A 10-Week Sprint to Election Day

The conventions start next week, with Republicans going first, in Tampa, and Democrats following, in Charlotte. Both parties are going South, but they're interested in swing states.

Texas isn't one.

That means the money scooped up by the partisans (candidates, Super PACs, parties, etc.) will be used mostly in other states. You'll be spared the electronic political invasion on TV every night — at least the advertising form of it — but you won't get to see what the voters in the swing states get to see, either.

The conventions don't really settle anything political like they once did. These are now marketing exercises that aim to do for the candidates what the Olympics did for Coca-Cola.

They also serve as the unofficial starting gun for the November general elections.

Texans will get some face time, but not a lot. Julián Castro, San Antonio's mayor, will give the keynote speech for the Democrats. Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ted Cruz will have a prominent spot at the GOP gathering. U.S. Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco of San Antonio will speak to his fellow Republicans; he's in the state's lone congressional swing district with Democratic state Rep. Pete Gallego challenging. Planned Parenthood chief Cecile Richards — daughter of the former governor — will speak to the Democrats, as will actress Eva Longoria.

The Texas delegation will be big, but the front and center seats and the close-in hotels will be occupied not by Texans but by delegates from the states that are actually in play. That's the way the game works.

Which races are really and truly competitive? That argument is really just starting. Here's a starter list, with our usual caveat: Some of these will turn out to be duds and some races that now appear to be dull will turn out to be loud and noisy and competitive after all. Any number of noncompetitive races could become close if the frontrunner gets his or her mouth around his or her foot.

At this point, we're basing this on numbers from past elections, including the 2008 presidential race, the 2010 gubernatorial race, and in the case of the Texas Weekly Index, the average difference between Democrats and Republicans in contested statewide races in the last two election cycles. The numbers tell a mixed story sometimes, and any decent political consultants can find something somewhere that argues on behalf of their candidates. Enough weaseling. Here we go:

Congress

• CD-23, where Canseco faces Gallego. It's competitive on paper. Both national parties are worked up about it. And although the lines have been redrawn, this area of the state has flipped back and forth between the parties several times over the last decade. For what it's worth, both the Libertarian and Green parties also have candidates: Jeffrey Blunt and Ed Scharf, respectively.

• Stick CD-14 in the "maybe" column. It's a Republican district on paper, but it's an open seat since Ron Paul decided not to seek re-election, and the personalities might make it interesting. The Republicans nominated state Rep. Randy Weber of Pearland. The Democrat is former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson of Beaumont.

State Board of Education

• Republican Charlie Garza is seeking re-election in a district that tends to vote for Democrats. Obama won easily here in 2008. Perry lost with 44.5 percent two years later. Statewide Democrats win by an average of 9.6 percent. The Democratic challenger is Martha Dominguez.

• The open SBOE-2 seat is a true swing district on paper, with Democrat Ruben Cortez Jr. facing Republican Laurie Turner. Libertarian Lenard Nelson rounds out the pack. Incumbent Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi didn't seek re-election.

• SBOE-5 could be interesting, depending on the political climate in October. Perry got less than 54 percent, Obama was under 47 percent. The incumbent Republican is Ken Mercer; challengers are Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau, Libertarian Mark Loewe and Green candidate Irene Meyer Scharf.

Senate

• All eyes are on Tarrant County's SD-10, where Democratic incumbent Wendy Davis is being challenged by Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth. It's Republican on paper, but it's the same district that Davis won in 2008. Perry won here with 52.7 percent. Obama lost with 47.1 percent. The TWI is 11.5 on the Republican side, meaning that party's average statewide candidate won by that many percentage points over the last two cycles.

House

• Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, got a tough district from the mapmakers. Perry lost there, with 47.6 percent. But Obama lost, too, with 47.8 percent. Go figure. Republicans have the edge in statewide races, with a 2.3 TWI. The Republican here is Wayne Faircloth.

