Inspired by Greg Wythe's return to mapping the results of this year's primary elections in Harris County, I decided to go ahead and map interesting races from the Travis County primaries (and run-offs). This will be a new series on BOR with more being released each day. We begin this series with the Travis County District Attorney's primary on the Democratic side between Rosemary Lehmberg and Charlie Baird as seen below.
The color scale divides the % share of the vote into six categories from dark orange to dark purple, leaving three color densities for each candidate based on the share of the vote they received in the precinct. The breaks denote every 1/6th of the vote or 17%, 33%, 50%, 67%, and 83% to reflect not only the winner of a precinct but also the margin so as to highlight voting patterns across the county more easily. Precincts in red indicate no votes cast- most of these are fragmented precincts from congressional redistricting.
Takeaways: Incumbent Rosemary Lehmberg stormed to victory rolling up margins everywhere in Travis County. Charlie Baird won a total of 4 precincts which gave him a net margin of 5 votes.
Much hay was made about how the East Side of Austin would come down in the final vote. While this was still Baird's best area (home to 2 precinct wins), Lehmberg still won most of the traditional African American precincts with over 55% of the vote. In all the traditionally Hispanic precincts south of the river and east of I-35, Lehmberg won with no less than 60% of the vote in all but one precinct. Lehmberg ran up the score in Central-West and NW Austin with over a dozen precincts reporting in at over 83% of the vote.
To see other Travis County maps in this series, click here. Coming next, Tax-Assessor Collector!
Yesterday the Obama campaign released a web video illustrating the way the Romney ticket has been distancing itself from its own position on Medicare. The ad relies on reports from several mainstream news organizations to debunk the myth that the Affordable Care Act will decrease benefits to seniors and remind voters that the infamous Ryan plan would turn Medicare into a voucher program. According to CNBC "Benefits to seniors actually increase under Obamacare which reduces payments to providers in exchange for more people covered by insurance."
Its no surprise that Romney is trying to have it both ways on Medicare. He knows the program is popular with seniors and could break him in Florida - an all but a must-win state- where Obama currently maintains a steady 2 point lead. Last month a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 59% of respondents wanted no reduction to the funding of Medicare and 45% to 34% trust Obama over Romney to handle the program. In his 59 point economic plan Romney expressed support for Ryan's Medicare plan saying it, "makes important strides in the right direction by keeping the system solvent and introducing market-based dynamics." Romney has publicly disavowed the part of the plan that cuts $700 billion but has yet to clarify where their plans truly differ. "We haven't gone through piece by piece and said 'oh, here's a place where there's a difference...but my plan for Medicare is very similar to his plan for Medicare."
Ryan has defended his plan saying it would not affect anyone currently on Medicare while Republicans accuse the Obama campaign of trying to scare seniors. The fact is his voucher plan would increase the cost of care by thousands every year for millions of seniors and a new AARP poll revealed 59% of aging Baby Boomers really are concerned about their ability to retire and fear they will be more reliant on Medicare than previously anticipated. So, Romney many be used to taking both sides of an issue, but the fact remains that most seniors are not used to living without Medicare and they don't plan to anytime soon.
Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Lorillard Tobacco Company, three of America's largest tobacco companies, are pushing the Texas Legislature to raise taxes on small tobacco companies. Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Lorillard Tobacco Company, three of America's largest tobacco companies, are pushing the Texas Legislature to raise taxes on small tobacco companies. The big companies complain that because they pay the state extra fees under a 1998 lawsuit settlement, their market share has been unduly reduced. The 1998 settlement "alleged they were misleading consumers about the health repercussions of their products, and advertising to children."
The total hit to the big companies' market share in Texas? 10 percent...from 98 percent before the 1998 settlement. These greedy cancerous cretins.
