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By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief

A few days ago, a man who I greatly respect, former Republican congressional candidate Chris Ekstrom, posted something about politicians that really rang true for me. The post was directed at the politicians who claim they are conservatives when election time rolls around, but who fail to actually advocate for those principles they ran on in the first place.

Self-described Conservative politicians are mostly useless wussies, Ekstroms post read.

As unfortunate as the statement is, it is in large part true. This is not to say anything of the true conservative leaders who actually have stood their ground on their principles despite the political odds. When thinking of this description, I think of people like Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Ron Paul, two men who I greatly admire for their work in the Senate and House. Instead, this statement is directed at those politicians who put the word conservative on their yard signs, bumper stickers, and billboards, but then fail to do anything actually conservative once they are in office. For this example, think about men like Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), who thankfully is finally leaving the Texas Senate after local voters picked a true conservative as his replacement in Kevin Sparks.

With that being said, I have found that it seems that Republican voters are often hot under the collar at these types of phony conservative politicians during the persons term, but then they refuse to actually hold them accountable when its election time. People will complain and moan on Facebook, but when its time to actually hold those people accountable at the ballot box, voters often just give those spineless weasels a free pass.

Why is this the way it is? Well, for starters, it might just be apathy, or name recognition, or some combination of both. Why make a change when change is scary and you can just vote for the name you know, even if they are a spineless coward? However, another option that is perhaps more frighteningly accurate is that these terrible politicians with horrible records get assisted by political organizations more interested in promoting a certain agenda or protecting the status quo, than in actually accomplishing anything for the voters in the area.

Perhaps the best example of this type of group that Amarillo voters are likely familiar with is Amarillo Matters PAC. Amarillo Matters PAC has made a name for itself promoting establishment politicians aimed at promoting continuing progress, while handing the bill to the taxpayers. Candidates backed by Amarillo Matters dont really care if the taxpayers are footing the bill, as long as the pet projects get completed, and the wasteful spending keeps on going. This group is all about promoting the status quo.

While I have spoken often about Amarillo Matters PAC and its troubling involvement in Amarillo elections, there is a new group that has shown up in our community that, while less organized, still poses a threat in its ability to confuse voters due to its generic name, while harboring policy positions that go completely against the values it espouses to hold.

This new group calls itself Conservatives of Texas and is based out of West Texas. The group is apparently led by Alex Deanda, a Republican precinct chairman from Randall County, whose political beliefs are often shot from the hip and fluctuate depending on what election is taking place and which candidates the group is supporting.

The Deanda-led group has been meddling in Amarillo elections for a couple of years now, backing candidates funded by Obama-era Democrats, and supporting candidates who have handed out cushy tax breaks to out-of-area corporations, meddling in the free market.

While those positions are bad, this groups newest involvement in a local election is what is perhaps most troubling about this organization and should lead voters to ask serious questions about the true agenda this groups organizers are pushing.

Deanda has recently been pushing hard on social media for Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner using official Conservatives of Texas channels. Tanner has a write-in opponent in November, who has been endorsed by Potter County Republican Chairman Dan Rogers, the Potter County Republican Executive Committee itself, and numerous local conservative leaders and organizations.

According to the recent rhetoric from Deanda, Tanner won her primary election in March against Ed Heath, so that means voters should just let her win in November unopposed. Now that Tanner has an opponent in November who is being backed by the Potter County Republican Party, local Republican Party leaders, and now that she was recently condemned by a party resolution for opposing election integrity efforts, Deanda and his group are coming to Tanners aid, defending her awful record.

Remember, this is the same county judge who has pushed gun control and gun bans on Potter County properties, issued millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded debt without voter approval, actively opposed election integrity efforts backed by the Republican Party and President Trump, and appointed Democrats to powerful local government positions. Yet, somehow, her positions are conservative enough for an organization calling itself Conservatives of Texas.

Despite her awful record, Deanda is clinging to the rhetoric from Tanner and her supporters that she does not deserve a challenger in November. Even though her opponent is backed by local Republican leaders and the county party itself.

There is little online about what Conservatives of Texas actually stands for in terms of policy positions and values. Their website link listed on Facebook goes to a 404 error page, and their about section on Facebook simply reads as follows:

Conservatives of Texas is a grassroots organization that strives to engage our communities across al.

Now, Im not sure who Al is, but if he is promoting the same type of anti-gun, high-tax policies promoted by Nancy Tanner, then I dont want Al or Conservatives of Texas speaking for this community.

The truth is despite the scant amounts of information online regarding what Conservatives of Texas stands for, we can learn a lot about the true beliefs of this group based on their past endorsements and the candidates they have promoted or defended on social media. And what their record signals is that this group is anti-gun, pro-tax, anti-election integrity, and supports Republicans who are in bed with Democrat politicians.

That, my friends, is extremely troubling.

