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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.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and some of his allies are increasingly signaling that they see more urgency than usual in prevailing in the Hawkeye State, where a win by Republican rival Donald Trump could snowball. Full Story
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Long accustomed to traversing Iowa with a cast of local Republicans, presidential candidate Ted Cruz received some new company Tuesday in the form of a fellow Texan: former Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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Campaigning Monday in Iowa, Ted Cruz found himself responding to familiar criticism: his defense of a Chinese tire company for patent infringement when he was in private practice. Full Story
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Underscoring how competitive the race has become between Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, the Cruz campaign and super PACs supporting him are launching their first TV ads taking aim at Trump. Full Story
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Former Gov. Rick Perry has endorsed fellow Texan Ted Cruz for president — more than four months after Perry dropped out of the 2016 race himself, and a week before the first-in-the-country caucus in Iowa. Full Story
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As U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro spent a day of campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, the Texas Democrat found himself in a familiar position: waving off questions about whether she will pick him as her running mate. Full Story
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Ted Cruz began his final swing through Iowa on Saturday offering contrast after contrast between him and billionaire Donald Trump, hoping to close the deal with caucus goers nine days before the contest. Full Story
Conservative media personality Glenn Beck on Saturday endorsed Ted Cruz for president, while urging urged Iowans to stop billionaire Donald Trump dead in his tracks. Full Story
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Facing a nasty fight to the finish in Iowa with Donald Trump, Ted Cruz is betting big that the best way to beat a nontraditional opponent is with tradition, going places Trump won't while building a superior get-out-the-vote operation. Full Story
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The upcoming GOP presidential debate in Houston has become a headache for Texas Republicans, who have witnessed it go through one shakeup after another. Full Story
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