Good morning!

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, November 5, 2020
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In case you missed it yesterday, Texas Scorecard broke a national story about possible election fraud in Michigan. A Texas attorney Kellye SoRelle, serving as a poll watcher in Detroit, provided Brandon Waltens with video and photos showing wagons, suitcases, and coolers moving in and out of a vote-counting center during the early morning. 

The article generated so much traffic it shutdown our website for part of the afternoon. Yes, that’s a good – but expensive – problem to have. With your help, we can make sure that doesn’t happen again!

• In reviewing the election results, perhaps the most studiously overlooked statistic is how well President Trump has done with non-white voters. Political commentator Saagar Enjeti noted yesterday that “Trump wins highest share of non-white vote for the GOP since 1960.”
       
• That led Luke Macias – host of Texas Scorecard’s Luke Macias Show – to observe: “When GOP insiders talk about how [Trump] hurts our brand they are referring to the fact that their country club friends don’t like him. He’s broadened the parties appeal in areas we never touched.”

• Republicans maintained their 83-67 margin in the Texas House. As noted yesterday, the most liberal Republican – Sarah Davis of Houston – was defeated, while conservative Mike Schofield of Houston reclaimed the seat he lost. 
      
• And so the GOP House members have apparently already decided to pick Dade Phelan of Beaumont as their next speaker. Jacob Asmussen has the details. Phelan told reporters that he had the support of 50 Republicans and 33 Democrats.
       
• A political staffer-turned-politician, Phelan was first elected to the Texas House in 2014. He was a top lieutenant of disgraced Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and chaired the powerful State Affairs Committee.
        
• This is a curious (and rapidly made) choice, given how strongly conservative grassroots groups opposed his candidacy. With a budget shortfall in excess of $4 billion expected in 2021 due to economic hardships created by Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the coronavirus, getting the budget right – read: cut spending – will be more important than ever. Sadly, Phelan is one of the lowest-ranked Republicans on the Fiscal Responsibility Index. 
     
• As always, lawmakers and legislative sessions must be judged on the results – or lack thereof. And citizens must speak out loudly and daily.

• For those who care about such things (and it appears Republicans legislators do not), the 2020 Texas GOP platform explicitly calls for “Republican members to caucus after each November general election to determine, by secure ballot, their candidate for Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore.” That clearly did not happen. Again.
      
• Texas GOP Chairman Allen West had a strong response: “Republicans in Texas just enabled our Texas State House to retain a Republican majority. The actions of Rep. Dade Phelan don’t present a good first step in restoring trust, confidence, and credibility for the House GOP Majority. Texas Republicans want a principled constitutional conservative legislature, and policy agenda. This is not representative of the the RPT platform, or legislative priorities.”

• The top legislative targets of Democrats were Tarrant County Republicans Tony Tinderholt and Jeff Cason; the former an incumbent, the later seeking to fill a GOP-held open-seat. Robert Montoya reports both men ran as unabashed conservatives, overcame huge odds, and won. 
   
• “This is the honor of a lifetime for me, and I just look forward to beginning my work in January, representing the people of House District 92 and serving them with their voice in Austin.” –State Rep.-elect Jeff Cason (R-Bedford)

• Democrats took another judicial hide: Jeff Rose, the Chief Justice of the 3rd Court of Appeals based in Central Texas was defeated by Democrat Darlene Byrne.
   
• Also in Central Texas, reports Jacob Asmussen, Austin voters imposed two massive property tax hikes on themselves. 
   
• Can we give Travis County to California?

• Meanwhile, the largest of Allen Independent School District’s four bond propositions passed by less than a percentage point. Voters there approved Proposition A ($189 million for school facility updates and buses) and Proposition D ($25 million for computers), but they rejected Propositions B and C for athletic facility updates.
   
• Erin Anderson has all the details from Collin and Dallas counties’ local races.

• Will you be at the Conservative Leaders Gala on Dec. 5, 2020, in Irving? Get the details and tickets today!

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