San Antonio Democrats In Rematch For Senate Seat
Trey Martinez Fischer and José Menéndez will once again battle over Texas Senate District 26 — a rematch of their special election runoff earlier this year, when the latter prevailed. Full Story
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Morgan Smith
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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Past Contributions
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![State Reps. José Menéndez (left) and Trey Martinez Fischer, both Democrats from San Antonio, are seeking the Texas Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Cruz Surges To First Place In New Iowa Poll
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has edged closer to cementing his frontrunner status in the crucial early state of Iowa after claiming the top spot in a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz takes questions after The Family Leader's Presidential Family Forum on Nov. 20, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa.]()
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Slideshow: Photographer Captures Texas' Democratic Days
While photographer Scott Newton is best known for his iconic images of rock stars, he made a living photographing Texas politicians for three decades. Full Story
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![Ann Richards on longhorn, 1988.
Newton was 200 yards away photographing an event with the state’s slate of Democratic candidates when he saw then-state treasurer Ann Richards sitting on a longhorn steer. He grabbed his cameras and ran toward her.
“All I know is I turn around and Ann was sitting up there — they just put her up there. She saw me running and said, 'Scott, don’t you dare take my picture,’” he said.
This image, he said, conveyed Richards at her best.
"She was a hoot. She was not only the best politician I ever shot as far as understanding what it is you needed and providing it for you,” he said. “She is just naturally a hilarious person."]()
Credit: Scott Newton -
Who Will Abbott Choose as the Next Texas Education Chief?
A look at who might be among Gov. Greg Abbott's choices as he ponders the possibilities to fill the post Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams will leave in January. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to appoint a new commissioner of education.]()
Credit: Illustration by Shelby Knowles -
In Filing, Prosecutors Say Paxton is Engaged in "Pre-Trial Shell Game"
In a 19-page court filing, the special prosecutors pursuing the financial securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton delivered a scathing response to Paxton's latest efforts to dismiss his three felony charges. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, speaks at The Texas Response: Pastors, Marriage & Religious Freedom event at the First Baptist Church in Pflugerville, Texas on September 29, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Abbott: No State Grants for Sheriffs who Don't Work with ICE
If Texas sheriffs do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, they will face losing state grant money, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with reporters after voting early in the constitutional amendment election Wednesday at the Travis County Courthouse. Abbott discussed the state's recent move against Planned Parenthood and whether he plans to endorse any candidate in the Republican race for the White House.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ The Texas Tribune -
Local Battles Brewing Over Sanctuary Cities
Local officials find themselves at ground zero of the immigration debate as battles over “sanctuary cities,” a loose term for cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, brew in a handful of Texas counties. Full Story
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![Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez]()
Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller -
Konni Burton-Organized SD-24 Forum Draws Three Candidates
The forum, which had drawn opposition from the local county GOP, touched on topics like same-sex marriage, red light cameras, school choice and border security. Full Story
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Straus Defends Conservative Record of House
Critics of his leadership should look at the conservative record of the Texas House under three terms of his speakership, Joe Straus told an audience at the Texas Tribune Festival Saturday. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Joe Straus was interviewed by Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith at The Texas Tribune Festival on Oct. 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Casey Chapman Ross -
At Baptist Church, Paxton Repeats Call for Christians in Politics
Urging Christians to “be bold” in standing up for religious freedom, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted his work as the state’s top lawyer on Tuesday, championing causes dear to social conservatives at a Baptist church. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, speaks at The Texas Response: Pastors, Marriage & Religious Freedom event at the First Baptist Church in Pflugerville, Texas on September 29, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera