Inside Texas Politics: Cruz, Ascendant

On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy about this week's Republican state convention in Fort Worth. Rick Perry, in his last year as governor and with an eye toward a second run at president in 2016, came out with a real stem-winder of a speech, but so did U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who is clearly the party favorite. (In the presidential straw poll later at the convention, Cruz placed first to Perry's distant fourth.) 

We also talked about school finance — with the state attorney general's office raising questions about Judge John Dietz's impartiality, the question of funding formulas might be pushed off the 84th Legislature's plate next year; Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors — his proposed South Texas location for a launch site was approved by the FAA, making it a finalist and possibly adding weight to his separate arguments to Texas lawmakers for a change to auto dealership laws; Toyota's big move from California to Plano and the still-murky details of Perry's $40 million incentive package; more from the GOP convention — some changes in platform language about marijuana and inclusion of gays, along with a harder line on immigration, inevitably open conversations the party may not want to have; and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis' preemptive strike in her hometown of Fort Worth touting her work as city councilwoman in re-developing the very area where the Republicans held their convention.

Also: Jason and Bud interview U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas; Jason talks with Rudy Oeftering of Metroplex Republicans about his party's shifting views on gays; and, finally, more debate on the debate about debates.