The Mignon Memo

The 2014 Texas primary election results are in.  The following is a brief recap.  If you would like to see exact percentages, follow this link to the Texas Secretary of State’s website: http://www.sos.state.tx.us.  There is also the possibility of recounts in certain races where the margin of victory is very slim. The primary runoff election will be held May 27, 2014. 

U.S. Senate 

U.S. Senator John Cornyn faced seven opponents in the Republican primary but won handily.  He will face Democrat David Alameel in the general election.

Congressional races

Fourteen Congressional incumbents faced a contested primary.  Although none were defeated, one will face a runoff. In CD 4, Incumbent Congressman Ralph Hall will face a runoff in the Republican primary with John Ratcliffe.  In the closely watched Republican primary for CD 23, former Congressman Quico Canseco will compete in a runoff against Will Hurd. The winner will challenge Incumbent Congressman Pete Gallego in the general election. In CD 32, Incumbent Congressman Pete Sessions fought back a strong challenge from Katrina Pierson in the Republican primary. Sessions will face Democrat Frank Perez in the general election. In the Democratic primary for CD 33, Incumbent Congressman Marc Veasey handily defeated his challenger Thomas Sanchez. In CD 36, a seat left open by Congressman Steve Stockman’s choice to run for US Senate, Brian Babin and Ben Streusand will compete in the Republican primary runoff. The winner will face Democrat Michael Cole in the general election.

Statewide Races 

The Republican primary ballot contained many contested races for statewide seats.  The matchups for the general election in November are listed below. Note that there will be several runoffs.   

Governor: Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis won their respective primaries as expected.  This race will dominate the airwaves until the general election. 

Lt. Governor: As expected, the Republican primary resulted in a runoff. Incumbent David Dewhurst will face Dan Patrick in the May runoff election. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Leticia Van de Putte in the general election. 

Attorney General: Republicans Dan Branch and Ken Paxton will face off in the Republican primary runoff. The winner will face Democrat Sam Houston in the general election. 

Comptroller: At this point, Republican Glenn Hegar is very close to winning the Republican primary outright. If he does not reach the magic 50% threshold after all votes are reported, he will face a runoff with Harvey Hilderbran.  The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Mike Collier in the general election. 

Land Commissioner: Republican George P. Bush will face Democrat John Cook in the general election. 

Agriculture Commissioner: Republicans Sid Miller and Tommy Merritt will compete in the Republican primary runoff. The winner will face the victor of the Democratic primary runoff – either Jim Hogan or Kinky Friedman – in the general election. 

Railroad Commissioner: Republicans Wayne Christian and Ryan Sitton will compete in the Republican primary runoff. The winner will face Democrat Steve Brown in the general election. 

Supreme Court – Chief Justice:  Incumbent Nathan Hecht defeated challenger Robert Talton in the Republican primary. Hecht will face Democrat William Moody in the general election. 

Supreme Court – Place 6: Incumbent Jeff Brown defeated Joe Pool in the Republican primary. Brown will face Democrat Lawrence Meyers in the general election. 

Supreme Court – Place 7: Incumbent Jeffrey Boyd ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Boyd will face Democrat Gina Benavides in the general election. 

Supreme Court – Place 8: Incumbent Phil Johnson defeated Sharon McCally in the Republican primary. Johnson faces no major party opposition in the general election. 

Court of Criminal Appeals – Place 3: Republican Bert Richardson will face Democrat John Granberg in the general election. 

Court of Criminal Appeals – Place 4: Republican Kevin Patrick Yeary won the Republican primary. Yeary faces no major party opposition in the general election. 

Court of Criminal Appeals – Place 9: Republican David Newell won the Republican primary. Newell faces no major party opposition in the general election. 

Texas Senate  

Six incumbent Texas Senators faced a contested primary.  Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston); Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston); and Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) easily held off primary challengers. Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) was narrowly defeated by challenger Don Huffines. Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) defeated two primary challengers to avoid a runoff.  Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) will face a runoff in the Republican primary with Bob Hall.  

There were three open seats on the ballot due to the departure of Senators Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and Wendy Davis.  In Senate District 7, Republican Paul Bettencourt won the Republican primary and will face Democrat Jim Davis in the general election. Republican Van Taylor faced no primary opposition in Senate District 8.  Since he has no major party opponent in the general election, he looks like the next senator in that district. In Senate District 10, there will be a Republican primary runoff between former state representative Mark Shelton and Konni Burton.  The winner will face Democrat Libby Willis in the general election. 

Former Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) departure left Senate District 4 vacant but that special election will not be held until May since Williams’ term extended until 2017. 

