"Seniority" is a terrible reason to vote for anyone...ESPECIALLY Pete Sessions

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

We've seen some chatter on social media about Pete Sessions telling people that his Seniority will allow him to do good things if he gets back to Congress. Don't believe it. At least, don't expect him to do anything good for central Texas.

We actually addressed this argument last fall, in the context of a different federal official:

Obviously, this website doesn't *really* support pork-barrel governance. Taxpayers elsewhere in the U.S. shouldn't *really* subsidize I-35 expansion. Still, for such a situation to emerge under the jurisdiction of a U.S. Senator who claims to "work within the system" indicates said U.S. Senator's incompetence.

Put differently: $23 Trillion national debt...and John Cornyn STILL can't secure funding for (already federal) I-35.

It's quite something.

Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn may have been completely wretched. But at least Texas got some infrastructure out of them. With John Cornyn, we get the wretchedness without the infrastructure.

Here's what's funny: When we originally wrote that post, we came very close to including Sessions. The only reason we didn't is that Sessions wasn't currently in office. But if Sessions is trying to use this argument to get back into office, then it's worth considering the same thing.

Pete Sessions was a congressman in Dallas for twenty years. Did traffic in Dallas get better or worse during that time?!? If Pete Sessions couldn't secure federal funding to address the I-30/35/45 cluster[REDACTED], what makes anyone think Sessions "seniority" will mean anything good for anyone besides Pete Sessions?!?

Again, this is **NOT** an endorsement of pork-barrel governance, but it is to say that if Pete Sessions alleged "seniority" meant anything...Dallas would have had a lot more bacon.

After twenty years of Pete Sessions, Dallas remains largely bacon free.

Bottom Line: Dallas traffic tells you everything you need to know about whether or not Pete Sessions' alleged "seniority" bears fruit for his constituents.

Sessions Reminds Voters Why They HATE Politicians with a Sense of Entitlement

"Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly."
Proverbs 13:16

Bill Flores has belatedly endorsed a successor.  Whatever.  Not really surprising.

In response to Flores' announcement, however, Pete Sessions released quite the statement:

When I am elected to represent CD-17, I will begin with more seniority than Rep. Flores has now. That seniority will help deliver highway funding, support our research institutions, promote our agriculture community and protect Waco and Bryan-College Station in redistricting. That same seniority will help me also deliver on the key issues facing our nation: changing our immigration laws, building the southern border wall and balancing the budget. Most importantly, Rep. Flores knows nothing can be done for the Republican agenda in the House unless Republicans take back the majority. Having led the campaign to defeat Nancy Pelosi in 2010, Bill knows that I can help do that again. A freshman member of Congress will not be as effective in helping to win the majority, and Rep. Flores knows that. It took him three terms to get on Energy and Commerce.”

Is this a joke?!?

Some thoughts:

• Pete Sessions had 20 years in Congress to "help deliver highway funding," yet Downtown Dallas (where I-30, I-35, and I-45 intersect) remains the most congested area in the state.

• The Texas Legislature handles redistricting, not Congress.

• Pete Sessions was a well known obstacle to fixing the national issues he lists (immigration/spending) during his time in Congress.

• The only reason why Nancy Pelosi is speaker in the first place is because losers like Pete Sessions lost in 2018.

• "It took him three terms to get on Energy and Commerce."  That's not exactly wrong.  But it's still an incredibly smarmy thing that only someone with a gigantic sense of entitlement would say.

Bottom Line: Chutzpah, etc....

Hindman > Sessions

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

Wasn't expecting this:

The race to replace retiring U.S. Congressman Bill Flores (R–Bryan) got a lot more interesting on Tuesday, with the entrance of rocket scientist George Hindman.

A Pflugerville resident and an aerospace engineer and business owner by trade, Hindman says he believes his background uniquely qualifies him to represent Congressional District 17, a central Texas district that encompasses Waco and the Bryan-College Station area, with a portion dipping down into Travis County and Austin.

“As a committed conservative Republican who wants our nation on the right path, I can’t watch from the sidelines while our liberties and values are under attack,” Hindman said in a release on Tuesday. “It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to fix our national problems. But Washington D.C. is so broken, a rocket scientist might be what we need.”

“Not only am I an aerospace engineer and pilot who has taught astronauts, I’m a successful inventor and entrepreneur. Most importantly, I’m a Christian conservative husband and father who is genuinely concerned with the direction of our nation. Let’s defend our country’s bedrock principles and stand strong for our conservative Republican values,” he added.

Wow.

This website stopped endorsing politicians several cycles ago.  But we endorsed against Pete Sessions in both 2014 and 2016.  By 2018, we knew his corruption would drag him down.  We've already said our piece about 2020.

We've actually known George Hindman for...a whole bunch of years.  Mild-mannered dude.  Definitely a solid conservative.  While we no longer 'vouch' for politicians, Hindman's the type of guy who's more likely to resist the temptations of office.

