State Leaders Ask Agencies to Cut Budgets by 4 Percent
Texas' top elected officials are asking state agencies to scale back their budget requests by 4 percent, seeking to further rein in state spending for the 2018-2019 cycle. 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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![From left: Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are shown on May 21, 2015.]()
Credit: Office of the Governor -
Cruz Convention Speaking Slot Is Still Up in the Air
Also, the Texas senator goes two-for-four with his endorsed candidates in elections this week and his leadership PAC gets a reboot. Full Story
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![Former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at the state Republican convention in Dallas, Texas on May 14, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Speaker Paul Ryan Comes Calling for Cash in Texas
Also, Tom Harrison wants to resign his spot on the Ethics Commission but he can't leave just yet and the race for Rodney Ellis' SD-13 seat starts to come into focus. Full Story
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![U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan at the Republican National Committee in Washington D.C. on April 12, 2016.]()
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Uncertainty Looms Over Cruz's Role in Cleveland
It has been almost two months since Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race, and — at least publicly — his attitude toward the man who beat him has not changed. Full Story
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![Ted Cruz Speaking at GOP Convention in Dallas, May 2016]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
UT Poll: Trump Leads Clinton by 8 in Texas
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump leads Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by 8 percentage points in Texas, according to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll released Monday. Full Story
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![Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are facing off in the 2016 presidential election.]()
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Ellis Wins Democratic Nomination for Harris County Commissioner
State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has won the Democratic nomination for a vacant seat on the Harris County commissioner's court, putting the 26-year Texas Senate veteran on a path to leave the Legislature by next year. Full Story
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![Sen. Rodney Ellis D-Houston questions witness during a Jan 26th, 2016 State Affairs Committee hearing]()
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Texas Land Office Reaches Settlement with Former Alamo Managers
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has reached a settlement with the longtime managers of the Alamo, whom he fired last year in a move that set off a protracted fight over a library collection on the grounds of the state-owned monument. Full Story
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![Tourists crowd the entrance of the Alamo in San Antonio on Dec. 3, 2015.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ The Texas Tribune -
Does Julián Castro Have the Chops to be Veep?
Julián Castro's experience — first as San Antonio mayor, then as U.S. housing secretary — is getting a closer look than ever as Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, zeroes in on a choice for running mate. Full Story
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![Julián Castro gives the keynote speech at the Texas Democratic Convention at the Alamodome on June 17, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Cruz Doesn't Take Chance to Bless Dump Trump Movement
Also, there's more movement with super PACs formerly supportive of Cruz's presidential hopefuls and the Texas senator makes a couple of endorsements in Senate races. Full Story
![Former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at the state Republican convention in Dallas, Texas on May 14, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
At San Antonio Fundraiser, Trump Is Prodded On Immigration, Trade
As Donald Trump scrambles to build a fundraising network, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been relying on a number of people in Texas who do not see eye-to-eye with him on many of his signature policy Proposals. On Friday, he got an earful from at least one of them. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Gage Skidmore / Todd Wiseman