I probably dont fit the mold of a good Republican, considering that I believe people like Greg Abbott deserve just as much criticism now as they did in 2020 for shutting our state down, even though they are the Republican nominee in a general election. I believe people like John Cornyn should be held accountable at election time for voting for gun control, even if he is a Republican candidate. And I believe a liberal county judge who wants to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens deserves to be held accountable at election time, even if she does have that little R next to her name.

If believing that Republican elected officials should be held accountable by voters and taxpayers, election time or not, makes me a bad Republican, then maybe I am one. But I am a principled conservative, and that is what matters. When the time comes to stack up our records next to one another, Ill be proud to say that unlike some so-called conservatives, I wasnt a wussy political windsock.

As someone who is actually a principled conservative, seeing a group use the name Conservatives of Texas, then defend and promote politicians who raise taxes, oppose gun rights, and play games against the free market really makes me mad. Those are not conservative principles, and we shouldnt act like they are just because the group promoting those positions hides behind a name that implies they are conservatives.

I co-founded a Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at West Texas A&M University, and I have led multiple conservative political organizations. My beliefs on what is conservative and what isnt has always closely aligned with statements by two leading conservative thinkers and leaders in American history.

First, William F. Buckley outlined what conservative meant in the first edition of National Review in 1955:

Among our convictions: It is the job of centralized government (in peacetime) to protect its citizens' lives, liberty and property. All other activities of government tend to diminish freedom and hamper progress. The growth of government (the dominant social feature of this century) must be fought relentlessly. In this great social conflict of the era, we are, without reservations, on the libertarian side. - William F. Buckley

Second, President Ronald Reagan similarly outlined the foundations of conservatism in a 1975 interview with Reason Magazine.

If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberalsif we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is. - Ronald Reagan

Did you notice the term that both Buckley and Reagan outlined there? The term is libertarian.

What is a libertarian? Libertarianism (small l libertarian), stands for individual freedom and opportunity. As outlined by David Boaz, author of The Libertarian Mind, in an article for Encyclopedia Britannica:

Libertarians are classical liberals who strongly emphasize the individual right to liberty. They contend that the scope and powers of government should be constrained so as to allow each individual as much freedom of action as is consistent with a like freedom for everyone else. Thus, they believe that individuals should be free to behave and to dispose of their property as they see fit, provided that their actions do not infringe on the equal freedom of others.

I agree with Reagan that the very foundations of what it means to be a conservative must be based on an understanding of libertarian thought emphasizing less government interference and more individual freedom. Those are the beliefs I hold and that is why I am a conservative.

In many ways, while the Republican Party is not perfectly conservative or perfectly libertarian in thought, it is the mainstream party that best advocates for conservative ideas. That can be seen out through policies in the Republican Party of Texas platform advocating strong support for the Second Amendment and gun rights, general opposition to new taxes and tax increases, and opposition to property tax abatements.

Meanwhile, organizations like Associated Republicans of Texas have continued to push politicians who oppose conservative viewpoints in the Republican Party of Texas platform that are rooted in the traditional conservative thinking of men like Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley, despite having a named association with the Republican Party. That is bad, but now groups like Conservatives of Texas are taking it one step further, by promoting candidates actively opposed to conservative values like individual liberty and economic freedom while doing so under the self-proclamation of being conservatives.

In my mind, true conservatives do not support policies like banning guns, raising taxes, and handing out massive tax abatements that are paid for by Texas taxpayers. Along those same lines, true conservatives certainly dont advocate for politicians who hold those views, who can and will put those seemingly hypothetical positions into action, much like Tanner has done in Potter County. Nonetheless, the Conservatives of Texas and their leader, Deanda, continue to defend Tanner, despite her lack of conservative credentials and active opposition to conservative values. By doing so, this organization is showing its true colors.

If Deanda and his organization want to defend politicians who pass gun control rules and raise taxes to unprecedented levels in Potter County, that is fine, but they certainly shouldnt do so while calling themselves conservatives. For this group, perhaps the name Windsocks of Texas would be most appropriate, or maybe Sheep Herd of Texas, considering that for the candidates they support, they will bend over backwards to follow and defend whatever policies they promote, even if those positions run completely contrary to actual conservative values, as outlined by Reagan and Buckley.

The truth is just as Amarillo Matters PAC poses a threat to the integrity of Amarillo elections by backing pro-tax candidates with a massive war chest, so do groups like Conservatives of Texas who mislead voters into supporting candidates who promote gun control and tax increases, under the guise of being conservatives.

This is a real problem, but voters do not have to stand for this any longer. Voters can reject groups like Conservatives of Texas and their anti-gun, pro-tax agenda by voting against their candidates like Nancy Tanner in November. And in future elections, when Conservatives of Texas leaders like Alex Deanda place their names on the ballot again for leadership positions within the local Republican Party, voters who are truly conservative can vote against those individuals.

I am a true conservative, and Im sure many of you are, as well. We stand for gun rights, low taxes, personal freedom, and economic freedom. We believe in protecting the Constitution, defending the free market, and keeping government small and in-check.

