Two Republican foes of Dan Patrick support Democrat Mike Collier for lieutenant governor
Both Republicans have been at odds with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and neither of them are running for reelection. Full Story
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Credit: Tarrant Co. website; Texas Senate -
What issues matter most to you this election? Help us cover Texans’ top concerns.
Help us prioritize the policy issues and election questions we should report on ahead of the November midterms. Full Story
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![A sheer image of voters behind a large logo that reads "VOTE 2022" next to a Texas Tribune icon.]()
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After Uvalde shooting, Texas leaders will spend more than $100 million on school safety, mental health
Almost half the money is going toward bullet-resistant shields for school police officers, a move that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on fellow state leaders to support. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference at Uvalde High School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 in Uvalde. Twenty one people were killed after a gunman after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is unlikely to adopt key provision of bipartisan gun bill — a red flag law to take guns away from people deemed dangerous
Red flag laws likely remain a nonstarter among Republican leaders in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott already faced a conservative backlash after he asked the Legislature to consider them four years ago. Full Story
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![Guns at McBride's Guns in Austin on March 26, 2013.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas selects new director — and new name — for its conservative institute
The University of Texas at Austin selected Justin Dyer to run The Civitas Institute, formerly referred to as the Liberty Institute. The center raised concerns among faculty after The Texas Tribune reported UT-Austin worked with conservative donors and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to bring the institute to the flagship UT campus. Full Story
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![Justin Dyer has been named the executive director of the newly formed Civitas Institute.]()
Credit: Courtesy Justin Dyer -
Texas House speaker pitches spending more than $100 million for mental health, school safety programs
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs. Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, center, speaks with Gov. Greg Abbott, right, and State Rep. Ben Leman, R-Anderson, left, on the House floor on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls for spending $50 million to buy bulletproof shields for school police
Patrick said he wants police in as many Texas schools as possible to have bulletproof shields before the fall. He’s asked other state leaders to move around money in the state budget to make it happen. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sits down at a press conference at Uvalde High School on May 25, 2022, in Uvalde. A gunman killed twenty-one people after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, says it’s a “slap in the face” to be left off committee responding to shooting
Gutierrez, a Democrat who has been critical of the state’s response to past shootings, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also snubbed state senators whose districts were affected by shootings in El Paso and Santa Fe. Full Story
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![State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, interrupted a news conference held by Texas Governor Greg Abbott at Uvalde High School, three days after a gunman killed nineteen children and two adults in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, on May 27, 2022.]()
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A gun and a prayer: How the far right took control of Texas’ response to mass shootings
The “God-given right” to self-defense has become a rallying cry in Texas politics, further cementing gun ownership as a holy cause and political identity. The state’s Republican leadership has spent decades carrying the banner. Full Story
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![People walk into the NRA Annual Meeting as people protest behind them Friday, May 27, 2022, at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. (Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Trump and Cruz propose “hardened” one-door schoolhouses. Experts say that’s not a credible solution.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans argue that gunmen can be stopped by locking all but one door and posting guards at schools. School officials and safety experts say that’s not realistic. Full Story
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![UVALDE, TX-MAY 25: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to members of the media outside Robb Elementary School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 in Uvalde, TX. Twenty one people were killed after a gunman after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott won’t say whether he plans to attend NRA convention in Houston on Friday
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are also scheduled to attend the event but their offices have not commented on their attendance since the shooting unfolded in Uvalde on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to speak, said Wednesday he still plans to attend. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference with Nuevo León Gov. Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda on April 13, 2022.]()
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Video: Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke clash over Uvalde deaths as governor provides more details on school shooting
Abbott was publicly criticized by his Democratic opponent for governor. Abbot also said he wasn’t sure if he would attend the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting later this week. Full Story
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![Police block off the road leading to the scene of a school shooting at Robb Elementary on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, TX. A school shooting was reported this afternoon after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School where two teachers and 14 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Mike Collier wins Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and will face uphill battle against Dan Patrick
Collier came within 4 percentage points of unseating the incumbent in 2018. But this year, Democrats face even stronger headwinds in trying to unseat Texas Republicans. Full Story
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![Mike Collier, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, speaks at an event at Whitestone Brewery on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 in Cedar Park.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton easily defeats George P. Bush in GOP primary runoff
Bush, who has served for seven years as the state’s land commissioner, campaigned on restoring integrity to the attorney general’s office and hit Paxton for his legal and ethical troubles. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a campaign event during a Bulverde Spring Branch Conservative Republicans meeting on May 16, 2022, in Bulverde. Paxton criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, discussed voter fraud in Texas and praised the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.]()
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Largely aligned on policy, candidates in Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor push their experience
The winner will face a tough challenge against Republican incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Full Story
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![From left: State Rep. Michelle Beckley, D-Carrollton, and Mike Collier are facing off for the Democratic nomination in the lieutenant governor race.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick urge Texas Supreme Court to take up Ken Paxton’s appeal to whistleblower lawsuit
The two Republican state officials filed friend of the court briefs asking that the high court take up the case because it is relevant to statewide governance and to the powers of an executive office under the Texas Constitution. Full Story
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TribCast: Dan Patrick takes on Disney in latest fight over Texas classrooms
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Brian and James about Dan Patrick’s push for a Texas version of the Florida law governing the discussion of sexuality in schools and Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest action on the border. Full Story
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![Pride flags, stickers and masks, pronoun buttons and other merch are handed out at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on March 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Critics of Texas’ push for a “Don’t Say Gay” bill say acknowledging LGBTQ people isn’t the same as teaching kids about sex
Republicans say they don’t want young kids learning about sex. Educators say that’s already the standard. Full Story
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![AISD employees Melissa and Caitlin Kender cheer on models as they walk past during a fashion show at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on Saturday, Mar. 26, 2022. The Kenders have been married for a week. "When we want to establish a family, this is somewhere we want our kids to be a part of," Melissa said. They moved from Dallas to be a part of AISD specifically.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants Texas version of Florida law that critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay”
The Florida law prohibits teachers from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity to kids below the fourth grade. Full Story
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![Kids hold flags and wear heart stickers and beads at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on Saturday, Mar. 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Running for Texas Senate, Raul Reyes defies the lieutenant governor who controls it
Reyes faces Pete Flores in the May 24 Republican primary runoff for the open state Senate seat. Flores is backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Full Story
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![Republican candidate for Texas Senate District 24 Raul Reyes poses for a portrait outside of a Poteet Rotary Club meeting on March 30, 2022.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune
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