 392" [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Sunday, December 6th

  Turnout was very low today - just 2600 people. As a matter of fact, if anyone had a "pews to polls" effort going on (which is typical on the one Sunday of early voting), you sure can't tell it by these numbers. There are only two more days of early' [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 10:09pm EST
  

• Blockwalk the East End for Annise Parker with the Noriegas Today!

  Today, Melissa and Rick Noriega are hosting a block walk in the East End for Annise Parker, and the weather looks like it is going to cooperate! It's going to be cold, so bundle up, but there is zero percent chance of rain.
  
  Join the Noriegas anytime between [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 7:30am EST
  

• Another Poll Shows Parker in the Lead

  The Houston Chronicle has a new poll out for the mayor's race, and while the article does not give a detailed description of the poll's methodology, my sources tell me Zogby polled people who said they were likely to vote in the runoff, as opposed to polling people with [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Saturday, December 5th

  Voting was back up today, but to levels just a little bit above Monday-Thursday. It looks to me like areas of town where Parker has big support, voted big today. What does it look like to you?
  
  We have completed 6 out of 9 days of early voting, and [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 8:42pm EST
  

• Locke Asks: What's In It For You?

  That was the startling question Locke said we should all ask ourselves, at the end of the ABC13 mayoral debate in his closing remarks (view the video of that short segment here). It's a very different question than I'm used to hearing public servants ask. Something more along the' [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 9:38am EST
  

• These Ministers Speak for Me

  
  I deplore the anti-gay attacks in the mayoral race and Locke seeking them out and accepting them. It's hypocritical to claim a moral high ground while condoning hate. Hate is wrong. I was wondering yesterday what happens when one of the hateful anti-gay mailers, with a Locke endorsement, arrives [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Locke's Law Firm Has A Diversity Problem

  Oh, well. Turns out it's not the Controller's office that has a diversity problem at all - it's Locke's law firm. Instead of the 71% minorities like in Parker's office, Locke's law firm has these dismal figures:
  
  A grade of "D" from the multi-bar Diversity Committee
  only [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Thursday, December 3rd

  Still holding steady! Nearly the same total for in person early voting for each day through day 4. Extended voting hours begin Saturday. Early voting ends next Tuesday, with Election Day being Saturday, December 12th. Click on the image to make it larger.
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 6:55pm EST
  

• Locke Supporters Make the Race About Race

  The Chronicle reported this on Tuesday:
  Locke, who met with Hotze and sought his support prior to the Nov. 3 city election, said he was refraining from “divisive campaigning” and asked his supporters to follow his lead.
  “I am not going to go into issues of race, issues of [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Lockeing the Illegal Sign Vote

  If you like lawlessness, you just might be a fan of the Gene Locke campaign.
  
  I know from experience that it's difficult to prevent enthusiastic volunteers or paid sign crews from placing campaign signs in illegal places (right of ways, for example). But, Locke has so many illegally placed' [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 7:36pm EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Wed, December 2nd

  Click on the image to make it larger. Turnout has remained consistent over three days of early voting, averaging nearly 5800 in-person votes per day.
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 6:26pm EST
  

• Texas Ethics Commission Says Locke Has Been A Registered Lobbyist

  In last night's ABC13 debate, when asked who Locke has been a lawyer-lobbyist for in the past, Locke answered:
  "I am not a lobbyist; I have never been a lobbyist."
  When pressed by Parker in her rebuttal that indeed he has been considered a lobbyist, Locke lectures her with these [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 9:29am EST
  

• Locke Dances the Sidestep in the ABC13 Debate

  In last night's ABC13 Locke admits he accepts Hotze's endorsement, saying he hasn't sacrificed his core principles in doing so. At this exact moment, viewers knew they were in for an hour of Locke dancing the sidestep, and the rest of the viewing experience would became a game of trying' [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 8:53am EST
  

• In a Nutshell, the Difference Between Parker and Locke

  This is just about as clear as day  - the difference between Locke and Parker - from an accountability session with The Metropolitan Organization (from the Chron):
  Each candidate agreed that Houston police officers should not be used to enforce immigration laws, that more police officers need to be trained [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 7:06pm EST
  

• Stardig A No Show In District A Runoff Debate

  If you are a candidate for Houston City Council and you get caught in a bar instead of a superneighborhood meeting, the jokes just won't stop. There's a Twitter account for Republican Brenda Stardig - @brendasbarstool - and a Twitter hashtag (#barstoolBrenda). Not to mention that wild' [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 6:46pm EST
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Tuesday, December 1st

  Here are the early vote totals in the City of Houston runoff elections through today, December 1st. Who is turning out their voters early? Any thoughts?
  
