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September 25, 2020 6:13 PM
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo grants temporary injunction, saying "By creating mass lines at the polls and increasing the amount of time voters are exposed to COVID-19, HB 25 will cause irreparable injury" to Texas voters
Here’s the
order.
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Copyright September 25, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 25, 2020 5:45 PM
Staffer promotions, agency hires, appointments, and more
For so many of you,
it’s been a year of clients either letting you go or saying they can’t pay for
a few months but they want to retain you anyway. Business
is starting to come back for many as we head into the last quarter
but others are still hurting. Hang in there. You’re
not alone. Call me if you need anything.
It sort of feels like the legislative session is right around
the corner but the election still has to be sorted out along with a speaker’s
race which still has little if any shape. Then, as our reporting the past couple
weeks indicates, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the
session will actually be conducted. Make sure your relationships are solid because
the bulk of your work may be reduced to calls, texts, and emails.
Meantime, there’s career
news to share. You can always tell the Texas Capitol community
what’s up by reaching out to ksbraddock@gmail.com.
When you do, use POTM in the subject line. Thanks very much.
Here’s the latest
edition of People on the Move.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 25, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 25, 2020 5:30 PM
Democrats hit him for past citations as a vet while Stucky is backed by veterinarian and animal rights groups
Editor’s note:
Democrats have accused Dr. Stucky of having his license suspended but that is
not accurate. The story has been updated to reflect that – SB
“Being a veterinarian is a
lot like being a state representative. You start early, pay attention and watch
your step,” Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Denton, who is running for his third
term against Democrat Angela Brewer, says in a new video advertisement.
Stucky, who represents House
District 64 in Denton County including Corinth, Denton, Hickory Creek,
Lake Dallas, and Shady Shores, talks about his accomplishments while testing
the temperature of and injecting shots into two animals and checking a horse’s
hooves. “Increased funding for women’s health? You got it. $5 billion more for
public schools? There you go,” he says, also touting additional funding for the
University of North Texas and Texas Women’s University.
“We finally got that done too.”
Then he steps in a pile of
cow manure. Staring at the screen on a porch, boots up, he looks at the camera.
“Did I mention this job’s
a lot like being a state rep?” he asks.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright September 25, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 25, 2020 12:30 PM
Students returning to Texas State may not pack the punch they did in ‘18; Isaac slams Rep. Zwiener as a “socialist” while the incumbent doubles down on the same issues she rode to victory two years ago
The victory of Rep. Erin
Zwiener of Driftwood was a particularly bright spot for Texas Democrats in
2018. On an election night that saw the Democrats pick up a dozen seats in the Texas
House and two in the Texas Senate, Rep. Zwiener’s win unfolded
in what many thought was still a staunchly
conservative part of the state.
Her narrow victory with
51.6% of the vote over Republican Ken Strange gives the GOP some confidence
that with the right candidate, it is largely suburban territory the majority
party can retake this fall.
Rep. Zwiener was a
political neophyte two years ago but her message of good government, protecting
the Hill Country from environmental threats, expanding Medicaid, and
increased public education spending seemed to resonate. She’s
doubling down on all those same issues now.
But some dynamics are
different. Make no mistake: This is one of the House seats the GOP has set its
sights on reclaiming as they target outspokenly liberal Zwiener.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Andrew Turner
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Copyright September 25, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 25, 2020 12:04 PM
Katy Democrat's ad reintroduces her as a cancer survivor who, as a single mom, rebuilt and ran for office after Hurricane Harvey wrecked her home: "Gina Calanni knows a thing or two about beating the odds."
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Copyright September 25, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 24, 2020 5:48 PM
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Copyright September 24, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 23, 2020 5:30 PM
Republican officeholders and activists ask Texas Supreme Court to block the extra week of early voting; they argue “Abbott seems to have forgotten that the Texas Constitution is not a document that he consults at his convenience”
Editor’s note: After
the original publication of this story, Sen. Campbell sent a letter to the
plaintiff’s attorney making clear she did not agree to be part of this lawsuit.
