The Midday Brief: December 9, 2009

Your afternoon reading:

• “Despite projections showing that major cities from Chicago to New York are keeping more of their residents who were believed to be leaving, bound for areas such as Texas or Arizona, nothing is final until the 2010 Census, officials say.” — Texas may gain 3 instead of 4 congressional seats — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

• “Democratic statehouse Rep. Mike Villarreal of San Antonio is considering running for comptroller and is expected to make a decision next week.” — Mike Villareal considering statewide office — Trail Blazers

• “Combs, who was state agriculture commissioner before becoming comptroller, touted her record as a fiscal conservative who has won three statewide campaigns by double-digit margins. “ — Comptroller Combs files for re-election — PoliTex

• “Democratic candidates have dominated the seat for decades, often beating their Republican opponents by double-digit margins.” — Economics professor to run for state Senate seat — El Paso Times

• “The 2009 legislative session was not a big for water bills. But 2011 looks like it will be.” — Water emerges as theme for coming legislative session — Postcards

• “Another clue she may not be running: Her website, cynthiadunbar.com, brings you to a pretty looking website that mentions the State Board of Education relatively little.” —SBOE 10: Radical Cynthia Dunbar Wants to Leave; Appoint Successor —Burnt Orange Report

New on The Texas Tribune:

• “How useful is this kind of campaign tool to the voter? Should politicians be sold this way?” — Rick Perry Gets Personal — The Texas Tribune

• “Follow Ann Ligums and her son Ben through a recent visit to the Transition Medicine Clinic.” — Slideshow: Transition Medicine — The Texas Tribune