Back to School and Back to Politics

2014 Texas Political Battle

Across most of Texas, students from pre-K through college return to school today. My teenager and I both return to school as well. I’ll be teaching though.

I love the start of a new semester and a new school year. We get to make all new resolutions and the students come ready to conquer the world. It will be an exciting semester for me to teach Women in Politics with female candidates all over ballots this year and a few females talking presidential politics as well.

It’s also back to politics. As families get the kids back to school, they will slowly tune back in to politics. Most consider Labor Day the official kick-off of the political season and that is probably still accurate. However, in the world of permanent campaigns, it is really the final stretch for the candidates.

We’ll keep our eye on happenings in Texas and Harris County with an occasional glance across the country, when appropriate. It has been a volatile summer on many levels. Will issues such as Ferguson stir more voters to the polls? Will significant areas of international unrest cause more Americans to pay attention to their divided home government who can’t agree on solutions?

Wendy Davis, Democratic Candidate for Governor, has already launched attack ads on her opponent who seems to be basically ignoring her presence. Abbott’s strategy worked well for Rick Perry in the past. He is clearly operating on the theory that recognizing your opponent empowers them.

Meanwhile, the Lt. Governor’s race seems to have captured more attention than Governor. After an embattled and bitter Republican primary, Dan Patrick has taken the summer to shore up his base and refill his campaign coffers. Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic nominee, has been making tracks all across Texas and trying to inspire lackluster voters that the election matters.

In Harris County, we have a heated race for District Attorney between two female candidates – incumbent Devon Anderson (R) and challenger Kim Ogg (D). They have already garnered media attention and the race proves to be one of the most interesting battles in a county that splits its votes.

Harris County is one of the few in the state that remains in play as a “swing” county. We should see lots of action this year.

So happy back to school to all and back to more traffic, too. Welcome to a heated Texas political season!

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