Out-of-district PACs are bankrolling Scott Bowen’s campaign for State Representative.

Let’s cut right to the numbers. In the latest reporting period, Bowen pulled in a massive $378,815—a standard haul for a competitive State House race. But look closer: only $15,139 of that total came from individual donors. That includes a grand total of $5.21 from State Rep. Briscoe Cain. (Five bucks? Cheap bastard.)

That means a staggering 98% of Bowen’s funding came straight from out-of-district PACs. Highlights include $150,500 from the newly minted Texas Conservative Majority PAC and $90,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR)—an organization dedicated to destroying consumer access to the very court system our tax dollars pay for. On top of that, $25,000 came from Texans United for a Conservative Majority, a PAC whose leaders notoriously met with a known white supremacist. That group is bankrolled by Bowen’s billionaire backers, Farris Wilks and Tim Dunn, both featured in CNN’s expose “Deep in the Pockets of Texas.”

Why flood a district that historically votes Republican by 15-plus points with this much money? Simple: their internal polling probably shows what everyone already knows—Bowen is a terrible candidate, his opponent is a great one, and local Republicans are currently about as popular as herpes at a hot tub party.

Wocka Wocka.

Here are the PACs financing Bowen’s campaign.

You have to be f***ing kidding me. Literally.

The Pentagon has rolled out formal guidance for mandatory sperm count testing for male service members 18 and older, a policy that faces questions from medical experts about the need and efficacy of such a program.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July that a new program to screen troops for “sperm deficiency” was necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.” The new clinical guidance, released late Thursday, outlines how the program would work. According to Hegseth this program will begin immediately and there will be significant consequences for anyone who refuses to participate. According to Hegseth:

“As war fighters you will get on board and you will participate in this activity. Let me warn anyone who choses to challenge me on this decision no matter how high of rank or level of legal expertise you may think you have, if you challenge me I will beat you off. With BOTH hands!”

Welcome to Satire Sunday.

When you are asked a softball question like “Will you vote for a racist?” the answer is clear.

Anyone tracking Orlando’s career might have pegged him as a solid contender for Harris County Judge. He didn’t come across as a typical MAGA partisan, a Mexican MAGAt; in fact, he urged voters to see him as an independent voice rather than just another Republican line-item. But when the big moments came—on FLOCK cameras, ICE abuse, and now basic issues of racism—he completely struck out, he whiffed, he was caught looking like a racist.

His pitch for the Houston Chronicle endorsement collapsed on camera, exposing a blatant partisan posture that left his opponent, City Councilwoman Letitia Plummer, shaking her head in disbelief.

Pressed on Bo French—the Republican Railroad Commissioner nominee known for a stream of bigoted comments—Sanchez folded into party loyalty. Rather than condemning the rhetoric, he echoed the double-talk seen across the GOP, similar to State Representative Jeff Leach’s standard defense at Texas TribFest (“there is no room for racism in our party, but I’m still voting for him”). Sanchez signaled that partisan identity comes first, confirming he is firmly on Team Red and will vote the party line regardless, stating:

“I ask you to ignore that R and remember who Orlando Sanchez is. I know they are going to call me MAGA Sanchez. My response is: I’m Orlando Sanchez. I’ve never hitched my wagon to any extreme ideals. I am my own man. I am not going to listen to some slogan from some past presidential election.”

Needless to say he did not receive the endorsement from the Chronicle and that comment should have disqualified him from serving. But this is the new Republican Party where the (R) stands for Racist. Go watch the video.

