The latest Republican Party Of Texas news from The Texas Tribune.
Today, five years after Tom DeLay’s fall from power, his trial on the money laundering and conspiracy charges that forced his resignation as U.S. House majority leader is finally slated to begin. What's at stake, other than voyeuristic curiosity about whether a former congressman will go to prison? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/df9aa7b26c6a9bd4a93bac197d72b165/BD%20INC%20Tom%20Delay%20003%202010)
Over the last decade, two Republicans with the last name Perry have dominated the Texas political landscape. One is Rick, the state’s longest-serving governor. The other is Bob (no relation), the state’s largest individual political donor during that time — with no close second. Since 2000, the wealthy Houston home builder has contributed about $28 million to more than 400 candidates and political action committees in Texas, according to an analysis of campaign-finance data by The Texas Tribune. During that time, he's also contributed at least $38 million more to candidates and groups outside of Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/BPerry.JPG)
Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads his Democratic challenger, Bill White by 10 points — 50 percent to 40 percent — in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Libertarian Kathie Glass has the support of 8 percent of respondents; Deb Shafto of the Green Party gets 2 percent. In the last UT/TT poll, conducted in early September, Perry led by 6 points, 39 percent to 33 percent. In a red state in a red year, GOP incumbents in other statewide races are beating their Democratic opponents by between 13 points and 20 points, the new poll found. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Oct2010-002.png)
A surge in Republican enthusiasm nationwide has the GOP hopeful about taking back the U.S. House and, maybe, the U.S. Senate in November. In Texas, that high tide has turned a handful of what are usually considered safe Democratic House seats into live targets. Ben Philpott of KUT and the Tribune reports. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DemsInHighWater.png)
The lawyer behind a massive voter registration drive in Harris County has filed a defamation suit against a Tea Party group, the King Street Patriots, that sought to link the as-yet-unsuccessful effort to turn out more than 100,000 new voters to the New Black Panthers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/ClusterF_pt4.jpg)
The latest in the ad wars between Bill Flores and U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, is a spot from the GOP challenger featuring U.S. Sen. John McCain. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Screen_shot_2010-10-04_at_1.46.50_PM.png)
Rick Perry's campaign has released a new ad on the topic of border security that pivots off of the letter the governor hand-delivered to Barack Obama during their brief tarmac meeting in Austin. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CM_Capture_2_2.jpg)
There’s a new student paper coming to university campuses in Texas — courtesy of the Republican Party of Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/103109-txrepubs001-jv.png)
Republican state representatives and House candidates have pledged $200,000 to the Republican Party of Texas in the last week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/IMG_0412.JPG)
Nearly as many Texans believe Barack Obama is a Muslim as approve of his performance as president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/poll-obama-religion.png)
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, says his failure to report millions in stock transactions on financial disclosure reports from 2008 and 2009 resulted from a clerical error made by his accountant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/michael-mccaul_square.jpg)
"I always wanted to run for office," Bill Hobby writes. "And I grew up in a family that had been part of state government for a couple of generations." An excerpt from the forthcoming How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/hobby-cover-final_v2.jpg)
Bob Richter, public editor of the San Antonio paper, responds to the GOP House candidate's charges of biased coverage. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/quicocanseco002.jpg)
The former University of North Texas economics professor, U.S. House majority leader and hired-gun Washington lobbyist, now the head of the conservative activist group Freedom Works and the co-author of the new book Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto, on what the Tea Party is and isn't, why a GOP majority in Congress isn't enough, where George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush went wrong, what Rick Perry did right and why Barack Obama won't be re-elected in 2012. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Dick-Army_TeaBag_v2.jpg)
At a press conference in Waco this afternoon, Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri laid out a case alleging that Democratic state Rep. Jim Dunnam does not live in Waco's House District 57, which he currently represents. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/103009_housefloor001_go.jpg)
Judge Pat Priest has just denied Tom DeLay's request for a change of venue. The former congressman will be tried in Travis County, though he may still raise the issue again during the process of jury selection. The trial date has tentatively been set for Oct. 26. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8faa846f19f7489d939cdef2088c1e70/BD%20INC%20Tom%20Delay%20004%202010)
At today's pretrial hearing, Judge Pat Priest said the former U.S. House majority leader, not his associates, will be tried first. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TomDeLay.jpg)
The third-place finisher in this year's GOP gubernatorial primary on whether she'll vote for Rick Perry, how she feels about the mosque near Ground Zero and what her reaction to Glenn Beck should have been. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Medina.jpg)
An Interview with former GOP gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina Full Story
In the wake of a court ruling keeping state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, on the ballot, lawyers for his Democratic opponent and the Texas Democratic Party are deciding whether to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. But time is short: Today is the last day a candidate who is removed can be replaced. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/BirdwellHeadshot.jpg)