The latest Texas House of Representatives news from The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Southlake, has won and won easily since wresting the district from a GOP incumbent in a 1998 runoff. But this year is different. She'll face three opponents and voters who might be in an anti-incumbent mood. Full Story
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In one of the fastest growing and most conservative areas of the state, four Republicans are vying for the Texas House seat of outgoing state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. Full Story
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In honor of today's kickoff of early voting — a two-week period in which political junkies, committed activists and other go-to-the-head-of-the-class types will line up to cast ballots for their favorite candidates, unable to contain their enthusiasm or anger until March 2 — we present five different installments in our Primary Color series. Brandi Grissom reports on the GOP face-off to take on state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, in House District 78. Elise Hu tackles the four-way scrum between Republicans in HD-20 hoping to succeed retiring state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. Ross Ramsey asks why a perenially safe incumbent, state Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, has a fight on her hands this year in HD-98. Abby Rapoport looks at the battle for conservative cred in the race for the District 5 seat on the State Board of Education. And Morgan Smith picks apart the five-way race for the GOP nomination in Congressional District 23 — and the chance to topple U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio. Full Story
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The primary matchup between perennial opponents state Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, and former state Rep. Borris Miles is going where most haven't publicly gone before: the urinal. Full Story
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How will lawmakers deal with a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion — and maybe several billion more — in the next legislative session? In all likelihood, by doing what they did in 2003, when things were almost this bad. Full Story
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On the same day she publicly announced that she would drop her reelection bid and plead guilty in federal court to making false statements on an income tax return, State Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, wrote a letter to her House colleagues to say good-bye and apologize. Full Story
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State Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, and former State Rep. Borris Miles are vying for the same Texas House seat for the third time. In a district with a high dropout rate, a high incidence of HIV infection, and a high percentage of people without health insurance, they predictably disagree about who can best deliver on promises of help, hope and change. Full Story
The embattled state representative admits making a false statement on a federal tax return. Full Story
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Thanks to sites like Facebook and Twitter, we know the elected officials who represent us better than ever — sometimes in weirdly intimate ways. You can find out that Dan Patrick had to put his dog down, that Wayne Christian is a fan of real estate wunderkind and reality TV star Chad Rogers, and that Bill White just finished listening to a book on tape. But woe to the pol who hasn't updated her status in a year. Full Story
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The retiring Republican state representative from Plano talks about how he'll spend his time after twenty years in elective office. Full Story
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State Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, on the leadership of Speaker Joe Straus, the modern Republican party and his decision to leave the Texas House after two decades. Full Story
For the first of our TribLive events, I interviewed the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives about his first session leading his colleagues, the coming budget turmoil, the controversial plans for a renovation of the Governor's Mansion, the "scary as hell" health care reforms in play in Congress, and, of course, the titanic battle of Rick vs. Kay. Full Story
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If ESPN analyst and Mike Leach antagonist Craig James decides to run for the U.S. Senate, he'd be simply the latest ex-athlete to assume his skills on the field translate to politics. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus named Denise Davis his new chief of staff and said former Rep. Clyde Alexander, who had held that post, will become a senior advisor. Full Story
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Should reporters wear muzzles when they're around politicians? Some states seem to think so, but not, thankfully, Texas. Full Story
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If you've heard the rumor about state Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, getting a federal appointment and not seeking re-election to the Texas House seat he's held since 2005... it's not true. Full Story
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As a holiday gift to Tribune readers, I'm pleased to present Last Man Standing, my documentary about the 2002 Texas House race between Rick Green and Patrick Rose. Full Story
As a holiday gift to Tribune readers, I'm pleased to present Last Man Standing, my documentary about the 2002 Texas House race between Republican incumbent Rick Green and Democratic challenger Patrick Rose, who mounted his campaign while attending law school. Full Story
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Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio, became the sixth eighth member of the Texas House to say he won't seek reelection next year. He says he doesn't have specific plans, and adds that he's not endorsing any would-be successor. Full Story
As a holiday gift to Tribune readers, I'm pleased to present Last Man Standing, my documentary about the 2002 Texas House race between Republican incumbent Rick Green and Democratic challenger Patrick Rose, who mounted his campaign while attending law school at UT-Austin. It's the story of why people run for office — and what happens when ideals are pitted against the reality of what it takes to win. Full Story
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