Even Governor Greg Abbott can’t stand Scott Bowen

Former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen is sending out mailers boasting about his support for public education—as if voters have collective amnesia. In reality, Bowen has aligned himself with Governor Abbott’s agenda, backing property tax shifts and voucher programs that strip critical funding from our public schools. His actual record on the School Board speaks for itself, and there is very little in it worth bragging about. Here is the reality:

• Bowen was caught on camera sponsoring a resolution on behalf of the Texas Republican Party in support of vouchers.
• Bowen was caught on camera testifying in Austin against aspects of public education
• Bowen lost his re-election to the Board by a huge 12 point margin losing to a conservative candidate
• Bowen attempted to stack the Board by recruiting unqualified partisan candidates (5 of 7 lost)
• Bowen spearheaded the banning of CRT (Critical Race Theory) which was not taught in K-12 and was never going to be taught. It was a complete waste of time, effort, and money.
• Bowen brought in tens of thousands of dollars from extremist billionaires to fund his candidates
• Bowen bought chaos to the CCISD Board and to the district
• Bowen was so toxic the Board members will not endorse him

Don’t be uneducated. Read about Bowen complete record of chaos and association to extremist organizations here.

Well he isn’t a Mexican MAGAt (he is from the Honduras) but he is a Bo French.

Voters in House District 144—including Pasadena, La Porte, and Deer Park—face a clear choice this election. Since 2013, Representative Mary Ann Perez has been an outstanding, dedicated public servant for this diverse community. Her opponent, David Flores, offers a vastly different record.

Flores has been arrested five times, including a DWI captured on video (See below) where he was also recorded using abhorrent racial slurs. In any standard political environment, such behavior would immediately disqualify a candidate. Yet top Republicans, including Governor Greg Abbott, remain silent—unwilling to condemn Flores because doing so would require addressing recent racial slurs from Bo French. With less than a month until the election, Flores hasn’t even launched a campaign website to tell voters where he stands.

Abbott has not responded about his endorsement.

Better late than never

The Galveston County Daily News ran a story titled “La Marque Councilman whose company owes $28K disputes tax treatment“. It’s a thorough article and worth the read if you have access. In short, a Republican Judge issued a default judgment against Lowry for unpaid back taxes for 2024 and 2025. Don’t take my word for it. Go to this website and review the documents and the judgement. Enter 26-TX-0085 as the case number or you can read the judgment below. Eitherway, he owes over $28,000.

On a side note the Society of Hypocrites in Texas (SHIT) is suing Lowry for defecation of character because the only person yelling and screaming about taxes on La Marque City council is the very person that…..wait for it….owes the county $28,000 in taxes! According to SHIT “We will not sit idly while someone disrespects the shit out of us!”.

By the way, this is NOT the first time Lowry has been sued for back taxes. Back in 2025 he was sued for back taxes totaling $49,000 for 2021, 2022, and 2023. Again, search the county website for case #24-TX-0303 and read for yourself. He eventually paid the taxes.

Of course now Lowry is blaming everyone for his failure to pay taxes including the Republican tax collector and assessor, Cheryl Johnson and the Republican Judge Seth Jones. According to the article:

Lowry accused unidentified officials of unlawful conduct and alleged an employee was targeting conservatives and people who have criticized Galveston County government. Lowry wouldn’t identify the employee or provide documentation establishing the company’s treatment differed from that of other taxpayers.

He also claims he is going to sue everyone. Yeah. Right. As I have said in the past Lowry is like a constipated two year old. He ain’t going to do shit.

Gdamn dude. Buy a pair of blue jeans.

Senator John Fetterman’s interview with The Texas Tribune at TribFest was strange, awkward, and deeply frustrating. Showing up in his trademark black hoodie and gym shorts—despite the 90-degree heat—he looked completely out of place, especially compared to an audience that at least put in the effort to dress appropriately. But his sloppy attire was the least of his problems; his performance and substantive positions were entirely off base.

Iran: He repeated tired Republican talking points, insisting “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” while ignoring that a working nuclear deal was tore up by the previous administration.

Israel & Palestine: His blank-check support for Netanyahu is disturbing. Supporting Israel’s right to self-defense shouldn’t mean backing actions that risk war crimes. Democrats can and should support both everyday Israelis and Palestinians without aligning with Netanyahu’s far-right government or Hamas.

Bipartisanship & Shutdowns: He claims to champion the working class, yet he echoed GOP narratives on government shutdowns—blaming them for impacting TSA workers while ignoring that shutdowns have consistently been driven by the Republican majority. Pushing for “bipartisanship” misses the reality of who actually controls Congress.

