Texas
Related: About this forumInfo on Texas candidates.
I'm getting lot's of email from Battleground Texas and Act Blue to donate, but no info on where the candidates stand on the issues.
I'd appreciate any first hand knowledge from Texas DUers.
PDittie
(8,322 posts)Here in Harris County (Houston), it's all about mayor, city council, and some 2016 judicials who are trying to scare off primary challengers. If you're asking about 2016 presidential candidates then my suggestion would be to go to their websites. I can help direct you to those if that's the kind of help you need.
What are the names of the candidates for which you are being solicited? Let's begin there...
malokvale77
(4,879 posts)I'm talking about the Texas state senate and representatives.
We have already had our election for local offices in Dallas.
PDittie
(8,322 posts)About one third of the Texas Senate and all 150 state representatives in the House. The filing deadline for the 2016 election is at the end of December, 2015.
Are you familiar with Michael Quinn Sullivan and Empower Texas? They're the most conservative activists in the state. They have released a report card on the 2015 Legislature, just concluded a month ago. They score the worst ones (in our HO) from 100 and on down. If you want to take a look at that, the key is to read it bottom to top, to get a feel for who they consider the most liberal, up to the most conservative.
There's also Texas Monthly's Ten Best and Worst. That just lists the names, though; the juicy details are in the dead tree version, on stands now.
On the Issues is woefully behind in updating Texas officials. Ballotpedia has scorecards for 2013 and 2011, probably working on 2015. There is no "Wiki" that I am aware of at this time that, at a glance, will give you what you appear to be looking for.
Finally, keep in mind that there are about a dozen retirements from the Lege just concluded, that people are announcing for those vacancies now, primary challenges to incumbents, and so forth. So everything is in a state of flux, and will continue to be until the filing deadline at the end of the year.
For the best day to day coverage of the Lege, in and out of session, subscribe to Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report, specifically the Daily Buzz (a regular subscription is a few hundred bucks, if you're so inclined; the Buzz is free and will give you truncated teasers). He can get deep in the weeds for newbies, but his information is indispensable. And also the Texas Tribune. They're corporate-backed, and the bias is occasionally evident, but since the newspapers in Texas have all abandoned their Austin bureaus, nobody is in the Dome on a daily basis, even out of session as we are now, like them.
What other questions might you have?
malokvale77
(4,879 posts)It would be nice if the various fund raisers would at least point us to some info on the candidates.
I miss Molly Ivins.