If the Legislature does pass the tax hike in the next session, the move would benefit the big tobacco companies and hurt Texas. The small companies would be put out of business and soon not pay any state taxes, resulting in a loss of revenue for the state as well as a loss of jobs. "Quite simply, the money is not there," Yolanda Nader, chief executive at Dosal Tobacco Corporation, said. "This is a market share grab. The state does not get the money. The states lose the businesses and the jobs that companies that do business in these states provide."
The Texas Tribune explains another problem...if the Legislature imposes a new tax on small tobacco companies, those companies will actually be paying their dues twice:
Texas is one of four states that that has its own settlement with the large tobacco companies. The other 46 states combined their lawsuits into one big settlement. Under this big settlement, companies divide their fees among the states according to their national market share. Texas figures into the calculation of that market share, but doesn't receive any of the fees.
More than 50 of the smaller companies signed onto this national settlement after the fact to avoid similar lawsuits that would probably arise. If they are already paying the fee, then those states have no reason to sue them.
So if Texas imposes an additional tax on the small companies that signed onto the national settlement, then those companies would be paying for their market share in Texas, and then paying again because of the state tax. These companies advocate for a credit that would exempt them from paying for their market share in Texas to remedy this problem. But to do that, all 46 states that were a part of the national settlement would have to agree to it.
Double taxes? I thought the Republican-controlled Legislature was dead-set against this? Why would they even consider this in committee?
Because Republicans in Texas are big tobacco's lap dogs. Their charade about fiscal conservatism is all smoke and mirrors; all they care about is their fatcat donors who want more market share. It doesn't matter to them what benefits Texas, because they're not fighting for Texans. What a drag.
On Monday, Mike Ward of the Austin American-Statesman reported that Guy Fieldler, the GOP nominee in SD-14 against incumbent Senator Kirk Watson, announced his withdrawl from the race. Watson will now face Libertarian Ryan Dixon on the November ballot.
Fieldler was quoted as saying, "You just saw what (U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid did to (presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt) Romney. Rather than subject my family to that kind of campaign, I decided not to continue my candidacy."
In her continued quest to replace Jeff Wentworth as the state senator from Senate District 25, Dr. Donna Campbell is unveiling a new interview policy.
In an email to San Antonio Express-News metro columnist, Brian Chasnoff, a spokesman for Campbell denied a request for an interview because "it is the campaign's policy not to accept interview requests with opinion columnists." The spokesman continued, "I am sure you can understand the value in this distinction." Yes, we can all see how valuable this distinction is, at least to Donna Campbell's campaign.
The Campbell campaign understands that the best way for her to end up in the legislature is for her to never leave her house before November. The last thing Donna Campbell needs is an interview with somebody who is allowed to express an opinion on her radical views, including her staunch opposition to abortion rights even in the case of rape or incest.
Interestingly, there appears to be a caveat in the campaign policy saying that opinion columnists would be denied requests "in most cases." It is clear that Campbell's policy basically amounts to avoiding tough interviews where the doctor might accidently show how emphatically unqualified she is to represent SD-25.
Defeating Jeff Wentworth in the Republican Primary was a pretty straightforward task. Campbell simply had to employ the Ted Cruz strategy: run as far to the right as possible and declare your opponent a "moderate" by comparison.
This strategy won't work on general election opponent John Courage, but unfortunately she is hiding from him as well. Democrat John Courage wrote a letter to Campbell requesting they participate in a series of 12 forums- two in each of the counties that make up Senate District 25. To nobody's shock, Campbell declined.
Donna Campbell is hiding from her opponent, from columnists, and from the voters of San Antonio and Austin that make up SD-25. Courage will likely continue to put the pressure on Campbell to engage in a thoughtful discourse on the issues, but until she sees a political advantage in doing so, she will continue her campaign strategy: duck and hide.
Starting Wednesday, the offices of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, or USCIS, will begin receiving applications from young undocumented immigrants. In June, President Obama announced that undocumented immigrants brought to the United States before the age of 16, currently under 30, who have been living in the United States continuously for five years and have never committed a crime, can apply for the program.
