Latest Contributions

• As Texas grows, an affordable housing crisis looms. Here are six things to know.

  By Brandon Formby, Darla Cameron and Chris Essig Oct. 5, 2018

  Demographics, income and location all play roles in the difficulties Texans face finding an affordable home in a neighborhood they like. Full Story 

• The candidate list for Texas House speaker keeps growing. Here's who's already in.

  By Alex Samuels and Chris Essig Sept. 4, 2018

  Despite all the focus on November, many in Texas politics are keeping a close eye on January. That's when the 150-member Texas House will pick its new House speaker. Just last week, two more candidates entered the race. Full Story 

• The Trump administration is making plans to detain more immigrants in Texas. Here's where they would be held.

  By Jolie McCullough and Chris Essig Aug. 2, 2018

  Several new facilities have already opened this summer, and the federal government has requested up to 15,500 beds at two Texas military bases. Full Story 

• What happens when immigrant families cross the border outside a port of entry

  By Darla Cameron, Emma Platoff and Chris Essig June 20, 2018

  How exactly are families being separated at the border? Here's where parents and children go after they're apprehended. Full Story 

• How a fluke win diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters in this Texas congressional district

  By Alexa Ura and Chris Essig April 24, 2018

  Two congressional districts are part of a Texas redistricting case the U.S. Supreme Court will take up Tuesday. Here's a detailed look at what's at issue in one of them: the 27th Congressional District. Full Story 

• Puzzling shapes: Travel across this gerrymandered Texas district

  By Alexa Ura, Jim Malewitz, Chris Essig and Matthew Zhang April 24, 2018

  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a Texas redistricting case that has flagged two congressional districts and nine Texas House districts. Here's a closer look at one of the districts in question: U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's curiously shaped 35th Congressional District. Full Story 

• How a fluke win diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters in this Texas congressional district

  By Alexa Ura and Chris Essig April 17, 2018

  Last year, federal judges ruled that when Texas lawmakers redrew the 27th Congressional District in 2011, they did so in a way that diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a redistricting case that includes CD-27, take a closer look at what's at issue in the district. Full Story 

• Ahead of 2020 census, Texans are becoming even harder to count

  By Alexa Ura and Chris Essig Updated: March 27, 2018

  Local officials, demographers and advocates are worried the census could be particularly tough to carry out in Texas in 2020. They are bracing for challenges both practical and political that could make the state, which is already hard to count, even tougher to enumerate. Full Story 

• Here's who's running for Texas House Speaker and who may soon join the race

  By Alex Samuels and Chris Essig March 19, 2018

  The Texas House is in the midst of a months-long scramble for control. Here's an updated look at who is running to lead the chamber after Speaker Joe Straus steps down in January as well as who may soon throw their hats in the ring. Full Story 

• Dangerous deliveries: Are Texas lawmakers doing enough to reduce maternal deaths?

  By Marissa Evans and Chris Essig Jan. 16, 2018

  After a months-long investigation, the Tribune found that the state's data on maternal mortality is a moving target, that the number of women dying during or after pregnancy is still rising and that the state has missed opportunities to improve women's health programs. Full Story