Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Texas Democrats Push For Fraud-prone Vote-by-Mail Scheme

• Texas Democrats are once again challenging a state election law that limits no-excuse mail-in voting to voters aged 65 years or older, appealing their case to the U.S. Supreme Court after lower courts rejected their claims. Erin Anderson has the details.

        
• Democrats want federal courts to overturn state law and allow everyone to vote by mail, a process more vulnerable to fraud and abuse than in-person voting. Texas Democrats have unsuccessfully pursued “universal, no-excuse vote by mail” for years, along with other policies that make voting less secure.
        
• Under Texas law, only voters who are 65 or older, disabled, in jail, or outside their home county during an election are eligible to vote by mail.

School Choice Opponents in GOP Face Rocky 2024

• All of the House Republicans who voted against school choice this fall are either leaving the legislature or facing intraparty opposition in the March primary. Brandon Waltens has the story.

      
• Despite being a priority of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott, 21 House Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to kill a school choice proposal.
        
• Significantly, five of the 21 are not seeking re-election.
        
• Gov. Abbott has begun to endorse challengers to the remaining incumbents, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has said he will also be working to unseat them. 

Four Republicans Vie For Open Senate Seat

• There will be a four-way race for the GOP nomination in Senate District 30, a north Texas seat being vacated by incumbent Drew Springer. Sydnie Henry reviews the race.
         
• Former Denton County GOP Chairman Brent Hagenbuch announced his run a few weeks ago, generating support from elected officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. His run has drawn ire from grassroots conservatives, as the Denton County GOP had censured Hagenbuch earlier this year for donating to a Democrat-supported local candidate.
        

• Another candidate, Cody Clark, is challenging Hagenbuch’s eligibility to run, saying he does not meet the residency requirements. Clark is also calling for law enforcement to investigate Hagenbuch for tampering with a government record—in this case, his sworn candidate application. Clark, a former police officer, works with an organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
        

• Attorney Jace Yarbrough announced his late entry on Monday. An Air Force veteran currently serving in the reserves, Yarbrough refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and was disciplined. He is currently suing the Air Force for violating his First Amendment rights.
        

• Carrie de Moor, an emergency room doctor, has received the endorsement of Attorney General Ken Paxton. De Moor’s campaign is focused on issues such as healthcare reform, woke ideologies in education, border security, and protecting life.

Sheila Jackson Lee Files for Re-Election to Congress

• Fresh off her defeat in the Houston mayoral race, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) has filed for re-election to Congress. Emily Medeiros looks at the race.
       

• Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, who once interned in Jackson Lee’s office, is also running in the Democrat primary for the congressional seat.
            

• Two Republicans are also running for Jackson Lee’s seat. Aaron Hermes and Lena Centonze will compete in the Republican Primary in March to see who will face the Democrat nominee in November.

A&M Makes it Official: Pro-DEI Obama-Appointee Named President of the University

• Texas A&M’s Board of Regents officially named Mark Welsh as president of the university on Tuesday.

      
• Welsh has faced criticism over the past several months for his support of the leftwing program known as "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," his belief in white privilege, and his past position serving as an Obama appointee.
       

• Despite Welsh’s support for ideologies that embroiled Texas A&M in a scandal over the summer, the Texas A&M Board of Regents has appointed him as the new president of the flagship university in College Station.
        

• Like other public universities in the state, all of A&M's regents were appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and confirmed by the Texas Senate.

School Principal Arrested for Solicitation in Sex Trafficking Sting

• Principal James Brian Shillingburg of Clements High School in Fort Bend Independent School District was arrested Monday evening and charged with soliciting a prostitute in an undercover sex trafficking sting. 

         
• According to reports from local news, the undercover operation called “Operation Naughty List” saw Shillingburg allegedly paying $90 for an officer to perform sexual acts. 
       
• Fort Bend ISD released a statement acknowledging that there will be an “administrative transition” due to the arrest.

Quote-Unquote

"Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid."

– Ronald Reagan​

Your U.S. & Texas Lawmakers

This information is automatically inserted based on the mailing address you provide to us. If you'd like to update your contact information, please visit our subscriber portal.

LISTEN

WATCH