Good morning,

Last week we reported on plans by out-of-state Democrats to spend big against conservatives in Texas’ legislative races. Activists have been wondering if Gov. Greg Abbott will be using his $38 million war chest to help; should he? That’s the subject of the One Click Survey.

But first, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020
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• “No Exceptions, No Delays…. Open Texas NOW.”
      
• That was the title of a resolution passed by Texas’ State Republican Executive Committee, urging Gov. Greg Abbott to “immediately rescind all COVID-related mandates, closures, and restrictions” and reopen the state. Brandon Waltens has the details.
     
• The resolution was adopted by a vote of 54 to 4 by the SREC, which speaks for the Republican Party of Texas. The resolution’s author, Rolando Garcia of Houston, says he was motivated by Abbott’s announcement last week which allowed some businesses to open at 75 percent capacity while others were forced to remain closed.
      
• “It is so blindingly obvious to everyone that the lockdowns and restrictions were a mistake and devastated the lives of so many people,” Garcia told Texas Scorecard.
       
• “For a state party to publicly disagree with a sitting governor of the same party is not something any of us take lightly, and the instinct of loyalty to leadership is usually pretty strong among party activists. So for this to happen underscores the depth of the anger and frustration out there.” – SREC member Rolando Garcia

• A special election to replace a North Texas state senator heated up over the weekend as the current officeholder campaigned on behalf of his chosen successor—another longtime lawmaker—against a conservative activist supported by the grassroots. 
     
• Outgoing State Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Prosper) spoke on behalf of State Rep. Drew Springer (R-Muenster) at a candidate forum held in Grayson County, and specifically against Republican Shelley Luther. Erin Anderson has the details.
     
• “We don’t want somebody who’s going to be at odds with our Republican governor,” said Sen. Fallon.
      
• Luther, of course, is the hair salon owner who famously bucked the business closure orders of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, which resulted in her being sent to jail until the state’s Supreme Court intervened and ordered her release. She is facing Rep. Springer and several others in a hastily called special election seemingly designed to benefit establishment cronies of the Austin lobby.
       
• Apparently Mr. Fallon and Mr. Springer believe legislators are to be rubber stamps for whatever bad public policy positions are taken by a governor from their party. Given the actions of the Republican Party of Texas over the weekend, it seems Shelley Luther is in closer step with the state GOP than Mr. Abbott...
     
• It should be noted that the leftwing Fort Worth Star Telegram endorsed Springer over the weekend, saying they were doing so in part because Shelley Luther is too conservative. Voters can be assured no one has ever claimed the same thing about Drew Springer.

• The only way to clean up Austin is to elect more outsiders, writes former State Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas) in a new commentary. He says citizens can begin by selecting Shelley Luther in the special Senate District 30 election. 
     
• According to Huffines, the Capitol culture expects legislators to cover up for each other at the expense of policy outcomes desired by the citizens. He specifically cites Mr. Springer as a prime example of this behavior.
   
• “Over the course of his political career, Springer has cultivated the type of record that lobbyists and special interests love to see. His own advertisements tout a taxpayer-funded lobbying ban … from which he voted to exempt his own district. Now he says he wants to author constitutional carry, a bill that I filed in the Senate, and that he refused to support as a co-author, when in the House. He’s so compliant that he’s collecting politician and lobby endorsements like a swamp collects mosquitos. ” – Don Huffines

• Speaking of SD 30, the nationwide Christian voter resource organization iVoterGuide has reviewed the candidates seeking the seat. The organization bases their reviews on ratings, endorsements, contributions, and a questionnaire. They find Luther to be the most conservative of the six candidates (comprised of five Republicans and one Democrat).
     
• iVoterGuide is a team of Christians and like-minded partners committed to helping other Christians and liberty-minded voters make better decisions about who should be entrusted with power. Learn more about them on their website.

• Citizens are expressing frustration after an image of Fort Worth Independent School District board President Cinto Ramos Jr.—who has previously expressed opposition to in-person classes—surfaced on social media with what appears to be his child at a Dallas Cowboys football game. As Robert Montoya reports, FWISD’s board is scheduled to vote tonight on whether or not they will extend the district’s ban on in-person classes through the end of October.
   
• Parents and taxpayers in FWISD jumped on the implications of the image. “The hypocrisy of Fort Worth ISD leadership is staggering,” tweeted Christopher Kratovil. “Per the FWISD Board Pres, it’s too dangerous to give parents the OPTION of in-person school, but his attending a Cowboys game with 22k fans is a fine idea.”
     
• “Very typical of leftist progressives who believe in one set of rules for society and a different set of rules for themselves. We’ve seen it many times.” – Fran Rhodes, president of the True Texas Project

• Taxpayers notched a win for government accountability after successfully petitioning their city council to get voter approval before issuing millions in new taxpayer-supported debt. Erin Anderson reports that after voters rejected a $24 million bond election to build a new library in Farmers Branch, the city council decided to issue debt without voter approval to renovate the existing structure.
   
• The Farmers Branch City Council was planning to issue $10 million in “certificates of obligation,” which are paid for – just like bonds – by property tax revenues. The only difference is that bond debt requires voter approval but “COs” do not.
      
• Citizens sprang into action, made their voices loudly heard at city hall, and gathered enough voter signatures to force the spending plan onto the November ballot.
     
• “We had people sign that were Republicans, Democrats, pro-issue, anti-issue, and somewhere in between. The issue was not the debt, but that it was being issued without a public vote. COs should only be used in emergencies. This was a clear message to our council that they should be used that way only.” – Petition leader Nic Rady

Programming Note: Watch for tomorrow’s Texas Minute to come from Brandon Waltens. 

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has a $38 million campaign war chest at a time when out-of-state Democrats are pledging millions to defeat conservatives like Rep. Tony Tinderholt and newcomer Jeff Cason. Should Gov. Abbott be expected to help retain those seats?