Who will be on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots? How will this impact the ACC area?

The Texas Tribune has a list.

- Click here for it.

These are the races that will be of interest to us at ACC

Neither U.S. Senator from Texas is up for re-election.

US House of Representatives: District 14
Republicans
- Randy Weber, Incumbent and ACC Grad
- Keith Casey
Democrats
- Michael Cole

US House of Representatives: District 22
Republicans
- Pete Olson, Incumbent
Democrats
- Mark Gibson
- A.R. Hassan

Texas Senate: District 11
Republicans
- Larry Taylor, Incumbent - running unopposed

Texas House: District 29
Republicans
- Ed Thompson, Incumbent - running unopposed

Would you like to run for office next year?

If so you - and you want to run as a Democrat or Republican - you have one month to file to be on the ballot.

If you want more info click on these, both from the office of the Texas Secretary of State:

- Important 2016 Election Dates.
- Important Dates for the Party Conventions, Primary Elections and General Election.

So you want to run for office in Pearland?

The Pearland Chamber of Commerce wants to teach you how (thanks to the student who sent this to me).

- Click here for the article.

On Saturday, November 15, the Pearland Chamber of Commerce is presenting an in-depth and informative workshop for individuals looking to run for local political offices. The broad overview will be educational for any City, School, County, State or Federal position.

The inaugural Candidate School will provide prospective candidates with the tools to make a good and solid decision to run for office. A summary of the legal rules and regulations on running a good campaign, ethics, interaction with political consultants, elected officials past and present, and vendors of campaign services will be offered.

“The Pearland Chamber feels very strongly about providing the opportunity for individuals who are considering a run for office to learn how the process works and give them some ideas on how to run their campaign. Several elected positions have been sought and are held by past board members of the Chamber, but we have never offered this type of specific education. The Candidate School will provide an in-depth orientation on what to expect” said Carol Artz-Bucek, President /CEO of the Pearland Chamber of Commerce.

The cost for the Candidate School is $75 per participant. The full-day workshop is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. with registration, a casual meet-and-greet session, qualified presenters, a working lunch, a thorough question and answer session with a 3:00 p.m. planned adjournment.

Extra credit to any student who attends and reports on it.

Might be fun if one of you decides to jump in the ring.

Money beats grassroots

The Texas Tribune reports that Debra Medina, who ran as the Tea Party candidate for Texas governor in 2010, is considering running again, but this time to be Tax Assessor.

But a lack of funds may prevent her from doing so:

Four years after emerging as a Tea Party darling, Medina is eyeing the open race to succeed Comptroller Susan Combs. But as she weighs another run, she knows that donations from grass-roots supporters can take a candidate only so far in Texas.

“I’m hesitant to go out to these meetings and say, ‘I’m running,’ because I’m not going to run underfunded,” said Medina, who predicts that grass-roots supporters could provide 30 percent of what she needs for a campaign.

“I think the other 70 percent is going to have to come from high-wealth individuals who fund campaigns in Texas. There, it’s not coming,” Medina said.

Her comments underscore the extent to which wealthy donors play an outsize role in Texas elections, where there are no limits on how much an individual can donate to a candidate for a state office. With the majority of voters spread among several large media markets, running a statewide campaign is prohibitively expensive.

It's a reminder of who determines who wins state-wide office in Texas.

Medina’s campaign for governor came on the heels of the birth of the Tea Party movement. Though Gov. Rick Perry, who ultimately won re-election, quickly embraced many of the movement’s views of limited government, some voters believed it conflicted with his record, and they turned to Medina in the Republican primary, according to Mark Jones, chairman of political science at Rice University in Houston.

“There’s a certain level of support she has out there,” Jones said. “There are people who remember her and identify with that wing of the party.”

In July, Medina reported having $55,000 in her campaign account. Two Republicans already running for comptroller, state Sen. Glenn Hegar, of Katy, and state Rep.Harvey Hilderbran, of Kerrville, reported war chests of $1.8 million and $1 million, respectively. Former state Rep. Raul Torres, a Republican, is also a candidate and Democrat Michael Collier, a retired accountant, has said he may run for the position as well.