The story is updated to reflect that. Also, the final filed version of the suit is now available at the end of the story. It's another story covered first in Quorum Report – SB
In a move that QR
is told was privately discouraged by national Republicans, Republican Party
of Texas Chairman Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller,
conservative activist Dr. Steve Hotze, Sen. Charles Perry, and
others have signed onto a lawsuit against GOP Gov. Greg Abbott focused
on his decision to extend early voting.
They want the Texas
Supreme Court to block Abbott’s extension of early voting because, they
argue, only the Legislature can make changes to the Election Code.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 23, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 23, 2020 5:20 PM
Heading into the general election,
organized labor in Texas is supporting what they’re
calling their “largest electoral program in the modern era.”
“Texas working families
have so much on the line this year,” said Rick Levy, who serves as
President of the Texas AFL-CIO and as Chair of the Fair
Shot Texas PAC. “In January, the Texas labor movement resolved that our
2020 motto would be ‘Rise Up, All In.’ And after six months of the pandemic
crisis and a summer movement for racial justice, our resolve has only
strengthened.”
“That’s why in addition to
running an historic voter education program to union family voters through our
affiliate unions and the AFL-CIO, this year the Texas labor movement is supporting
the work of the Fair Shot Texas PAC,” Levy continued.
Check it out here.
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Copyright September 23, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 23, 2020 4:16 PM
"Many businesses in my district are struggling to survive and numerous bar owners have contacted me with concerns over the prospective loss of their entire livelihoods," Rep. Darby wrote
A letter sent today to Gov.
Greg Abbott from Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, can be downloaded here.
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Copyright September 23, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 22, 2020 6:40 PM
Luther gets a boost from TPPF and Empower Texans Chairman Dunn while the business community comes to the aid of Springer; meantime those two duke it out on social media over support for Gov. Abbott and more
Before reporting a massive
haul of campaign cash, rebel salon owner Shelley Luther was confronted
by the man she hopes to succeed in the Texas Senate, Sen. Pat
Fallon of Prosper. In a video shared with Quorum Report, which
you
can see here, Fallon confronts Luther at a candidate event in Grayson
County about her lack of involvement in Republican politics.
“Do you want me to go to
jail? Is that your standard?” Fallon asked, referring to Luther’s arrest opening
her Dallas area salon in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s coronavirus orders.
“Yes!” Luther said. “You
have to stand up.”
“So, you need to go to
jail to get elected? Got it,” Fallon shoots back during the tense exchange.
You don’t
need to go to jail to get elected – though it could prove key in this race –
but you do need resources. With just seven days until the special election to
replace Fallon, who is running for Congress, there’s
a lot of campaign cash flowing, according to the eight-day reports.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright September 22, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 22, 2020 6:38 PM
Forward Majority is the group that recently announced $6.2 million for Texas House races across the state
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Copyright September 22, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 22, 2020 3:09 PM
"By your demonstrated lack of leadership, you have betrayed the trust of conservative Texans across the state," Toth wrote to Abbott. "As a former ardent supporter, I must condemn your management of the State's response and formally announce that I am withdrawing my personal support of your actions."
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Copyright September 22, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 22, 2020 9:21 AM
"These are not garden variety Democrats," the video warns
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Copyright September 22, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 22, 2020 9:16 AM
That's as of this month
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Copyright September 22, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 21, 2020 5:11 PM
Sources say Gov. Abbott’s chief strategist Carney told lobby and the Texas House GOP that the Democratic polls can’t be trusted, but he declined to offer any numbers; Republicans forge ahead with slightly modified field programs in the pandemic
After months of the Texas
House Democratic Campaign Committee sharing polling information, albeit
incomplete, with lobbyists in Austin, the Texas House GOP Caucus
this past week convened a Zoom lobby briefing with Gov. Greg
Abbott’s chief strategist Dave Carney to push back on the idea that
the minority party will capture the majority this fall.