If you believe those same things, then you must reject organizations like Conservatives of Texas and its dangerous rhetoric this November. Do not be conned into believing gun control, appointing Democrats to powerful government offices, or passing unprecedented debt issuances and tax increases are conservative positions. They are not, and the groups that push those positions and the candidates who support them, are not conservative.

Reject Conservatives of Texas in November. Vote against Nancy Tanner and ensure that yet another misleading special interest group does not con you out of your vote.

See the original post:
Editorial: True Conservatives Stand Against Gun Control The Amarillo Pioneer - The Amarillo Pioneer

Big-time libertarian pundit Ben Domenech got downright tetchy with National Conservatism scholar Yoram Hazony on a podcast this week over an issue that Domenech believes is settled and never to be unsettled. Hazony said that Domenechs rhetoric became downright violent.

At the prospect that many in the not-so-nascent national conservative movement believe gay marriage is still a salient issue, Domenech rather shouted at Hazony, I want you to understand this. We will beat you. We are beating you. We are destroying you in terms of the polling, like theres no basis for an anti-gay marriage conservative movement. It doesnt exist. I mean, its less that 25%. You are losing this argument. Youve lost the argument. I dont know why you want to go back and fight it.

Domenech was also shocked that the national conservatives would want to politically litigate that other supposedly settled issue, pornography. Such are the libertarians.

For those who dont know, Ben Domenech is the co-founder of the influential Federalist website, though I am not sure hes there any longer. He has a popular podcast. I think he has a radio show. And he has become a regular talking head on Fox News. You might say that Domenech is on the right wing of the sexual left.

His wife is Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Senator John McCain. She held and then angrily left the conservative seat on the clucking hen-fest on ABC hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. They are pundit and policy royalty and host regular salons in their Virginia home where some of their guests and dear friends areegadshomosexual. It is appalling to Domenech that some of his houseguests marriages are not approved of by Yoram Hazony and other national conservatives. Indeed, they are not.

Justice Clarence Thomas rattled a lot of cages when he wrote in his Dobbs concurrence that gay marriage may quite possibly be up for legal discussion. Did Thomas really put gay marriage back on the agenda? The sexual left certainly thinks so. The right wing of the sexual left thinks so. They all went nuts. But for some of us, phony gay marriage was never off the agenda. Decisions of the Supreme Court may be settled law but, as we found out in the Dobbs decision, settled law can, through persistence and creativity, become rather unsettled.

Nine hundred mostly young national conservatives met this week in Miami for their third national conference. There have been conferences in Brussels, Budapest, and Rome. To demonstrate the political salience of this movement, consider that several presidential hopefuls spoke this year, including Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, and Ron DeSantis (who received sustained ovations as he bashed big tech, woke capital, and the trans movement).

Riley Moore, the State Treasurer of West Virginia, got a standing ovation for announcing that his state no longer allows BlackRock Capital access to its investment money. BlackRock Capital, the largest investment fund in the world, has gone full-on woke and imposes wokeness on companies they invest in. Whatever happened to the knee-jerk knee-bending and hat-tipping to big money and big corporations that used to come from the center right. All gone. The State Treasurer talked about being a pipefitter in his life before politics, and this got a huge round of applause. These are not only national conservatives; they are also populists with no taste for big corporations.

Besides regular bashing of the woke Left, many spoke passionately in favor of marriage and family and explicitly against not just the trans movement but the overall homosexual marriage ascendancy.

On his podcast, Domenech was puzzled and incensed at the response that homosexual pundit Dave Rubin got when he announced he and his husband were having two children. The response from national conservatives was immediate and negative. Rubin had been a speaker at last years conference. He spoke on a panel with Yoram Hazony, founder of the National Conservatism movement, and gay pundit Douglas Murray who, from the stage, oddly scolded anyone who cared what he did with his genitals.

Welcoming Dave Rubin across the political divide from Left to Right was something of a love fest, but that was tempered when Rubin announced his fatherhood. It seems that many in the movement look askance at homosexuals buying human eggs and using not one but two women as brood mares. Libertarian Domenech was appalled that we were appalled.

Domenech does disapprove of the trans movement. He thinks this ought to be common ground between the different stripes of conservatism and between gay conservatives and not-gay conservatives. Most of us believe this is a phony distinction.

At the conference this week, Joe Rigney, president of Bethlehem College, said repeatedly that any efforts to separate the T from the LGB must be rejected because both are inextricably linked in their essential rejection of human sexuality properly understood. Not only did he feel free to say this repeatedly, but the audience also felt free to cheer him every single time he said it. Mr. Domenech should consider that most of the audience were youngsters.

Can LGB leave its marriage with the T? Look at freak show Demetre Daskalakis, Joe Bidens new HIV prevention czar, and tell me what you think. Then take a look at the similarly freakish Sam Brinton, Bidens deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy. Brinton tells the completely unbelievable story of experiencing so-called conversion therapy where he was hooked up to a car battery or some such nonsense. It is not just the Ts who are nutty.