 • The numbers in HD-34 marginally favor a Democrat, but the incumbent is Republican Rep. Connie Scott of Corpus Christi. The Democrat is former Rep. Abel Herrero.

• HD-34 is a swing district, plain and simple. Your contestants are Rep. J.M. Lozano, who was elected as a Democrat and then switched to the GOP, and former Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles

• Rep. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, is another incumbent put on shaky ground by his own party's redistricting map. He's in a rematch with former Rep. Joe Moody in HD-78, where Obama won, Perry lost and the average Democrat beats the average Republican in statewide races. The almost good news for Margo: That average Democratic margin is a skinny 2.9 percentage points.

• Dallas County's HD-107 pits Rep. Ken Sheets, R-Dallas, against former Rep. Robert Miklos, D-Mesquite. It's got a Republican TWI and Obama lost in 2008, but Perry only won with 51 percent in 2010.

• Redistricting wasn't kind to Rep. John V. Garza, R-San Antonio. He's defending HD-117 against Democrat Philip Cortez, and it's a tossup district where Obama won and Perry lost.

• HD-144, the district represented by the late Ken Legler of Pasadena, is a true swing district where neither the current president nor the current governor could muster 50 percent of the vote. Democrat Mary Ann Perez faces Republican David Pineda and Libertarian Robb Rourke.

• HD-114 is an open Dallas seat with former Rep. Carol Kent, a Democrat, against the GOP's Jason Villalba. The numbers favor the Republican, and his backers are pulling hard to get a win for a Hispanic candidate. But Perry didn't win here in 2010, and the Democrats think they can win the seat back.

• Houston's HD-134 is similar, with Republican numbers overall but a sub-par performance for Perry in 2010. Rep. Sarah Davis, a freshman, is being challenged by Democrat Ann Johnson.

A&M, UT Courting South Texas for Medical School

For two decades, some South Texas leaders have felt like scorned lovers in their efforts to bring a medical school to the border region: kept just out of reach, showered with thin promises, and in recent months, upstaged by another — that flashier, fancier Austin.

So forgive them if some are relishing in their current scenario: being courted by two university systems.

In a hastily called press conference last week, University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa showed up at UT-Pan American in Edinburg to unveil plans for morphing South Texas’ Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) into a full-fledged, free-standing medical school.

The announcement came right before a previously scheduled meeting where regional leaders were set to discuss recent med school overtures from the Texas A&M University System, and in particular, from A&M Chancellor John Sharp. And it came two weeks after a contingent of Valley elected officials and health care leaders traveled to College Station to meet with Sharp.

That trip coincided with growing irritation among some Valley leaders over the time it was taking to formally establish a UT medical school in South Texas — the RAHC was created more than a decade ago as a precursor to it — and at least a small dose of resentment over how quickly the UT System seemed to be embracing efforts to open a medical school in Austin.

UT officials say their commitment to a South Texas medical school is enduring, and cite their ongoing investment in the region’s health care education centers.

"The plans for each medical school are unique using different funding streams, faculty programs and infrastructure," Cigarroa said in a statement.  "...We have a defined date for graduating the first medical school class in South Texas. One has yet to be defined for Austin."

Asked if Cigarroa’s announcement was hastened by med school nibbles from Texas A&M, UT System officials responded: "The UT System has been working on plans to expand medical education and research in South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley for years. The Texas A&M University System discussions do not factor into our plans whatsoever."

Since creating the RAHC in 1999, the UT System has invested $79.5 million in infrastructure and approved a $30 million allocation for Lower Rio Grande Valley programs, Cigarroa said, including $4 million for biomedical research in diabetes and obesity, $10 million for clinical simulation facilities, $1.5 million to increase residency programs and $9.5 million for faculty recruitment. The Board of Regents passed a resolution in May announcing their "strong intention" to build a South Texas medical school, Cigarroa added. 

But A&M officials appear serious about wanting to play in the Valley too; in a statement, Sharp said that his system had been “asked to consider serving the Valley with our health science center and we responded positively and enthusiastically.”

