Police Group Questions Paxton on Financial Work Disclosures

The Texas Municipal Police Association, which previously endorsed Dan Branch for attorney general, questioned Branch's rival Ken Paxton on a news report that he failed to disclose his work soliciting clients for a North Texas financial services firm.

"To date, you have yet to deny any of these charges. Instead, you have canceled campaign appearances and not answered any questions from voters or the press about these very serious allegations," wrote TMPA President Josh Thurlkill in an open letter circulated by the organization to the press. "If you will not comply with the law, how can you be expected to enforce it?"

Thurlkill was referencing a report on Paxton's decision to skip a public appearance at a Northeast Tarrant Tea Party event in the wake of the Tribune story. He concludes by asking Paxton, "If you cannot provide answers about these charges, we ask that you withdraw from the Attorney General’s race."

Branch and Paxton square off in the May 27 runoff election. Paxton won a plurality of the vote in the March primary election, grabbing 44 percent of the vote to Branch's 33 percent.

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San Antonio mayor and rising Democratic star Julián Castro goes to Washington, D.C., to give "featured remarks" at the June 19-21 national convention for the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. According to a release from the group, the convention will also feature a conversation between U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and civil rights attorney Theodore M. Shaw.

For more information on the convention, click here.

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The Department of Public Safety will open some driver license offices in the state's largest counties on three Saturdays in May to issue photo identification that can be used when voting in the upcoming party primary runoff elections. The state's voter ID law requires voters to show photo ID at the polling place. The free Election Identification Certificate can be used if the voter lacks any other piece of identification deemed acceptable by the voter ID law.

The offices will open May 10, 17 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A list of the locations can be found here.

Also, the last day to register to vote for the May runoff elections is Monday, April 28. Voters who took part in the primary elections must vote in that party's runoff contests. Voters who did not participate in the primary elections are free to vote in either party's runoff contests.

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Early voting in the SD-4 special election begins on Monday, April 28. Four Republicans — state Reps. Brandon Creighton and Steve Toth, The Woodlands Township board member Gordy Bunch and former state Sen. Michael Galloway — are vying for the seat left open with the October resignation of Tommy Williams.

Election Day is May 10.