Gay marriage is very much on the table. One speaker this week said you cannot be a conservative unless you are a social conservative. True. The new Heritage Foundation head, the impressive Kevin Roberts, said Heritage will take down the names of any Republican Senators who vote to codify gay marriage.

We know the battle for human sexuality properly understood will be long and sometimes lonely. The pro-life movement knew that, too, and we kept on going. There were Ben Domenech types who told us there was no way Roe would ever be overturned and we should just stop trying.

Turning back the sexual revolution is a herculean task. Not only is it on the table, but true conservatives are absolutely up to the job.

[Image Credit: Unsplash]

Read the rest here:
Is Gay Marriage Back on the Political Agenda? - Crisis Magazine

By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org

The state primary and Veto Day in the same week puts lots of things into perspective.

With Veto Day two days after the state primary election, a number of lawmakers attending Thursdays final session of the 2021-2022 term will not be back for many reasons, including being voted out in primary.

The Legislature is bound to be different for the next two years as no two legislatures are ever alike and the turnover after each election is about one-third of the 424 member General Court.

The primary election did have some interesting trends that may change things a bit.

An intramural as primaries are can be like family affairs, when they are healthy, there is nothing better, but when they are not, the can become real ugly.

And a couple of the Republican primaries were really ugly at the end and had to generate some bitter feelings which was manifested by the number of major office candidates who did not appear at the GOP Unity Breakfast Thursday morning before the Legislature met.

The most striking aspect of the primary is the hold former President Donald Trump still has on a good share of Republicans.

The three winning candidates for the three federal positions, retired Gen. Donald Bolduc for US Senate, former Trump aid Karoline Leavitt for the 1st Congressional District and early Trump supporter Robert Burns in the 2nd District all touted their support and ties to the former president and two were election deniers before the election Bolduc and Leavitt and he flip-flopped after the primary trying to move toward the center for the general election.

The winning candidates received about one-third of the votes cast election day on the GOP side. That is not to say only one-third of the Republican Party in New Hampshire supports Trump, because it is far higher than that, but that one-third is the foundational base of his support.

That means a couple of elections is not going to cleanse the Republican Party of Trumpism, it is here to stay for a while.

While the Democrats have the candidates the hierarchy wanted for those three races, as the adage goes be careful what you wish for.

Much can happen in the next two months beyond what is driving Democratic turnout today, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and the numerous Trump investigations ranging from stolen federal documents to inciting a violent insurrection.

Incumbent Democrats cruised to victory in the primary saving them money and giving them time to build the brand, but this is not your parents Republican Party.

Millions and millions of dark money and traceable money from Political Action Committees is poised to try to influence these races.

Your favorite Democrat may be considered a child molester by people not paying attention to politics once the ads blanket the airwaves and social media leading up to primary day.

It is ugly out there.

On the state level, there were some interesting trends.

Only two of the five Executive Council district races had unopposed candidates for both Democrats and Republicans, District 1 with GOP incumbent Joe Kenney and Democratic challenger and Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard, and District 3 with incumbent Republican Janet Stevens and Democrat Katherine Harake.

The Republican incumbents in districts 4 and 5, Ted Gatsas and David Wheeler both had opponents in the primary. Both considered fiscal and social conservatives, they had challenges from the Libertarian or Free State vein of their party.

Gatsas faced Terese Grinnell, a Loudon nurse who was arrested at one Executive Council meeting protesting accepting federal money for a COVID-19 vaccination program.

And Wheeler faced former Derry Representative Anne Copp, who resigned and claimed significant voter fraud in the 2020 election, where she was elected after losing a number of attempts running from Danbury.

The gerrymandering of District 2 forced a former executive councilor to run against the incumbent councilor for the Democrats.

Incumbent Cinde Warmington easily defeated former District 1 councilor Michael Cryans.

Warmington will face state Sen. Harold French who survived a primary to win the Republican nomination.

For the Democrats, state Sen. Keven Cavanaugh ran unopposed for the District 4 nomination, while Nashua Alderman Shoshanna Kelly was unopposed for District 5.

The far-right challengers to conservative Republicans says the party may be headed more in the Free State/Libertarian direction in the future than toward the Main Street Republicans who once dominated the GOP.

The State Senate has eight open seats, the most in quite a while, with several senators running for higher office like Senate President Chuck Morse, and District 24 Sen. Tom Sherman running for governor, and French and Cavanaugh running for Executive Council.

Others just decided not to run again like District 10 Sen. Jay Kahn, and District 17 Sen. John Reagan and District 2 Sen. Bob Giuda.

And District 1 Sen. Erin Hennessey resigned several months ago to become Deputy Secretary of State.

The question is who will replace these senators.

Shermans and Kahns districts are safely Democratic, while Morses, Reagans, Cavanaughs, Giudas and Frenchs districts are solidly Republican.

The only toss up really is District 1, which includes most of the state from the White Mountains north.

