Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's criminal trial set for Dec. 11
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received a Dec. 11 trial date in his securities fraud case. Full Story
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Patrick Svitek
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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Past Contributions
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference on June 9, 2016 in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to discuss the filing of a lawsuit against the state of Delaware]()
Credit: Bill Clark for The Texas Tribune -
Latest Texas fundraising totals shed light on key races
Statewide officials, state lawmakers and the candidates who'd like to unseat them faced a Monday deadline to report their campaign finances for the first half of the year. Here are some highlights. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Abbott builds $41 million war chest with eye on re-election, special session
Gov. Greg Abbott has a nearly $41 million war chest heading into his re-election campaign — and a special session in which he's looking to keep political pressure on lawmakers to pass an ambitious 20-item agenda. Full Story
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![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott greets Wendy Randall and husband Martin during a block walk the day after his re-election announcement on July 15, 2017. Abbott visited a half dozen homes in Bentsen Heights in north McAllen.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Mulling a third match with Hurd, Gallego says he's "energized about 2018"
Former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego is considering another run for the U.S. House seat he lost to Republican Will Hurd. Full Story
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![Former US Rep Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, concedes the 2016 Texas 23rd Congressional District race to Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican, on Nov. 9, 2016]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
As congressional races draw big interest, Democrats still filling out statewide ticket
Texas Democrats may not have a full statewide slate yet, but they are seeing early and intense interest in several congressional races. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, speaks to a packed crowd at Scholz Garten in Austin on April 1, 2017, one day after launching his 2018 campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Trump to nominate former comptroller Combs for Interior Department job
President Donald Trump announced Monday he will nominate former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs to serve in the U.S. Department of the Interior. Full Story
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![Former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs on November 16, 2016. Combs has started a project to help women called HERdacity and written a book, Texas Tenacity: A Call for Women to Direct Their Destiny. The project is an online community aimed at empowering women and the book will be released in early 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Back home in Texas, Cruz confronts health care politics
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is crisscrossing Texas at a critical time for both him and his party, with the GOP’s year-long push to scrap the health care law hanging in the balance. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to a member of the audience at a town hall event hosted by a group called Concerned Veterans for America in Austin on July 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Paxton raises $1 million in 12 days, campaign says
Paxton continues to raise big money despite the securities fraud case that has dogged him for nearly two years. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas State Rifle Association General Meeting in Round Rock on Feb. 25, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Military hero MJ Hegar launches Democratic bid against U.S. Rep. John Carter
Decorated Air Force veteran MJ Hegar is hoping to flip a reliably Republican congressional district that includes one of the country's largest military bases. Full Story
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![Decorated Air Force veteran MJ Hegar with her son, Daniel, in her home in Round Rock on June 29, 2017]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz gets an earful in McAllen for July 4
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, visited the Democratic stronghold of McAllen for the Fourth of July — and received an earful from protesters at one event. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to supporters at Fourth of July festivities in McAllen.]()
Credit: Doug Young for The Texas Tribune