Tag Archives: Steve Brown

Texas Leftist 2018 Endorsements- Democratic Primary

For those interested, here are the Texas Leftist Endorsements for the 2018 Democratic Primary.

Texas Primary Election Day is Tuesday March 6th, and Early Voting begins February 20th.  For the Primary, you must register to vote no later than February 5th (if you’re unsure of your voting status, here’s where you can check your registration).  Early voting procedures can differ depending on your county, but here are helpful links to some: Harris CountyFort Bend CountyBrazoria CountyMontgomery Countyand Galveston County

For other areas, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s Elections Page for your county information.

Texas Leftist has chosen to endorse candidates because they have demonstrated a commitment to advancing public policies that will improve the lives of Texans.  Though each person’s individual positions vary, they are generally candidates that stand for equality, social justice, comprehensive immigration reform, healthcare expansion, living wage and economic prosperity.

 

Though not endorsed by Texas Leftist, candidates Margarita Ruiz Johnson, Matt Harris, Glenn “Grumpy” Williams, Kevin Nelson, Tahir Javed and Levy Q. Barnes Jr. did participate in this year’s Texas Leftist Candidate Questionnaire.  Please consult their interviews for more information. 

 

Federal Races

United States Senate                            Beto O’Rourke

United States House TX #2               Silky Malik

United States House TX #7                Ivan Sanchez (TLCQ)

United States House TX #10             Tami Walker (TLCQ)

United States House TX #14              Adrienne Bell

United States House TX #18              Sheila Jackson-Lee

United States House TX #22              Steve Brown

United States House TX  #27             Vanessa Edwards Foster (TLCQ)

United States House TX #29               Sylvia R. Garcia

United States House TX #36               Dayna Steele

 

State Races

Governor                                                                    Andrew White

Lieutenant Governor                                            Mike Collier  (TLCQ)

General Land Office Commissioner             Miguel Suazo

Railroad Commissioner                                       Roman McAllen

Agriculture Commissioner                                Kim Olson

Comptroller                                                                Joi Chevalier

Texas State Senate #5                                Brian E. Cronin (TLCQ)

Texas State Senate #15                             John Whitmire

Texas State Senate #17                              Fran Watson (TLCQ)

Texas State House #28                               Meghan Scoggins

Texas State House #29                               Dylan Forbis

Texas State House #126                            Undrai Fizer

Texas State House #129                            Alexander Jonathan Karjeker

Texas State House #130                             Frederick A. Infortunio (TLCQ)

Texas State House #133                             Sandra G. Moore

Texas State House #134                             Allison Sawyer

Texas State House #138                              Adam Milasincic (TLCQ)

Texas State House #139                              Randy Bates

Texas State House #142                              Harold V. Dutton Jr.

Texas State House #146                               Shawn Nicole Thierry

Texas State House #147                               Garnet Coleman

 

Harris County Races

Harris County District Clerk                            Marilyn Burgess

Harris County Clerk                                              Diane Trautman

County Treasurer                                                   Dylan Osborne

Harris County Commissioner #2                  Adrian Garcia

Harris County Commissioner #4                   Penny Shaw

County School Trustee Position #3             Josh Wallenstein

 

Judicial Races

Texas Supreme Court, Place 2              Steven Kirkland

14th Court of Appeals, Place 3            Jerry Zimmerer

14th Court of Appeals, Place 8            Michele Chimene

55th Civil District Court                          Latosha Lewis Payne

113th Civil District Court                        Rabeea Collier

185th Civil District Court                       Jason Luong

188th Civil District Court                        Scott Dollinger

234th Civil District Court                        Lauren Reeder

269th Civil District Court                          Cory Sepolio

281st Civil District Court                           George Arnold

246th Family District Court                      Angela Graves- Harrington

289th Family District Court                      Barbara J. Stadler

309th Family District Court                      Kathy Vossler

Harris County Probate Court #2                         Jim L. Peacock

Harris County Probate Court #4                        James S. Horwitz (TLCQ)

Harris County Criminal Court #2                        Harold J. Landreneau

Harris County Criminal Court #5                        David M. Fleischer

Harris County Criminal Court #7                          Andrew A. Wright

Harris County Criminal Court #11                         Gus Saper

Harris County Criminal Court #12                        Juan A. Aguirre

Harris County Criminal Court #13                         Raul Rodriguez

Harris County Criminal Court #15                        Kris Ougrah

 

In addition to the TLCQ 2018 series, the following resources were also consulted for the 2018 Texas Leftist endorsements: Off The Kuff, Dos CentavosHouston GLBT CaucusProject Vote SmartThe Texas TribuneThe Houston Chronicle Endorsements, The Dallas Morning NewsThe League of Women Voters Guide and Ballotpedia.