Hindman is kind of a "fun with gerrymandering" candidacy.  As a Travis County resident, he's previously been the token Republican candidate in several safe Democrat seats.  But, due to how U.S. House districts are drawn, CD-17 is a safe Republican seat.  That being said, for a Waco-based district, we certainly understand if voters choose a Waco candidate.

Bottom Line: The final candidate lineup remains to be seen, but a one-on-one race between George Hindman and Pete Sessions is an easy call.

Pete Sessions: Answer to Question NOBODY's Asking

"Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly."
Proverbs 13:16

Cartoonishly, super-terrible, idea:

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions appears poised to make a comeback attempt — but not in his old Dallas-based district.

Sessions, who lost reelection last year, plans to announce Thursday he's running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, according to McLennan County GOP Chairman Jon R. Ker. The announcement will be at the county party headquarters in Waco, added Ker, who said he spoke with Sessions on Tuesday.

Sessions' anticipated run is a surprise development after he spent months publicly flirting with running for his previous 32nd District seat, which is about 80 miles north of Flores' more Republican 17th District.

....

Sessions is not entirely new to the area. He was born there and grew up in Waco, where his dad, a former FBI director, worked as an attorney in the 1960s.

We could write a 20-40 page dissertation on everything wrong with this idea, but off the top of our head:

• Arrogance -- More than anything else, this common political trait was Pete Sessions' undoing.  We personally experienced this side of Sessions at a 2015 event, when Sessions quasi-censored (*) our first amendment rights.  Suffice to say, Sessions didn't want a record of the degree to which he acted like a jerk that night.
  
  [* - Had we sued, we would have beaten Sessions in court, but said lawsuit was more trouble than it would have been worth.]
  
  Pete Sessions is the dude who claimed a homestead exemption in Florida while allegedly representing Texas.
  
  To be honest, for Pete Sessions to believe that a place where he last lived over five decades ago is clamoring for his representation tells you everything you need to know.

• Corruption -- Just last year, Pete Sessions was busted for living large off of campaign contributions.
  
  That's just what's publicly reported.
  
  It wouldn't surprise us if there's more.
  
• Loserdom -- Sessions lost to a Democrat less than a year ago.

Sheesh.

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In fairness to folks in the Waco county area, a fair amount of resistance to this idea seems to have sprung up.

Good.

We need more.

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Bottom Line: Pete Sessions is an arrogant, corrupt, loser.  By themselves, any one of those traits should be disqualifying.  It takes a special type of establishment Republican to hit that trifecta....

Media Misses Point On GOP Congressional Retirements

"Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged."
Proverbs 28:2

Representative sample of recent Congressional race reporting:

Rep. Kenny Marchant on Monday became the latest Texas Republican to announce he will not run for reelection, leaving a suburban district between Dallas and Fort Worth up for grabs. He is the fourth Republican in the state to bow out of the 2020 election; three of them represent very competitive districts.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Marchant’s district as a “toss-up,” opening up a major opportunity for Democrats. Last week, Rep. Will Hurd, the House’s only black Republican, who represents a border district in Texas, also said he would be stepping down. Hurd was seen as the only Republican who could hold on to his border district, which runs from El Paso to San Antonio — a district that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Rep. Pete Olson, who represents a quickly diversifying Houston suburban district, is also not running for reelection.

House Democrats are reveling in a “Texodus” as they increasingly see an offensive strategy to grow their House majority running through the Lone Star State.

Kinda, sorta...a little...but not really.

The truth is that (with the possible exception of the Hurd district) the GOP is clearing dead weight.  Lukewarm incumbents with indefensible records are TERRIBLE general election candidates.  The GOP is in a stronger position today than it was three weeks ago.

Back in March, we wrote a piece outlining the math.  You really should read the whole thing.  But the TL,DR version is that, in 2018, the GOP held every single open seat while two incumbents lost.

Also, for the record: One of those incumbents who lost was a guy about whom we'd been warning for years.

In a challenging national environment, the last thing you need is additional baggage from an incumbent's indefensible record.

Bottom Line: During a storm, clearing excess weight doesn't guarantee avoiding shipwreck, but it dramatically increases the odds.

Marchant and Olson are LOSERS and the GOP should Break Up with Them BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

"The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools."
Proverbs 3:35

Hoo boy:

Two potentially vulnerable Texas Republicans in Congress were outraised — and a few others saw seriously funded challengers — as the first major fundraising deadline passed in a cycle where national Democrats have built an expansive battlefield here, targeting six seats.

In the second quarter, Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, fell short of Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni, $378,000 to $421,000. Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell, raised less than Democratic opponent Kim Olson, $225,000 to $279,000, before making a large loan to his campaign.

Not good.

This combination of energized opponents and lethargic incumbents sounds...a lot like two congressional seats the GOP lost in 2018.

In March, we wrote a long piece examining Congressional races.  In that piece, we crunched a bunch of numbers related to 2018 election results.  The relevant section is too long to quote in full, but the TL,DR version is that lazy incumbents with a bad record and a sense of entitlement should be avoided like the plague.

Meanwhile, Republicans held EVERY.  SINGLE.  OPEN.  SEAT.

