Texas Stuff
For those of you from foreign states, early voting in the Texas primary has been going on for two weeks and election day is tomorrow. I’ve been kinda busy.
If you are new here and live in Fort Bend County or know someone who does, I am endorsing Sri Preston Kulkarni for Congressional District 22 and Hazel Dorine Lundy for county chair.
Okay, with that out of the way, we have great news about Texas. This year, we doubled the early voting totals of the last non-presidential primary. We increased our early voting by 98%. Republicans increased their’s by 16%. And that increase has a pony tail and ta-tas: In the GOP primary, 49% of voters are female. In the Democratic primary, it’s 59%.
Democrats have energized people who have never voted any primary before now. Of Texas Democratic primary voters, 24% are first time primary voters. In my county, we have reached into new demographics by running highly qualified Asian and South Asian candidates.
It’s not time to call Texas blue yet and November is a long way away. But, we see the light at the end of the tunnel and we are running as fast as we can.
One other thing this morning and it’s gosh-awful. The damn DCCC is damn dumb and damn hurtful to the cause.
The Texas Congressional District 7 is the most flippable district in Texas. A candidate named Laura Moser came back to Texas from Washington DC to run for the seat. She’s not my favorite candidate in the race. She’s about my 3rd or 4th favorite candidate Come to find out, she was polling a distant fourth until … damn DCCC.
The DCCC ran an attack ad against her on their website.
If there is one thing Democrats in Texas hate more than Republicans, it’s the DCCC. I’ll tell you stories about that later but take my word for it right now. Moser was able to raise a bucketload of money on that alone and got more press time than she was ever entitled to. Now it looks like she has a decent shot to make it to the runoff on the DCCC alone.
Do not give the DCCC any money. Do not even look them straight in the eye because that might be dangerous, too. I have been ranting against them since 2006 but it hasn’t done much good.
And there you have it. Pray for Texas. Every damn day.
The DCCC is by far one of the single biggest obstacles to getting Democrats elected. I get 4+ emails from these idiots DAILY and the phone calls never stop. Short of a sea change at the top, I wouldn’t give these folks a plug nickel! Listen to JJ, she knows whereof she speaks!
1I would like to think that Moser is smart enough to trick the DCCC into spending that much money to bump her up in the pols.
So, who is your favorite in 7?
And I share your antipathy toward the DCCC.
2Totally agree about the DCCC. If you have your tinfoil hat nearby, I think it’s a rethug plant to help lose elections for democrats. Scam for sure.
3After the DCCC manipulation of the presidential election, I wouldn’t give them a dime under any circumstances. I did, coincidentally, send a contribution to Beto O’Rourke about an hour ago. Guess I can do that for Laura Moser too.
4AK Lynne, just because the DCCC doesn’t like Moser doesn’t mean she’s any good; they can be right occasionally. I don’t live in district 7, so haven’t researched their candidates. Would like to hear Juanita’s take on the best choices.
Juanita, I’m in TX-22 and have taken your advice on Sri & Hazel. So glad turnout is up! When I first moved out here in 1995, there were hardly any Dems running for anything so I was forced to vote for Greens or Libertarians.
5I’m just a Saffer (South African) living in the UK, so not even American, let alone Texan – but I’ve been following the good news from your state for months. Several respected observers have noted that there’s something different in Texas this year, and the primary early voting confirms that.
Well done – and keep up the good work, between now and November.
6As a resident of a foreign state, https://youtu.be/nMhaehb5AnE
7The numbers are very encouraging and especially so when you consider that probably ZERO republicans voted in the Democratic primary but some Democrats — including myself — had to vote in the Republican primary to have any voice in some critical local elections. Some not insignificant number of people have felt compelled to do so in the primary — despite all the arguments to the contrary. When those numbers get added into the Democratic column come November, it really does look good.
