The Evening Brief: Sept. 26, 2013

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Wendy Davis Releases Details About Announcement: "Amid widespread reports that she plans to run for Texas governor, state Sen. Wendy Davis on Thursday released details about the announcement of her future plans next week. Davis will make the announcement at 3 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the auditorium where she received her high school diploma in 1981 — the Wiley G. Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City. Davis had previously announced the date, but until Thursday she had not given details about the time or location."

•    Perry Taps Appeals Court Justice for Texas Supreme Court: "Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday said he had appointed Houston's Jeff Brown to an open spot on the Texas Supreme Court. Brown, a former state district judge, is currently a justice on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals."

•    Burton Touts Connection to Cruz in New Ad: "Konni Burton, a Republican running for Fort Worth's Senate District 10, highlights her campaign's grassroots support and namedrops U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in a new online campaign ad."

•    State Leaders Appoint New Members to Oversee Cancer Institute: "State leaders, hoping to restore public faith in the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, appointed new members of the institute's oversight committee on Thursday."

•    Cruz's Marathon Speech May Not Have Lasting Effect on Cornyn: "U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's decision not to '#StandWithCruz' raised a firestorm of criticism from the Tea Party grassroots. But it isn’t likely to have a long-term effect on the senior senator's political viability, experts say."

Culled

•    Wendy Davis tells Democrats she’s in (Politico): "Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her advisers have begun informing influential Democrats that she intends to run for governor in 2014, according to multiple sources familiar with Davis’s conversations."

•    San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro says Wendy Davis will make strong bid for governor (The Dallas Morning News): "San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro said Thursday that Sen. Wendy Davis would make a strong contender for governor. 'She will close the gap,' Castro said after recording a segment for WFAA (Channel 8) Inside Texas Politics. 'The question is how much can she close that gap.'"

•    GOP anger at Ted Cruz hits Senate floor (Politico): "The GOP’s anger at Sen. Ted Cruz — expressed mostly in private meetings this week — burst onto the usually collegial Senate floor on Thursday, with Sen. Bob Corker excoriating his Texas Republican colleague for blocking a quick vote to avert a government shutdown next week. In a highly unusual Republican v. Republican exchange, Corker accused Cruz of delaying a Thursday vote simply to create a 'show' to cater to his conservative activist supporters at the expense of making good policy."

•    Michael McCaul to introduce bill banning Obamacare exemptions for members of Congress (Houston Chronicle): "Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, plans to introduce an amendment to the continuing resolution currently being debated in Congress to prevent federally elected officials from being exempt from the Affordable Care Act."