Finally, as we said last year about a certain now-former congressman:

Pete Sessions is a liability that should have been dealt with YEARS ago

That liability was never addressed. Eventually, the Democrats had a good enough year that Sessions lost. Given yesterday's news, Kenny Marchant and Pete Olson are officially liabilities.

The good news: Filing deadline is still five months away.

The bad news: Everybody's whistling past the graveyard.

Bottom Line: Lazy incumbents with a bad record and a sense of entitlement are TERRIBLE general election candidates.  There's still time to avoid that fate.  If these two incumbents retain the party nomination, however, don't be surprised when they lose.

#TX2020: The NRCC is RETARDED if they think they should run incumbents in Texas

"Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged."
Proverbs 28:2

The Cook Political Report, in discussing national congressional races, drops this nugget:

A key 2020 House battleground will be Texas. Democrats picked up two seats in the suburbs of Dallas and Houston last fall, but came within single digits in six more districts. The NRCC has already met with the six incumbents who survived close calls to secure commitments to run again and raise more money in 2020.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.

This type of stale, conventional, thinking is the quickest route to a second debacle in 2020.

We can explain in two numbers from last cycle: Six and Two.

• Six -- The number of open seat races Republicans held in Congressional races.
• Note: Seats now held by Dan Crenshaw, Van Taylor, Lance Gooden, Ron Wright, Chip Roy, and Michael Cloud.

• Two -- The number of incumbent Republican congressman who lost.
• Note: Seats now held by Lizzie Pannill Fletcher and Colin Allred, which were formerly held by John Culberson and Pete Sessions.

That should be the end of this cliched discussion, but since it won't be, we'll go further.

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Chip Roy vs. John Carter:

Nowhere is this phenomenon clearer than in two suburban Congressional districts near Austin.  In the first district, a new candidate with a dedicated grassroots following held his open seat.  In the second district, a mediocre incumbent had a closer call than anyone expected.

On the surface, the results in CD-21 (Hill Country) and CD-31 (WillCo) look similar:

It's only when one compares them to Trump's performance in 2016 that the pattern emerges:

Trump's 2016 margin minus the 2018 GOP candidate's margin follows:

• CD-21: 10% - 2.8% = 7.2% GOP dropoff between '16 and '18.

• CD-31: 13% - 3% = 10% GOP dropoff between '16 and '18.

That 2.8% is the difference between good candidates in open seats vs. lousy incumbents.

This is exactly what we predicted would happen in those two districts, and the data backs us up.

Of course, we also predicted that John Carter was in a lot of trouble in a presidential cycle...but, by all means, let's run John Friggin' Carter in a presidential cycle.

And yes, Chip Roy saved the GOP's bacon in CD-21.

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Dan Crenshaw and Van Taylor:

It wasn't as pronounced as the Chip Roy race, but a similar phenomenon emerged in Dan Crenshaw and Van Taylor's races.

2016 results here.

2018 results here.

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Learning from Pete Sessions:

Last cycle, we wrote the following about now-former congressman Pete Sessions:

Pete Sessions is a liability that should have been dealt with YEARS ago

That specific blog post was written in reference to a scandal surrounding Sessions' abuse of campaign contributions, but the headline doubles as a general metaphor for Pete Sessions.

We warned people about Sessions for YEARS.  Eventually, in a strong enough Democrat wave, he lost.  We should learn that lesson and preemptively address our other liabilities.

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Learning from John Culberson:

One of the open secrets among Republican campaign types last cycle was John Culberson's laziness.    Culberson might have held his seat if he'd simply worked harder.  Culberson approached the race with a sense of entitlement and the results speak for themselves.

Of course, incumbent politicians becoming entitled and lazy shouldn't surprise anyone.

Perhaps we shouldn't run entitled, lazy, incumbents.

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Reminder from 2018:

• Open Congressional seats Texas Republicans held: 6.

• Incumbent Congressional seats Texas Republicans lost: 2.

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Bottom Line: In a competitive general election environment, it's much better to have a good candidate running in an open seat than it is to try and drag some lousy incumbent across the finish line.

Pete Sessions is a liability that should have been dealt with YEARS ago

"As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly."
Proverbs 26:11

This isn't good, via the Texas Observer:

Golf outings at an exclusive country club. A catered suite at a Dallas Cowboys game. Swanky ski resort getaways in the mountains of Utah. Life is good for Congressman Pete Sessions.

As the chair of the House Rules Committee, Sessions is Congress’ gatekeeper — the man who controls if and when legislation is considered on the House floor. And he’s used his position, aided by an under-the-radar political action committee (PAC), to finance a pampered life among fellow elites.

A new report released this week by Issue One and the Campaign Legal Center, campaign-finance reform groups based in Washington, D.C., explores how leadership PACs — special pots of money meant to help other politicians and build influence — have become lawmakers’ “preferred ticket to luxurious living.”

Leadership PACs are an obscure fundraising tool ostensibly used to support other candidates directly, or to subsidize a lawmaker’s travel while campaigning for other candidates. In other words, they can cover some peripheral expenses a lawmaker’s campaign account can’t. But with next to no spending restrictions and little oversight, politicians are increasingly using the money as a personal slush fund for extravagant flourishes and expensive events. In fact, less than half of the $160 million that leadership PACs spent in the 2016 cycle — about $74 million — actually went toward other federal candidates or political committees.

Sessions is spotlighted in the report for using his creatively named leadership PAC, People for Enterprise Trade and Economic Growth (PETE) PAC, to finance expensive golf outings. But a closer look at PAC records shows that he’s also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at some of the most luxurious places in the country while he wines and dines corporate donors.

Sessions’ PAC hasn’t given more than 50 percent of its funding to other candidates or PACs since 2013 and has instead spent more and more of its funds on courting donors, according to the report. For instance, in the 2013-14 cycle, PETE PAC spent about 45 percent of its money — $303,000 — on political contributions and about 50 percent on fundraising expenses. For 2015-2016, the PAC spent 49.8 percent – $214,100 — on contributions to other candidates.

“The way you raise funds is to make donors feel comfortable and give them an experience, which is fine, but the problem is that a comparably small percentage of the funds raised for leadership PACs are going to other candidates,” said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform for the Campaign Legal Center. “It gives the appearance that you’re holding fundraisers at a high-end steakhouse to bankroll the fundraiser you’re holding at a Cowboys game.”

The Observer article goes on to detail the PETEPAC's various events and expenditures that have benefited the Congressman; we strongly recommend you read the whole thing here.

Hillary won Sessions' district.  It's not a secret Sessions' district is the most likely Texas CD to flip this fall.  This type of corruption drives voters insane.

Sessions has had challenges almost every cycle for the past decade.  Unfortunately, on each occasion, Dallas did what it usually does.  That being said, no regrets on our end about supporting previous challenges to Sessions.

[Note: That none of Sessions' previous challengers found this scandal hiding in plain sight is an act of political malpractice.]

Bottom Line: This was SO predictable.  It was ALSO preventable.  Now it's too late.

CD-2 Runoff: "Merely" Lousy vs. AWFUL

"Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them."
Isaiah 1:23

The Trib profiles the CD-2 Runoff:



We've discussed previously how we didn't know much about either candidate.  In that spirit, the Trib's profile helped.  The short version is that neither candidate inspires, but one is significantly worse than the other.

Dan Crenshaw is a retired Navy SEAL.  That's good (as far as it goes), but one lesson we've learned from experience is that a Special Forces background doesn't necessarily mean you'll govern as a conservative.  Crenshaw also openly admits to being endorsed by Pete Sessions in the Trib's video.

Kevin Roberts, on the other hand, is a single term state rep.  During his term in the legislature, Kevin Roberts was a reliable rent boi for Joe Straus.  You can learn everything you need to know about Kevin Roberts' awful record here.

Digging deeper into Crenshaw's endorsements, we notice a couple other interesting tidbits:

In other words, Dan Crenshaw has been endorsed by a U.S. Senator (Cotton) who's never met a war he didn't like.  He's also been endorsed by a former Congressman (Dick Armey) whose ethical issues are well remembered.  And Pete Sessions is, well, Pete Sessions....

[Note: A number of local activists we respect have also endorsed Crenshaw; we suspect that's only in comparison to the guy he's running against.]

But then you look at Roberts' endorsements:

'Nuff said.

[Note II: Roberts has also been endorsed by a number of highly questionable figures in Harris County.]

Bottom Line: If we lived in the district, we'd vote for Crenshaw.  But we wouldn't do so with enthusiasm.  Both of these candidates look like dirtbags....

#TXLEGE: Thoughts on #SINEDIE (take 2)....

"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."
Romans 8:19

We're still digesting the past 24 hours, but a few observations in no particular order:

• 83 Republican house members showed up to today's caucus meeting.  That's a heck of a lot more than we expected.  We were also pleasantly surprised by the length of the meeting.

• Joe Straus personally showing up is an admission that all is not well in the Republican caucus.

• There was a whole bunch of traditional media at today's caucus meeting; media interest can only raise the profile of the issue..

• We're not sure who said it (Jim Graham?!?) but they're absolutely correct: You can't support both Greg Abbott and Joe Straus anymore.
• At this point, it remains an open question whether Greg Abbott supports Greg Abbott or Joe Straus.

• The arrogance of house leadership remains a sight to behold: Had they simply shown up for work this morning, they probably could have run out the clock with a fairly typical act of failure theater.  But they just had to jam their thumb in the eye of Abbott, Patrick/the Senate, and the Texas grassroots.  In doing so, they elevated their profile all over again.
• Note: The only reason we haven't completely given up on Greg Abbott is because the degree to which he's been publicly disrespected essentially demands a response.

• Apparently, the house Republican caucus has a September retreat scheduled; grassroots activists really ought to crash that party.
• Note: If the new RPT leadership really wanted to impress this website, they'd convince the caucus make the whole event open to the public.

