So Houston hair-care king Farouk Shami is in the race, pledging to spend $10 million to win a Democratic primary in which the majority of voters are still undecided. Among the interesting things to watch will be the dynamic between Shami and his rival for the nomination, Kinky Friedman, as the two are well acquainted: Shami was the subject of one of Kinky’s fawning TEXAS MONTHLY columns (edited by yours truly) back in 2003 — the sort of piece in which he would go all gooey over someone he professes to love, like Racehorse Haynes or Jim Nabors.
2010 elections
Posted in
Demographics
Poll: What Texans are worried about
The economy clearly leads Texans’ list of concerns about the country in the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Posted inState Government
2010 Governor’s Race: The Democrats
Almost all of the talk so far about the 2010 gubernatorial race has focused on the battle on the Republican side of the ticket. Democrats have been an afterthought because of a little known or lightly regarded slate of candidates. But Democrats hope a vicious GOP primary battle could damage the majority party enough to carry them to back to power next fall. Ben Philpott is covering the Texas governor’s race for KUT News and the Texas Tribune. He reports on the scenarios that Democrats hope will play out to give them a shot at their first state-wide office in years.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Us vs. Them
I don’t blame Leibowitz for making such a fuss about this, and I don’t blame Sullivan either. They’re just doing their jobs. As are our pollsters. As are we all.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Chavez to decide on Senate by Turkey Day
As candidates stack up to challenge her, state Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, said she will make a decision about running for the Texas Senate by Thanksgiving.
Posted inState Government
Medina campaign on the Tribune poll
A spokeswoman for Republican gubernatorial hopeful Debra Medina on the bright spots in the UT/Texas Tribune poll, and why she thinks it bodes well for the campaign.
Posted in
Politics
A Brief History of Fratricide
Ask a Republican who’s not on Gov. Rick Perry or Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s payroll about the 2010 governor’s primary, and you’ll get a response about a well-timed trip to Palm Springs in early March, when the two candidates square off. Party faithful want to stay above the fray: Primary challenges to longstanding incumbents tend to get rough quick.
Posted in
Politics
The Polling Center: About Democratic results
To clear up some apparent confusion: Hank Gilbert was included on the survey.
Posted in
Politics
Perry leads KBH by 12
In the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, Rick Perry has the support of 42 percent of self-identified GOP gubernatorial primary voters to Kay Bailey Hutchison’s 30 percent — but Debra Medina could be a spoiler in March. On the Democratic side, Undecided and Kinky Friedman lead the pack.
Posted in
Demographics
Shuffling the deck
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh’s decision not to run for reelection creates many opportunities for El Paso politicians, but in this Democrat-dominated city, the cards are stacked against Republicans.