Texas House 

Thirty-four Texas House incumbents had contested primary races. Meanwhile, there were 13 open seats, many involving contested primary races.  Eight incumbents were defeated in the primary elections – Republicans George Lavender, Lance Gooden, Ralph Sheffield, Diane Patrick, Linda Harper Brown, and Bennett Ratliff; and Democrats Naomi Gonzalez and Lon Burnam. Speaker Joe Straus won his Republican primary race in HD 121 against challenger Matt Bebee. There will be run-offs in 11 other House districts: 

Republican primary runoffs: 

          HD 10: John Wray v. T.J. Fabby

          HD 16: Ted Seago v. Will Metcaf

          HD 53: Andrew Murr v. Rob Henneke

          HD 58: Phillip Eby v. Dewayne Burns

          HD 66: Matt Shaheen v. Glenn Callison

          HD 102: Incumbent Stephanie Carter v. Linda Koop

          HD 108: Morgan Meyer v. Chart Wescott

          HD 129: Dennis Paul v. Sheryl Berg

          HD 132: Mike Schofield v. Ann Hodge               

Democratic primary runoffs:

          HD 76: Cesar Blanco v. Norma Chavez

          HD 105: Susan Motley v. Terry Meza 

State Board of Education

Two incumbent members of the State Board of Education faced primary opposition and there was one open seat on the ballot.  Incumbent David Bradley defeated challenger Rita Ashley in District 7. Bradley will face Democrat Kathy King in the general election.   Incumbent Pat Hardy will face a runoff with Eric Mahroum in the Republican primary for District 11. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Nancy Bean in the general election.  In District 13, currently represented by Democrat Mavis Knight, Erika Beltran and Andrea Hilburn will compete in the Democratic primary runoff. The winner of the runoff will take the seat since no Republican filed.   

Early voting continues through this Friday, February 28^th.  If you don’t vote early, don’t forget to vote on March 4^th.  Next week’s memo will give you all the details on who won, who lost and whose race will carry on until the May 27^th runoff election.

Sen. José Rodríguez (D-El Paso) was elected chair of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus. Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) was elected as vice chair.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Kathleen Thea Jackson of Beaumont to the Texas Water Development Board. The board provides leadership, planning, financial and technical assistance for the responsible development of water for the State of Texas. Jackson is a registered professional engineer and former public affairs manager for Exxon Mobil Corp.

Only in Austin:  The NBC television show Revolution has been filming in Austin since late last summer. Recently, the Capitol Complex was used as a backdrop for the series set in a world without electricity.  The economic impact of Revolution on the City of Austin could be close to $50 million per year based on expenditures in North Carolina where the series was filmed previously. Stay tuned to catch glimpses of familiar extras!

Gov. Rick Perry has reappointed Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols of Spring Branch as Adjutant General of Texas for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2016. The adjutant general is commander of the Texas Military Forces, and subordinate only to the governor in matters pertaining to the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard and Texas State Guard.  Nichols was appointed as adjutant general in February 2011. He previously served as assistant adjutant general for air and commander of the Texas Air National Guard at Camp Mabry.

Don’t forget to vote!  Early voting for the Texas primary election runs through February 28^th.

Only in Austin:  Because of sign ordinances in the area when the restaurant opened in 1982, the owners came up with the idea of a giant fork in front of Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  The artwork on top of the fork changes periodically but is always interesting and eye catching.  Don’t miss the fabulous Hyde Park fries!

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced the number of Texas graduates taking at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam has more than doubled in the past decade. In addition, the number of low-income graduates taking AP exams has more than quadrupled and the number of Hispanic/Latino graduates taking AP exams has nearly tripled.

Early voting for the March 4^th primary election begins next Tuesday, February 18^th and runs through February 28^th.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Sharon Butterworth of El Paso and Antonio Falcon of Rio Grande City to the Health and Human Services Council for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2017. The council helps develop policies and rules for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and makes recommendations regarding the overall management and operation of the commission.

Only in Austin:  Since 1958, the World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up has been held annually on the 2nd weekend in March in Sweetwater, Texas.  Some participants visited the Texas State Capitol this week to promote the event:

Speaker Joe Straus released his list of Interim Charges for standing committees in the Texas House.  Each committee will hold public hearings and then submit a final report no later than December 1, 2014. For a full list of the 83rd interim charges, please visit http://www.house.state.tx.us/_media/pdf/interim-charges-83rd.pdf.

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst has appointed Dr. Dawn Buckingham, an Austin ophthalmologist, to serve as a public member on the Sunset Advisory Commission.  Dr. Buckingham holds leadership positions in her county, state and national medical associations.  The full 12 member Sunset Advisory Commission will hold an organizational meeting on February 19^th to discuss the agencies to be reviewed during the upcoming cycle and future meeting dates.  Agencies to be reviewed include the Health & Human Services Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission.

Only in Austin: Someone had too much fun at their Super Bowl party and tried to drive through the closed gate at the Texas Capitol…

Democrat Celia Israel is the next representative for Texas House District 50.  Israel defeated Republican Mike VanDeWalle in yesterday’s special election.  Israel will serve out the remainder of former Rep. Mark Strama’s term which ends in January, 2015 but she will have a rematch with VanDeWalle in the general election in November.

With three weeks remaining until the kick off of early voting for the March 4 primary election, several candidates are running radio and television advertising.  This is the point where money can enable a candidate to get their message to the largest number of voters.  The next campaign finance report is due next week on February 3, 2014.