 

(if you like this Texas Leftist post, please consider a donation!  Help us encourage Progressive, common sense ideals in the Lone Star State!!)

 

TLCQ 2014: Endorsement for Lieutenant Governor

This week, citizens all across the great state of Texas are at a critical crossroads, with an important decision to make:  do we stay in the past, or move forward with the future?

In some races for this year’s election, a reasonable case can be made for either side.  For example, the race for Railroad Commissioner features Democrat Steve Brown and Republican Ryan Sitton– two intelligent young candidates that have run solid, solutions-based campaigns.  Even with clear party distinctions, informed voters have a tough choice on their hands for the RRC in 2014.

Sadly, the campaigns for Lieutenant Governor have not yielded the same result.  State Senator Dan Patrick, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, could learn a lot from his younger colleague Ryan Sitton on how to run a statewide campaign.  This blog will not being going into the litany of issues with Patrick, but would rather refer readers to previous endorsements in the Lt. Gov. Race.

Check out The Daily TexanEl Paso Times, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Wichita Falls Times Record News, Beaumont Enterprise, Austin Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News, and Houston Chronicle to find out just how bad Dan Patrick would be for Texas.

But with or without her opponent, Democrat Leticia Van de Putte is worthy of endorsement all on her own.  A long record of proven leadership and public service, Van de Putte stands out as someone that is not afraid to tackle some of the state’s most pressing challenges.  One look at the issues page on her website will let you know just how far her commitment to policy solutions extends.  She is a legislator that is uniquely gifted in both policy knowledge and political charisma.  She is a deal-maker that knows how to find the best in people even when she doesn’t agree with them at all.  (Seriously y’all… Leticia Van de Putte is the ‘Ezra Klein’ of Texas)

And those are just Leticia’s gifts on the political side.  As a mother of six children, pharmacist and small business owner, she understands what it takes to raise a family and have a career in Texas.  And most important… she carries those experiences forward in her legislative ideas.  Though Van de Putte has clearly reached the highest levels of success, she also knows the struggles of working Texans as well.  As a sixth-generation Tejana, she doesn’t just read about situations on the Texas border, she lives them as part of her own family story.  Again, an invaluable experience that she carries with her on to the Senate chamber… one that her opponent doesn’t seem to “get” at all.

Texas Leftist is proud to endorse State Senator Leticia Van de Putte for Lieutenant Governor of Texas.  But beyond that simple endorsement, I must urge readers… if no other reason, please go and vote to support Senator Van de Putte.  For countless reason, she really does represent the future of Texas, and if elected, we will be a much better state for it.

If you’d like to learn more about State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, check out her recent appearance on Houston Public Media’s Red, White and Blue, where she puts forth common-sense solutions on everything from border security to healthcare and education…

 

(feature photo is celebrity Eva Longoria, Van de Putte and Henry Munoz at a recent campaign rally)

Texas Leftist 2014 Endorsements

For those interested, here is the full list of Texas Leftist endorsements for 2014.  Some candidates will also have individual or group posts regarding their endorsement, which will be linked via candidate name from this post.  If a candidate participated in this year’s Texas Leftist Candidate Questionnaire, that information will appear beside their party affiliation.

Texas Leftist has chosen to endorse candidates because they have demonstrated a commitment to advancing public policies that will improve the lives of Texans.  Though each person’s individual positions vary, they are generally candidates that stand for equality, social justice, healthcare expansion, living wage, economic prosperity and common-sense governance.

Today is Election Day!!  Early Voting has begun for the state of Texas, and runs from October 20th until October 31st.  For any questions on where or how to vote, check out this previous post or visit the My Texas Votes website.

 

Though not endorsed by Texas Leftist, candidates Ron Hale, Ron Reynolds and Matthew Whittington did participate in this year’s Texas Leftist Candidate Questionnaire.  Please consult their interviews for more information.  

 

Federal Races

U.S. Senator:                                                    David Alameel (D)

U.S. Rep. District 2:                                      Niko Letsos (D)

U.S. Rep. District 7:                                      James Cargas (D)

U.S. Rep. District 14:                                    Don Brown (D)

 

State Races

Governor:                                                           Wendy Davis (D)

Lieutenant Governor:                                 Leticia Van de Putte (D) [TLCQ]

Attorney General:                                         Sam Houston (D)

 

Comptroller of Public Accounts:                Mike Collier (D)

Commissioner- General Land Office:     John Cook (D)

Commissioner of Agriculture:                      NO ENDORSEMENT

Railroad Commissioner:                                   Steve Brown (D)

 

State Senator, District 15:                               John Whitmire (D)   [TLCQ]

State Senator, District 17:                               Rita Lucido (D)   [TLCQ]

 

State Rep. District 16:                                         Michael Hayles (D)

State Rep. District 23:                                          Susan Criss (D) [TLCQ]

