The latest Beto O'Rourke news from The Texas Tribune.
Next year, every state official and every member of the Texas Legislature and Congress are up for election. That makes for a big year in Texas politics. Full Story
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Abbott vetoed legislation in June that would have helped shore up the Universal Service Fund, which supports telecommunications in rural Texas. He said it would have “imposed a new fee on millions of Texans.” Full Story
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Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter. Full Story
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The actor said in a video Sunday that “political leadership” is a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.” Full Story
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O’Rourke has ground to make up after his own underwhelming performance with voters there in 2018 when he ran for U.S. Senate — and turning out more Latino voters has long been key to Democratic hopes statewide. Full Story
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In this week's episode, Matthew talks with Cassie, James and Patrick about the early days of the Beto O'Rourke campaign and how the rest of the 2022 ballot is shaping up. Full Story
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The GOP slate for statewide office includes two high-profile Latinos and two Black candidates who have previously held state or federal office. Republicans are making a play to be more competitive with voters of color as the state’s electorate grows more diverse. Full Story
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O'Rourke faces an even more formidable fundraiser in Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He had $55 million cash on hand at the end of June. Full Story
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Sneaking up on a bruised Ted Cruz and almost winning the 2018 U.S. Senate race made Beto O’Rourke a big political name. But after that loss and a poor showing in the 2020 Democratic primary for president, the El Pasoan’s challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott is a different kind of contest. Full Story
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O’Rourke hit the campaign trail with a pitch narrowly focused on several issues that are largely popular with voters, leaving behind the more incendiary rhetoric from his presidential campaign. Full Story
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El Pasoans who have followed O’Rourke’s political career are excited about his run for governor. But his critics still remember his support of a development plan that could have displaced Mexican American residents from one of the city’s oldest barrios. Full Story
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“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” O’Rourke said at a debate when he was running for president. Now he's running for governor and said he won't be backing down from the statement. Full Story
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O’Rourke joins the 2022 gubernatorial race as Texas’ best-known Democrat, but he carries considerably more baggage after a series of political failures, including his bids for U.S. Senate and president. This time, instead of riding a blue wave nationally, he’ll be fighting a red one. Full Story
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O’Rourke’s decision to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott ends months of speculation and gives Democrats a formidable campaigner at the top of the ticket — someone who transformed Texas politics with his blockbuster campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Full Story
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In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Patrick, Reese and Neelam about Tuesday’s special election results, poll numbers in the governor’s race and oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court over Texas’ abortion law. Full Story
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The poll also found that potential candidate Matthew McConaughey is not universally beloved by Texans. About a quarter of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of the movie star who has flirted with running for governor. Full Story
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Dowd said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has focused on “culture war” issues to divide and hurt Texans. Full Story
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In a Texas Tribune Festival interview, the former member of Congress discussed the fight for voting rights, his takeaways from his last two runs for office and speculation about his becoming a candidate for governor. Full Story
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The marchers will travel south from Georgetown to Austin over four days, hoping to build pressure on Congress to act on federal legislation to boost or safeguard access to voting. They will end with a Saturday morning rally at the Capitol. Full Story
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“Whatever Beto decides to do is the domino that affects everybody," said Royce Brooks, executive director of Annie’s List, the Texas Democratic women-in-politics group. Full Story
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