Good morning –

Is there still a threat from the Democrats' "blue wave," or was it wishful thinking? Take the one-click survey at the end of the email!

First, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, March 10, 2020
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• As concerns mount around the nation and world about the coronavirus outbreak, Brandon Waltens reports effects are starting to be felt even in the Lone Star State. Some are wondering if it could affect Texas’ primary runoff elections.
      

• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has placed himself in voluntary quarantine after coming in contact with someone who later tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, the Texas Senate has delayed all interim committee hearings for the next several weeks. And, late last week, Austin’s “South By Southwest” festival was canceled.
     

• But the state’s election law does not provide for a delay in the primary runoff. “Short of a court order, those dates are stuck in place,” attorney Tony McDonald told Waltens.
      

• While John Cornyn easily garnered re-nomination in the GOP primary last week, the dust is only now settling on the Democrats’ contest to challenge him. Our friends at The Texan report former Army officer M.J. Hegar will face State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) in their party’s runoff. 
     
• According to the Secretary of State’s office, no Democrat in the crowded field got more than 23 percent of the vote. There were 1.85 million Democrats who voted in their senatorial primary, versus 1.93 million Republicans.
      
• After the dust settled on election night, the crowded field of Republican candidates vying for Montgomery County’s new civil court became a lot smaller. Reagan Reed reports attorney and reform advocate Eric Yollick emerged from the March 3 primary with a sizable lead in votes over his opponents.
      
• The Texas Public Policy Foundation has launched an initiative focused on corruption in the voting process, joining a space in which our friends at Direct Action Texas have already made considerable practical strides. Erin Anderson reports TPPF’s initiative will focus its research on voting issues and promote public policies that secure the reliability of Texas’ election system. 
      
• “Election fraud must be curtailed, and Texans’ right to vote without interference or intimidation must be secured.” – Chuck Devore, TPPF vice president and former California State Assemblyman
     
• Outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R-Lake Jackson) is trying to rehabilitate himself after spending the summer lying to his colleagues and the public about his unethical activities. In an op-ed in his hometown newspaper, Bonnen whines at being called out for his actions by someone who has never been elected to public office (me!), and then being held publicly accountable.​
     

• Mr. Bonnen has chosen to double-down on what got him in trouble in the first place: not – as he claims – his “leadership style” or “direct approach,” but a troubling pattern of deceitfulness and unethical behavior. I would invite Mr. Bonnen to answer these six questions:
      
  (1) Did I invite him to a private meeting, or did he invite me?
  (2) Did I try to bribe him, or did he try to entice me into a quid pro quo?
  (3) Do I have a history of making false allegations against citizens, or does he?
  (4) Was I under House investigation, or was he?
  (5) Was I ousted from the legislative leadership by my peers, or was he?
  (6) Am I the bad guy here, or is he?
      

• Well, we know how he’ll answer #6!
       

• But let’s be clear about something: It is the people of Texas who rightly possess power in our system of government. Elected officials should be responsive to the taxpayers, not the crony-class of lobbyists and politicians who roam the halls of government devouring liberty for their personal profit.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Will the 2020 “Blue Wave” be remembered as wishful thinking, or is it still a threat?