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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.
Texas Republicans capped a tumultuous week at their national convention watching a forceful address by Donald Trump, the presidential nominee whose defeat of favorite son Ted Cruz loomed large over the festivities in Cleveland. Full Story
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In the hours before Ted Cruz delivered the biggest speech of his political life, a key element was in flux: Would he or wouldn't he endorse Donald Trump? There are conflicting accounts of who knew what, and when. Full Story
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As it became apparent Ted Cruz would not endorse Donald Trump, the crowd inside the Quicken Loans Arena reacted with increasing anger, and Cruz left the stage to thundering boos. Full Story
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Ted Cruz convened hundreds of supporters Wednesday morning on the Lake Erie waterfront in Cleveland with the goal of simply thanking them but could not avoiding being overshadowed by presidential politics — literally. Full Story
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Donald Trump Jr., the son of the Republican presidential nominee, is coming to Texas to raise money for his dad following the GOP national convention. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants ABC to release video of his full appearance at a town hall last week with President Barack Obama, saying the video was deceptively edited by the news network. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday he supports Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and that is is "not a close call" between the billionaire and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Full Story
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Top Texas Republicans have spent the past two days preaching unity at every turn, urging their ranks to unify behind Donald Trump. On Wednesday, their most elusive recruit will take center stage: Ted Cruz. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Tuesday he supports having the U.S. attorney general investigate the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to bring attention to police shootings of African Americans. Full Story
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Faced Tuesday morning with questions about Donald Trump, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus declined to offer any support for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Full Story
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