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September 18, 2024      10:23 AM

Tarrant County GOP infighting leading to signs the County Judge may be losing tight grip on commissioners court

Commissioner Ramirez accuses Chair French of using party resources to attack him after defying O’Hare on college campus voting

FORT WORTH ­­–– The Tarrant County GOP intra-party fighting ramped up this week as the county party passed a resolution condemning County Commissioners Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes for defying County Judge Tim O’Hare, a fellow Republican, when they voted to keep five college campuses as polling sites.

Some “conservative” activists and Rep. Nate Shatzline vocally supported O’Hare’s proposal but the vast majority of those who testified at a public meeting last week strongly objected, arguing among other things that expanded voting opportunities were good for candidates in both parties.

The two Republican commissioners joined with Democrats Alissa Simmons and Roy Brooks to preserve the 51 voting long-standing voting locations.

After O’Hare and Ramirez ended up on opposite sides of the vote, the knives came out.

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By James Russell

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September 18, 2024      10:19 AM

Stekler and Cornfield: It is possible the secret weapon for Truman’s in 1948 could elect Harris

As the Harris/Walz ticket roared out of the Democratic Convention, it was fired up, confident...and probably, at best, in a dead heat given the Electoral College advantage for Republicans and a recent history of polls underestimating GOP strength. As much as the pundits called Harris’ debate performance a decisive victory over an angry and defensive Donald Trump, there’s really no indication that this race will not be a November nail biter. So why is a comparison the Harris campaign with the patron saint of underdog candidates, Harry S. Truman in 1948, apt? Popular history focuses on Truman's famous "give 'em hell" campaign vitality, but it was the impact of the almost forgotten powerful Democratic down-ballot strength that year that was crucial in lifting his chances. In a 1948/2024 comparison, in this year’s swing states, the roster of experienced and popular statewide Democratic candidates, along with the presence of reproductive rights referenda on the ballot, could once again provide the Democrats with a decisive edge.

In the political history of presidential elections, few stories are as mythic as Truman’s non-stop campaign across the country, the legend that propelled him to victory. He gave more than 250 speeches, many from the rear platform of trains, that covered more than 20,000 miles, where he was seen by as many as ten million people. He railed against what he called a Republican “do-nothing” Congress while his opponent, New York Governor Thomas Dewey, seemed to wait for his inevitable victory. Truman barnstormed across Ohio, thought to be hopeless for him, whereas Dewey, despite pleas from the state party, made a single speech in Cleveland.

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By Paul Stekler and Michael Cornfield

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September 17, 2024      4:18 PM

Some Texas House Republicans plan to meet Friday to try to coalesce behind a challenger to Speaker Phelan

An apparent push to find a sole GOP alternative to Phelan seems to be shaping up; members thought to be solidly on “Team Phelan” say they’re being excluded with at least one exception

It’s not clear how many will attend, but Quorum Report has confirmed that a not-so-secret gathering of some Texas House Republican members is planned for Friday morning with a goal of figuring out which of them could potentially mount a credible challenge to Speaker Dade Phelan.

This is after several GOP lawmakers – and one Democrat – have announced against the Beaumont Republican but have yet to gain any significant traction with their colleagues and ahead of the November election when the partisan makeup of the chamber for next session will be settled.

So, what’s the deal?

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By Scott Braddock

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September 17, 2024      7:41 AM

Chief of Staff to Cruz testified in Justice Department bribery investigation of Paxton

Sources also tell Bloomberg that federal prosecutors in Texas had drafted bribery and obstruction charges against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) before the US Justice Department took over the case in early 2023

Bloomberg Law reporter Ryan Autullo has the scoop:

Federal prosecutors in Texas had drafted bribery and obstruction charges against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) before the US Justice Department took over the case in early 2023, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Now almost two years later, the probe into Paxton’s alleged bribery and misuse of office has continued, including in a recent deposition of Aaron Reitz, Paxton’s former deputy for legal strategy and now Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s chief of staff, another source said. Appearing before a grand jury on Aug. 6 in Austin, Reitz answered prosecutors’ questions about Paxton’s termination of whistleblower employees in 2020, a source said.

Reitz’s testimony shows that prosecutors are moving forward in interrogating Paxton aides after a federal appeals court ruled in June that they must testify because they aren’t entitled to attorney-client privilege.

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September 16, 2024      3:48 PM

Chen Button campaign releases poll showing the incumbent Republican up 11 points over Democratic challenger Bishop

The challenger, Averie Bishop, has pointed to polls showing the Dallas County race to be within a point or two

The polling memo is here.

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September 16, 2024      3:43 PM

A state district court judge denies Paxton suit to block Bexar County from mailing out voter registration forms

The county argued the applications were already mailed out and so Paxton is late on this

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September 15, 2024      7:30 PM

Updated: Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos announces for speaker

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September 13, 2024      8:42 PM

Rep. Smithee joins the race for speaker

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September 13, 2024      1:34 PM

People on the Move

Power players, lobby moves, staffer moves, and more

The first and perhaps only presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is now in the rearview mirror and some Texas-centric issues were front and center for much of it. Immigration, abortion, and oil and gas production were hotly debated by the major party nominees, even if the candidates’ comments on fracking were meant more for Pittsburgh than the Permian. Jeremy Wallace and I will break it all down for you on the latest edition of the Texas Take Podcast, which will drop here later today.

Meantime, some power players around here are dropping career news in the pages of Quorum Report today.

You know the drill: The most efficient and effective way to inform the Texas Capitol community about where you’ve landed on the board is to send the scoop to ksbraddock@gmail.com and use POTM in the subject line. Send it whenever you like and it’ll be in the next edition of People on the Move published on Fridays.

Here’s the latest POTM:

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By Scott Braddock

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September 12, 2024      4:24 PM

Tarrant County Commissioners Court defies county judge in keeping voting sites on college campuses

The GOP commissioners both bucked Judge O’Hare in a bipartisan vote to keep voting locations in areas where students may turn out in big numbers in November

FORT WORTH – Tarrant County Commissioners Court defied County Judge Tim O’Hare today after Commissioners Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes voted with Democrats Alissa Simmons and Roy Brooks to include college campuses as early voting sites among the 51 voting locations.

The special meeting came after commissioners failed to pass on a 2-2 vote on the list of 50 proposed sites last week. Ramirez was not present at that meeting.

O’Hare was criticized for scheduling today’s special meeting while Simmons and Brooks were out of town. Ultimately Simmons and Brooks, who were in Washington, D.C. for an event by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, attended virtually.

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By James Russell

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