Election Throwdown: This Week on TPT

With less than a week to go, we take one last look at key Central Texas races for the U.S. Congress and the Texas Legislature. Plus, we look at the 8-day campaign finance reports and the early voting totals and make some predictions about next Tuesday's elections.

Listen in to this important show. More importantly, GO VOTE!! For more information, including early voting and Election Day locations and times, check out the Voters Tool Kit!

Texas Politics Today airs on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Central Time on KOOP, Austin's community radio station. KOOP broadcasts at 91.7 FM and can be heard streaming live over the Wev at http://www.koop.org/. Texas Politics Today is hosted by longtime Capitol insider Deece Eckstein and Austin community activist (and "Best of Austin 2008" winner as "Best Radio Talk/News Host") David Kobierowski. Visit our websites at http://www.texaspoliticstoday.net/ or http://texaspoliticstoday.blogspot.com/.

SCHEDULING NOTE: Beginning next week, Texas Politics Today expands to one hour and moves to Friday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Join us next Friday for an election post-mortem conducted by former White House Director of Media Affairs Jeff Eller, Senator John Cornyn's communications director David Beckwith, and Texas Weekly editor Ross Ramsey.

Thanks for your past support of the show and we hope you'll tune in once we move to Fridays!

This Week: Representative Valinda Bolton

This week on Texas Politics Today: Representative Valinda Bolton, Democratic candidate for State Representative in House District 47. HD-47 covers much of southern and southwestern Travis County. Bolton has been the State Representative since she won a close race in 2006. We'll ask her about her accomplishments during her first term and invite her to make her case for re-election.

Ms. Bolton's opponent, Donna Keel, has declined multiple requests to appear on the show.

Representative Bolton's campaign website is here. Ms. Keel's is here.

Texas Politics Today airs on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Central Time on KOOP, Austin's community radio station. KOOP broadcasts at 91.7 FM and can be heard streaming live over the Web at http://www.koop.org/. Texas Politics Today is hosted by longtime Capitol insider Deece Eckstein and Austin community activist (and "Best of Austin 2008" winner as "Best Radio Talk/News Host") David Kobierowski. Visit our websites at http://www.texaspoliticstoday.net/ or http://texaspoliticstoday.blogspot.com/.

EXCITING NEWS!: Beginning the week of November 2, Texas Politics Today expands to one hour and moves to Friday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Thanks for your past support of the show and we hope you'll tune in once we move to Fridays!

David K., TPT: Best of Austin

Congratulations to David Kobierowski, co-host of Texas Politics Today, for being named Best Radio Talk/News Host by the Austin Chronicle. Here's what they had to say about David and about Texas Politics Today:



Best Radio Talk/News Host: David Kobierowski, KOOP
Got a story the dreaded mainstream media is ignoring? Just go to any progressive event, and look for the tall bald guy carrying the bundle of papers. That’s Kobierowski, KOOP Radio’s own speaker of truth to power, whose Texas Politics Today tag team with Deece Eckstein specializes in holding political feet to the fire. KOOP 91.7FM, 3823 Airport Ste. B, 472-1369 http://www.koop.org/



Congratulations, David!!!!

(Photo by Sandy Carson.)

Rick Noriega on TPT

This week on Texas Politics Today: our exclusive interview with U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega, discussing his military service in Afghanistan, the Wall Street bailout bill, and his scrappy campaign against John Cornyn. The program airs Wednesday, October 15, from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Central Time on KOOP, Austin’s community radio station. KOOP is at 91.7 FM and streams live over the Internet at http://www.koop.org/.

For more information about the Noriega campaign, you can go to www.RickNoriega.com. For information about Senator John Cornyn, go to his website at www.JohnCornyn.com. For more information on Libertarian candidate Yvonne Schick, go to www.YvonneforSenate.com.

Next week: our exclusive interview with State Representative Valinda Bolton, talking about her first session in the Legislature and her plans for her second session. Wednesday, October 22, 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.

30-Day Campaign Finance Reports

Political campaigns are about great ideas and contests of character -- but they are also about money, money, money, and today on TEXAS POLITICS TODAY, we're "following the money."

Texas law requires that all candidate for state office file campaign finance reports covering the period up until 30 days before an election. Known as "30-day out" reports, these give an idea of who's raising money and how they're spending it.

Our guests this week are two Capitol insiders and shrewd observers of Texas politics:

• Will Lutz is the Managing Editor of the Lone Star Report, weekly newsletter devoted exclusively to coverage of Texas politics and government, largely from a conservative viewpoint. The Lone Star Report has been published since 1996, and its readership includes all of Texas' statewide elected officials and thousands of ordinary people with an interest in Capitol news beyond what their local newspapers provide.
• Matt Glazer is the Editor-in-Chief of the Burnt Orange Report, a widely-read blog covering Texas politics from a progressive perspective. Burnt Orange Report has been online since 2003 and had over 7,000,000 page views.

TEXAS POLITICS TODAY airs every Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Central Time on KOOP, Austin's community radio station. KOOP is at 91.7 on the FM dial and streams live over the Internet at www.koop.org.

Join the KOOP Family!

KOOP is a non-profit organized by members of the Austin community to provide eclectic, locally-produced music and public affairs shows, particularly the kinds of programming you cannot find on any other Austin radio station. KOOP is owned and operated by and for the people of Austin.

Our financial support comes from the community. Twice a year, we hold membership drives that allow you to become a part of the KOOP family. As a member, you get to vote on KOOP's leadership and the overall direction of the station.

Basic membership is only $25. Our popular Sustaining Member level is only $10 a month for one year. We also have memberships at the $50, $75, $250 and $500 levels. At the $50 level and above, we offer terrific gifts to thank you for your support. Check out the chance to get a membership in the Blanton Museum or two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines at http://koop.org/#raffles. You can become a KOOP member by calling 512-472-5667 or clicking on the Big Donut at http://www.koop.org/. Tell them TPT sent you!

And remember, all contributions to KOOP are tax-deductible!

Today on TPT: Fall Election Preview

TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is your weekly source for information, insight and inspiration about Texas state and local politics. As we enter the last five weeks of the most interesting campaign season in a generation, we’re looking at the most important and interesting contests on the ballot.

Our guest today is Karen Brooks from the Dallas Morning News. Karen has been with the DMN almost five years, and before that was with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s been covering the Texas Legislature for over a decade, with a focus on key House and Senate races. Join us for a lively analysis.

Also, this week we’re back in KOOP’s studios on Airport Boulevard. As everyone knows, KOOP suffered a fire at its new studios in January of this year. Thanks to a huge effort from our dedicated volunteers, we are back in our home studios only eight months after the disaster. Many thanks also to the wonderful people at Entercom Communications and its Austin radio stations, who hosted us during our exile.

TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is the weekly radio show devoted to Texas state and local politics. TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is produced by longtime Capitol insider Deece Eckstein, who shares hosting duties with Austin community leader David Kobierowski.

KOOP, “the little station that could,” is Austin’s only community-owned radio station. It shares the FM 91.7 radio frequency with KVRX, the University of Texas student radio. It also streams live over the Web at http://www.koop.org/. KOOP is on the air on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.