A year from now, Texas will inaugurate a new governor.  The Texas Legislative Reference Library has recently launched a new online collection of gubernatorial inauguration materials.  The oldest pieces in the collection date back to the 1891 inauguration of Governor James S. Hogg. To view the various invitations and other materials follow this link: http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/collections/inaugural.cfm

Only in Austin – the 360 Bridge is a lovely sight on a warm summer day yet not so lovely during an ice storm in late January.

Speaker Joe Straus announced his appointees to the Sunset Advisory Commission last week.  Representative Four Price, who has served on the Commission since 2011, has been named Vice Chair for the 2014-2015 biennium. New appointees include Reps. Cindy Burkett (R-Sunnyvale); Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock); and Richard Raymond (D-Laredo).  Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston) continues as a member.  Straus also appointed Dallas attorney and business consultant Tom Luce to serve as a public member of the Commission.  

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst appointed Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Marble Falls) as Chair of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee.  He also appointed Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) and Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) to serve on the advisory committee. Dewhurst also appointed members to the Joint Interim Committee to Study Water Desalination.  Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) will serve as Chair. Members of the committee include Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Marble Falls); Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy); Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-McAllen); and Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville). 

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Jacob Montilijo Monty, an attorney with Monty and Ramirez LLP in Houston, to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a term to expire Aug. 31, 2015. The board sets policies and coordinates efforts to improve higher education in Texas. 

Only in Austin – a great place to get a chicken wrap on a nice day.

Governor Rick Perry has appointed Zak Covar, a former aide on environmental policy, to become a member of the three-member Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.  Covar, who has served as TCEQ Executive Director since 2012, joined the agency staff in 2007.  

Governor Rick Perry has appointed John W. Townes III of Granbury to the Texas Lottery Commission for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2015. The commission oversees the Texas Lottery, and ensures lottery and bingo games are conducted in a legal and fair manner. Townes is retired senior vice president of USAA and previously served in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a rear admiral.

Today is the deadline for state office holders and candidates for those posts to file their campaign finance reports for the last half of 2013 with the Texas Ethics Commission.  Inquiring minds are curious to know how much cash the leading candidates have to spend on television advertising and other campaign related items.  The official reports should be accessible to the public on the Texas Ethics Commission website within  24 hours.  

Introducing a new feature of our weekly memo – Only in Austin.  Each week, we will include an interesting photo of a sight unique to Austin, Texas.   

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Nandita Berry of Houston as the 109th Texas Secretary of State. Berry, the first Indian-American to fill the post, will serve as the state’s chief elections officer, the governor’s liaison on border and Mexican affairs, and Texas’ chief protocol officer for state and international matters.  Berry is senior counsel at Locke Lord LLP and a past member of the University of Houston Board of Regents.   

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed former Texas Secretary of State John T. Steen Jr. of San Antonio to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a term effective Jan. 8, 2014, and expiring Aug. 31, 2019. The board sets policies and coordinates efforts to improve higher education in Texas. 

The Texas Transportation Commission voted to appoint Texas Department of Transportation Chief Financial Officer James Bass as Interim Executive Director effective January 17, 2014.  Bass will take the position of current Executive Director Phil Wilson, who accepted a job last month as head of the Lower Colorado River Authority.

Happy Holidays!  This will be the last edition of the Mignon Memo for 2013.  We will resume again in 2014. 

Mark Hussey was named interim president of Texas A&M University in College Station by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.  Hussey will fill the temporary position in mid-January, after current President R. Bowen Loftin leaves to become chancellor of the University of Missouri. Hussey, Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the system’s vice chancellor for agricultural agencies, will not be a candidate for the permanent presidency.  

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has chosen a name for the new university to be located in South Texas. It will be known as The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.  The school is being formed through a merger of UT-Brownsville and UT-Pan American and will include a new medical school. 

Comptroller Susan Combs reported that Texas expects to bring in $2.6 billion more than the state will spend in the current two-year budget cycle.  In 2013, taxes from retail sales grew 3.7 percent. There was a 14.3 percent growth in sales tax revenue from the manufacturing sector and 12.5 percent from construction businesses. Oil production and regulation taxes are up 27.6 percent from 2012-2013 levels. 

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed eight members to the advisory committee for the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.  Davis Miller of Abernathy, a former chief commercialization officer at Texas Tech University, was named committee chairman.   Richard Battle of Lakeway is a published author and vice president of sales for KeyTrak Inc., a software company based in College Station. Deborah Dalebout-Feo of Austin is co-founder and executive vice president of Optimization Alternatives Limited Inc. and Healthcare Control Systems Inc.  Susan “Sue” Georgen-Saad of Austin is a certified public accountant and private investment consultant. Other members include Randal “Randy” Hill of Baird, a NASCAR team owner and president and CEO of Randy Hill Racing; Munir Lalani of Wichita Falls, president and CEO of Lalani Lodging; Wesley Terrell of Dallas, an attorney for AT&T; and Richard Williams of Dallas, director of strategy and mergers and acquisitions for Energy Future Holdings, an electric utility holding company.  The Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2005 to provide Texas with an advantage in the research, development, and commercialization of emerging technologies.