8Thank you Ms. Juanita Jean Herownself and all the Texas Democrats who are making this happen! Your Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke is on our list for contributions. He, Randy Bryce (WI) and Jacky Rosen (NV) are 3 we strongly support to flip Congress.
Down ballot and all around the ballot is the way to go in 2018.
9Speaking of voting – several of the Harris County precincts are having a tough time filling their poll workers – if you can spare the time tomorrow (6:00am to 7:00PM) please send me an email and I will forward on your names.
Thanks
10Sharon
sharon@glassattraction.net
I support candidates, mostly local. I do not give anything to those dang committees who suck up the time of people who ought to be working on legislation, committees, policy, and the like NOT calling people and begging for $ for the committee. Eff that.
11everything about Laura Moser irritates me, based on several dallas news and Hou chron website articles I have read about her. Although I agree with the comment about Paris, Texas, I would never give it voice even if I was just running for a minor city office.
12OK all y’all. I’m I’m Tx 07 and have no clue who to vote for.
My 1st choice would always be female. But I’m concerned about the law firm she worked for. I know people need to make a living, but some income just isn’t worth what you have to do to get it.
The young Alex came knocking on my door months ago. He came in, we had a good conversation. But, he doesn’t live in the district. The Rs will beat him up on that.
That leaves the doctor. Any reason why i should not vote for him?
Which one of these 3 has the best chance of beating what I think will be a big race for Rs? I expect the national Republicans will be pouring money, time and people in this race.
13@Crone
this empty suit Incumbent John Culberson deserves to be voted against as many times as one can. I didnt this year but I have voted with the snacilbupeR so I could vote against the scumbag incumbent. Then voted for the Dem in the general election. I don’t see myself doing that again however.
14I sent Beto O’Rourke some money from Maryland the other day. Almost anybody opposing Ted Cruz has to be an improvement.
15I would have zilch to do with Moser and finally got her whiny “They were MEAN to me” emails out of my box by telling her so, and why. No, I don’t like the DCCC either, but Moser’s attempt at pearl-clutching innocence was pretty sickening to this old mustang.
Moser, like a certain former presidential candidate, is not really a Democrat. She’s also been in Texas just long enough to qualify for the ballot (yes, she was here years ago but in the meantime she became an east coastie and a Bernie babe. Sure, she’s a good organizer. It’s now a little difficult to dredge her pre-1917 commentary out of the data dump, but she sure was tight with Sanders and hating Hillary from here to breakfast at the time.
16I’m gerrymandered into TX-2. I was kinda cautiously optimistic when Ted Poe announced he wasn’t coming back. In the Dem primary it’s looking like the boring white guy is being anointed. Although I was cheered by the young woman who’s running and happily voted for her. Hoping she’ll get some well-deserved name recognition and will try again in another local race. But oh lord no! that awful Wall woman with all the money and nothing else seems to be the one for the repubs. She’s the one who kept running her teevee ad with the big gun for at least two days after the Parkland tragedy and is all besties with Abbott and Patrick. Since TX-2 is really conservative there’s a good possibility she’ll replace Poe. Aaraugh!!!! To misquote, meet the new boss, worse than the old boss.
17And sometimes the opportunities just keep coming. I just hung up on a guy calling for the DCCC, after telling him (over his attempts to continue his spiel) *why* Texas Democrats don’t like the DCCC and just how stupidly the DCCC shot itself in both feet in this election with the Moser thing. He was about to mansplain about how I was wrong (I recognize the signs) so I told him I supported local candidates and the DCCC should get out of my face and hung up on him.
And I’m not repentant, even though it’s Lent.
18I got a call from them last week and totally unloaded on the poor slob tasked with calling me, who was probably working the phone bank from jail earning money for cookies and cigarettes. I basically told them (with a few expletives sprinkled in for flavor) that they would NEVER see another damn dime of my hard-earned money until they started backing real progressive candidates instead of their cookie-cutter, any-centrist-in-a-storm version of electable candidates. Then I blocked the number.
And it felt good doing it.
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