He added: “We are exploring all options to better serve the medical needs of the Valley, which is a critical part of our state’s future.”

Valley leaders say they all share the same goal: establishing a medical school that will provide needed health care training, jobs, and a motivation for young doctors to stay in South Texas. They say competition is a good thing, and adding Texas A&M to the medical school discussion is a valuable exercise.

But they acknowledge that this new twist could set the stage for a showdown.

On one side, there’s Cameron County, home to existing University of Texas health education facilities that would be leveraged for a medical school, and to state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, a strong supporter of sticking with the UT plan.

“If you look at any medical school that has been created, it never happened overnight. It takes anywhere from 10 to 15 years for things to completely happen the way you want it,” Lucio said. “We’ve kept our patience, we’ve waited in line. We’re at that point now where we can take the step we’ve been waiting for.”

On the other, you have Hidalgo County, home to medical mecca McAllen, a heftier tax base and state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, who lauds Cigarroa’s efforts, but has been highly skeptical of the UT regents’ commitment to a Valley med school.

Having two universities interested “is a good position to be in,” Hinojosa said. “It forces UT to pay attention to us and either help us fund the medical school or let somebody else do it.” 

Electricity Concerns Persist After Pollution Ruling

Electricity transmission lines in Houston.
Electricity transmission lines in Houston.

With temperatures projected to soar during the final days of August, the reliability of the Texas electric grid is once again on policymakers’ minds. Grid managers can, for now, count on the continued operation of some of Texas’ oldest coal plants, now that a federal court has vacated the Environmental Protection Agency’s cross-state air pollution rule, which could have impacted those facilities.

Had that rule taken effect, ERCOT, the grid operator, had predicted that as much as 1,400 megawatts — about 1.6 percent of the grid's total capacity — would have had to go offline during the summer months of peak demand. Luminant, a power company at the center of the furor over the rule, said when the original EPA rule was published that two units at its 1970s-era Monticello coal plant would have had to close, and some other coal-plant units would have had to switch from using Texas lignite to a cleaner type of coal from Western states. "We are supportive of the court's ruling and are focused on safely helping power Texas during this high demand period," said Allan Koenig, a spokesman for Luminant, in an email after this week's decision.

Despite the cross-state ruling, the reliability issue isn’t going away, given the state’s growth and the lack of construction of power plants. Donna Nelson, the chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission, has proposed a meeting on September 6th to discuss how to bring about more investment in power plants and ensure reliability. The Gulf Coast Power Association is holding a luncheon in Austin on September 14th to address the much-discussed topic of “demand response” — i.e. cutting electricity demand at peak times. And controversy over EPA rules will doubtless continue; look for power companies and policymakers to start studying the knock-on implications of the cross-state ruling on a different EPA rule about regional haze, which had delegated some of its regulations to the cross-state rule. A rule to limit mercury emissions from power plants is also in the offing.

Renewable energy — both hopes and struggles — will also be a key topic in the coming month. San Antonio is hosting a solar forum on August 28, to examine the potential contribution of solar to meeting peak demand (and no doubt showcasing the city’s own substantial solar commitments).

Wind energy is continuing to brace for a tough run. Advocates are focused on persuading Congress to extend a key tax credit, which expires at the end of the year. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney opposes its extension, while the Obama administration supports it, making the credit something of an election-year political football. Wind-power manufacturing activity is slowing down, given the uncertainty over the credit; Vestas, a major global turbine manufacturer, recently announced several thousand layoffs; it is also closing a research and development arm in Houston. And Texas, which has more wind farms than any other state, experienced the unusual indignity of being passed by California in terms of the amount of wind being installed last year.

Newsreel: Conventions, Pollution, Planned Parenthood

A look at the upcoming Republican and Democratic party conventions, the state's win in a court battle over women's health programs, and a second win on federal cross-state pollution rules.

Inside Intelligence: Term Limits, Vulnerability, Slumps

The political conventions that start next week semi-officially kick off the general election season, so we asked the insiders political questions this week, starting at the top of the Texas ballot.