It is safe to say that the majority of Republican candidates who won their primaries in Republican leaning seats are more conservative than the ones who are leaving and in one case libertarian or free state leaning.

The Democrats replacing those in Democratic leaning seats are slightly more progressive than the senators they would replace.

With the gerrymandered Senate giving Republicans from 15 to 16 safe seats most elections, the body is likely to be more conservative with more liberty bills making it through.

The Senate has usually been the brake on the more expansive House agenda.

The House general election will be interesting. As of today, there are 202 Republicans and 179Democrats, which means two things, given the current political make-up, Democrats would need to flip about a dozen seats for majority control, and with 19 empty seats more like two dozen to be safe.

Beyond that, the primary election was a paradox in the House particularly for Republicans.

On one hand, Citizens for Belknap successfully targeted about half a dozen Free Stater/Libertarian House members who were the leaders of the county delegation (all 18 Belknap County House members) responsible for the shenanigans that led to the closing of Gunstock Ski and Recreation Area this summer, and also significantly reduced funding for the county nursing home and sheriffs department.

Other organizations targeted Free State candidates running in Democratic primaries and in other races where they tried to stay below the radar.

On the other hand, pro-life forces like Cornerstone Action targeted Republicans who backed changes in the law passed last year instigating an abortion ban after 23 weeks of pregnancy that also required an invasive ultrasound, and had no exceptions except for the life of the mother.

All four of the six Republicans seeking reelection who sponsored a bill to change key provisions of the ban, were targeted and only prime sponsor Dan Wolf survived.

One group claimed more than a dozen pro-choice Republicans were defeated in the primary Tuesday.

Other house Republicans targetedwere those opposed to right-to-work legislation.

The belief going into the current session was this was the best opportunity in years to pass the union-busting, right-to-work legislation, but it fell short in the House as it always has to date.

Democrats are losing some of their key people over the last couple of terms, but have been successful in recruiting younger, more progressive candidates in areas that lean Democratic.

If all those changes hold in the general election, the next two years may be even more partisan with an expanded cultural war than witnessed the last two years.

Democrats are not going to flip the Senate nor the Executive Council in the next decade they are so gerrymandered, but the House could flip from time-to-time.

And given the candidates at the top of the ticket for the GOP this year, this may be one of those times with abortion on the ballot and the legal hellhounds on Trumps tail.

Garry Rayno may be reached atgarry.rayno@yahoo.com.

Distant Domeby veteran journalist Garry Rayno explores a broader perspective on the State House and state happenings for InDepthNH.org. Over his three-decade career, Rayno covered the NH State House for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Fosters Daily Democrat. During his career, his coverage spanned the news spectrum, from local planning, school and select boards, to national issues such as electric industry deregulation and Presidential primaries. Raynolives with his wife Carolyn in New London.

View original post here:
Looking Ahead To the New General Court - InDepthNH.orgInDepthNH.org - InDepthNH.org

The Texas Tribune is answering reader questions ahead of the midterms about elections and the issues Texans are voting on. Thanks to readers like Kenneth S., Colette T. and others for asking us to define statewide officeholders roles. For the latest news and information on elections, sign up for our free daily newsletter. You can also get election updates over text message by texting hello to 512-967-6919.

Texans ballots for the midterm elections this year will be particularly long.

Along with their district-based representatives in Congress, the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate and the State Board of Education voters have the opportunity to select several elected officials who work for Texans across the state.

This means the states top executive leaders the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are on the ballot.

But so are other statewide offices, such as the land commissioner and agriculture commissioner, that wield significant power by regulating industries or managing grants and funds. Judges and justices for the states top courts, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court, will also appear further down on the ballot.

The deadline to register to vote in the 2022 primary election is Oct. 11. Check if youre registered to vote here. If not, youll need to fill out and submit an application, which you can request here or download here.

Early voting runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4. Voters can cast ballots at any polling location in the county where they are registered to vote during early voting. Election day is Nov. 8.

This option is fairly limited in Texas. Youre allowed to vote by mail only if: You will be 65 or older by Election Day, you will not be in your county for the entire span of voting, including early voting, you cite a sickness or disability that prevents you from voting in person without needing personal assistance or without the likelihood of injuring your health, youre expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day or you are confined in jail but otherwise eligible (i.e., not convicted of a felony).

Not always. Youll want to check for open polling locations with your local elections office before you head out to vote. Additionally, you can confirm with your county elections office whether election day voting is restricted to locations in your designated precinct or if you can cast a ballot at any polling place.

County election offices are supposed to post on their websites information on polling locations for Election Day and during the early-voting period by Oct. 18. The secretary of states website will also have information on polling locations closer to the start of voting. However, polling locations may change, so be sure to check your countys election website before going to vote.

Youll need one of seven types of valid photo ID to vote in Texas: A state drivers license, a Texas election identification certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas license to carry a handgun, a U.S. military ID card with a personal photo, a U.S. citizenship certificate with a personal photo or a U.S. passport. Voters can still cast votes without those IDs if they sign a form swearing that they have a reasonable impediment from obtaining a proper photo ID or use a provisional ballot. Find more details here.

