Burka Blog
June 26, 2014
A response from Michael Williams
Texas's Commissioner of Education gives our Perry Report Card an F.
Michael Williams
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2012
Perry names Williams education chief
This appointment had been rumored for some time, so it was hardly a surprise. Michael Williams has a slim history in the education area, except for serving in the Department of Education during the George H. W. Bush administration and serving on the board of a Catholic school. He faces
Politics & Policy
June 22, 2011
Craddick seeking Railroad Commission post
Not Tom. His daughter Christi. Rick Perry has a vacancy to fill, following the resignation of Michael Williams in April. (Williams, through his consultant, had previously insisted to me that he was unequivocally running for the U.S. Senate; he now has his sights set on one of the 17 or
Politics & Policy
January 27, 2011
Ron Paul: Texas’s next senator?
The Morning News reports that the Texas congressman is considering a run for the Senate. [I am having trouble with the link.] Paul is not going to be able to resist the chance to serve in the Senate alongside his son. If he runs, who is going to beat him? The guy with
Politics & Policy
February 2, 2010
What is Medina up to?
A couple of weeks ago I questioned in this space whether Medina might enter the Senate race if Hutchison resigns her seat after the primary or the runoff? Apparently someone else was thinking the same thing. The analysis that follows was sent to me by someone who is well known
Politics & Policy
February 3, 2009
Dodging Dewhurst
David Dewhurst’s committee assignments late Friday spotlighted the challenge this session presents for Florence Shapiro, whose interest in running for the U.S. Senate places her in perilous territory vis-a-vis the Texas Senate’s presiding officer, who likewise is considering a relocation to Washington. While Dewhurst’s committee assignments shifted authority from Shapiro
Politics & Policy
December 11, 2008
Roger Williams joins the Senate race
UPDATE: I should have given Roger Williams credit in this writeup for his outstanding performance in the chair on the first day of the 2007 session, when he presided over the speaker’s race. He showed no favoritism and made a crucial ruling, overruling a point of order, that a secret
Politics & Policy
December 9, 2008
Can Sharp Win the Senate Race?
The former state comptroller announced his candidacy today. He does not plan to form an exploratory committee but will begin raising money immediately. This will be Sharp’s second bite at the Senate apple. In 1992, when Lloyd Bentsen resigned his seat to become Secretary of the Treasury in the first