• The kumbaya messaging coming out of today's caucus meeting was obnoxious.

• Abbott said all the right things in today's radio interview.  But Greg Abbott frequently says all the right things.  Its Greg Abbott's follow through that leaves a lot to be desired.

• Another special session won't accomplish anything right now.
• Note: But then there's redistricting....

• The Senate is certainly isn't perfect, but they're moving in the right direction.
• Note: And some of those moves are VERY significant....

• In both Austin and DC, the Republicans aren't getting the job done; if the grassroots are smart, they'll find challengers areas where bad Texas and U.S. members share territory and knock out multiple birds with one stone.
• Example: Michael Conaway and Drew Darby have overlapping districts.  Ditto Kevin Brady and Dan Huberty/Ernest Bailes.  Pete Sessions/Jason Villalba.
• UPDATE: Duh...Lamar Smith/Joe Straus.

• Random Thought: We wonder if the Texas Association of Business has ever taken any money from George Soros?!?
• cc: Abbott, Greg

• We're getting really, really, really sick of the socialized education industrial complex's sense of entitlement....

Sessions attacks Huffines; makes fool of himself....

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

LOL; we actually saw Senator Huffines this morning and were happy to tell him personally that if he's giving Pete Sessions a fit, he's gotta be doing something right:

After the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party recently resigned, one North Texas Republican is colluding with the liberal media to place unwarranted blame on a local Republican state senator, as opposed to helping his own party.

Within hours of Mark Montgomery’s resignation from the DCGOP for “personal reasons,” the Dallas Morning News was pushing a narrative that Montgomery had been leading the party to financial ruin.

“Dallas County GOP chairman steps down as party faces financial shortfall” blared the headline.

“In the two months that Mark Montgomery has been at the helm of the Dallas County Republican Party, the group’s bank account has gone from about $30,000 to $180, according to financial disclosure reports filed last month,” says the lead.

The paper proceeded to paint Montgomery as an oafish conservative that ran the party into the ground, harping on the fact that he started with $30,000 and was left with only $180—an amount they reminded their readers wouldn’t be nearly enough to defeat Democrats this November.

The DMN quoted U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, who was conveniently available in the evening hours with a snarky quote and thorough knowledge of the situation. Sessions predictably assured readers that Republicans will lose if they don’t have more money and deflected questions on Montgomery to State Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas).

“It was Sen. Huffines who put him in office, and I’ll let him answer questions about the success or failure of the party,” said Sessions.

But there's more:

However, the plain facts prove the opposite. Huffines didn’t support Montgomery. On the contrary, he contributed heavily to a local conservative organization that endorsed and supported incumbent Wade Emmert, Montgomery’s opponent.

Not only did Sessions falsely accuse Huffines of supporting the wrong candidate, he gave credibility to unwarranted rumors claiming Montgomery “bankrupted” the party. Records of DCGOP expenditures reviewed by Texas Scorecard suggest otherwise.

When Montgomery entered office, the county party’s account balance was $30,000. According to the Dallas County GOP donate page, simply keeping the lights on costs $13,000 per month, or roughly $26,000 during Montgomery’s short tenure. Since then – in addition to routine events – the party has also played host to a staff retreat for the statewide “Victory” field staff and likely incurred additional costs related to the National Convention.

 Read the whole thing, including the conclusion to this sordid affair, here.

Beginning to unpack last Tuesday's screwy results....

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

Obviously, Tuesday night was a good night for Team Straus and other establishment Republicans down ballot.  On the other hand, Ted Cruz turned in a surprisingly strong performance at the presidential level, and obviously Cruz supporters weren't voting for Joe Straus lieutenants.  So, what gives?!?

We have a hypothesis, though we can't test it without substantially more detailed data: based on a preliminary examination of county level results cross referenced against individual races, it looks like Donald Trump's presence at the Presidential level was good for down-ballot incumbents.

It seems like Cruz supporters voted for conservatives.  Rubio and Kasich supporters voted for establishment candidates.  Trump supporters, meanwhile, voted with the incumbent regardless of which side of the conservative/establishment fence that particular incumbent came down upon.

For example: In Joe Straus' and Pete Sessions' races, the challenger candidates' vote totals seemed to mirror the countywide result for Ted Cruz in Bexar and Dallas counties.  On the other hand, Jonathan Stickland, Matt Rinaldi, and Tony Tinderholt clearly outperformed Cruz.  This is, admittedly, an imprecise measure, but a correlation does seem to hold across across a fairly wide geographical area.

One thing we know for a fact: with turnout off the charts, and massive numbers of new people voting, name recognition was at a premium.  For a number of reasons, incumbents have vastly higher name recognition most of the time.  So there you have it.

Bottom Line: For whatever reason, Tuesday was a good night to be running as an incumbent in a down-ballot race; it certainly appears that Donald Trump bringing record numbers of low-information voters into the process was a big part of that reason.

Our FINAL Round of 2016 Primary Endorsements

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

[Author's Note: You can see our first round of endorsements here and our second round here.]

