Close elections both- the ACC candidates tied saw Reiter ahead by 2 votes in Williamson Conuty. In AISD, Barksdale did noticeably better on election day in the first round and if that continues to the runoff she may pull through. Student vote was non-existent. Barksdale cleaned up on the east side but Cowan won big in some of the higher turnout boxes. Turnout was 1.21% in the early vote for AISD and .83% for ACC.
NOTE- As far as I can tell, the ACC results reported by Travis County do include the Williamson numbers, but do not include the Bastrop numbers (which joined ACC in last month's election). It would be pretty wild if this election comes down to being decided by new Bastrop voters who could vote in the runoff by not the first round. They petitioned this spring but will vote to join in November- so no worries.
8:00 PM: In the AISD election, there was 628 more votes cast early in the runoff than in the initial round in May. Conversely, in the ACC election, there was 1,126 fewer votes in the runoff early vote than the initial round.
8:15 PM: Of the people voting in the AISD race, only 34 didn't cast a ballot. Of the people voting in the ACC race, 712 skipped casting a ballot. Since the jurisdictions overlap, it's pretty clear the AISD race drove the turnout.
9:15 PM: With over 80% reporting I'm calling the AISD race for Tamala Barksdale. With 58% reporting in the ACC race, it's a pretty sure bet that Villarreal is the winner.
9:45 PM: All in for AISD. Barksdale pulls down a solid win with the support of Election Day voters. Final turnout is 2.52%. There was 497 more voters in the runoff than the initial election in May.
In the final week of the Republican primary runoff for Congressional District 17 between Rob Curnock and Bill Flores the campaign has taken a negative turn, and both candidates have displayed weaknesses that may lead to their defeat by Democratic incumbent Congressman Chet Edwards. While Flores has attempted to paint himself as the more mainstream and moderate of the candidates, during the primary Flores has increasing played more to ultra conservative base and less to the moderate independents that Edwards has been very successful at courting. Curnock has attempted to portray himself as a tested candidate who has shown the potential to compete in the general election, despite allegations to the contrary.
The Curnock campaign criticized Flores for misrepresenting his voting record. According to an article in the Waco Tribune-Herald, during a debate Flores said that he had voted for Curnock in the 2008 election, however, Flores voted in the Democratic primary and did not vote in the 2008 general election. The Curnock campaign released a radio advertisement earlier this week criticizing Flores for misrepresenting his record and for not voting in the 2008 general election.
(All right folks! You passed the first match and are only $625 away from taking advantage of the full second match by Commissioner Garcia. So if we can scare up the remaining $625 will hit the total $5000 raised for Chris Bell this year via BOR! Last push for dollars for E-Day GOTV! - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
I've just recorded the video below to share some great news with you. As Matt announced this morning, we have received two matches for our Chris Bell fundraising effort for a total match of $2000! Roland Garcia of Houston and County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia of Houston have upped the ante and that means it's really time for you (yes, YOU) to step up for Bell.
I post this (turnout results are always delayed by a day) to point out that you can make a big difference in this election because runoff elections don't generate high turnout.
County Total EV
Harris 1573
Fort Bend 755
Brazoria 726
Galveston 381
Jefferson 387
Total 3822
Sadly, I'm going to be back in Washington, DC this weekend for Rootscamp otherwise I'd be on this bus in an instant. Austin readers- time to get on the bus for Bell! It's a one day commitment only. -kt
The Travis County Democratic Party and Education Austin are proud to help Congressman Chris Bell by providing a blockwalking bus from Austin to Houston this Saturday December 13.
The free Bus trip leaves at 6:15am at AFL-CIO at 11th and Lavaca this Saturday December 13. Breakfast, coffee and a movie will be provided on the bus. Once in Chris Bell's district outside of Houston, we will meet with Congressman Bell and then blockwalk his district. We'll return to Austin by 7pm, enjoying dinner on the way back. Chris Bell's victory in the Texas Senate will help our fight for issues that matter to us--public schools, choice, clean air and clean water, and even the simple right to vote in Texas.
Call 477-7500 to reserve your spot on the bus today. Or click here to give us your phone and email and we'll follow up with you.
P.S. You can read over a live-chat debate between Chris Bell and Joan Huffman here on the Houston Chronicle Politics blog. Once again, the Chronicle is doing the new media stuff right.
This weekend, Chris Bell earned the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle for the SD-17 runoff election. They had some great words to say.
With the 81st legislative session looming next month in a weakening economic climate, residents of District 17 need an experienced public servant with a firm grasp of spending priorities. With his commitment to bolstering public education, reining in college tuition increases, and controlling skyrocketing insurance premiums, the Chronicle believes that Chris Bell is the best candidate to represent the diverse district in the Texas Senate.
...
Bell, a former news reporter and practicing lawyer, says his previous political experience has educated him about the concerns of Texans. According to Bell, "even before Hurricane Ike hit and even before the meltdown on Wall Street, people here in Texas were starting to feel a sense of insecurity, seeing school districts forced into crisis funding modes." He promises to make education issues a top early priority if elected, while working to create coalitions with members of both parties.
District 17 will benefit from being represented by a veteran elected official with statewide name recognition and a proven commitment to high ethical standards. The Chronicle urges constituents to make a special effort to go to the polls and cast their ballots for Bell.
We're not done yet with Elections in Texas. With an expected 76-74 Republican controlled statehouse we have a chance on December 16th to help narrow the margin in the state senate by one more vote to 18-13. That race of course, pits former Gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell against GOP nominee Joan Huffman who were the two vote leaders in the open primary on November 4th.
Today we are announcing a weeklong effort in support of Chris Bell's runoff election. With Early Voting this week and Election Day next Tuesday, we're also announcing our second $1000 Burnt Orange for Bell online fundraiser. Last time, we went on strike and you reached that goal in one day. We're not striking this time, but I'm more than confident our community can raise $1000 this week for Bell. So if you haven't given (and it's the only race in town so you should), click here and donate to Bell today.
I'll start it off with $50 myself. Will you join me?
Here is an ad that the Bell campaign has released in the runoff election. You can view other ads and videos from the Bell campaign on their YouTube channel.
Democrats received 52.2% of the vote combined on November 4th, proving that this is a winnable district.
To that end, there are some things you can do to help.