Reputation & Policy: Reports from outlets like the Philadelphia Inquirer have labeled him ineffective, and his high staff turnover speaks volumes. While he briefly aligned with standard Democratic positions—such as opposing Trump’s attacks on voting rights and criticizing DOGE—his answers on data center regulation, immigration, and foreign policy were evasive or laden with Trumpian rhetoric like “Super Intelligence.”

Overall, it was 45 minutes of evasive non-answers and recycled talking points that his own state’s polling suggests voters aren’t buying.

What JD Vance said.

I attended a session at the Texas tribune TribFest discussing the significance of the Latino vote in the upcoming November election. According to the panel, the two most pressing issues for the Latino community are the cost of everything is out of control and ICE is out of control. These issues should not be confined to the Latino community alone. Anyone with a bank account and anyone with a sense of empathy and humanity recognize the killing of people on our streets due to ICE is unacceptable in America.

It bothers me that it appears as though we must coddle the Mexican American community into voting. I’m not sure what they desire beyond good jobs, affordable healthcare, reasonable gas prices, an opportunity for improvement, and safety within their community. Those were the core issues we campaigned on in both 2024 and 2020. I believe we’ve been advocating for these issues for the longest time. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, we haven’t been effectively communicating with them. Regardless, let’s move on.

I had to ask a question to the panel:

“With the cost of everything out of control and ICE out of control, can you name one specific campaign issue that would convince a Mexican-American to vote for a Republican in November?”

The response from a former Republican state representative Jason Villalba was what JD Vance said. Give us another chance. Trust us. He also said that if he was a candidate running this year, he would focus on local issues and avoid the affordability issue and ICE. Run on education and possibly taxes. I hope the Mexican-American community will return to their roots and tell the Republicans, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. This time, I’m going to kick your ass.’

What bothers me is this: if Mexican Americans had exercised their voting power 20 years ago, we wouldn’t be discussing issues like the death of brown people on the streets due to ice or the affordability of a breakfast taco. It’s time for the Mexican-American community to take a stand and vote their strength, removing Republicans from office.

We’ll see in November.

On the flip side, the re-redistricting of the state and the voting barriers put in place by Republicans and President Trump are deeply concerning. If those tactics allow Republicans like Sessions to retain control, it honestly terrifies me.

Unlike the Democrats on stage, Sessions couldn’t resist starting off with partisan sniping—the exact kind of rhetoric everyone is tired of. At one point, the crowd even called him out for claiming Joe Biden “opened the border,” which is a absurd statement for a sitting congressman to make. Sessions refused to distance himself from Trump, even on major issues like immigration. He couldn’t even bring himself to condemn the cruel deaths of Americans on American soil by ICE.

Fletcher made a great point that redistricting must be a bipartisan effort, taken out of the hands of partisan politicians who are only interested in maximizing their own party’s seats. As she said, the current system is wrong, and I completely agree.

Menefee put it plainly: President Trump is a bad president who doesn’t care about ordinary people. While everyday Americans suffer from skyrocketing affordability issues and soldiers are being killed in Iran, Trump is busy playing with “Lego sets” in the White House—building a ballroom, designing an Arch, renaming monuments after himself, and bulldozing  the East Wing. Yet Sessions just sat there and said nothing. Menefee is right: there is nothing good about Trump’s leadership, and the only way to prevent further damage to our country and institutions is for Democrats to win the House and cut off the funding.

Fletcher and Menefee give me hope; Sessions just leaves me deeply alarmed for our future.

I left this year’s TribFest deeply disappointed. I appreciate The Texas Tribune’s efforts in organizing the festival, but the keynote event with Marjorie Taylor Greene fell short in several critical ways. Greene has a track record as a toxic, inflammatory politician—one whose past behavior, like shouting from the Capitol floor like howling monkeys, is hard to look past. Yet the audience treated her with far more respect than she deserved, effectively normalizing her past actions. Worse, the moderator treated the session as a casual chat rather than pressing her with the tough, accountable questions asked of other speakers, like James Talarico.

