Austin City Councilors Face GOP Challengers In Runoffs [#TXPolitcs247]

The Austin Chronicle reports on the Republican challengers seeking to unseat two Progressive Democrats on Austin's city council, most notably Mackenzie Kelly's runoff against far-left leaning Jimmy Flannigan, who has infamously proposed literally dismantling the city's police headquarters.

A GOP operative working with Kelly says the Republicans have been vigorous in their block walking efforts throughout the campaign.

Lawmaker Wants To Give Teachers The Right To Hang Ten Commandments In Texas Classrooms [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

A state lawmaker has introduced a bill to allow the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms, opening up a potential can of worms - or distraction, depending on who's asking.

The Star-Telegram, among others, is reporting that State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van wants to make sure that any Texas teacher who wants to display the Ten Commandments in his or her classroom may do so.

That’s why he filed House Bill 307 that says school officials — particularly school board trustees — cannot prevent copies of those commandments from being posted “in a prominent location” in classrooms.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Flynn. “If a teacher wants to put it in her classroom, she should be able to do it just as if she wanted to put up Halloween, Thanksgiving or any other decorations.

The paper reminds readers that " Public displays of the Ten Commandments have sparked legal battles in the past. And this one likely will too, if Texas lawmakers approve it during the upcoming legislative session that begins Jan. 8."

Texas House GOP Caucus Gets Behind Rep. Dennis Bonnen As Speaker Candidate [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

During a brief meeting of the House Republican Caucus, members of the GOP have unanimously nominated Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R - Angleton) as their choice for speaker of the Texas House, reports Empower Texans' Texas Scorecard newsletter.

After the meeting, State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), who chairs the caucus, told the Scorecard that House Republicans were looking forward to Bonnen leading the chamber to conservative victories in 2019.

The key word here is "conservative."

It's not been at all a secret that many Texas Republicans have hoped that the Speaker Joe Straus era - marked by his moderate-to-liberal leadership style and a failure to push, or back, a conservative agenda and conservative-leaning legislation in the House - will end as soon as the 2019 session begins. They're getting their wish, it seems.

Bonnen has had the nomination, and the race, in the bag for a few weeks, and has already been hiring staff and preparing an agenda.

AG Ken Paxton Sues San Antonio For Violating Anti-Sanctuary City Law [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

The state of Texas is suing the city of San Antonio for an alleged violation of the state’s 2017 anti-“sanctuary cities” law, in the state’s first enforcement action against a city under the statue, reports the Texas Tribune.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Travis County District Court by the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton, centers on a December 2017 incident when San Antonio police discovered a trailer carrying 12 individuals from Guatemala who were suspected of being undocumented.

The state law, passed as Senate Bill (SB) 4, seeks to punish localities and local officials for “adopting, enforcing or endorsing” policies that specifically prohibit or limit enforcement of immigration law.

Gov. Abbott tweeted Friday night, "Cities that violate the Texas ban on Sanctuary Cities face serious consequences."

Pres. George H.W. Bush Dies: Links To Media Coverage [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Former President George Bush, a war hero, father of a president and founder of the modern Texas Republican Party who presided over momentous global changes and an influential political family dynasty, died at 10 p.m. Friday. He was 94.

Below are links to media coverage and obituaries. More will be added throughout the day.

TX POLITICS 24/7 extends sincere condolences to the Bush family at this time of grief and remembrance.

The Dallas Morning News
The Texas Tribune
The Houston Chronicle
San Antonio Express-News
The Washington Times
ABC News

Gay #Texas City Councilman Defeated In Recall Election Following Release of Nude Photos, Texts [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Overlooked by the major contests of the November 6th election, a small, conservative town ousted their openly gay councilman after an anonymous source released salacious pictures and texts he had made on a gay dating app.

Cross Coburn, 19, was defeated in a recall election in the town of Groves, TX, reports the New York Times, nine months after private messages he sent on the gay dating app "Grindr" were released publicly. He called the release of the private messages "blackmail."

Supporters of a petition to remove him used the release to question whether he fit the “moral standards” of the city of 16,000.

“I regret that it got out, but I will never regret being human,” Coburn told the Times. "I do not believe that me having consensual conversations with another adult has any merit to how I can perform my duties."

Is Beto Using Campaign Funds For Illegal "Caravan" Or Migrants Already In US? Cruz Doubles Down On #ProjectVeritas Video's Accusations [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

As the US Senate race narrows to a 49%/49% horse race, incumbent Ted Cruz has thrown down the gauntlet, asking challenger Beto O'Rourke to answer a couple of basic questions:

"Two basic Qs every reporter should ask Beto today:  (1) should the “caravan” be allowed to cross illegally into Texas?  (Beto refuses to answer.) And (2) did your campaign dollars illegally fund their doing so?"

The tweet is in response to a video made by Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe, whose latest undercover video appears to show O'Rourke staffers planning to use pre-paid campaign cards - paid for by donors - to buy materials for, and even transport, the Honduran migrants in the "caravan" making its way to storm the US border.

Beto's campaign fired back at the charges, saying, in an official statement, that staffers "took it upon themselves" to use campaign funds to donate supplies to an El Paso nonprofit and that the contributions - less than $300 total - will be "appropriately reported" to the Federal Election Commission.

Quotes from the video itself seem to indicate a cover-up of the funds and their intended use, such as - "Under the table just sort of do it," "Well, she doesn't know we used the prepaid card, but she doesn't need to know," and "we're going to give rides to some of the immigrants too."

The Dallas Morning News, whose editorial board endorsed O'Rourke, seemed to also demand some answers from him:

"Beto O’Rourke wants a promotion. He wants to go from the House to the Senate and go from representing a constituency of 743,000 in the 16th congressional district to the entire state of Texas and its 30 million residents.

“With days to go before the election and President Donald Trump along with Ted Cruz ramping up the immigration rhetoric, O’Rourke has managed to stake out an opposition stance without offering much detail of his own. It’s time he stepped up and delivered.”

Meanwhile, the 24-minute video (watch below) in which staffers joke with an undercover O'Keefe operative posing as a journalist that they are "hiding" the spending as other expenses, continues to be used as campaign fodder in this very, very tight race.