Half of registered Texas voters turned out in 2018. Just 12% turned out this year.
Turnout in odd-numbered years has always been historically low. While this year’s turnout is higher than in 2017, it's still overwhelmingly low. Full Story
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Alex Samuels
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Alex Samuels was a reporter for The Texas Tribune from 2017 to 2021. She helped with national campaign coverage, wrote stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covered the hottest political news bubbling out of local communities. She was also one of the primary authors of The Blast, the Tribune’s subscription-only daily newsletter for political insiders. Alex began at the Tribune as a fellow in 2016. She graduated in 2017 from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism. She originally is from Massachusetts and is the best pingpong player at the Tribune.
Past Contributions
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![Campaign workers make pitches to voters outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Nov. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Sylvester Turner to face Tony Buzbee in runoff for Houston mayor
Vote counting continued through the night. When results were released early Wednesday morning, the incumbent was short of the total he needed to avoid a runoff. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks with the media after arriving at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters approve state income tax ban, most other constitutional amendments
While voters supported most changes to the Texas Constitution, they opposed a measure that would allow elected municipal judges to work in more than one jurisdiction. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on May 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Castro forges forward after 11th-hour fundraising drive, O’Rourke exit
The former U.S. housing secretary may have met a self-imposed deadline to raise $800,000 or end his campaign, but he still has his work cut out for him as the next Democratic debate approaches. Full Story
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![Presidential candidate Julián Castro speaks at the Liberty and Justice Celebration, a Democratic Party fundraising dinner, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 1, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Eric Thayer -
Julián Castro raises $800,000 in 10-day span to stay in presidential race
With the money solidified, Castro’s campaign said it plans on making a push for the November and December Democratic primary debates — a lofty goal for a campaign that has been mired in low single digits in polls. Full Story
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![Presidential candidate Julian Castro spoke to supporters during a rally at Warehouse Live on Sept. 9, 2019, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro may be rivals — but they’re buddies, too
As one candidate’s stock has climbed and the other’s has dipped, Warren and Castro have continued to share policy ideas — and hugs — on the campaign trail. Full Story
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![Presidential candidates Julián Castro and Massachusetts Senator and Elizabeth Warren hug as they meet supporters during the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry in Water Works Park in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019]()
Credit: Brian Powers/The Register/USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Drawing Trump parallels, Sylvester Turner battles Tony Buzbee, other competitors in rollicking Houston mayoral race
Turner is fighting for a second term in the Nov. 5 election, invoking the president as he clashes with Buzbee and other competitors in the solidly Democratic city. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sept. 25, 2017.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump compared his impeachment to lynching. Texans in Congress respond: “How dare you?”
The White House insisted Trump wasn't equating the impeachment probe to “one of our darkest moments in American history,” but Democrats said the president was “weaponizing hate.” Full Story
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![President Donald Trump spoke during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Oct. 21, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Leah Millis -
Donald Trump fans in Dallas say the president just “gets” them
Their support for the president is steeped in two main beliefs: He’s done exactly “what he said he’d do,” and his remarks toward Democrats and people of color matched what they said and believed. Full Story
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![Supporters of President Donald Trump showed up in large numbers to the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday, a few even camped out in line the night before and many stood in lines that continued for blocks around the arena.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Here’s how the top Democratic presidential candidates are faring in the race for Texas donors
Unsurprisingly, Julián Castro and Beto O’Rourke are getting more money here than from any other state. But other candidates are playing in Texas, too. Full Story
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![Presidential candidates Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune