McConaughey Opposes Mandatory Vax For Kids

[#TexasPolitics365]

Actor Matthew McConaughey, rumored to be toying with an idea of running for governor of Texas in 2022, has made no official statement on his political future, much less what party label he would consider running under, but he did just make some bold statements against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

''I couldn't mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids,'' McConaughey said, The Hill reported. ''I still want to find out more information.''

McConaughey denounced the political division of vaccines versus freedom, saying he is not anti-vaccine, but he is pro-choice when it comes to personal decisions.

He said both he and his wife are vaccinated but did not do so because they were told to do so by anyone.

The comments come as he seeks to position himself for a possible candidacy, either as a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent. While his mother is known to be a Republican, it is unclear how McConaughey himself votes, and how he would run.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

🚨 BREAKING: Rep. Louie Gohmert Gets Into Crowded AG Race

[#TexasPolitics365]

Conservative U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert says he is joining the crowded GOP primary field for Texas Attorney General and is accepting donations for an exploratory committee, according to a website that went live Tuesday.

Gohmert told Fox News he is running. The website said Gohmert is seeking $1 million by Nov. 19.

He will face embattled incumbent AG Ken Paxton, Land Commissioner George P Bush, Former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, and State Rep. Matt Krause.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Former GOP Strategist Running As Democrat Defends "Wokeness"

[#TexasPolitics365]

A former Bush campaign adviser who is running as a Democrat in Texas’ lieutenant governor race said Sunday that Jesus Christ today would be declared "woke" by conservatives.

Matthew Dowd, who is seeking his party’s nomination to take on Republican Dan Patrick, said he came to the realization in church that today’s "wokeness" is just another term for human decency.

Dowd's comments came after Democratic strategist James Carville sparked the ire of progressives for blaming Democrat Terry McAuliffe's loss in Virginia on "stupid wokeness" and the progressive agenda.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Paxton Has Commanding, 30-Point Lead In AG Race, Says UT/Tribune Poll

[#TexasPolitics365]

Attorney General Ken Paxton has a 30-point lead in his bid to be re-elected Texas Attorney General in next year's Republican primary election, a University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows. 

Paxton has drawn a serious lineup of challengers, including Land Commissioner George P. Bush, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Fort Worth state Rep. Matt Krause.

Paxton currently has the support of 48% of primary voters in the poll, with Bush far behind him at 16%. Krause and Guzman both polled below 4%.

Over a quarter of respondents, all registered GOP voters, said they have not thought about the primary enough to have an opinion on the AG race.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

UT Poll Shows Abbott Way Ahead Of Republican Rivals And Leading Democrat O'Rourke

[#TexasPolitics365]

A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott far ahead of his Republican rivals in the March 1st primary, and leading his likely Democratic foe for the General Election. 

 
Abbott is at 56%, with Allen West, the former Texas GOP chair and U.S. representative from Florida, in second place at 13%. No other challenger is in double digits (former state senator Don Huffines comes in at 6%) and 16% of primary voters said they have not thought about it enough to have an opinion.

Abbott also leads likely Democratic Contender Beto O'Rourke, who is not yet officially announced his intention to run in 2022.

The survey of registered voters found Abbott with a 9-percentage-point advantage over O’Rourke, 46% to 37%. Seven percent of respondents picked someone else in the hypothetical matchup.

Another hypothetical candidate, Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey, also polled badly in the survey.  Thirty-five percent said they had a favorable opinion of him, and 24% said they had an unfavorable impression.

A full twenty-nine percent said they had neither positive or negative feelings towards the actor, showing that he would have a lot of work to do educating voters if you got into the race.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Bush Says Paxton Will Be Defeated As AG By A Democrat If Nominated

[#TexasPolitics365]

George P. Bush has sharpened his criticism of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, warning Republican voters that a Democrat will beat the embattled incumbent, if he’s nominated for a third term in the March 1 primary.

Bush made the statement on a podcast for the Dallas Morning News.

The Land Commissioner is challenging Paxton, who is facing legal action by former employees of the AG's office. Paxton has sought to have the charges dismissed, saying they are politically motivated.

Bush faces Paxton and former Texas Supreme Court Judge Eva Guzman in the Republican primary race.

(Full story here. - Paywalled)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Williamson County Reaches Settlement In Live PDF Case

[#TexasPolitics365]

Williamson County commissioners signed off on a settlement Tuesday with a man injured by deputies during an arrest broadcasted on the now defunct “Live PD” television show.

Williamson County commissioners confirmed a $325,000 settlement with Ramsey Mitchell.

In a June 2019 broadcast, records show Mitchell’s car was stopped for “no front license plate.”

During the stop, while he was being patted down, Mitchell turned to run.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Republican John Lujan Flips State House Seat That Went +14 For Biden Last Year

[#TexasPolitics365]

While Democrats have been caught off guard by previous special elections in the San Antonio area, Republicans made clear from the get-go that they were gunning for the open seat in Texas House District 118. And Democrats took them seriously, seeking to show early on that they would not be upset in an overwhelmingly Hispanic district that President Joe Biden carried by 14 percentage points last year.

And yet Republican John Lujan captured the seat Tuesday, in exactly the kind of nationally reverberating outcome that Democrats were working to avoid.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Abbott Has Commanding Lead Over Foes In New Poll

[#TexasPolitics365]

Forty-two percent of registered voters surveyed in October by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy support former US Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke for governor in next year's election, just behind Gov. Abbott at 43%, who is seeking re-election.

Twelve percent said they are undecided, 12 months ahead of the 2022 general election. O'Rourke has not yet announced he will run for governor. 

Abbott, with 61 percent support among likely primary voters, held a more comfortable lead over Republican opponents Allen West, Don Huffines and Chad Prather, the poll found.

West, a former Florida congressman and former chair of the Texas Republican Party, was backed by 14 percent of likely GOP primary voters, while Huffines, a former state senator, and Prather, a conservative commentator, were supported by 4 and 3 percent, respectively.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Abbott Asks Texas School Board Assn. To Root Out Inappropriate Books, They Decline

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

Gov. Greg Abbott today sent a letter to Texas Association of School Boards Executive Director Dan Troxell to ensure no child is exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content in a Texas public school. 

"A growing number of parents of Texas students are becoming increasingly alarmed about some of the books and other content found in public school libraries that are extremely inappropriate in the public education system," reads the letter. "The most flagrant examples include clearly pornographic images and substance that have no place in the Texas public education system. 

"You have an obligation to Texas parents and students to ensure that no child in Texas is exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content while inside a Texas public school," he wrote.

TASB officials were confused upon receiving Abbott’s letter because their organization has “no regulatory authority over school districts and does not set the standards for instructional materials, including library books,” spokeswoman Theresa Gage wrote to media via email.

Many media outlets portrayed Abbott's letter as "vague" in describing the problems he had with sexual content in books, but throughout the summer, parents across the state and local school boards have read explicit passages from books either assigned to students in elementary grades, or widely available in their libraries. 

Some of the passages included graphic sexual encounters between two underage children.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.

Progressive Group Political Director Calls Potential McConaughey Candidacy A "Sideshow"

[#TexasPolitics365]

Mike Siegel, political director of progressive organizing group Ground Game Texas, called actor Matthew McConaughey’s potential Texas gubernatorial bid a “sideshow.”

“He’s treading extremely carefully right now to prolong this moment of fame and attention to make it seem like he’s a serious candidate for governor,” Siegel, a former congressional candidate, told Hill.TV’s “Rising.”

McConaughey, who hasn’t entered the race or announced a party affiliation, polled ahead of Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in a September survey conducted by The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler.

But Siegel argued that it’s unlikely the actor would make it through either party’s primary.

(Full story here.)
--------------------------------------------------

** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

Advertisement

For advertising opportunities, email us.