Does Taylor Rehmet’s Victory Foreshadow an Anti-MAGA Wave?
As the dust settles, Texas Dems and Republicans weigh the lessons from the shock upset in Senate District 9.
elections
Inside the Rift Between Texas Dems and a Soros-Backed PAC
The Texas Majority PAC is the latest deep-pocketed initiative meant to turn Texas blue. But have its dollars just brought more discord?
Houston Underdogs Beat Established Democrats in House, Senate Runoffs
Two community organizers-turned-candidates see their wins as a progressive blueprint for taking on the establishment and mobilizing the Democratic base.
An East Texas County Fights a Bitter Battle Over a Reborn Hospital
As a rural hospital in Crockett struggles with the cost of indigent and other unpaid care, a torn community weighs how to keep its local hospital open and financially viable.
The Specter of Disinformation Haunts South by Southwest
Artificial intelligence technologies are all the rage at SXSW. Is our democracy prepared?
Partisans Are Politicizing Our Schools
A network of consultants, PACs, and political activists has quietly infiltrated school board elections.
Texas Observer School Board Investigation Spurs Call for Reform
State Representative Erin Zwiener says Texas must improve campaign finance transparency and adopt contribution limits.
Get the newsletter
Houston Mayoral Candidates Inspire Yawns As Run-Off Election Looms
Two veteran (and older) politicians in Texas’ largest city are generating little excitement among its youthful population.
A Watchdog in the Water Wars
Flooding and bureaucracy drove Mary Kelleher to run for a spot on a powerful North Texas river agency board.
The Voting Vendor in Reality Winner’s Leak Is Coming to Texas
The whistleblower started conversations about election tech supplier VR Systems which remain controversial to this day.