Should Texas have term limits on its governors? Rick Perry has held the job since George W. Bush went to Washington in 2000, winning in his own right in 2002, in 2006 and again in 2010. And with that example in front of them, 56 percent of the insiders say the state should have term limits. A significant number said in the comments that that should be left to the voters, as it is now.

What about those voters, then? A large majority of the insiders — 80 percent — think Perry could lose a Republican primary to one of his fellow statewide officeholders. They had varying ideas about which one, but Attorney General Greg Abbott’s name came up most often in the comments.

A few more — 83 percent — said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst could be defeated in a GOP primary by one of the current batch of statewide officeholders, a list that includes Abbott, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Comptroller Susan Combs, and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.

And we asked, finally, about Texas Democrats, who’ve been shut out in statewide contests since their victories in 1994. When will a Democrat win a statewide election here? Nobody chose 2012, and well over half of them said it would be 2018 or later (49 percent) or “not in the foreseeable future” (21 percent).

As always, we have included verbatim responses to the survey in the attachment, and list some of the highlights below.

.

Should Texas limit the number of terms a governor can serve?

• "If Term limits are good enough for POTUS they should be good enough for governor."

• "Two four year terms."

• "The voters should be responsible for that."

• "Term limits hand the keys of power to lobbyists. As a registered lobbyist I can see the problems inherent to such a circumstance."

• "Elections are held to allow voters to decide officeholders. An arbitrary limited term takes that power away. You either trust the voters and the process, or you don't."

• "Voters can take care of this.  Looking at the current situation, it appears that voters are having a little fatigue and will change things when they are fatigued."

• "Elections are term limits"

• "Rick Perry's long tenure speaks more to the radical preferences of the sliver of the electorate that controls our elections than it does to any systemic failures."

• "I am generally against term limits but after the last 12 years I am considering changing my attitude."

• "Votes should be the ones who decide how long a person stays in office."

• "Texas has term limits already.  The voters impose it every election year.  When they have had enough of you they throw you out."

• "We have term limits, but we are too damned dumb to use them, apparently."

.

Do you believe any current Texas officeholders could successfully challenge Gov. Rick Perry in a Republican primary (If yes, please write the name in the comments)?

• "The AG has the war chest ready and the drums are drumming."

• "Greg Abbott"

• "Greg Abbott has too much money in the bank not to make a run."

• "The AG could, and it's time."

• "I think the only current Republican officeholders with a shot at beating Perry in the 2014 primary are Greg Abbott and/or Jerry Patterson."

• "Ag Commissioner Todd Staples"

• "Harris County Judge Ed Emmett"

• "Abbott because of his war chest."

• "Abbott for sure and he will run too"

• "Gen. Abbott is the no brainer. Jerry Patterson can if he wants to."

• "If the Republican Party is taken back over by the business community Greg Abbott will be the front runner in his strength to challenge Perry."

• "Next cycle could be our worst nightmare.  Lots of frustration from those ready to move up the food chain.  Abbott is obviously the guy, at least at this juncture."

• "Abbott, potentially. The combination of Perry's disastrous performance as a presidential candidate, coupled with his failed support for Dewhurst, have dispelled the myth of his invincibility in the GOP primary. Being an incumbent is not what it used to be!"

• "Greg Abbott is the only politician in Texas with the money, name ID and juice to do it. The Tea Partiers love him, and he's strong with the insiders."

• "Abbott has the best shot -- lots of money; good bona fides on conservative issues but also crime victim rights and child support; compelling personal story around his disability; and the requisite meanness."

• "John Cornyn"

• "ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT OH DID I SAY ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT? Heck, if Ted Cruz has a good start he might be able to return and run for Governor then it is on to the White House."

.

Do you believe any current Texas officeholders could successfully challenge Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a Republican primary (If yes, please write the name in the comments)?

• "He's weak, but not that weak. Maybe someone like Seen Dan Patrick can make an attempt."

• "Too many to name."

