IN THIS EPISODE:
- Amanda Edwards stops by Houston Newsmakers to talk about how she’s throwing her hat into the ring and running for Congress.
- Political experts discuss how Governor Greg Abbott recently vetoed more than 70 bills.
- Previous Republican Party chairman reviews former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
Watch Houston Newsmakers at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2+ and KPRC.
Amanda Edwards steps out of Houston Mayor’s Race
The irony is that at 22 years old, Amanda Edwards was an intern in the office of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee before she went on to Harvard Law and a political career of her own. Now Edwards, the former Houston City Council member, said with Jackson Lee in the mayor’s race, she is pivoting and running for the 18th Congressional District where she grew up. She added this is her chance to bring her own passion to solving problems while putting people first.
“One of the things that I said first when I decided to run for Congress was that I was going to place people over the politics,” she said. “I think the people are tired of all the political punditry. I think they’re tired of all the political football and gamesmanship because they don’t win when politics comes first.”
See more about why she changed course and what her top priorities will be on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall.
Governor Greg Abbott wields veto pen with a flourish
Upset that he wasn’t seeing a property tax bill of his liking, Governor Abbott last week vetoed more than 70 bills that had been sent to his desk by the legislature to be signed into law.
“The governor not only waited until the special session to intervene on what he considered good property tax relief to be and what he considered bad property tax to be, but then when he didn’t get his way after the fact he engaged in these somewhat petty spite vetoes,” said Mark Jones, a Political Science Fellow from the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
Austin and Washington D.C. politics off the rails?
Gary Polland is the editor and publisher of the Texas Conservative Review and said the veto moves by Abbott help put the focus on the property tax impasse that should now have a quicker path to being solved and signed into law.
Could former President Trump’s indictment have been avoided?
“Felony violations of United States’ national security laws” is the way Special Prosecutor Jack Smith described the more than 30 charges against former President Donald Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Polland said it all could have been avoided.
“I’m thinking now. ‘Is Trump thinking five steps ahead?’ Polland said. “Maybe it’s better I get indicted. Maybe it makes me a martyr and ensures I get the nomination and actually increase my opportunity to get elected president again. Maybe that’s what he’s thinking.”
See the full interview on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall.
For more information on this week’s Houston Newsmakers
· Amanda Edwards, Candidate for 18th Congressional District
· Website: https://www.edwardsforhouston.com/
· Mark Jones, Ph.D., Political Science Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University
· Website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/mark-p-jones
· Gary Polland, J.D, Editor & Publisher Texas Conservative Review
· Website: https://www.texasconservativereview.com/editor.html