Not familiar with these statewide offices? You can find more information about each office, including its responsibilities and power, below. You can also find your district-based lawmakers through our ballot finder.

Republicans have held every statewide elected office in Texas for more than two decades. The length of the term for each state office varies, but there are no limits to how many terms an officeholder can serve. There are also no referendums or recall elections at the state level in Texas.

Governor (four-year term): The governor is the chief executive of the state. The governors responsibilities include outlining budget recommendations for the Legislature and leading the state and its military forces during emergencies.

The Texas Constitution was written to limit the governors powers, especially within the Legislature, but the governor can still hold a lot of informal power through political influence, said Jennifer Hayes Clark, an associate professor of political science at the University of Houston.

The governors legislative powers include signing or vetoing bills and laying out emergency items for the Legislature to focus on during the first 60 days of regular legislative sessions, when no other bills can be passed.

The Legislature usually meets only for about five months every other odd-numbered year, but the governor can call special sessions for lawmakers to reconvene and pass laws on issues of the governors choice, as Gov. Greg Abbott did three times in 2021.

But its through appointments that the governor can amass power. The governor can make appointments to hundreds of government entities.

We explain the voting process with election-specific voter guides to help Texans learn what is on the ballot and how to vote. We interview voters, election administrators and election law experts so that we can explain the process, barriers to participation and what happens after the vote is over and the counting begins. Read more here.

Instead of letting only politicians set the agenda, we talk to voters and scrutinize polling data to understand ordinary Texans top concerns. Our readers questions and needs help inform our priorities. We want to hear from readers: What do you better want to understand about the election process in Texas? If local, state or congressional elected officials were to successfully address one issue right now, what would you want it to be? Whats at stake for you this election cycle? If were missing something, this is your chance to tell us.

We do not merely recount what politicians say, but focus on what they do (or fail to do) for the Texans they represent. We aim to provide historical, legal and other kinds of context so readers can understand and engage with an issue. Reporting on efforts that make voting and engaging in our democracy harder is a pillar of our accountability work. Read more here.

We arent able to closely cover all 150 races in the Texas House, 31 in the Texas Senate or 38 for the Texas delegation in the next U.S. House. We need to choose what races we cover closely by using our best judgment of whats most noteworthy. We take into account factors like power, equity, interest and competitiveness in order to determine what warrants more resources and attention. Read more here.

In reporting on falsehoods and exaggerations, we clearly explain why it is untrue and how it may harm Texans. Sometimes, we choose to not write about misinformation because that can help amplify it. Were more likely to debunk falsehoods when they are spread by elected officials or used as a justification for policy decisions. Read more here.

Notable appointments include the secretary of state, who oversees elections; the commissioner of public education; the commissioner of higher education; members of the Public Utility Commission, which regulates the states power grid and other utilities; and the boards of regents for four-year public universities.

The governor can also fill vacancies for the remainder of an unfinished term if an elected official, a judge or a justice resigns or dies. Many appointments require confirmation from the Texas Senate, but governors can skirt that requirement if an election for an office is held before the Senate reconvenes, said Drew Landry, an assistant professor of government at South Plains College. Abbott and former Gov. Rick Perry, in particular, often used this workaround, Landry said.

This is an effective strategy because gubernatorial appointees then have the advantage of name recognition and are more likely to win an election, Clark said, and these appointments can be especially influential in the states top courts.

Given the long tenure of Perry, and now Abbott, theyve both appointed nearly all members of the Texas bureaucracy so many of those important boards and commissions of the state, which make important decisions, Clark said.

This means that the power and influence of a Texas governor can grow the longer theyre in office even with a state constitution that is designed to give more power to the legislature.

Abbott is seeking a third term. His challengers are Beto ORourke, the Democratic nominee, Mark Tippits, a Libertarian, and Delilah Barrios, a Green Party candidate.

Lieutenant governor (four-year term): The lieutenant governor, the second-highest state executive, presides over the state Senate. It is often regarded as the most powerful statewide elected office because of its role in the Texas Legislature, Landry said. In the Senate, the lieutenant governor is in charge of the agenda and standing committees and has the deciding word if theres a tie or a procedural question. This gives the office a lot of influence over senators and power over what bills make it to the governors desk.

Basically, he gets to roll the dice, and everyone else is going to play that game, Landry said.

The lieutenant governor also co-chairs the Legislative Budget Board, which leads the development of the state budget, and is on the Legislative Redistricting Board, which is in charge of redrawing political maps based on census data if the Legislature fails to do so. (The other members of the Legislative Redistricting Board are the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, attorney general, land commissioner and comptroller.)

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who quietly amassed influence with former President Donald Trump and often has tense relations with more moderate members of the Texas Republican party, is seeking a third term. His challengers are Democrat Mike Collier and Libertarian Shanna Steele.