• "Dewhurst’s money would still shout on a regular primary date."

• "Didn't that question just get answered? Seems like you don't even need to be an officeholder."

• "Staples"

• "Yes- all of them"

• "Yes - in order of strength: Abbott, Patterson, Combs, Staples"

• "Any of the Four Musketeers--Abbott, Combs, Patterson, or Staples--could beat him using Cruz's blueprints."

• "Yes - already been done. The game plan to defeat Dewhurst has been written."

• "Jerry Patterson-Tea Party bonafides!"

• "He won't run the same dumb campaign again."

• "All of them except Susan Combs."

• "Combs, Staples, Patterson are obviously possibilities and are running from what I can surmise... several sitting senators . . . and given the recent US Senate race, who the heck knows?"

• "Your father-in-law who sends you all those conservative emails about UN conspiracies to kill golf? He could beat David Dewhurst in a primary now. The Dew's been exposed."

• "Arnold the Pig from Green Acres could knock off Dewhurst."

• "The last 12 months showed that Dewhurst has only one play in his playbook.  Jerry Patterson has a deep resonance with the typical Cruz voter and Jerry will not run a conventional campaign.  Those factors, and the size of Dewhurst's huge statewide loss on July 31, make it impossible to say that Dewhurst is the front runner - as of today."

• "Susan Combs, Todd Staples and Jerry Patterson"

.

No Democratic candidate has prevailed in a statewide election in Texas since 1994. When do you think a Democrat will win?

• "Somewhere over the rainbow way up high, there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.  Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true.  Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me.  Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I?  If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow Why, oh why can't I?"

• "Better Question: When will the Democrats put forth a truly viable statewide candidate for any office?"

• "Perry could conceivably lose to a conservative, pro-life Democrat if he decides to run again.  The question is whether Democrats would be smart enough to nominate a conservative instead of just waiting for their ship to come in with the long awaited demographic shift."

• "There is a statewide Democratic Party in Texas?  They ought to let somebody know."

• "Texas Democrats are giving the Republican Party the luxury of ignoring the center.  Republican fights create an opening for Dems ONLY IF the Dems offer something Texas voters want.  Dems seem to have a strategy of waiting for Texans to come to their senses and realize how great the Dem platform is.  That is not going to happen in large numbers in the next 20 years.  For change to occur in statewide elections, the Dem party will have to move toward the voters and compete as Business Democrats.  In other words, if Texas Dems continue to hide out in their well-fortified liberal bunker, they should not expect to have any voters joining them inside - AND in the meantime Republicans can fight among themselves in all kinds of outrageous and extreme ways, without worrying about losing a general election."

• "Until the Ds wake up and aggressively market themselves as pro-business, they won't win.  And as long as the Rs continue to build Hispanic support, the Ds won't win."

• "Hell, the man or woman might not yet be born..."

• "Wendy Davis... look out."

• "Democrats have a weak bench, no money, and no confidence. Republicans win 70 percent of the Anglo vote and Anglos cast almost 70 percent of votes cast in statewide elections. The Anglo share of votes cast will fall slowly and the Hispanic share will rise, buoying the Dems, but it will be a slow process. Imagine the money that will come in against the Dems as they start getting close."

• "Rafael Anchia and Julian Castro are rising stars.  But, if one wants to play the race card there is parity with Cruz winning.  His win might be a major set back for Democrats who want to push the myth that Republicans are racists and cannot elect Hispanics.  If he and Abbott can continue to strengthen outreach to Hispanics the Democrats might be in for a long time in the woods."

• "It will happen, but probably when least expected. A new face, probably Hispanic with funding and energy could make it happen."