  Click on the image below to make it larger.
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 6:14pm EST
  

• To Locke: "The GLBT Community Will Not Be Played For A Fool"

  
  I wrote about Gene Locke's responses to the Houston Stonewall Young Democrats questionnaire. Now that Hotze has sent out a mailer with the endorsement Locke requested, HSYD has a response - and calls on Locke for an answer. Tonight's ABC13 debate at 8 PM would be a good [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 5:47pm EST
  

• Early Voting Totals For Monday, November 30th

  Click on the image to make it bigger. Check it out and tell me what you think about Day 1 of early voting! 4089 people voted on Day 1 of early voting for the November 3rd Election. Today, 5834 voted. 17,413 mail ballots had been mailed on Oct. 19th compared [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:56pm EST
  

• www.StardigSecretPlan.com

  The Chronicle reported last week on the District A race between Lane Lewis (D) and Brenda Stardig (R). The Chron does not usually report on rumors, so when I read Stardig had apparently visited a bar instead of appearing at a superneighborhood meeting, I suspected there must be some truth [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:47am EST
  

• ABC13 Mayoral Debate Tuesday: Will Locke Be a No Show?

  Since Locke was a no show on the Red, White and Blue mayoral runoff show, you have to wonder if he'll show up for the three scheduled televised debates. The first one is this Tuesday, December 1st on ABC13, at 8 PM. You can email Ch. 13 the questions you' [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:30am EST
  

• Hotze Endorses Locke

  See below- I've got a scan of the mailer Hotze sent out with all of his endorsements. We wait for Locke to reject it, except we know that Locke sought Hotze's endorsement. Hmm. Tapping my toes. Yawn. No repudiation of the endorsement from Locke yet. The Chair of the [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 10:42pm EST
  

• Peter Brown Knocking On Doors For Parker

  Peter Brown has a Thanksgiving message for his supporters and it boils down to this: Join me in voting for Annise Parker for Mayor. Note the paragraph where he talks about blockwalking for Annise this past weekend in Kingwood and in the East End. That's no joke - I was [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 7:38pm EST
  

• Schieffer's Prepared Remarks from Presser

  Printed remarks passed out at press conference at the Capitol:
  November 23, 2009For Immediate ReleaseSTATEMENT FROM TOM SCHIEFFERYesterday, my treasurer, Lyndon Olson, and I met in Houston with Mayor Bill White. I urged Mayor White to consider running for Governor instead of the United States Senate. I told him that [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 3:48pm EST
  

• Report from Schieffer Press Conference at Capitol

  
  I was at Tom Schieffer's press conference today at the Capitol  for his announcement that he's not running for Governor. He couldn't have been more clear that he is asking all of the other candidates for Governor to do the same - drop out and get' [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 3:26pm EST
  

• Gary Polland Calls Locke Out On Hotze

  You know it's bad when a prominent Houston Republican with a TV show says this to his viewers about mayoral candidate Gene Locke:
  My question that I would like to ask Gene is . . . how bad to you want to win? Do you want to win so bad [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• More Proof We Were Lied To

  What? Tort reform hasn't lowered the cost of health care in Texas? What??? I feel duped. Same feeling I got when I found out electricity deregulation did not result in the promised lower electricity bills. And I got that same bad feeling when I was told that insurance' [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• The Houston Chronicle Endorses Annise Parker in the Runoff

  No dual endorsement this time! There is no link online yet, but I have a hard copy that I've turned into jpegs. Click on the images to make them larger:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Favorite parts -' [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 7:49am EST
  

• The KHOU Mayoral Poll in Full

  Just a couple of comments. I don't think I'm wrong about the validity of the "likely voter" modeling - basically, I'm not enthused. Other negatives: I don't think they got enough Democrats in the poll. Check out the answers about who these respondents voted for in Round 1. Doesn't' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:58am EST
  

• Locke Admits He Asked For Hotze's Endorsement

  Miya Shay has the news:
  He (Locke) said he asked Hotze before the November elections for his support, Hotze endorsed someone else, and they haven’t had contact since.
  Uh. Oh. This admission came on the day Harris County Democratic Party Chair Gerry Birnberg issued the following:
  