The Washington D.C.-based Immigration Policy Center estimates 1.3 million immediate and future potential beneficiaries in the country. In IPC's estimate, 226,700 live in Texas. That makes Texas the state with the second most beneficiaries, behind California.
Fifteen thousand of the qualified applicants living in the El Paso area will be able to apply for the deferred deportation program this week.
In June, President Obama said this of his decision:
Now, these are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they're friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants, and often have no idea that they're undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver's license or a college scholarship.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you've done everything right your entire life, studied hard, worked hard, maybe even graduated at the top of your class, only to suddenly face the threat of deportation to a country that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even speak.
Iliana Holguin, executive director of the Catholic Church's El Paso Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, said the program was an important step but also an incomplete one.
I think it's definitely a step in the right direction and will provide tremendous benefits for young people who can't pursue a job right now, but unfortunately it's not a solution to the root of the problem. We need to have a way for these people to have lawful permanent resident status.
In February, University of Texas professor of geologic sciences and associate director of UT's Energy Institute Charles "Chip" Groat released a study called "Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development," which found no evidence that hydrauling fracking harms the environment. When it was discovered that Groat has been on Houston-based oil company Plains Exploration & Production Co.'s board for several years, the study's validity was immediately thrown into question - and for good reason. Groat has received millions of dollars from Plains. In 2011 alone, Plains paid Groat $413,900 and Groat holds more than $1.6 million in the company's stock. Groat has refused to comment on the study to defend himself.
So, fact-finding professor or amoral industry hack? That's what a new UT panel announced Tuesday will try to find out. The Austin American Statesman profiled the three-member panel:
The panel will be chaired by Norman Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., and a member of a scientific and technology advisory council under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and a NASA committee under President Barack Obama. He has served as board member of the nonprofit Ethics Resource Center.
Joining him are James Duderstadt, president emeritus of the University of Michigan, who has served on the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy at the National Academies; and Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation and former president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. She chairs the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, which is distributing $500 million for research in the wake of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Augustine, Duderstadt, and Colwell will attempt to determine the scientific credibility of the report. They have a very important responsibility, and one that all those who care about UT should care about too. If the university cannot be trusted to produce factual studies because of corporate influence, the university fails to exist. It becomes a propaganda machine. No UT student spends or spent time on the Forty Acres to learn from a propaganda machine.
And, by the way, fracking totally does harm the environment - viciously. "Chip" Groat's study appeared to be a very rare non-industry studies to say otherwise...until it became clear that it was industry-sponsored.
Last week, we rolled out our Burnt Orange to Blue fundraising drive, to support the candidates in must-win races across Texas. Today, you have a chance to vote your favorite Democratic legislative candidate into that list, and help them win $500 from BOR PAC!
Choose from one of the twenty races below that we're watching this cycle, and vote for your favorite candidate to win $500 and be added to the Burnt Orange to Blue fundraising page!
We selected these 20 candidates based on the competitiveness of their races, determined by 2008 and 2010 election results, past campaigns, and other local factors. Now, you tell us who most deserves a cool $500 in their bank account by voting for your favorite Democrat and encouraging your friends to do likewise.
From Democrats running to reclaim their seats lost in 2010 to exciting newcomers with bold visions for Texas to stalwart members of our Democratic caucus, there are 20 great choices for you to pick from. And no matter who wins, know that the funds from BOR PAC and Burnt Orange to Blue will help us increase our seats in the Legislature and bring us one step closer to taking back our state!
But wait, there's more! BOR PAC is putting up not one, but two $500 donations!
The top two vote-getters will each receive a $500 check, and be added to the Burnt Orange to Blue fundraising page. That means there's twice as much of a reason for you to vote and share this page with your friends
The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday August 21. Vote early, and share often!
