Texas Politics & Government: Ideas and Institutions

Texas Weekly published the latest ratings of Texas contests. Note that only two Republican incumbents are in the Yellow category. Four are in the Orange category. Four are in the Red category. Thus, twelve incumbent House members who are facing a challenge in the primary are considered safe. I'll assess whether I consider these ratings accurate after the latest campaign finances reports are released. Stay tuned!

I must admit that Monday was not my best day. The Wayne Slater piece on Wendy’s narrative put me in a funk. There’s nothing better than a great story of a candidate for high office who started off without any advantages, struggled to get an education, attended a prestigious university to get his or her law degree, became a successful politician at the local level before moving on to seek the highest office in a large state. It fits the ideal of the American dream. It’s the contemporary version of the log cabin to White House story. That is, unless it’s partially fabricated—either intentionally or carelessly. This was the crux of Davis’ narrative: ““I’m a Texas success story,” Davis told NBC. “I am the epitome of hard work and optimism.” But is it accurate? Jay Root wrote an article that appeared in the New York Times in September 2013. In it, he recounts her childhood in a single-parent family, her excellent record at Richland High School, though she “. . .didn’t study a whol

The remaining challengers to House Republican incumbents raised more money than the first group. But they still are not in the same league with the incumbents. The table below provides the details: July 2013-December 2013 District Challenger Raised Loans Expenditures COH 71 Issac M. Castro $7,100 $0 $1,516 $5,600 72 Shannon Thomason $0 $105 $1,824 $0 83 Steve Massengale $29,795 $50,000 $12,812 $66,983 92 Andy Cargile $21,401 $15,283 $28,435 $7,791 94 Tony Tinderholt $6,065 $4,084 $2,926 $7,223 102 Adryana Boyle $90,704 $0 $24,949 $0 Sam Brown $112,378 $0 $53,540 $56,88