  CANDIDATES – [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• KHOU Poll: Still Searching For City Voters

  Wheeee! KHOU recently called 500 registered voters who said, "What the heck, yes, I'll vote for mayor. I think I will, anyway. There's an election? Is Obama running against that rogue lady in the shorts?" They were asked who they would vote for in the December 12th mayoral runoff, and [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Locke and Parker Polls Both Show Parker Ahead

  Annise Parker released the results of an internal poll today showing her ahead of Gene Locke 47-34 among likely runoff voters, with a high turnout scenario for African Americans. You can read the poll memo here. From that memo:
  Methodology: Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:52pm EST
  

• Locke: "I Will Be Very Visible In Advocating for Gay Rights"

  I've got rock solid proof in my hands that mayoral candidate Gene Locke told a gay endorsing group what they wanted to hear in order to secure their endorsement, before he sought the endorsement of anti-gay social conservatives Steven Hotze, David Welch and the Houston Area Pastor Council.
  [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:52am EST
  

• Texas Democratic Party Piles on Hotze

  The TDP gets in on the act, slamming Steven Hotze for recruiting right wing candidates to run against Democratic Texas legislators by email. So, it's not just us here in Houston, appalled that mayoral candidate Gene Locke has sought Hotze's endorsement. We have Austin piling on Hotze. TDP's' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:09am EST
  

• Come Clean Gene on Your Conflicts of Interest

  Wow. I just barely scraped the surface on Locke's potential conflicts of interest when I blogged on cityethics.org's concerns that led them to question if he should even be running for mayor of Houston. The Parker campaign has more details and more questions about Locke's conflicts of interest. We'll' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:10am EST
  

• Locke Step with Hotze on Homosexuality

  Let's be clear about a couple of things. According to the Houston Chronicle:
  Locke has also met with and sought the endorsement of Dr. Steven Hotze, a longtime local kingmaker in conservative politics and author of the Straight Slate in 1985, a coterie of eight City Council candidates he' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Locke's Lawyerly Response

  It probably took Gene Locke about two seconds to come up with his non-response to being caught with his pants down with Steven Hotze and the right wing ministers who are planning an organized anti-gay hate campaign in the mayoral race. After all, he makes $640/hour off the taxpayers, [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 10:18am EST
  

• Gene Locke's Gay Friendly Agenda

  Imagine my shock and surprise to read the Houston Chronicle's article on organized anti-gay efforts aimed at  keeping Annise Parker from getting elected and to see this (everything in red from here on out are things I've pulled from newspapers, press releases, blogs, etc. If it's in black, they' [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Texas Conservative Review: Parker is a Fiscal Conservative

  I blogged recently about the Texas Conservative Review (TCR) and noted that they graded Annise Parker a B. On page 3 of their November Voter Guide, they had this to say about Parker:
  TCR was pleasantly surprised that Annise Parker scored near the top. Clearly her answers indicate she [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 7:26pm EST
  

• Hotze on the Move: Targets Texas Democratic House Members

  A couple of reasons I'm not terribly impressed by the e-blast below from Conservative Republicans of Texas (CRT):
  
  
  1. Recruit Republicans to run for the Texas House by email? Really?
  
  2. CRT endorsed a slate in the Nov. 3rd City of Houston elections, and didn't exactly [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 6:51pm EST
  

• Parker's Field Campaign: By the Numbers

  I personally did some phone banking and blockwalking with the Parker campaign's field program and I was very impressed with the targeting and the response. Some of our phonebanking nights were huge, and there were a ton of people at HQ the weekend before E-Day, so I'm not surprised by [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:12pm EST
  

• Peter Brown Urges Houstonians to Vote for Annise Parker

  
  I was very impressed with Peter Brown's speech endorsing Annise Parker for mayor. He was sincere, passionate and enthusiastic. He drew a sharp contrast between Parker and Gene Locke, saying we cannot be sure what Locke's priorities are or who will advise him. He described Parker [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:40pm EST
  

• Parker Campaign Releases Internal Memo on State of the Race

  Click on images to make them larger:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:16am EST
  

• Hispanic Leadership Council Event for Annise Parker

  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 8:47am EST
  

• Mayor's Race: 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th in Top 50 Precincts

