Texas Political Update December 14, 2021
The deadline for Texas candidates to file for the 2022 elections was yesterday, Monday, December 13th.
Dowd Drops Out of Lt. Governor Race
Matthew Dowd, a former George W. Bush political strategist who had launched a bid to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, ended his campaign Tuesday, six days before the candidate filing deadline. In a statement, Dowd, who is white, said he was dropping out of the race to make way for a more diverse field of candidates.
Vaccine Mandate Ban Reiterated; TWC Hotline to Report Employers
Texas has set up hotline for employees to report COVID vaccine mandates in the workplace, in violation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning such mandates. The governor has issued several executive orders banning vaccine mandates, and he’s spoken out against the Biden administration’s efforts to require the shots nationwide for companies that employ more than 100 people. Abbott’s latest order came in October, when he prohibited private businesses from issuing the mandates. Initially, he’d only included state agencies in the ban.
“While I encourage Texans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, it will always be voluntary, and never forced, in Texas, and we are committed to ensuring Texans’ livelihoods are not jeopardized by federal overreach,” Abbott said in a release. The Texas Workforce Commission sent a letter to Texas employers on Wednesday reiterating that position. There, the agency advertised its new hotline, which can be reached at (800) 939-6631 or vaccine_job_loss@twc.texas.gov
The U.S. Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration’s requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. The vote was 52-48.
Quinnipiac: Abbott Leads O’Rourke By Double Digits
In a head-to-head matchup in the race for governor of Texas, Republican Gov. Abbott leads Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, 52 – 37 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of Texas registered voters. Republicans back Abbott 90-5 percent, independents back Abbott 47-37 percent, and Democrats back O’Rourke 87-6 percent.
A majority of voters, 54 percent, say O’Rourke is too liberal, 3 percent say he is too conservative, and 35 percent say he is about right. Forty-one percent of voters say Abbott is too conservative while 6 percent say he is too liberal, and 49 percent say he is about right. 52 percent of overs have a favorable opinion of Abbott while 42 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. Only 36 percent have a favorable opinion of O’Rourke while 47 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him and 16 percent have not heard enough about him. Other Texas gubernatorial candidates are largely unknown as most voters say they haven’t heard enough about them to form an opinion.
Congressman Crenshaw Faces Uproar Over “Grifter” Comments
U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston) is facing an uproar from some in his party after warning about “grifters” and liars among fellow conservatives, including in the House Freedom Caucus. Crenshaw, one of the most visible members of the Texas congressional delegation, sought Thursday to clarify his comments, which came at a Houston-area GOP gathering over the weekend. “When I said grifters and liars, I wasn’t talking about the Freedom Caucus,” Crenshaw told the GOP podcast “Ruthless.” “I was talking about a general group of people that exists on our side.”
