U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he’s “not really happy” with the way Ken Paxton has run the Texas attorney general’s office
Cornyn said the allegations against Paxton “need to be investigated.” 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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![US Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and US Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speak to media following Texas Public Policy Foundation's annual policy orientation in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Carrollton mayoral candidate arrested on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining mail-in ballots
The candidate allegedly forged voting registration applications and had mail-in ballots sent to a post office box. It’s unclear how many actual ballots were involved in the scheme. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says bars can reopen next week at 50% capacity if counties opt in
“It is time to open them up,” Abbott said in a Facebook video announcing the move. “If we continue to contain COVID, then these openings, just like other businesses, should be able to expand in the near future.” Full Story
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![A bartender waits for customers at Buck Wild on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin as bars reopen on May 22, 2020.]()
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Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades
The Biden ad buy as comes as The Lincoln Project, the group led by former Republican strategists working to defeat Trump, launched a $1 million digital ad campaign in the state. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden spoke during a campaign stop in Dallas in March.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge blocks Texas’ elimination of straight-ticket voting
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office has filed a motion to stop the judge’s order and will file an appeal of the district court’s ruling. Full Story
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![Voters, wearing masks and spread six feet apart, line up outside the Metropolitan Multiservice Center in Houston to vote in the delayed primary runoff election on Tuesday July 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Hillary Clinton says Democrats should frame fight for Supreme Court seat around health care
Speaking during The Texas Tribune Festival, Clinton said Democrats should play up the risks to health care access that could result from a more conservative high court overturning the Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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![Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes questions at an event in Irving on Nov. 17, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
New voter registrations plummeted during the pandemic in Texas, where you can’t register online
Groups on both sides of the aisle say it's harder to register voters when you can't go door to door and big public events are canceled. Registration was down 24% in the first seven months of this year, compared with the same period in 2016. Full Story
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![MOVE Texas and the Spurs collaborated on a voter registration event at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Sept. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: B. Kay Richter for The Texas Tribune -
“My story does resonate”: Candace Valenzuela wants to flip a Republican seat and become the first Black Latina in Congress
Valenzuela is running for a North Texas seat long held by Republicans. But the shifting political winds in the suburbs are giving Democrats hope. Full Story
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![Candace Valenzuela, candidate for Texas' 24th Congressional District, outside her home in Dallas.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for the Texas Tribune -
Texas State University welcomed students back in person Monday. Campus was a ghost town.
Monday was the first day of in-person instruction at the San Marcos campus since the coronavirus pandemic raged across Texas, forcing school officials to reinvent the college experience in an attempt to keep students safe. Full Story
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![Students walk through an area known as “The Quad” on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blames the presence of Confederate monuments at the Texas Capitol on Democrats after being urged to remove them
Senate Democrats want the symbols taken down, but Patrick said that the party is not committed to a “sincere” or “serious conversation” about the future of the monuments. Full Story
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![The 1903 Confederate monument at the south entrance to the state Capitol grounds in 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune