Elections 2018
Lamar Smith Retiring From Congress
[gdlr_notification icon=”fa-flag” type=”color-background” background=”#ffcc20″ color=”#000000″]This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune[/gdlr_notification]
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, is retiring from Congress, two sources close to the congressman told The Texas Tribune on Thursday. Smith confirmed the decision in a conference call later in the day.
“For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else,” he wrote in an email obtained by the Tribune. “… With over a year remaining in my term, there is still much to do. There is legislation to enact, dozens of hearings to hold and hundreds of votes to cast.”
Smith, a San Antonio native, received his undergraduate degree from Yale and attended law school at Southern Methodist University. He was elected to Congress in 1987 and represents a district that spans Austin, San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. He is the current chairman of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Like U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the House Financial Services chairman who announced his retirement on Tuesday, Smith faced a term-limit in that role.
“Quite frankly, there’s nothing else I would rather be doing,” Smith said of his time in Congress during a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon. But he attributed part of the decision to the chairman term-limit issue, saying he felt “relieved.”
When asked if the toxic political environment contributed to his decision, he was emphatic.
“No, it had no impact on my decision whatsoever,” he said.
The news was not entirely surprising. Smith’s name has repeatedly surfaced as a member of Congress with the potential to retire.
But there was one argument for why he should stay. Smith is a deft legislator and had positioned himself to possibly succeed another Texan, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, as chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.
Smith has served as a committee chairman two other times: on Ethics Committee and on the Judiciary Committee.
Smith earned many detractors for his skepticism of manmade climate change. Even so, liberal Democrats privately described him as a pragmatic chairman and colleague who would listen to their arguments.
The news is sure to please environmentalists who have bemoaned Smith’s long record of climate skepticism. As chairman of the Committee on Science, Space & Technology, Smith repeatedly cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change.
In a 2015 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, he described global temperature increases over the past 15 years as “negligible” and said links between climate change and worsening weather events had been debunked. During the latter half of that year, he sparred with the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the methodology of a study that agency scientists published in the journal Science. (The study found that a widely publicized “lull” in the rate of global warming, a cornerstone of conservative arguments against climate change-related policies, resulted from faulty statistical methods.)
And the congressman also actively intervened on behalf of ExxonMobil amid high-profile investigations by Democratic state attorneys general into what the oil giant knew about climate change and when. He convened a congressional hearing on the matter and demanded documents from the attorneys general that would reveal the inner workings of their investigations.
One of the most senior members of the delegation, Smith has had a low-key style of leadership. For example, in 2014, U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, a Rockwall Republican, faced a fierce primary threat from now-U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe and had very little money to fend off the challenge. Smith realized before most that Hall was in trouble and rounded up campaign donations from the other Republicans in the Texas delegation.
Speculation immediately began among Texas GOP insiders about who could succeed Smith in his seat. Names included state Reps. Jason Isaac and Lyle Larson, and Austin City Councilwoman Ellen Troxclair.
State Sen. Donna Campbell‘s name was also put in play. A spokesman for Campbell said she “will carefully and prayerfully consider what is best for her and the district.”
Austin-based communications consultant Jenifer Sarver, a Republican, confirmed that she’s “taking a serious look” at running for the seat.
The question on many insider’s minds is whether retiring state House Speaker Joe Straus would consider a run, but sources close to him said Thursday he is not interested.
Smith’s 21st Congressional District runs from South Austin along the west side of I-35 into San Antonio and extends westward into the Hill Country. The district was drawn to be a safe Republican seat, but there is a competitive Democratic primary this year with viable fundraising candidates. One of the Democratic challengers, veteran Joe Kopser, raised more funds than Smith in the last quarter.
Democrats have argued for weeks that if more Republicans retire, they have a better shot at those open-seat races.
Is this one of those races? It’s too soon to tell, Democratic sources around the Capitol told the Tribune.
This district would be incredibly difficult to dislodge, but perhaps not as hard as a lift as a conservative East Texas bastion such as Hensarling’s seat. Democrats will prioritize dozens of other seat before they spend on this one, situated in the expensive Austin and San Antonio markets.
The early read from Democrats in Washington: It would have to be an absolutely toxic environment for the GOP next year for this seat to flip.
The fact that it includes Alamo Heights, a wealthy area of San Antonio, has caught some Republicans’ eyes. There is an expectation at this early moment that a self-funder might be postured to enter the race.
News began to circulate among members voting on Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, served on the same committees as Smith and shares the same alma mater, Yale University. She said she disagreed with him on many issues, including immigration, but they always kept up a friendly rapport.
“I call him a Texas gentleman, and he is,” she said.
Claire Allbright and Kiah Collier contributed to this report.
Disclosure: ExxonMobil and Jennifer Sarver have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
[gdlr_space height=”20px”]
[gdlr_notification icon=”fa-camera” type=”color-background” background=”#999999″ color=”#ffffff”]Top image: U.S. Representative Lamar Smith. / photo credit: Screen capture / CSPAN[/gdlr_notification]
Elections 2018
In Texas, “Rainbow Wave” Outpaces the Blue One
Fourteen of 35 LGBTQ candidates won their races Tuesday night, and activists say the 2018 election will carve a path for a future “rainbow wave” in Texas.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune
Fourteen of the 35 gay, bisexual and transgender candidates who ran for office in Texas during the midterms claimed victory Tuesday night — a 40 percent success rate in deep-red Texas — and national and state activists say they’re confident this election cycle carved a path for a future “rainbow wave” in Texas.
The historic number of Texas candidates who ran for offices from governor down to city council positions joined a record-shattering rank of more than 400 LGBTQ individuals on national midterm ballots this year.
“It shows that politics are changing and that more LGBTQ people feel comfortable to step out and run openly,” said Sean Meloy, political director at Victory Fund, a Washington D.C.-based LGBTQ group that fundraised for several Texas races.
LGBTQ candidates had plenty of fuel to inspire their campaigns and galvanize supporters, from Texas’ controversial “bathroom bill” to the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate “transgender” from legal terms.
Julie Johnson, a lesbian candidate from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, defeated Republican incumbent Matt Rinaldi of Irving; LGBTQ candidate Jessica González ran uncontested for a Dallas-area seat after defeating state Rep. Roberto Alonzo in the Democratic primary; and Erin Zwiener, a bisexual House candidate, won a Central Texas seat by defeating Republican Ken Strange. They will more than double the number of openly LGBTQ women in the Texas House of Representatives.
In Harris County, five LGBTQ judicial candidates defeated Republican incumbents Tuesday. Jason Cox, Jerry Simoneaux, Shannon Baldwin, James Kovach and Beau Miller will join the three openly gay judges in Houston. Charles Spain, a gay man, also won a seat on the 14th Court of Appeals over Republican incumbent Marc Brown.
“I think we are on a new path,” said Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas, an Austin-based LGBTQ nonprofit. “[One] that demonstrates equality is a mainstream value and that extremists who seek to oppose equality are not in the mainstream.”
Perhaps the most recognizable LGBTQ candidate in Texas, Lupe Valdez, garnered national attention as the first openly gay candidate and first Latina to win a major party nomination in a Texas gubernatorial race. Valdez, a Democrat and former Dallas County sheriff, lost to Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott by 13 points on Tuesday.
Valdez talked frequently about her race, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic background during the election.
“I’m Hispanic, female, lesbian, Democrat,” Valdez said in an interview with the Tribune in May. “Diversity is what made this country strong. Diversity is what will make Texas strong.”
In Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones — a former Air Force intelligence officer, Iraq War veteran and lesbian candidate — fought incumbent U.S. Congressman Will Hurd to a virtual tie. Hurd remained less than a percentage point ahead of Ortiz Jones on Wednesday morning and the race is still too close to call.
Meloy, whose Victory Fund organization contributed nearly $9,000 to Ortiz Jones’ campaign and raised more than $53,000 on her behalf, said Ortiz Jones’ run represents a historic moment that gives hope to those fighting for equality.