Comptroller of public accounts (four-year term): The comptroller is the states accountant and chief financial officer. The office is responsible for collecting state fees and taxes, which are primarily sales taxes from local governments. (Texas doesnt have a state income tax, and property taxes are collected by local governments.)

The comptroller also manages hundreds of state contracts on behalf of other agencies and provides forecasts on the states revenue and economy for the Legislature. This helps set the course for legislative sessions, Clark said.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who is seeking reelection for a third term, has recently taken a more active approach by challenging companies and Harris County over political issues. He faces Democratic challenger Janet Dudding and Libertarian challenger V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza.

Attorney general (four year-term): The attorney general is the states top attorney. The office is responsible for representing the state in legal matters, primarily in civil litigation. This can look like defending the state in lawsuits, especially if a case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court. It can also mean bringing forward or participating in lawsuits against the federal government, corporations or others on behalf of the public.

The attorney general can also make legal interpretations and issue opinions on legal questions. The opinions are not rulings and are nonbinding, but they are often followed and cited by others, such as local governments and attorneys.

Even though its nonbinding, they then sort of take that as basically a stamp of approval, Clark said. And the implication is that then if somebody sues, then they can use that to kind of bolster their argument.

The attorney generals office also enforces child-support orders and open-government laws and can investigate for consumer and Medicaid fraud. The office can also provide support in criminal investigations, but that is usually limited to when local officials request help from the office, Clark said.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose tenure has been clouded by a fraud indictment and an FBI investigation into claims of malfeasance while in office, is seeking a third term. There is no law preventing someone from running for office while under indictment, according to Landry and Clark. State election code says only that an eligible candidate must have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.

Right now, Paxton would have to be investigated and impeached by the Legislature or voted out to be removed from office, Landry said. Despite his legal troubles, Paxton likely benefited from Trumps endorsement to win the crowded Republican primary for attorney general, Clark said.

Paxtons midterm challengers are Democrat Rochelle Garza and Libertarian Mark Ash.

Land commissioner (four-year term): The commissioner of the General Land Office manages 13 million acres of state land. The office also administers federal aid after natural disasters, manages the historic Alamo site and oversees investments from the Permanent School Fund, a state endowment created in 1876 to help fund public education. It also provides support for veterans through the Veterans Land Board, which offers land and home loans and other services to veterans.

Three candidates are vying for the office currently held by Republican George P. Bush, who unsuccessfully ran to be the Republican candidate for attorney general. They are state Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway; Jay Kleberg, a Democrat; and Green Party candidate Alfred Molison.

Agriculture commissioner (four-year term): Apart from supporting farmers and regulating the agriculture industry, the commissioner of agriculture regulates weights and measuring devices, including grocery scales, retail price scanners and fuel pumps. Thats why you may hear warnings or updates about credit card fraud at fuel pumps from the commissioner of agriculture, Landry said. The agriculture commissioner is also in charge of administering school lunch programs and other assistance programs to help address hunger and promote nutrition.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is seeking a third term. His Democratic opponent is Susan Hays. There are no Libertarian or Green Party candidates.

Railroad commissioners (six-year terms): The Railroad Commission, which is made up of three elected seats, regulates oil, gas, coal and pipelines in the state. (It was originally established to regulate railroad tariffs, but railroads are now overseen by the Rail Division of the Texas Department of Transportation.) This means railroad commissioners oversee gas utility services and rates, as well as coal and uranium mining in the state.

The seat of Republican incumbent Wayne Christian is up for election. His challengers are Luke Warford, the Democratic nominee; Jaime Andrs Dez, a Libertarian; and Hunter Crow of the Green Party.

Justices of the Supreme Court of Texas (six-year terms): Texas and Oklahoma are the only two states with two courts of last resort, according to Clark and Landry. The Texas Supreme Court is the top court in the state for civil litigation. It is made up of nine justices, including the chief justice, who serve staggered six-year terms. The state supreme court also oversees the State Bar of Texas.

Texas is one of a handful of states that elects judges through partisan elections. In Missouri and other states, judges are appointed by the governor through a merit-based nomination system. These judges then go through retention elections, in which voters decide whether a judge should remain in office. If voters reject a judge, a new one is appointed.

Other states elect judges through contested, nonpartisan elections. New Mexico uses a combination of partisan and nonpartisan elections after a judge is appointed by the governor.

In Texas, governors like Abbott can still exert influence in the court by appointing individuals with similar policy and legal perspectives to fill vacancies. And although those appointees still face elections, they tend to side with the governor who appointed them.

It's very rare to see them actually go against the governor, Clark said.

Thats given Abbott and Texas conservatives wins in significant cases, such as those about the states abortion restrictions. The state Supreme Court determined that state leaders couldnt be sued over a near-total ban passed in 2021 due to its private-enforcement mechanism. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Texas court also allowed the state to enforce another near-total ban on abortions dating to before the Civil War.

