Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, December 11, 2019
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• You might recall how last week Republican State Rep. Rick Miller found himself stripped of his endorsement from Gov. Greg Abbott and forced to withdraw his re-election bid over some stupidly clumsy remarks he made. Yet yesterday Gov. Abbott offered his full and complete endorsement to State Rep. Sarah Davis (R-Houston), who has caucused with Democrats and attacks most of the GOP platform. Davis is especially, and rabidly, opposed to the conservative grassroots’ pro-life commitments. Brandon Waltens has the details.
     
• “She’s not really a Republican,” Abbott said of Davis in 2018. Sarah Davis was the lowest performing Republican on the 2019 Fiscal Responsibility Index – worse even than two Democrats! 
      
• It’s enough to make one think Abbott cares more about political expediency than achieving conservative policy results.
     
• After filing for re-election, State Rep. Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) withdrew his name yesterday. First elected to the Texas House in 2003, Zedler had a career “A” on the Fiscal Responsibility Index.
     
• Rep. Zedler’s announcement comes after Mansfield Mayor David Cook filed for the position in a last-minute, filing-day surprise on Monday.
       
• Apparently Christmas isn’t complete unless someone is trying to play the Grinch. In Austin, writes Jacob Asmussen, that would be the city council – which is busily working to separate Austinites from their money.

• Matt Stringer reviews the 11 candidates who have filed for the vacant Congressional District 11 race. Meanwhile, Thomas Warren writes that Potter County voters will have plenty of options in plenty of races when they head to the polls in 2020.
     
• A last-minute entry into Texas’ 2020 Republican Primary was Pierce Bush, running for the open-seat Congressional District 22. He is the grandson of the late George H.W. Bush and son of Savings & Loan grifter Neil Bush. It turns out Pierce’s GOP run isn’t much better than his dad’s worst inclinations. Pierce Bush voted in the 2008 Democratic Primary, and in 2017 posted pictures of himself participating in a pro-illegal immigration/ anti-Donald Trump rally. Check out Peter Hasson’s Daily Caller article.
      
• It will be interesting to see if Texas’ upwardly ambitious Land Commissioner, George P. Bush, endorses his left-leaning cousin’s congressional bid.
          
• “House Democrats' phony impeachment investigation was never about the facts. Proceeding with these articles, despite having no evidence of ‘high crimes or misdemeanors’ by President Trump, is an affront to our democracy.” – U.S. Rep. Roger Williams. Read his full statement.

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