Fine print: duplicate votes from the same email address will be disregarded. Only 1 vote per IP address is allowed. If you're seeing a "Sorry, this Survey is limited to one response per computer." note, that means someone already voted on your machine or wireless network. Try your phone or home computer or Internet connection. Still can't see it? If you are using an old version of Internet Explorer, try a different browser.
A federal judge today denied Greg Abbott's request to stay a court ruling that would have allowed Texas to enforce certain voter registration laws that are among the most restrictive in the country. Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña released the following statement:
"Greg Abbott is relentless in his pursuit to disenfranchise Texans. We're pleased that the court denied Abbott's request to make our state's voter registration laws the most restrictive in the country. It's shameful that Abbott and Texas Republicans are fighting to make it illegal to register eligible citizens. The focus of the state should be to encourage voter participation not to suppress it."
At issue in the court's ruling were a number of matters affecting the ability to register voters in Texas which apply to Volunteer Deputy Registrars. Among the restrictions that were lifted as a result of the case are the following.
Prohibition of completed voter applications from being mailed-in.
Prohibition of deputy voter registrars from registering voters in counties where the deputy voter registrar does not reside.
Requirement that voter registrars to be Texas residents.
Prohibition of the photocopying of voter registration cards.
Requirement of voter registrars to be paid hourly.
(It is alarming that the Hays County Court may be limiting Texas State students' ability to vote conveniently during early voting. If you live in Hays County, please contact the Commissioners Court. - promoted by Burnt Orange Report)
Contact the Hays County Judge and Commissioners today and request that Texas State have a full week of early voting!
In 2008, with record turnout, the county provided four days of early voting at Texas State, now they want to provide only two. Over 3,200 votes were cast at Texas State over those four days in 2008, with some students giving up due to lines. With the county's proposal not including San Marcos Public Library as an early vote site this year, students will have no other option in downtown San Marcos.
With 36,000 students, Texas State represents over 24% of the county and a vital constituency for Democrats.
We need to ensure that Texas State has as much opportunity to vote as other parts of the county.
Contact your County Judge and Commissioners today:
San Antonio, one of Texas' fastest growing cities and the hometown of House Speaker Joe Straus, may approve a tax increase for Pre-K that could signal to Austin that more cuts to education will not be tolerated. In June, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro announced he would propose a 1/8 cent sales tax to pay for full-day Pre-K for low income students. The idea received Republican criticism but last week passed City Council unanimously sending it to the ballot for voter approval in November. A major referendum on the ballot and the keynote speech at Obama's nomination add up to a big year for the young mayor being groomed as a future statewide candidate. He said of his plan, "I'm not going to wait for Washington or Austin to make the right investments for our young people…And in the meantime, we lose our economy.” He did admit, "nobody likes a tax [increase]", but could there be a better way to challenge state leaders than to fulfill the job they've abdicated while touting a pro-economic message?
The tax will raise an estimated $29 million dollars at about $7.81 per household annually and serve roughly 4,500 4 year olds. At least two San Antonio Republicans State Rep. Lyle Larson and Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolfe disagree with the Mayor's proposal. Rep. Larson argued, “The city has no business creating a ‘department of education.'" That's a revealing statement from someone who's Party platform includes demolishing the federal Department of Education and who's record includes voting to cut $5 billion in state funds for public education - $200 million of which funded Texas' full-day Pre-K program. For his part Commissioner Wolfe believes it's, "parental failure to take advantage of existing programs" and ultimately, "It is a parent's responsibility.” It may be a parent's job to provide for their children but the state is constitutionally required to provide an "efficient" public school system where, as the state Supreme Court ruled, efficient does not equate to "cheap".
Yesterday, 37 state legislators, led by Houston's Senator Rodney Ellis, filed an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Cout of the United States in support of the University of Texas' admissions policy, which utilizes race as a consideration. The admissions policy was adopted after Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, which outlined acceptable ways to use race.
The University's policy was upheld both by District Court Judge Sam Sparks and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court will decide this case without the help of Justice Elana Kagan, who has recused herself from the case.