• "A Democrat will likely win Governor's race in 2014 if Perry runs for re-election and is re-nominated."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, Victor Alcorta, Clyde Alexander, Jay Arnold, Louis Bacarisse, Charles Bailey, Tom Banning, Mike Barnett, Dave Beckwith, Amy Beneski, Rebecca Bernhardt, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Hugh Brady, Steve Bresnen, Chris Britton, Andy Brown, Jay Brown, Blaine Bull, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Marc Campos, Thure Cannon, Snapper Carr, Janis Carter, Tris Castaneda, Corbin Casteel, William Chapman, Elizabeth Christian, Rick Cofer, Harold Cook, Kevin Cooper, Beth Cubriel, Randy Cubriel, Denise Davis, Hector De Leon, June Deadrick, Nora Del Bosque, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jeff Eller, Jack Erskine, John Esparza, Jon Fisher, Rebecca Flores, Wil Galloway, Neftali Garcia, Norman Garza, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, Jim Grace, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Anthony Haley, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, Adam Haynes, Jim Henson, Ken Hodges, Billy Howe, Laura Huffman, Shanna Igo, Deborah Ingersoll, Cal Jillson, Bill Jones, Mark Jones, Robert Jones, Lisa Kaufman, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Donald Lee, Luke Legate, Mark Lehman, Myra Leo, Richard Levy, Elizabeth Lippincott, Ruben Longoria, Homero Lucero, Matt Mackowiak, Dan McClung, Scott McCown, Robert Miller, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Craig Murphy, Keir Murray, Keats Norfleet, Pat Nugent, Sylvia Nugent, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Bill Pewitt, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Kraege Polan, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Bill Ratliff, Karen Reagan, Jeff Rotkoff, Jason Sabo, Mark Sanders, Andy Sansom, Jim Sartwelle, Stan Schlueter, Steve Scurlock, Ben Sebree, Bradford Shields, Christopher Shields, Martha Smiley, Larry Soward, Dennis Speight, Jason Stanford, Keith Strama, Bob Strauser, Colin Strother, Charles Stuart, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Sherry Sylvester, Jay Thompson, Russ Tidwell, Trent Townsend, Trey Trainor, John Weaver, Ware Wendell, Ken Whalen, Darren Whitehurst, Christopher Williston, Seth Winick, Alex Winslow, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

The Calendar

Friday, Aug. 24:

  • House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee meeting (10 a.m.)
  • House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles I, IV and V meeting (10 a.m.)
  • Senate Education Committee meeting (9 a.m.)
  • Texas Economic Development and Energy Summit; San Antonio Marriott, Rivercenter (7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.)

Saturday, Aug. 25:

  • Harris County Democratic Party Convention; Texas Southern University (8 a.m.-6 p.m.)

Monday, Aug. 27:

  • House Business and Industry Committee meeting (9 a.m.)
  • Collin County Democratic Party campaign rally; Fairview Farms Corral Barn, Plano (5-7 p.m.)

Wednesday, Aug. 29:

  • Senate Finance Committee meeting (10 a.m.)
  • Fundraiser for House candidate Trent Ashby; Austin Club (5-7 p.m.)

Thursday, Aug. 30:

  • Senate State Affairs Committee meeting (9 a.m.)
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality meeting on water quality; Pleasanton (6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.)
 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

A federal appeals court ruled that an Environmental Protection Agency policy went outside statutory bounds in its attempt to regulate air pollution across state boundaries. The EPA crafted the cross-state rule to apply to power plant emissions that would be carried over state lines. State officials and power plant operators argued the rule would be detrimental to the state’s power grid by reducing production capacity of the affected plants.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave Texas the green light to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood clinics pending the outcome of an upcoming trial on the issue. A law passed in the last session cuts off funding to any clinic linked to abortion providers, although no state money went to pay for abortions. Planned Parenthood received state money through the Women’s Health Program to provide health services to about 130,000 low-income women, including cancer screenings. Federal dollars previously made up 90 percent of the funding for the program.

A state district judge ruled that a group representing charter schools could remain a party to the school finance lawsuits set for trial in October. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund had asked that the charter school group, Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education, known as TREE, be excluded from the lawsuit, contending that its concerns were legislative and not constitutional. But Judge John Deitz sided with TREE, allowing the lawsuit to proceed as planned.