“I think it represents not only her perseverance but that a queer woman of color who is also a veteran should not be underestimated,” Meloy said.
Below is the complete list of winning candidates (candidates with an asterisk won re-election).
- Erin Zwiener, Texas House, District 45
- Celia Israel, Texas House, District 50*
- Mary González, Texas House District 75*
- Jessica González, Texas House, District 104
- Julie Johnson, Texas House, District 115
- Charles Spain, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 4
- Shannon Baldwin, Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law No. 4
- Jerry Simoneaux, Harris County Probate Court-at-Law No. 1
- Jason Cox, Harris County Probate Court-at-Law No. 3
- James Kovach, Harris County Civil Court-at-Law No. 2
- Rosie Gonzalez, Bexar County Court-at-Law No. 13
- Tonya Parker, 116th Judicial District, Harris County*
- Beau Miller, 190th Judicial District, Harris County
- Sara Martinez, Dallas County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1*
The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Elections 2018
Texas’ Largest Counties Have Doubled Voter Turnout So Far Compared to 2014
Soon, more Texans will have voted early in 2018 than in all of 2014’s early voting period, according to data from the secretary of state’s office.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune
*Correction appended.
Early Friday morning at a Fiesta Mart in Austin, voters dodged hurried grocery shoppers and their shopping carts and rushed to line up to vote in a tucked-away cove of the store. By mid-morning, the line to vote stretched past the nearby ice machine and into the butter and milk section several feet away.
Susan Gredler, the early voting deputy at Fiesta Mart, said she has seen “huge” numbers of people – about 900 per day – at her polling place all week since early voting began on Monday. At times, she said the line has wound around the inside perimeter of the store and past the meat section in the back.
“We’ve been really worried they’re waiting too long,” said Gredler. “But nobody’s really been discontented to the point that they want to leave.”
The bustling scene at Fiesta Mart is a common one. Voters across the state have come out in massive numbers during the first five days of early voting, and soon, more Texans will have voted early in 2018 than in all of 2014’s early voting period, according to data from the secretary of state’s office.
The state’s five largest counties have all nearly doubled the turnout compared to the same point in 2014. By the time the polls closed Thursday, 13.2 percent of registered voters in Harris County, the state’s largest county, had voted, compared to 6.4 percent at the same time in 2014. That number comes close to the 16.4 percent voter turnout seen at the end of the fourth day of early voting in 2016, a presidential year.
The story is similar in Dallas County, which recorded a voter turnout of 16.9 percent at the end of Thursday, compared to 5.9 percent at the same point in 2014, and in Tarrant County, which recorded a voter turnout of 16 percent at the end of Thursday, compared to 7.3 percent at the same point in 2014.
In Travis County, where the Austin Fiesta Mart polling location is, Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant reported on Facebook that as of 4 p.m. Friday, 22 percent of registered voters had cast their vote. The number hovered around 7 percent at the same point back in 2014.
“After just five days of early voting, the 2018 voter turnout will likely have passed the entire Early Vote turnout for the 2010 and 2014 elections,” Elfant wrote.
Some counties — like El Paso, Williamson and Cameron — have already surpassed the overall voter turnout during the entire two-week early voting period in 2014. Overall, by the time the polls closed on Thursday, 16.3 percent of the 12.3 million registered voters in the 30 counties with the most registered voters had cast ballots.
“It’s pretty remarkable to double or triple voter turnout,” said Renée Cross, the senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.
While she said the popular Senate race pitting U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz explains some of the increase in voter turnout, she said “it’s got to be more than the Senate race.”
“It’s also national politics,” Cross said. “People on one side are driven to the polls because they want to vote against the party of Trump, and, on the other side, people are energized to vote because of the [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh nomination hearings.”
Cross said it’s been a “very long time” since Texas voters from both political parties have been as energized as they are.
Many early voters who lined up on the black-and-white checkerboard floor of the Fiesta Mart, near the constant beeping of checkout counters, said they were focused on both local races and national races.