If the high court rules against the University of Texas, the increased diversity at UT and other institutions across the country will likely start reversing without some other effective public policy.
In filing the petition, Ellis said, "I fear that if the Supreme Court overturns UT's admissions policies, we will likely see campuses that do not reflect a state as diverse as Texas. I pray the Supreme Court will recognize the wisdom of its prior decision, because we cannot afford to roll back the clock on a half century of progress."
The legal counsel for the legislator's brief includes Robin Lenhardt of Fordham University School of Law, Michelle Adams from Cardozo School of Law, John Brittain from the David A. Clark School of Law at the University of District Columbia, and Eric L. Lewis, a partner at Lewis Baach PLLC.
Every Democrat in the Travis County delegation at the Texas Legislature joined Senator Ellis with this brief. Congressional nominee Marc Veasey was also among those who joined.
Today, two more innocent people have been tragically killed in a shooting in College Station. Reports indicate that the shooter used a semi-automatic weapon in his killing of Constable Brian Bachmann, who was delivering an eviction notice, and an unidentified citizen. Four others were injured and the gunman was shot and taken to custody by officers. He later died from injuries. Today's shooting joins the shootings in Aurora and Milwaukee as the third major shooting incident in less than a month.
In response to the horrific situation, Governor Rick Perry appeared on Fox News to express his continued objection to gun control:
"When it gets back to this issue of taking guns away from law-abiding citizens somehow that's gona make our country safer, I don't agree with that, I think most people in Texas certainly don't agree with that- and that's a state by state issue frankly that should be decided in the state's and not again a rush to Washington DC to centralize the decision making and them to decide what is in the best interest of the citizens of Florida or for Texas, that's for the people of these states to decide. And Texas I will suggest to you by and large a majority of them, a large majority of them believe that law abiding men and women should be able to have their weapons and the criminals are never going to listen to the law, they're always gonna have weapons, whatever source they want, whether they're legal or illegal. And I think it's wise for the people of the state of Texas to be able to defend themselves when there is a law breaker that comes into their midst with a weapon."
The Governor's response is disappointing, though unsurprising. Nobody is suggesting "taking away guns from law-abiding citizens." Nobody is suggesting that we raid the homes of innocent people checking their night stands for hand guns. We need reasonable laws and regulations on guns, like we do for cars. Furthermore Perry's defense of the status quo because "most people in Texas" agree with him is not a rational for complacency. Sometimes a leader must do what is unpopular for the safety and good of the masses. Simply bowing our heads in silence and moving on is not showing these victims respect, and letting this shooting be another forgotten tragedy is inexcusable. Continued inaction is unacceptable and even Governor Perry must accept that some changes have to be made. More efficient background checks and banning of high powered assault weapons is the start. It's time for Perry and the other leaders of this country to stand up to the NRA and lead. Unfortunately in an election year, I wouldn't hold your breath.
Yesterday the Obama campaign released a web video illustrating the way the Romney ticket has been distancing itself from its own position on Medicare. The ad relies on reports from several mainstream news organizations to debunk the myth that the Affordable Care Act will decrease benefits to seniors and remind voters that the infamous Ryan plan would turn Medicare into a voucher program. According to CNBC "Benefits to seniors actually increase under Obamacare which reduces payments to providers in exchange for more people covered by insurance."
Choose from one of the twenty races below that we're watching this cycle, and vote for your favorite candidate to win $500 and be added to the Burnt Orange to Blue fundraising page!
A federal judge today denied Greg Abbott's request to stay a court ruling that would have allowed Texas to enforce certain voter registration laws that are among the most restrictive in the country. Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña released the following statement:
San Antonio, one of Texas' fastest growing cities and the hometown of House Speaker Joe Straus, may approve a tax increase for Pre-K that could signal to Austin that more cuts to education will not be tolerated. In June, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro 
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