Texas Legislature
Election 2018: Races to Watch
Why Don Huffines’ Destiny May Depend on Other Districts (and ‘Dragon Ball Z’)
Don Huffines won state Senate District 16 from incumbent John Carona in a bitterly contested Republican primary in 2014, when no Democrat ran, so this will be H...Read More
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Opens His Mind to Marijuana Decriminalization… Kinda
Activists say Abbott’s moderated stance is “huge,” but his call for reform still lags behind Texas Republicans and the general public.
For the past three years, Governor Greg Abbott has been viewed as a primary hurdle to rewriting Texas’ draconian marijuana laws. So on Friday, when he reveale...Read More
After the Flood, the Political Storm?
Democrats in Greater Houston are hoping to tap into the frustrations of residents who are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey.
It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Harvey descended upon southeast Texas, damaging more than 200,000 homes and killing at least 88 people. Now, Democr...Read More
Stand By Your Man
How the Collin County GOP derailed Ken Paxton’s prosecution and turned him into a right-wing hero.
by Michael Barajas October 1, 2018 Three years ago, just months after being sworn in as Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton’s days seemed numbered. In July 201...Read More
Will Matt Rinaldi Pay for Calling ICE on Latino Protesters?
The North Texas Republican has made enemies during his time in the Freedom Caucus, including police unions and his GOP predecessor. Democrats look to capitalize in November.
On the final day of last year’s legislative session, hundreds of mostly Hispanic protesters filed into the Capitol gallery overlooking the Texas House floor. ...Read More
Beto and Ted’s Competing Realities Collide for the First Time
As the first Senate debate showed, this race is quickly becoming defined by the politics of fear and resentment.
While the Senate battle between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke has become perhaps the most-watched political race in the country, it has existed almost entirely i...Read More
Dan Patrick’s Cloistered Culture War
Instead of talking to voters or debating his opponent, Patrick is flying on a private jet, boycotting Nike and trying to score facetime on Fox News.
In late July, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick made a trip to Washington, D.C., to beg White House officials to send President Trump to Texas to shore up support...Read More
Pete Gallego and Texas Democrats Once Again Snatch Defeat from Jaws of Victory
In what should have been an easy win in San Antonio, Democrats managed to lose a seat they’ve held for 139 years.
The defining attribute of Trump era special elections has been tectonic shifts from red to blue, fueled by highly energized voters. Democrats have flipped more...Read More
Inside the Coordinated Attack on a North Texas Wind Farm
Conservative lawmakers, an oil investor and other activists did all they could to stop a wind project in rural Texas, even as the state has increasingly embraced renewable energy.
Earlier this year, a Canadian energy producer was poised to build two large wind farms in Clay County, a mostly featureless stretch of plains at the Texas-Oklah...Read More