Gov. Rick Perry told state agencies that the new federal policy of deferred action announced by the Obama administration in June would not confer any new state benefits to those who qualify for the two-year deportation reprieve. In a letter to state agencies, Perry emphasized that illegal immigrants still may not receive state services because of the plan. Perry criticized the policy, but didn’t go as far as Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who issued an executive order denying benefits and driver’s licenses to those eligible for the program.

Galveston faces a Sept. 1 deadline to present a plan to replace public housing damaged by Hurricane Ike or lose state and federal funds. The state notified Mayor Lewis Rosen the city would be required to pay back $56 million in state funds if the terms of the program are not met. The city also faces a threat from the federal government to withhold aid if the deadline is missed. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development notified officials in Galveston that $586 million in disaster payments is on the line and the city could also be sued by the U.S. Justice Department if it doesn’t comply with the terms of the grants. City officials are pessimistic that they’ll be able to get a plan in place by the deadline to replace 569 public housing units.

For the first time in six years, the Houston Housing Authority has opened access to the voucher program that provides assistance to low-income families. Online applications flooded in for the 20,000 spots, necessitating a lottery to determine which of the expected 125,000 applications will be selected. The waiting list only guarantees that the applicant will be eligible to receive assistance when a current recipient of assistance no longer qualifies. 

A predicted El Niño developing in the Pacific could lead to much-needed rainfall for the state this winter. El Niño raises tropical temperatures and tends to lead to wetter weather for Texas. The state’s climatologist characterized the current El Niño as weak to moderate and warned that the increased rainfall is likely, but not guaranteed.

Political People and their Moves

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced that Frank Battle will serve as his general counsel and House ethics advisor. Battle has previously served as general counsel and policy advisor to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and worked in the House before he took that job.

Straus also named Shalla Santos the new assistant parliamentarian and special counsel. Santos will work alongside Chris Griesel, who has served as parliamentarian since 2011.

This is partly connected to that: Dewhurst hired Constance Allison as senior policy advisor, Bryan Hebert as general counsel, Lauren Hensarling as scheduler and Matt Hirsch as press secretary. Allison most recently served as the chief of staff for Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who is retiring after this term. Hebert, who worked previously for the lieutenant governor, most recently served as co-founder and executive director of the Texas Conservative Roundtable. Hensarling served as the director of constituent services for Straus. And Hirsch was the communications director for Dewhurst’s recent U.S. Senate campaign.

Chuck McDonald is handling communications for Paul Sadler’s U.S. Senate campaign, signing on to help the Democrat while also keeping his public affairs business. McDonald works mainly for corporate clients now, but has lots of politics — notably working for then-Gov. Ann Richards — on his resume. 

Democrat Lyndon Laird dropped out of the SD-22 race against Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, leaving the incumbent without a major party opponent. Libertarian Tom Kilbride is still in the race. 

Gov. Rick Perry named Bill O’Neal of Carthage as the Texas state historian. O’Neal is an award-winning nonfiction author and a history instructor at Panola College.

Perry has also appointed Anna Hundley of Dallas and Calvin Turner of Austin to the State Independent Living Council, and Stephen Gersuk of Plano to the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP added Erika Benson as a partner in the firm’s Austin office. Benson, a former senior advisor for the Americas in the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, has more than 13 years of experience in energy, government relations and Latin America law.

Quotes of the Week

First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, Missouri's GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, on St. Louis' KTVI-TV

Re: Congressman Todd Akin, Gov. Palin: 'I'm suggesting that he get out.'

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Twitter on Tuesday

Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that I apologize.

Akins, days later, in a TV ad marking his decision to stay in the race

[Obama] is going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N., and what is going to happen when that happens? I'm thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we're not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations, we're talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy.

Lubbock County Judge Tom Head, on Fox 34 

I wish we were getting worldwide attention for something better than a crazy county judge. But what are you going to do?

Kenny Ketner, chairman of the Lubbock County Democratic Party, on CNN