Vote Early
You know the drill. You know where to go. You know who you have to remind to vote early.
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There is no such thing as MAGA light. Orlando Sanchez wants you to think otherwise. See this from the Chron:
Republican Harris County judge nominee Orlando Sanchez has run a moderate campaign relative to some of his statewide GOP colleagues, and has tried to distance himself from the most extreme figures in his party – but he has not rejected them outright.
In a year when the political headwinds appear to be blowing to the left, Sanchez has touted positive relationships with some local Democrats and hammered traditional conservative talking points on public safety and tax relief. But the former county treasurer and Houston city council member also has said he is “playing for the red team” at a time when the GOP has shifted right, a balancing act experts said may be hard to pull off in “light blue” Harris County.
Sanchez said he was “deeply troubled” by GOP Railroad Commission nominee Bo French’s latest racist tweet last month. But he did not join several fellow Republicans in saying he wouldn’t vote for French.
And after far-right firebrand Steven Hotze sent out a text blast last week warning Sanchez’s Democratic opponent Letitia Plummer, who is Muslim, would make Harris County “Sharia County,” Sanchez’s campaign called such attacks “wrong” – but did not reject Hotze’s endorsement.
Sanchez’s approach underscores the difficulty he faces this fall, political scientists said, particularly given voters’ apparent discontent with Republican leadership. Taking a firmer stance against the far-right risks alienating hardcore conservatives Sanchez needs to win, they said, but his reluctance to full-throatedly denounce them could leave independents and Democrats – who make up a majority of the electorate – unimpressed.
“He’s just in a bad place,” said Renée Cross, a political scientist at the University of Houston. “He’s got to try to balance on that line, and I think it’s especially hard in today’s Republican Party because they are so polarized.”
Sanchez appears to understand that he will need a politically diverse coalition of voters to have a chance at winning in November, and that passing a Republican purity test may be antithetical to that goal in this political environment.
He has published supportive statements from Democrats like Robert Gallegos, a former city council member, and taken photos with Sue Schecter, a former state representative and former Harris County Democratic Party chair. On Thursday, he posted a photograph of himself talking with former Mayor Annise Parker, who lost to Plummer in the Democratic primary this year, at an event for the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.
Parker congratulated Plummer after the primary, saying, “our job now is to defeat the Republicans in November.” She did not respond to a request for comment on Sanchez’s post.
Sanchez has touted his nonpartisan city council service, and even asked a room full of Latino voters in August to disregard his party affiliation, the Houston Press reported.
“I ask you to ignore that ‘R’ and remember who Orlando Sanchez is,” he reportedly said. “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.”
Don’t forget, when he ran for mayor in 2001 and 2003, he ran with the full backing of the Republican Party. In 2001, it was a national Republican effort to knock off an African American mayor, Mayor Lee Brown. Last year, when Doanld Trump ordered the MAGA Texas Legislature to dismantle Latino congressional districts, Orlando was silent, pure and simple. Orlando is now trying to hide his extremism. It is not going to work.
The featured photo is a seat on one of the Houston Metro Rail Red Line cars. It is a reminder of our continuous fight for folks of color; folks Orlando won’t fight for. Go vote early, please.
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In 1982, the Milwaukee Brewers played in the World Series representing the American League. They lost to the Cardinals in 7 games. They will represent the National League this Friday, in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series. In 2005, the Astros played in the World Series representing National League. They got swept by the White Sox in 4 games. In 2017, they played in the World Series, representing the American League. They beat the Dodgers in 7 games. Now you know.