Rep. Colin Allred, who was just in Ukraine weeks ago with a bipartisan delegation, has warned Texans to keep a close eye on developments.
According to Khou, the Democratic member from Dallas and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Colin Allred recently visited Egypt with a bipartisan delegation.
According to him, Texans should pay attention to this situation because it is likely to directly impact their wallets.
“We may see higher energy costs come out of this, and we may see some of our supply chains either interrupted or parts of it becoming more expensive because we’re trying to hit those parts of the Russian economy,” Allred told Inside Texas Politics.
Gap in Interest
The University of Texas has found that the issues voters are concerned about are not the same as the issues the candidates are talking about.
Democrats emphasize the electric grid in Texas, but the electric grid is only a top priority for 5% of voters. Conservative candidates still love to discuss plans to remove books from school libraries, even though most Texans – 62% – oppose the move.
Voters and campaigns have become so far apart, how did this happen? How will this affect the election in March?
According to Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune, it’s likely because both parties are talking mostly to their base – and not every voter – to get them fired up for the primary.
Rejected Mail-in Ballots Impact on Lives
Early voting is entering its final week, and mail-in ballots are still being rejected. Hundreds or dozens of votes could decide some local races.
“There are a lot of prognosticators saying that turnout in this election is going to be low, which means that every vote counts a bit more, and if votes are getting knocked off … it could hurt some candidates,” Ramsey explained.
Future of Transportation in Texas
In the near future, Texas highways will be changed by President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law. Charging stations for electric cars will pop up roughly every 50 miles. This will happen, regardless of whether Texas rejects federal funds.
This was among the things we learned from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who spoke to Inside Texas Politics.
“In the unlikely event that the state chooses not to submit a plan, we’re not going to allow Texans to be punished for that,” he stated.
“The money, according to the infrastructure law, basically rolls over so that individual communities can go ahead and apply for it.”
There is no question that the goal of adding a number of electric charging stations to Texas highways is to increase the number of electric vehicle purchases, which in turn would reduce emissions.
Gary Fickes, a Republican County Commissioner in Tarrant county, said the state legislature must finally amend its law before this project gets too far along.
There hasn’t even been an increase in Texas’ gas tax in nearly 30 years. Having one form of payment for electric vehicles is a minimum requirement, Fickes said.
Election to be Lieutenant Governor
The Lt. Governor of Texas holds a commanding lead in the March primary because he does not have a high-profile opponent, but he is campaigning aggressively and targeting professors at the University of Texas. Why is this? Does this go beyond primary election talk?
“He’s proving he’s the bull in the china shop in Texas politics, and he’s going to go upset everybody, whether it’s Democrats at UT or Republicans who don’t do things his way in the party,” explained Bud Kennedy with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Lack of Visibility for Upcoming Candidates
It has been difficult for down-ballot candidates to gain attention this year.
The majority have struggled at this over time.
Some had taken uncommon paths just to get their selves out there.
For example, one Railroad Commission candidate had taken his campaign to TikTok.
“People are getting attention any way they can,” Kennedy stated.
Through the weekend, Kennedy said there were 4% turnouts, which means “we’re on track for one of those 10% primaries where nine out of 10 Texans don’t vote.”