With election day 11 days away, we make the following endorsements:

STATEWIDE (Judicial)

Ray Wheless, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2:

We've previously discussed this race. In Texas, there is a separate judicial track for civil and criminal cases.  The Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in Texas and is the equivalent of the Texas Supreme Court.

We first became interested in this race when we realized that the corrupt judge whose unethical activities led to his recusal in the Ken Paxton case was one of the three candidates.  That candidate is a disgrace to the legal profession against whom we've filed a complaint with the state commission on judicial conduct.  We've heard conflicting reports about the second candidate, but at best nothing excites us.

Ray Wheless spoke at the Central Texas Republican Assembly's November meeting.  We were impressed by his knowledge and legal acumen.  Judge Wheless is from Collin County, where he has held a variety of judicial positions.

UNITED STATES HOUSE

Anyone but Pete, CD-32:

We've documented our differences with Pete Sessions over the years.  As a member of House leadership, Pete Sessions has been a key player in every Republican betrayal we've seen out of D.C. in the Obama era.  As recently as December, Pete Sessions voted for a grotesque spending bill.

In addition to his awful actions on policy related matters, Pete Sessions is also a RAGING jerk; in many ways, Pete Session is the Byron Cook of the United States House of Representatives.

We've heard good things about all of the challengers.  We haven't had an opportunity to differentiate them in an detail, but against Pete Session it doesn't matter.  #NoRePete.

TEXAS HOUSE

Jess Fields, HD-14:

We've known Jess Fields for several years due to his work with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.  We've been impressed with his sharp wit and incisive sense of humor.  We expect Jess Fields to give Jonathan Stickland a run for his money on the back mic.

Jess Fields is a prominent supporter of the liberty cities movement.  Liberty cities are a creative solution that undermines big city governments.  We like creative solutions that undermine big government.

Unfortunately, he's a dirty stinking Aggie, but that's probably an advantage in a district that includes College Station.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY

Shawn Dick, District Attorney:

Shawn Dick is challenging a DISGRACEFUL incumbent with whom we've had issues for many years.  This is the DA that tried to lock up some kid for life over a couple pot brownies and suppressed evidence in a capital murder case.  We've also heard from folks in the WillCo legal community that lower profile abuses happen every day in that office.

In addition to his time as a prosecutor, Shawn Dick has also worked as a defense attorney.  When someone is making decisions that could take away someone else's freedom, we think it's a good thing for that person to have been on the other side of the courtroom.  Speaking of the disgraceful incumbent, she actually had the nerve to attack him over this.

A vote for Shawn Dick is a vote for basic ethics and integrity in a critically important office.

Bill Kelberlau, Sheriff:

Bill Kelberlau is running to be a constitutional sheriff.  For those unaware, local sheriffs have a TREMENDOUS amount of authority to stop the Federal government from enforcing unconstitutional laws.  Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) Sheriff David Clarke is probably the highest profile constitutional sheriff today.

Bill grew up in South Texas and spent 30 years in the Navy in a variety of sensitive position.  That background leaves him well-prepared for the challenges he will face in law enforcement.  Bill Kelberlau also testified at Don Zimmerman's Austin City Council hearing on Syrian 'refugees' and, considering that a sliver of Austin extends into Willco, having Bill Kelberlau around to drive the Austin City Council NUTS is worth the price of admission all by itself.

When Donald Trump comes for our guns, Williamson County is going to want Bill Kelberlau as Sheriff.

TRAVIS COUNTY

Jason Nassour, Commissioner's Court (Precinct 3):

We started noticing problems with the incumbent last year when he was a loud and prominent supporter of the Courthouse bond on the Commissioner's Court.  That right there should tell you something.  Why was the lone REPUBLICAN on the commissioner's court loudly supporting a $300 million boondoggle that would only benefit rich downtown lawyers?!?  But it gets worse.  He's recently taken a number of other screwy votes.  We've also discovered recently that he's given money to Kirk Watson.  The incumbent is a good guy, but he's clearly been working in government for too long.

Jason Nassour, by contrast, is an entrepreneur who owns several well known local radio stations.  A newcomer to politics, Nassour was motivated to run for office by the incumbent's support for the Courthouse bond.  Jason Nassour wants to sell all county property within the city limits and use the proceeds to build a new multi-use county facility FOR CASH in an unincorporated area.  Have we mentioned we like creative solutions?!?

The debate last month between Jason Nassour and the incumbent speaks for itself, you can view it for yourself here.

James Dickey, Travis County Republican Party Chairman:

Since James Dickey became county chairman two years ago, the Travis County Republican party helped put the first two conservatives EVER on the Austin City Council.  The Travis County Republican party has a DA candidate on the ballot for the first time since we've lived here.  Finally, we learned last week that the Travis County Republican Party actually has more precinct chairs at the moment than the D's.

With a property tax revolt and an affordability crisis at hand, the issue environment favors conservative solutions in an obvious way.  We've had discussions with James Dickey about specific ways to address these issues, and we intend to ramp up those discussions after March 1st.  Why mess with a good thing?!?