“We’re all voting in the Senate race,” said Robby Earle, a 26-year-old law student who was asked by election officials to zip up his burnt yellow hoodie to cover up his “Beto” t-shirt underneath. “But we’re also sending a message two years after 2016 that the current Congress is not getting a seal of approval.”
Norris Ferguson, 68, a retiree proudly waving around her “I voted” sticker, said she is “fed up” with elected officials in Washington.
“We can’t take it anymore,” Ferguson said. “We need to do something.”
Ferguson, along with scores of early voters at the Fiesta Mart, said she had heard reports of massive voter turnout earlier in the week and wanted to avoid those long lines as well as lines on Nov. 6, Election Day.
Mark Jones, a fellow in political science at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said the long lines at polling places are “notable,” but he said that “almost any voter turnout should be above 2014.”
Jones also said it is too early to draw conclusions about whether strong early voting turnout will mean strong overall turnout. Early voting could be “cannibalizing Election Day turnout, ” he said.
“More and more people are voting early,” said Jones, who estimates that between 60 and 75 percent of registered voters will cast their vote before Election Day. “People have gotten used to it, and campaigns have been encouraging it.”
He noted that a greater proportion of voters this year will be under the age of 35.
“Beto O’Rourke has spent quite a bit of money and time targeting millennials and post-millennials with the correct belief that they support him more than any other age group,” Jones said.
Cross said grassroots groups across the state have also been aggressively targeting young voters. In Travis County, 39 percent of registered voters this year are younger than 35, according to the county’s voter registration data. That’s up from 33 percent of registered voters in 2014. But high voter registration numbers do not always translate into high voter turnout, Cross said.
Kelsey Scarborough, a 27-year-old who works in the tech industry, said Friday at the Fiesta Mart polling location that she had never voted in an early election before. She said her sister and her friend convinced her to vote.
“I’m not actually really involved in politics,” Scarborough said. “But the people around you help you get to the polls.”
Early voting runs until Nov. 2.
The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Renée Cross’ title. She is the senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs.
Disclosure: The University of Houston and Rice University have been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
Elections 2018
Lupe Valdez Becomes First Openly Gay & First Latina to Win a Major Party Nomination for Texas Governor
[gdlr_notification icon=”fa-flag” type=”color-background” background=”#ffcc20″ color=”#000000″]This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune[/gdlr_notification]
After a tight race throughout much of the evening Tuesday, Lupe Valdez pulled ahead late to comfortably defeat Andrew White in the Democratic runoff for governor, according to unofficial returns.
Valdez goes into the November general election as the first openly lesbian and first Latina candidate to win a major party gubernatorial nomination in Texas. She told cheering supporters in Dallas that she’s not deterred by conventional wisdom that she faces long odds against Gov. Greg Abbott, a well-funded incumbent.
“Please tell me when I didn’t have an uphill battle,” she said.
Valdez, 70, also said she’s tired of politicians not looking out for everyday people.
“Let me find a path for you,” she said. “Let me find a path for your health care. Let me find a path for your living wage.”
It was a closer race than expected, with Valdez ahead of White by just over 5 percentage points as the final precincts were coming in. By 10 p.m., White had called Valdez and conceded the race.
“Tonight was a tough, tough night, but I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many people around this state,” White told reporters at the Harris County Democratic Party headquarters in his hometown of Houston. “I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”
White pledged his full support to Valdez and said he is “ready to help in any way I can to give Greg Abbott an early retirement party.”
Valdez rode a strong showing in Dallas County, where she had served as sheriff, and neighboring Tarrant County. She also won big in populous border counties like El Paso, Hidalgo and Webb.
White, the son of late Gov. Mark White, saw a big boost from his home county of Harris, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Valdez.
Valdez’s supporters said her campaign style of focusing on kitchen table issues resonated with voters, even though White had more campaign cash throughout the year. They also said her professional career as a federal agent and previous political experience in Dallas County made a difference.
“I’ve always been a fan of how she represented herself and held her own in the community,” said supporter Brandon Vance.
The victory by Valdez is an important sign of change, another supporter said.