  I've been taking a look at the precinct level data in the Nov. 3rd mayoral election in lots of different ways. This look is at the top 50 precincts for number of votes cast (check out how high the turnout was in these top 50 - most are well above' [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 8:21am EST
  

• Peter Brown to Endorse in the Mayor's Race

  
  MEDIA ADVISORY: PETER BROWN ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT IN MAYORAL RUNOFF
  
  Peter Brown will host a press conference, joined by family, friends and supporters, announcing his endorsement in the mayoral runoff.  
  WHO: Houston City Council Member and former Candidate for Mayor Peter Brown
  WHAT: Peter Brown makes an official [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 11:10pm EST
  

• Runoff Early Voting Locations, Dates, Times

  
  Dates and Times for Early Voting (City of Houston, HISD):
  
  
  Monday, Nov. 30: 8 AM to 5 PM
  Tuesday, Dec. 1: 8 AM to 5 PM
  Wednesday, Dec. 2: 8 AM to 5 PM
  Thursday, Dec. 3: 8 AM to 5 PM
  Friday, Dec. 4: 8 AM [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Want to Know More About the Mayoral Runoff Candidates?

  I guess I'm a little surprised that anyone would think that Gene Locke and Annise Parker should drop everything once a week and answer social media questions. If you think it's a great idea - or a silly one - let us know in the comments. Below are some [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Gene Locke and the Latino Vote

  We have plenty of evidence from the precinct level data, that Locke's brown-black coalition did not materialize, with only the black portion of the coalition showing up for him at the polls. I did a quick analysis of the total votes in some East End precincts:
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 6:00am EST
  

• December 12th Runoff Information - City of Houston Election

  From the Harris County Clerk's Office:
  First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail: Wednesday, Nov. 4
  Last Day to Register to Vote: Thursday, Nov. 12
  First Day of Early Voting: Monday, Nov. 30
  Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not postmarked): Dec. 5
  Last Day of' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 12:24pm EST
  

• Why Brown Isn't in the Runoff

  I'm glad Bradley Olson of the Houston Chronicle ran the numbers on cost per vote for the Houston mayoral election. There's an enormous difference between what Roy Morales spent per vote ($1.88) and what Peter Brown spent ($122.14), yet Brown only bested Morales by around 4000 votes. Brown finished [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:46am EST
  

• Morales Wants to Get Back Up on the Bike?

  You beat down Roy (Peter Brown beat him for At-Large 1 in 2005) and then you beat him down again (Melissa Noriega beat him in the 2007 At-Large 3 Special Election). Then once more (Melissa Noriega beat him in the 2007 At-Large 3 General Election), and again for good measure [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Morning After Thoughts on the Mayoral Race

  Amazing. Another fun election night is history and it's time for a fresh start this morning . . . so, why not start by looking back.
  
  Let's talk about turnout. I qualified my 200,000 prediction as "bah-humbug" and warned you I am always pessimistic about turnout. Turns out [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 6:00am EST
  

• City of Houston Final Results in Fort Bend County

  The City of Houston precincts in Fort Bend County (mostly Missouri City) voted as follows for Mayor:
  
  70.83%   1969 votes   Gene Locke
  15.54%   432 votes     Peter Brown
  9.5%       264 votes     Annise Parker
  3.71%     103 votes     [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:37pm EST
  

• Roy Morales and His Biker Ad Wins!

  I'm watching Morales running second in EDay voting, with 39.24% of the vote in.
  
  Total EDay vote is with 39.24% in:
  Parker  32.25%
  Morales  23.74%
  Locke  21.63%
  Brown  21.22%
  
  Total vote (EDay plus Early Vote plus Mail) with 39.24% in:
  Parker  30.06%
  Locke  26.09%
  Brown  24.05%
  Morales' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:40pm EST
  

• What I'm hearing - turnout

  It looks like my 200,000 bah humbug prediction might be too low, and my earlier prediction of 175,000 for turnout more accurate. At the 175,000 level, I predicted a big advantage for Parker.
  
  The precincts I'm tracking for Annise Parker are turning out very well. Not' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:51pm EST
  

• Roy Morales Leads in Poll

  Vote today! The poll closes at 7 PM tonight - the poll on the right hand portion of this blog:
  Which campaign tactic will all future 
  Houston mayoral campaigns copy?
  You can choose the hayride (Brown), the anteater (Parker), the text message (Locke) or the biker ad (Morales). Right now [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:30am EST
  

• Final Election Day Predictions - Includes Council Races

  Below is the ballot order and my thoughts about who will win outright and who will be in a runoff. The candidates I endorsed are in red. Incumbents are indicated with an (i)
  
  I said a lot more about the mayoral race in this post.
  