One note about James' challenger: Robert Morrow is a friend and patriot.  He does valuable work in the areas to which his talents are suited.  The job of county chairman, however, is a poor match for Robert's strong suits.

#NoRePete: SESSIONS claims Homestead Exemption IN FLORIDA!!!

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
Ephesians 5:11

Befuddled by the Clowns is a North Texas based conservative blog whose proprietor lives in Pete Sessions' district; apparently, she's been doing some digging:

By contrast, here's the property tax listing for Sessions' home in Dallas:

Bottom Line: Activists in Dallas County have suspected Pete Sessions was playing fast and loose with his residency for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.  Now there's a smoking gun.  If Pete Sessions wants to stay in Congress, the time has come to run in Florida.

Brady and #NoRePete Sessions vote FOR #OMNIBUS

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

Cross-referencing the list of Republicans who voted for the DUMPSTER FIRE of a spending bill that just came out of D.C. with the list of Texas Republican Congressmen with serious primary challengers, two names stand out:

• Kevin Brady.

• Pete Sessions

Bottom Line: Other members with challenges at least pretended to oppose this monstrosity, but these two chairmen were arrogant enough to give their voters yet ANOTHER middle finger less than three months before election day....

#NoRePete: Sessions tells citizen "You're Making Enemies"...

"Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked."
Psalm 82:4

In the midst of a longer story about the (commendable) efforts to remove John Bohener in the U.S. House, DFW radio host Grant Stinchfield relays this ASTONISHING (*) story about Pete Sessions:

In the fall of 2013 Congressman Pete Sessions looked me in the eye and told me I needed to get out of radio because I was making enemies. Here clearly didn't like my limited government, anti-incumbent message I push over the air. We were in a suite at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys were playing the Redskins, but the game I was focused on was my own match, Conservative vs. Establishment, Stinchfield vs. Sessions. I leaned in slowly towards the Congressman, I smiled back at him and whispered, “I think you should get out Congress, its YOU who are making enemies.” We didn’t speak again.

It was at that moment I lost all respect for the man who was supposed to be representing “we the people” in Washington. I realized Rep. Pete Sessions, sadly represents only himself and the ruling class of career politicians he conspires with. If Sessions is afraid of a radio host, how is he going to take on the President of the United States?

....

Every time he puts self-interest above national interest he harms America. Tell Rep. Sessions what I told him in that suite at Cowboys Stadium, It’s time he gets out of office because he’s making enemies at home, enemies out of conservative voters.

Read the whole thing here.

-----

* - Actually, if you're familiar with his M.O., Pete Sessions acting like a bully is par for the course.

#NoRePete: Sessions also supporting Jeb

"I have hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked."
Psalm 26:5

Similar to Joe Straus, we've previously noted Pete Sessions' Presidential preferences, but this is still worth noting:

WASHINGTON – Jeb Bush will be scooping up campaign cash Thursday in Dallas and Houston – homes to the last two Republican presidents, who happen to be his brother and dad.

It’s unclear if either will make an appearance.

The evening reception in Dallas will be at the home of investor John Tolleson and his wife, Debbie, according to an invitation obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Local GOP sources say they expect Jeb’s wife, Columba Bush, to attend.

A ticket for either event is $2,700, the maximum allowed per individual for a single election.

Bush campaign aides wouldn’t provide details, other than to confirm the two Texas appearances. “As policy, we don’t detail those events. They are closed to the press,” an aide said.

The Houston event is a luncheon at the St. Regis hotel.

An invitation obtained by Bloomberg Politics lists the campaign’s Texas Leadership Committee, a who’s who of Texas Republicans that includes former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions of Dallas, state House Speaker Joe Straus, oilmen T. Boone Pickens and Ray Hunt, Houston attorney Fred Zeidman, and congressman-turned-lobbyist Tom Loeffler.

Read the whole thing here.

Whatever else happens, this Presidential cycle has been invaluable in smoking out the Bush cronies here in Texas....

About running for Congress: An open letter to Don Huffines

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass."
Psalm 37:7

Dear Senator Huffines,

Earlier this week, Quorum Report reported:

Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, told Quorum Report on Tuesday that he is “looking at all options” when asked if he plans to run against Rep. Pete Sessions, a senior Republican congressman from Big D.

“I can’t rule it out,” Huffines said when asked whether he is taking a serious look at the seat held by Sessions. “That would be my comment.”

Under no circumstances should you run against Pete Sessions; we need you to stay in your current position until at least the end of your term.

Here's why: If you were to be elected to Congress, that would trigger a special election for your Texas Senate seat.  For obvious reasons, that's a prospect the lobby would relish.  You remember better than anyone how close your last election was.

A special election where we're playing defense is a headache the grass-roots doesn't need.  It's tailor made for John Carona to sneak back.  We need to stay on offense.

Make no mistake: Pete Sessions is a jerk.  Ironically enough, the last time you and I spoke at length was the day after his buffoonish April townhall.  But that doesn't mean you're the right person to run against him.  Even if Katrina doesn't run, Sessions is going to have one or more opponents.  Why risk a perfectly good Texas Senate seat for a race that could already see 3-5 candidates?!?

As March's debate over the margins tax proved, we need you in the Texas Senate. Please stay put.  Besides, Austin is a MUCH nicer place to spend time than Washington D.C.

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Austin, TX

P.S. That being said, if you wanted to to piggyback off of the name recognition you already have in Dallas County, do feel free to pitch this race to your brother.

#NoRePete: Sessions censors First Amendment

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
Ephesians 5:11



[Author's note: We began the audio recording approximately 5 minutes after 7. To find the relevant section of the audio recording, subtract five minutes from the time listed below. Anything in the 8pm hour will appear after the 1 hour mark.]

Highland Park -- On Thursday night, we attended Congressman Pete Sessions' town-hall meeting in Dallas County.

We arrived around 6:30 for the scheduled 7pm event.  We spoke with several members of Congressman Sessions' staff.  After explaining we were with Agendawise, the Congressman's staff suggested a good location to set up our camera and that was that.

Approximately 15 minutes later, we returned with the camera and set it up without incident; we then kept to ourselves for another five minutes.

Around 6:50, we spotted Joseph Wade Miller, a personal friend who works with Heritage Action.  Joesph is a well known critic of Congressman Sessions.  This is when things got more interesting.

After we had spoken with Joseph for a couple minutes, Congressman Sessions press secretary Caroline Boothe (who had been extremely helpful a few minutes earlier) informed this author that it was "against office policy" for anyone to film the town-hall except for members of the Congressman's staff.

Think about that.  The Congressman's staff first suggested a location from which to film, then left us alone for several minutes after the camera had been setup.  They only attempted to shut down filming after they realized that this author was friends with one of their prominent critics.

In a move we shortly came to regret, we decided to play nice and not film.  While the first amendment gives us that right, we weren't in the mood to make a big deal out of it.  Also, we were uncertain if the Texas Open Meetings Act applies to Federal officials.

Shortly after the town-hall began, it became obvious why Congressman Sessions' staff didn't want his boorish, condescending behavior captured for posterity.

Sessions began the town-hall by filibustering over the alleged "student success act" they'll be voting on in D.C. next week.  Sessions attempted to brag about how the bill would consolidate dozens of Federal agencies into one but failed to make a convincing argument when challenged about eliminating the agencies under consideration.  Alice Linahan addresses the federal "student success act" here.

At 7:39, a woman asked Sessions why, given Sessions' record on funding Obamacare and amnesty, he could be trusted to reduce the Federal role in education.  Sessions responded by browbeating the woman over where she'd find funding for a couple of obscure "disability" programs.  The crowd wasn't buying it.

.@PeteSessions tells audience that there are no mandates in HR5, that's states have the authority to opt out of all mandates. #NotTrue #HR5
— Joseph Wade Miller (@J_Wade_Miller) April 10, 2015

.@PeteSessions tells audience that #HR5 is a block grant with zero mandates. #NotTrue
— Joseph Wade Miller (@J_Wade_Miller) April 10, 2015

At 8:01, Sessions attempted to cast Bohener's re-election as speaker as old news; in an unintentionally prophetic moment, he mentioned that there would be another election in 2017.

.@PeteSessions "You are darn right I'm a Boehner guy", to audience in Dallas.
— Joseph Wade Miller (@J_Wade_Miller) April 10, 2015

At 8:21, local activist (and friend of this website) Ken Emmanuelson asked Sessions another question about Obamacare.  Sessions grew testy while overselling the alleged benefits of sequestration.  He even attempted to claim you couldn't defund Obamacare:

.@PeteSessions tells audience that neither Obama's amnesty nor Obamacare can be defunded if mandatory $, as a technical action #NotTrue
— Joseph Wade Miller (@J_Wade_Miller) April 10, 2015

After Emmanuelson's question, Sessions was asked about the Export-Import bank; while Sessions made several excuses for the 'work' of the bank, he agreed to defer to whatever (documented Ex-Im opponent) Jeb Hensarling decides.

After an hour and a half of this rigmarole, we grew tired and hungry and had stopped paying attention when another flare-up occurred over procedural rules:

.@PeteSessions states that there have been no actual 72 hour rule violations. This is factually incorrect. #NotTrue
— Joseph Wade Miller (@J_Wade_Miller) April 10, 2015

Boorish condescension is an unattractive trait in an elected official.  At his town-hall meeting Thursday night, Congressman Pete Sessions demonstrated it in abundance.  No wonder his staff didn't let us film the meeting.

#NoRePete: Pete Sessions acts like Bush Crony

"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables"
John 2:13-15

Pete Sessions appeared on WFAA yesterday; in addition to making several implausible statements about the border, he revealed his unsurprising 2016 preference:



Highlights:

• "Looking at Jeb Bush as probably the person who stands the best chance; the question is, do we want to win?!?"

Because nothing says victory quite like the family that has destroyed the Republican party on two separate occasions.