Earlier in the pandemic, the Texas Supreme Court also temporarily blocked enforcement of mask mandates in Dallas and Bexar counties, siding with Abbott and Paxtons argument that the Texas Disaster Act of 1975 gives the governor the power of commander-in-chief. More recently, the state Supreme Court questioned Abbotts directive for the state to investigate families providing gender-affirming care to transgender children, but the justices allowed most investigations to continue.

The three justices up for reelection are Republicans Debra Lehrmann, Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle and Evan Young. Democrat Erin A. Nowell and Libertarian Tom Oxford are challenging Lehrmann. Huddle and Young are facing Democratic challengers Amanda Reichek and Julia Maldonado, respectively.

Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals (six-year terms): The Court of Criminal Appeals is the top court in the state for criminal law. It is made up of nine judges, including a presiding judge.

All death penalty cases go directly to the Court of Criminal Appeals for an automatic appeal to determine whether there were any legal errors in the court proceeding. Other criminal appeals go to one of 14 lower courts of criminal appeals in the state, and the Court of Criminal Appeals can then decide to review decisions made by one of those lower courts.

The Court of Criminal Appeals has final say over all habeas corpus appeals for those convicted of a felony, in which people claim they are being illegally punished or unlawfully detained. This type of appeal generally focuses on constitutional rights and claims of innocence, and can include facts outside of the original trial record, like new evidence. Lower courts can make recommendations to the high court in such cases, but its the Court of Criminal Appeals that determines if an appeal will result in an overturned conviction or reduced sentence.

The three judges up for reelection are Republicans Mary Lou Keel, Scott Walker and Jesse McClure. Keels seat is uncontested. McClure is being challenged by Robert Johnson, and Walkers challenger is Dana Huffman.

This story is part of a project called Democracy Day, in which newsrooms across the country are shining a light on threats to democracy and what action is needed to protect it.

Jolie McCullough contributed to this story.

Disclosure: The University of Houston and the Texas comptroller of public accounts have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas governor, lieutenant governor and more: What do these offices do? - The Texas Tribune

By Angela McArdle

Twenty-one years ago, our country was changed forever. On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda militants hijacked commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York, killing nearly 3,000 people. As countless families still grieve their lost loved ones from that tragic dayand the country suffers the consequences of the resulting war on terrorlibertarians fear too many of our countrymen still have not learned a vital lesson.

Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, then-presidential candidate and now-former Rep. Ron Paul warned Americans that the attacks were blowback for our governments actions in the Middle East. It should be easy to imagine how such a remark astounded the electorate; until then, Americans had been oblivious to their governments ventures abroad. For whatever reason, the corporate media had never covered the CIAs arming of Osama bin Laden in the 1980s to fight communism in Afghanistan, or the fact that US soldiersmassacredIraqi civilians during the Gulf War, or the 1.5 million Iraqi civilianskilledby US sanctions on milk and medicine in the 1990s.

Yet we flooded Afghanistan, a country so poor and remote that many of its citizens had no concept of New York City, skyscrapers, or even televisionsmuch less the events of 9/11. Less than two years later, we plundered Iraq in search of Saddam Husseins ever-elusive weapons of mass destruction;nineteen years and 4,500 dead U.S. service members later, we still have troops there.

America needed Ron Pauls iconic, uncomfortable moment on that debate stage. The integrity to speak truth to ones own team is rare in politics. To be seen as unpatriotic or insulting to the military has always been a political death sentence, and the years immediately following 9/11 were no exception. But the reality was as true then as it is today: There are few acts more inhumane or disrespectful to our troops than sending them to fight and die in pointless, endless wars abroad.

And many of the sacrifices our politicians told us would be necessary have been turned against us: the Patriot Act, NSA surveillance, and detention without due process, to name just a few. Mainstream pundits have evencalled forJan. 6 protesters to be sent to Guantanamo Bay, a place designated exclusively for the most dangerous terrorists. How long until our government starts turning its critics right here at home into political prisoners?

Ron Paul warned what many of the unseen casualties of the war on terror would be: our civil liberties; our ability to engage in diplomacy; trillions upon trillions added to our national debt; and control of our federal government. We have also had more than30,000 veteran suicidessince 9/11, and an estimated38,000 homeless veterans, many of whom suffer from traumatic brain injuries.

The people of the Middle East have paid a price no less heavy. Brown Universitys Costs of War Projectestimatesthat Americas post-9/11 wars have killed between 900,000 and 2 million people, many of them innocent women and children. The number of displaced persons is unknown, and the ensuing political instability has decimated the quality of life for millions of Middle Easterners.

In light of all this, libertarians message for America is simple: No more.

No more entangling alliances, no more military aid in foreign conflicts that do not serve our nations interests, no more grieving parents or grieving children whove lost their family members because of our drone strikes, no more destruction of our Constitutional rights, and no more veteran suicides or starving, homeless veterans wandering American streets.

Originally published in Human Events on 9/9/22

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Lessons Learned: Ron Paul's Warnings Against the War on Terror Stand True - Libertarian Party