  Mayor
  Peter [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Who is Making Anti-Ron Green Robo Calls?

  Three have gone out - an unidentified male trying to rally Democrats to NOT vote for the Democrat Ron Green for Controller. Each time one goes out, my activist friends call and email me to ask if I know who sent them. Each person describes them as extremely ugly . [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• CNN Interviews Annise Parker!

  And, they also interview my friend, Charles Kuffner! CNN reviews Parker's qualifications, and notes that she would be Houston's first openly gay mayor. Annise says that her election will send a message to the world that Houston might surprise a lot of folks. Kuff gets more time than Peter [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 10:01pm EST
  

• Election Night Parties

  I'm seeing lots of invites to Election Night parties and I thought I'd share them with you here, in case you are trying to figure out where your favorite candidates are going to be! I don't mean to leave anyone out - this is just a start - so please' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 7:00am EST
  

• Election Day Predictions - Mayoral Race

  After seeing the breakdown of the early vote from Kyle Johnston (see below), campaign managers, consultants, bloggers and pundits have been making their predictions for how things will turn out on Election Day in the City of Houston mayoral race. I'll make mine. Why not? I already' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 6:30am EST
  

• Silly Season Mayoral Poll!

  With all the negative attacks this past week from the mayoral campaigns - and all along from crazed bloggers - I thought it would be fun to put up a mayoral preference poll based on some things that have struck me as funny during this campaign season. Review the following, [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 11:24am EST
  

• Mayoral Campaign Videos I Missed

  KTRK has been asking the mayoral candidates a series of questions over time and they were asked to respond with short videos. I'm catching up on those now and here are some that I found interesting:
  
  Peter Brown answers the question, "Introduce us to your favorite living Houstonian'" [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Good Campaign Season Memory - Parker Gets on the Ballot

  This was an exciting day - Annise Parker officially filed to be on the ballot for Mayor. I was there and liveblogged it in these three posts. They've created a short ad based on that event. I like it! Annise's speech was great - very inclusive. She [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 9:42pm EDT
  

• Peter Brown's Amusing Email

  I got this last night from Peter Brown's campaign. Right off the bat, it got a laugh out of me. Who would be dumb enough to give to Brown's campaign at this point when it's clear he's got an unlimited ability to self (wife) finance? Then the load of [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 8:00am EDT
  

• I'm Upping My Estimate of Roy's Vote Share

  What was I thinking??!! I totally forgot about the biker vote for Roy Morales.
  
  
  
  When I think of Roy Morales, I definitely think: Hooter-ish girl, bikers, the long open road . . . Coincidentally, those are the same things that are top of mind when I [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 7:30am EDT
  

• Early Voting Totals Through Thursday by Location

  I've got early vote totals from Day 1 through Day 11. All we have left is today to vote early! If you need to find early voting locations, there is a map and addresses at harrisvotes.com. If you are waiting until Election Day (Tuesday, 7 AM to 7 PM), you'll [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 7:00am EDT
  

• Harris County: Here's A Missive From Your County Clerk

  Republican Beverly Kaufman, Harris County Clerk just sent out the following. It's hard not to hear her say "Vote for Gene Locke" subliminally in every sentence (she sent out a robocall endorsing him, to the dismay of voters who think the person in charge of elections should not endorse in' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 6:18pm EDT
  

• Annise Parker Responds to Peter Brown's False Claims

  Peter Brown sent out a misleading mail piece to voters this week (see it here). Annise Parker has responded. Mayor White has responded as well. Click on the jpegs below to see Parker refute Brown's allegations - and in some cases call out Brown for hypocrisy.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 11:27am EDT
  

• How Much Has C.O. Bradford Cost Taxpayers?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Noel Freeman's new mailer hits homes today. A friend told me that Bradford was overheard telling' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 8:00am EDT
  

• Peter Brown: Utterly Confused or Deliberately Deceptive?

  You gotta love it when a negative attack is so easily disputed. Even more delicious are those few, rare moments when Mayor White deems it's necessary to get involved in the race to replace him as mayor. 
  