“The country’s changing, we’ve just got to pull them out of the darkness,” said Paul Aguon of Carrollton, adding that he and his husband Mark Patterson supported Valdez for sheriff when she first ran in 2004 — back when Dallas County was a Republican stronghold.
“I never projected she’d be governor,” Patterson said.
To become governor she’ll have to topple Abbott, who boasts high approval ratings and a $41 million war chest. Abbott’s campaign wasted no time attacking Valdez, releasing a video Tuesday night that recapped some of her stumbles during the nominating contest. Among them: Her backtracking on whether she’d be open to raising taxes as governor.
“Lupe Valdez’s inability to articulate a clear vision for Texas, coupled with her lack of leadership in Dallas County, proves that she is wrong for Texas,” Abbott spokesman Alejandro Treviño said in a statement. “As she continues in her struggle to give definitive answers on questions like whether or not she would raise taxes on Texans, Governor Abbott will be crisscrossing the state articulating his message of economic freedom and individual liberty.”
Valdez said she’s confident that she’ll have an easier time raising money now that she has the nomination.
“He may have all that money, but we’ve got the grassroots,” she said. “For sure, no one is going to buy this election.”
Valdez finished ahead of White in the March primary, getting 43 percent of the vote to White’s 27 percent, as both emerged from a crowded field that included seven little-known candidates.
The runoff period was highlighted by White’s weeks-long push for a debate with Valdez, which she ultimately agreed to earlier this month after a tumultuous stretch that saw her lose an endorsement to White from a group of young Hispanic activists. At the debate, they clashed over long-simmering issues in the race: Valdez’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities as sheriff, White’s personal opposition to abortion and whether Democrats should nominate a self-styled “moderate” in White.
With the nomination in hand, Valdez will also be up against recent Texas history: The state’s voters have not elected a Democrat to statewide office in more than two decades.
Aguon said he still believes Valdez has a shot at toppling Abbott.
“I hope so,” he said with a sigh. “We held our breath for same-sex marriage and look what happened: We saw it in our lifetime.”
Valdez painted the GOP-controlled state government as one that cares more about special interests than the needs of their constituents. She also said the Republican Party, which is heavily dominated by white men, is out of touch with the changing demographics of the second most populous state in the U.S.
“There’s a change coming in Texas and a lot of people are ready for it,” she said.
The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
[gdlr_space height=”20px”]
[gdlr_notification icon=”fa-camera” type=”color-background” background=”#999999″ color=”#ffffff”]Top image: Lupe Valdez gives her victory speech after defeating Andrew White in the Democratic runoff for governor on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. / photo credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson / The Texas Tribune[/gdlr_notification]
Super Bowl 2019
Gay Couple Attacked in Dowtown Austin
Rainbow Connections: February 2019
The Filigree Theatre presents WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID
Austin PRIDE Announces Date for 2019 Festival & Parade
Dan Patrick Dismisses Need for Bathroom Bill in 2019: “It’s been settled and I think we won”
Gay Couple Attacked in Dowtown Austin
Austin PRIDE Announces Date for 2019 Festival & Parade
Taos Air Begins New Nonstop Service From Austin
Making Montgomery Clift
Dan Patrick Dismisses Need for Bathroom Bill in 2019: “It’s been settled and I think we won”
UT-Austin Reaches Deal For New $338 Million Basketball Arena
-
Austin4 weeks agoGay Couple Attacked in Dowtown Austin
-
Austin1 month agoAustin PRIDE Announces Date for 2019 Festival & Parade
-
Airlines2 months agoTaos Air Begins New Nonstop Service From Austin
-
Film1 month agoMaking Montgomery Clift
-
86th TX Lege1 month agoDan Patrick Dismisses Need for Bathroom Bill in 2019: “It’s been settled and I think we won”
-
Austin2 months agoUT-Austin Reaches Deal For New $338 Million Basketball Arena
-
Texas2 months agoDoes Texas Still Have Straight-Ticket Voting?
-
Networking4 weeks agoRainbow Connections: February 2019