State Rep. District 132:                                       Luis Lopez (D)  [TLCQ]

State Rep. District 133:                                       Laura Nicol (D) [TLCQ]

State Rep. District 137:                                       Gene Wu (D)

State Rep. District 144:                                       Mary Ann Perez (D)

State Rep. District 148:                                       Jessica Cristina Farrar (D)

State Rep. District 149:                                       Hubert Vo (D)

State Rep. District 150:                                       Amy Perez (D)

 

District Races

1st Court of Appeals, Place 3                           Jim Sharp (D)

113th Judicial District                                           Steven Kirkland (D)

308th Family Judicial District                           Jim Evans (D)

309th Family Judicial District                           Kathy Vossler (D)

314th Family Judicial District                           Natalia Oakes (D)

District Attorney                                                      Kim Ogg (D)

 

Harris County Races

County Judge:                                                              Ed Emmett (R)

County Probate Court No. 3                             Jerry Simoneaux (D)

County Probate Court No. 4                             James S. Horwitz (D)

County Clerk                                                                Ann Harris- Bennett (D)

County Treasurer                                                      David Rosen (D)

County School Trustee Pos. 7                            Melissa Noriega (D)

 

Propositions

State of Texas Proposition 1 (Infrastructure)             FOR

Lone Star College System, Proposition 1                       FOR

 

 

 

TexWatch 2014: Forcing the Issues

As was stated in an earlier post, Texas Democrats are facing some rather long odds to win statewide in this election cycle. Most of this has to do with the long shadow cast by 2 decades of losses for the statewide party. To put it simply, Texas Democrats have to start our game way downfield from the GOP. Aside from meticulously gerrymandered Congressional and legislative seats, the Democrats will be out-numbered on the ground and out-spent everywhere else. This is the reality of 2014 politics in Texas. The only way for Democrats to catch up is to formulate a true Texas message, force the issues, go on the offensive, and hit the GOP hard.

Since the Primary election, it appears that this message is starting to be heard by the Davis campaign. After a somewhat rocky start, Wendy Davis’ organization has launched an all-out assault on Abbott’s stance over the issue of equal pay for women and minorities.

At a Monday morning rally before a packed and pumped-up crowd of about 160 at Sholz Garten, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis pressed the issue of equal pay for equal work, challenging Attorney General Greg Abbott to, “stop hiding behind your staff members, stop hiding behind your surrogates.”

“This Texas gal is calling you out,” declared the Fort Worth Democrat to huge applause on an issue that has energized her campaign for the governorship since the March 4 primary.

Davis faulted Abbott for successfully fighting a 2011 pay discrimination case in court — albeit one based on race and nationality and not gender — and presiding over an office which, according to a recent report in the San Antonio Express-News, most female assistant attorneys general make less on average than men do in the same job.

This is a good start for Davis, and will hopefully provide an example for Leticia Van de Putte, Steve Brown and other statewide Democrats to follow. Any successful campaign in the Lone Star state has to be about issues that resonate with people. Texas is not New York or Los Angeles. We’re not the same type of stereotypical “Liberals” that you find on the East or West Coast. Nor are we the other major part of the Democratic Party… Union-workers like you’d find in Ohio or Michigan. There’s not a large “Democratic Party” identity here. If anything, most Texans would tell you that they are Conservative just because that is what they know and understand. But if you dig a little deeper, and connect with issues they care about– safe schools, fixing roads and bridges, access to fair wages and upward economic mobility, health care for their families– the wellspring of commonality is revealed. For Democrats, the key winning strategy simply about pealing back the layers to find the areas where most voters agree. Equal pay has gained some traction, but the bigger issues like Healthcare expansion for the poor (via the ACA’s Medicaid expansion or otherwise) are out there waiting to be brought to the light.

Along with forcing specific issues, it’s also time for Democrats to call for general election debates. In 2010, Rick Perry was able to get reelected without ever facing Democratic challenger Bill White on the debate stage. As a result, many voters (especially those in a last-minute rush to get informed before going to the ballot box) probably didn’t have sufficient information to consider Bill White a credible alternative. Debates are not only important for the moment they happen, but in the world of online search, they can also prove to be a critical resource for low-information voters. We can’t afford for the GOP to go under the radar like they did in 2010. Texans deserve to hear both sides of the political spectrum, and they deserve to have that information in a face-to-face debate. It’s one thing to toggle back and forth with the press, but having candidates on the debate stage can literally make or break a campaign. This must be demanded by Democrats, otherwise it’s not going to happen.

Even in the face of disadvantage, it appears to have been a good month for Wendy Davis. As she and other Texas Democrats move into the next stage, it’s imperative that the keep the momentum going, and continue to pressure their Republican counterparts. Democrats are definitely the underdogs in 2014, but they can win as long as they’ve got plenty to bark about.