The Brief: Aug. 28, 2013

The Big Conversation

As state Sen. Wendy Davis mulls a gubernatorial bid, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has some thoughts about how she'd fare if she ran.

As Dewhurst, seeking re-election as lieutenant governor in 2014, told a meeting of the Tarrant County Republican National Hispanic Assembly in Fort Worth on Tuesday night: "I know Wendy Davis. And I don't think she stands a chance running for statewide office."

As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Dewhurst said he hoped Davis and her famous filibuster of an abortion bill in June would be forgotten about by the 2014 elections.

"It’s my hope, my friends," he said, "that about a year from now that people are saying, 'Why were we talking about Wendy Davis?'"

At the campaign event, Dewhurst went into detail about about the filibuster, deflecting blame for the abortion bill's death in the first special session.

"The senators all decided to keep the filibuster," he said. "There wasn’t one person arguing against keeping the filibuster. I said, 'Fine, that leads us here. You’re going to have to work with me. … I’m ready to break the filibuster.'"

Davis, a Fort Worth Democrat, has said she'll announce soon whether she's running for governor or for re-election to her Senate seat. 

Dewhurst, meanwhile, also addressed the controversy surrounding a phone call he made to the Allen Police Department earlier this month asking how to get a relative out of jail.

"I wish I had condensed my questions down to one minute," Dewhurst told the Star-Telegram. "But how would you feel if your family called you late one night in tears about a relative who had been arrested and asked what they could do to try to get her out of jail?"

Culled

•    Voter ID law no problem in Galveston vote (Houston Chronicle): "The first election in the Houston region conducted under the new Texas voter ID law went off without a hitch Tuesday, but officials say that doesn't necessarily mean there would be no problems in a statewide general election. Only two out of 24 provisional ballots cast in a Galveston school district special election related to voter identification, said Bill Sargent, the Galveston county clerk's chief deputy for elections."

•    Rep. Castro will help mark famed 'March' (San Antonio Express-News): "U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro will share the stage with three presidents Wednesday as they mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. President Barack Obama, the first African-American president, will deliver remarks on the very steps of the Lincoln Memorial where King gave his historic speech in 1963 during the March on Washington. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter also will address the 'Let Freedom Ring' commemoration. Castro is the only Latino and only Texas elected official who's scheduled to speak."

•    Councilwoman Elisa Chan targeted in ethics complaint (San Antonio Express-News): "Democratic campaign consultant D'mitri Kosub on Tuesday filed an ethics complaint against embattled Councilwoman Elisa Chan, alleging she violated a city directive by using her taxpayer-funded office to hold a political meeting. At the heart of the complaint are the contents of the secret recording made May 21 when Chan and several staff members discussed her opposition to the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance."

Quote to Note: "There is no way of knowing whether this is indicative of an election statewide, but if this trend continues, it means that voter ID is not a big deal." — Bill Sargent, a Galveston County elections official, to the Houston Chronicle on a special election in Galveston on Tuesday conducted under the state's newly implemented voter ID law

Must-Read

• Dewhurst claim misses on his annually being the No. 1 pick of Texas law enforcement agencies, PolitiFact
• George W. Bush, still recovering from heart surgery, won’t attend D.C. commemoration, The Dallas Morning News
• In Defense of Ted Cruz, Texas Monthly
• Grass-roots support from the Tea Party is changing how Republicans run, Slate
• Austin homeless sculpture gets support from council members, Austin American-Statesman
• Border Wedding Ceremony Highlights Immigration Battle, The Texas Tribune
• Animation: Bison Now Protected Under Texas Livestock Law, The Texas Tribune