  
  Brown sent out a mail piece that attacked both Annise Parker' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 7:00am EDT
  

• Predicting Roy Morales' Vote Share

  Get two or more political people together these days and one of the inevitable questions is, "How much of the vote will Roy Morales get?" I've heard everything from single digits to 20-22%.
  
  Morales is the only Republican in the race for Mayor. I thought he did a' [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 6:30am EDT
  

• Pam Holm's Ethics Problem

  The campaign finance rules boil down to something pretty basic: transparently report the donations you get and the expenditures you make. Don't try and hide either one in this day and time, because reports are on the internet and are easily searchable by ethics watchdogs. A big deal will' [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 10:13am EDT
  

• Peter Brown: Too Liberal or Too Cozy with Republicans?

  What a conundrum. I hear all the time that the conventional wisdom is that mayoral candidate Peter Brown is too liberal. Peter Brown: White, Liberal Elite is that headline. Cozying up with Obama (photo evidence!) Probably windsurfed in his younger days. We have donation history of [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 10:45am EDT
  

• Locke, Show Us Your Internal Poll!

  Annise Parker is using Lake Research for her polling - a very reputable, national Democratic polling firm. We got a look at Parker's latest internal poll last night which showed this:
  Annise Parker: 27%
  Peter Brown: 21%
  Gene Locke: 17%
  Roy Morales: 11%
  Undecided: 24%
  And,' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 7:33am EDT
  

• Locke's Police Mailer

  From the Houston Police Officer's Union: Color me surprised. I thought the messaging would be stronger, and certainly would have expected the photo to be more flattering. My goodness, that photo is conveying something I don't think they intended to convey. Someone ban [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 6:28pm EDT
  

• City of Houston Votes in Fort Bend County to Date - and Historically

  I've had Gene Locke supporters on Facebook arguing with me about how the City of Houston votes in Fort Bend County are their secret weapon for winning because the 23 City of Houston precincts in Fort Bend County are supposed to deliver a large African American vote and, of' [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 12:03pm EDT
  

• Early Voting Through Sunday

  Turnout in the Harris County elections was up only 10% on Saturday over Friday, with a low turnout on Sunday. For day by day data on turnout by location, plus the percent each location is contributing to total turnout to date, click here.
  How does early voting [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 10:50am EDT
  

• Roy Morales TV Ad

  On the heels of the secret announcement that the Harris County Republican Party and one blogger have endorsed him, Roy Morales releases a TV ad. Here's what you'll learn from the ad:If you don't like Obama, Morales is your guy. The city is about to go bankrupt (really??)He's not [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 9:57am EDT
  

• Parker Shoots Fish in a Barrel!

  Good grief, I'm sorry I missed the Majic 102.1 radio show this morning where it seems that Parker was shooting fish in a barrel, with the two easily and frequently targeted fish being Gene Locke and Peter Brown. Those two are giving Parker control of' [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 2:25pm EDT
  

• More Voter Suppression News? Or, a Mistake?

  I just heard from Council Member Melissa. She and her husband, Rick Noriega, went to vote at Ripley House in the East End this morning. To her surprise, she was told she would not be allowed to vote because she had requested a mail ballot. But, she had not requested [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 2:31pm EDT
  

• Is Locke Trying to Suppress Votes?

  Or is his campaign so chaotic they simply don't know what they are doing? I'm referring to the text message that went out from the Locke campaign yesterday morning:TODAY is the final day for early voting. Gene launches second ad: http://bit.ly/3tuOJM Join us for Debate Watch Party Saturday! http://bit.ly/W4jhpMisleading voters [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 11:24am EDT
  

• Early Voting Continues, Except For Locke Supporters

  
  Contrary to what the Locke campaign texted out to supporters yesterday morning - "Today is the final day for early voting" - early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30th. Today marks the beginning of 7 AM to 7 PM early voting everyday except for Sunday [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 8:30am EDT
  

• At-Large 1: Litt and Costello

  Herman Litt in At-Large 1 recently dropped a mailer which touts his Democratic endorsements. These names on his mailer should be familiar to Democratic voters:Former HCC Trustee Jay Aiyer, Rep. Alma Allen, Former Congressman Chris Bell, Rep. Ellen Cohen, Former Rep. Paul Colbert, HISD Board Member Carol Mims Galloway, [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 7:30am EDT