It wasn’t a call for the
media, but multiple sources tell Quorum Report that Carney was
dismissive of the idea that Democrats have the wind at their backs and even
argued it is possible Republicans could expand their majority in the Texas
House.
How?
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 21, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 21, 2020 4:58 PM
“This is the moment we have been working towards,” said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad, but Rep. Kevin Brady says that statement is "far from accurate."
The latest from the Houston Chronicle:
“This is the moment we have been working
towards,” said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad.
Railroad administration officials submitted the final rules Sept. 11 and made
them publicly available Monday.
But Rep. Kevin Brady,
R-The Woodlands, told Quorum Report that Aguilar’s statement was “far
from accurate.” Brady noted that the Federal Railroad Administration
decision has been long expected, and “simply marks the completion of its
efforts to develop standards for high-speed rail in the U.S.”
“FRA has made it clear
that this does not give TCR the power of eminent domain, nor does it give
authority to begin construction,” Brady said. “The lawmakers, landowners and
rural communities along the route who oppose this project look forward to this
application process because we believe it will finally force TCR to publicly
disclose their shaky financial projections to the STB, reveal why potential
investors have abandoned the project and why taxpayers will likely be on the
hook when it ultimately fails.”
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Copyright September 21, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 21, 2020 4:15 PM
“Gov. Abbott has already rejected calling the Legislature for a special session...If he insists on having the final say, then he must assure us that he has a plan to spend these funds before the deadline" of Dec 31.
A senior Democrat who
enjoys bipartisan respect in her role on the Texas House Appropriations
Committee on Monday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to spell out the
way that he will allocate significant remaining federal coronavirus aid sent to
Texas earlier this year.
Rep. Donna Howard,
D-Austin, noted that under the CARES Act, Texas received $11.24
billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund created by Congress. So
far, $5.67 billion has been appropriated from the CRF. Under federal law, that
money must be allocated by the state prior to Dec. 31.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 21, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 21, 2020 4:11 PM
“With the voter registration deadline two weeks from today, our ads are targeting high-potential voters who will likely vote blue if we talk to them about the importance of voting.”
The news
comes via The Hill.
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Copyright September 21, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 21, 2020 4:04 PM
Editor Scott Braddock and KFYO Host Chad Hasty discuss the news of the day
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Copyright September 21, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 19, 2020 3:48 PM
This news comes one day after the revelation that his fellow candidate for SD 30 received a $1 million loan from Empower Texans Chairman Tim Dunn
Texas House
Agriculture and Livestock Committee
Chairman Drew Springer will now be essentially sidelined for the rest of
the special election for Senate District 30 after his wife tested
positive for COVID-19 this past week, Springer told Quorum
Report on Saturday.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 19, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2020 1:50 PM
Significant career milestones, appointments, staffer moves, lobby moves, and more
Time to hit the road for campaigns.
See you all soon in DFW, Houston,
Senate District 30 and elsewhere. It’s coming down to
the wire with one side sharing polls, the other boasting of robust field programs,
and the lobby caught in between. Don’t you love it?
Usually I’ve
put thousands of miles on the truck by this time in the election cycle,
checking out races all over Texas. The pandemic has changed attitudes and campaign
strategies in various parts of the state. But it would seem there’s
still no better way to gauge what’s actually happening than to be on the ground
in the districts. Will report back to you.
Meantime, there were significant
career milestones for some of you this week. Keep the career news coming to ksbraddock@gmail.com anytime and use POTM
in the subject line for faster service. Please and thank you.
Here’s the latest edition of People on the Move.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 18, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2020 11:56 AM
Some of their preferred candidates would be Doug Slape, Melissa Hamilton, and Birny Birnbaum
The letter can be read in
full by downloading
it here.
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Copyright September 18, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2020 10:07 AM
Springer's "years of valuable experience will enable him to hit the ground running...and we are looking forward to working him in the Texas Senate on behalf of property owners in our state," said TREPAC Chairman Tony Lloyd.
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Copyright September 18, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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