The only real pushback came from an audience member who asked if she took responsibility for instigating some of the most divisive politics in modern American history. Her response boiled down to boasting that she was the “only one who apologized,” rather than offering a simple, sincere, “Yes, I am sorry.” It is impossible to give her a pass for her tenure in Congress, and I won’t.

Beyond the frustration, Greene’s comments were revealing:

The Fallout: She detailed the severe death threats made against her family and mentioned asking Trump to tone down his rhetoric, only to be met with total inaction from him and the party. While no one should face violence, it remains difficult to feel sympathy when her own rhetoric contributed to the dangerous political climate that ultimately turned on her.

The “Both Sides” Cop-Out: She leaned heavily on the tired claim that “people are disappointed in both parties.” It’s an easy retreat for MAGA figures when facing political headwinds, ignoring the fact that her faction drove much of the chaos.

The Epstein Files: She described her discussions with Trump regarding the Epstein files, noting how he personally stifled efforts to investigate or hear survivors. While she deserves basic credit for speaking out, standing against child abuse is the bare minimum for any human being, not an act of heroism.

Calling MAGA a Cult: Greene claimed MAGA is a cult that will collapse once Trump is gone—a movement she admitted to being a part of. While she continues to advocate for “America First” policies and the release of January 6th rioters, she openly called MAGA supporters hypocrites and liars.

Where is MTG going now? Who cares? Maybe she should join with Lauren Boebert and start the “Reach Around” Party.

Once again, a great 3 day event hosted by The Texas Tribune.

TribFest is a three day event held in Austin with speakers on various topics, candidates for office, and elected officials. This year their opening Keynote Speaker is former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene probably because Lauren Boebert was not available. Senator John Fetterman will close out the event probably because Senator Mitch McDonnell wasn’t able to speak. Literally.

But besides the two strange bookends, there are a number of sessions worth attending. Gina Hinojosa spoke earlier today to a packed room with many lined up outside hoping to get a seat. State Representative James Talarico will speak this afternoon. People were lined up 1.5 hours ahead. The room at First Babtist Church is huge and expected to be full.

Other speakers include Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Senator Raphael Warnock, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, and Congressman Michael McCaul. There are sessions on healthcare, AI, ICE, the Latino vote, and more.

All in all it is going to be full day at the TribFest. It is a very professional event. Film at 11.

Generally I accept the Chronicle’s endorsements. May not agree but I accept.

But the recent endorsement of former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen crossed the line. My comment to the Editor Evan Mintz was “It’s as if the Houston Chronicle never researched Bowen’s baggage.”. Mintz says the endorsement “clearly” addressed his baggage. Let me also be clear on what baggage he left on the airport carousel.

Mr. Mintz you didn’t mention he sponsored a resolution on behalf of the Republican Party supporting vouchers as a sitting CCISD Trustee. (Its on video) He testified in office against public schools (Its on video) A formal grievance was filed against him for claiming his constituents was supportive of his view. They were not. He brought in large sums of money from out of district PACs from extremist groups to fund candidates (5) he recruited to run against his colleagues on the Border. He has associations with extremist groups such as Defend Texas Liberty that was disbanded after being caught meeting with Nick Fuentes. At one time he had recruited just enough of his political buddies to pass the ban on CRT which was NEVER taught, which was NEVER going to be taught. That wasn’t an accomplishment. That was an embarrassment. He rallied against the Gay community with his book banning even though half of his own family is Gay. Only 1 member of the CCISD Board has endorsed him, the one he recruited. He lost his election by 8 points by a well qualified conservative member. He won his second term with only 48% of the vote. Contrary to his mailers Bowen brought highly partisan politics into the classroom and district.

With all due respect I don’t believe the Editorial Board did their research. I you would like to see all the document record visit bayareahouston.net/scottbowen To be fair, I am a supporter of Albert Wittliff and I wrote the above post about Bowens record.