Here’s your ballot for the Nov. 8 Texas midterm elections
The U.S. will hold its midterm election on Nov. 8. In Texas, voters will elect officials for statewide, congressional and legislative offices. Full Story
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![An illustration of a Texas flag and a sticker that says "Vote 2022". On top of that, letters with gradient colors going from blue to red say "Texas Ballot".]()
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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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Texas suing USDA over requirement to add LGBTQ protections to nutrition programs’ nondiscrimination policies
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service announced in May that it would expand its definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton and other attorneys general are suing in response. Full Story
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![Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
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Texas AG Ken Paxton bans staff lawyers from speaking at state bar events, escalating feud sparked by 2020 election
The bar, which licenses lawyers and offers training sessions, is suing Paxton in an attempt to sanction him for trying block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Supreme Court refuses to reinstate Biden policy limiting immigration arrests before it hears Texas challenge
The administration told immigration officers to prioritize the detention of recent border crossers and immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. A Texas judge said the guidance violated federal laws. Full Story
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![Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are apprehended by Customs and Border Protection after crossing the border in Roma on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
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Texas charity that backs Trump’s stolen-election lie has deep ties to Ken Paxton
The Texas attorney general would be the one to hold True the Vote accountable on allegations that it swindled a $2.5 million donor. But the nonprofit’s founder has been a friend and an ally. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton participates in an interview while in attendance at former President Donald Trump's Save America Rally in Conroe on Jan 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues after Biden administration issues guidance saying doctors can perform abortions in emergencies
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues the Biden administration is violating the state’s “sovereign interest” by reassuring the nation’s doctors they can perform abortions in medical emergencies. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton conducts an interview with Right Side Broadcasting Network at a Trump Rally in Conroe on Jan. 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton seeks to dismiss state bar’s lawsuit against him over his attempt to overturn the 2020 election
The Texas attorney general said that the suit was politically motivated and that the state bar has no authority to police the decisions of his office. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPA’s authority in regulating greenhouse gases
The high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit. Full Story
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![The entrance to the San Miguel Electric Cooperative coal-burning power plant on April 26, 2019.]()
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Abortions up to six weeks of pregnancy can temporarily resume in Texas, judge rules
A ban in effect before Roe v. Wade cannot be used, as threatened last week by Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to a judge’s ruling Tuesday. However, the stopgap measure will, at most, extend abortion access in the state for two months. Full Story
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![Demonstrators in Dallas march against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which virtually bans abortion in the state of Texas, on June 24, 2022.]()
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Texas abortion groups file last-ditch suit to hold off ban for a bit longer
Texas abortion providers and abortion funds ceased operations in the state on Friday for fear of being criminally charged under state laws that pre-date Roe v. Wade. Full Story
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![A patient returns for a follow up appointment to make sure her abortion treatment was successful hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at the Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services abortion clinic in San Antonio on June 24, 2022.]()
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Texas Republicans cheer end of Roe v. Wade while Democrats vow to fight back in November
Attorney General Ken Paxton declared on Twitter that he would be closing his office and “making it an annual holiday” in honor of the Supreme Court decision. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court. (Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune).]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton wants Texas to help defend Llano County officials being sued for banning books
A federal lawsuit claims Llano County leaders perpetrated a coordinated censorship campaign in how they limited the books that taxpayers could access. Full Story
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![Books on shelves at the Llano Public Library on Dec. 14, 2021. The Commissioners Court for Llano County voted to close the public library to conduct "inventory and catalog" their books after community pushback related to books that some deemed offensive. The pushback also led to a decision to immediately shut down an online library of thousands of books out of fears that children could access material not appropriate for children.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton to investigate whether Twitter is understating the number of fake accounts on the platform
Twitter has said bots and fake users represent less than 5% of its accounts, but Paxton says the percentage may be higher. The inquiry comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is in negotiations to buy Twitter, is also raising questions about the number of fake accounts on the platform. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court. (Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune).]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas state bar files professional misconduct lawsuit against Ken Paxton for attempt to overturn 2020 presidential elections
Paxton had been under investigation for the complaint since 2021 and had called attempts to investigate him a ploy by “leftists” in the state bar association. 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.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
Dawn Buckingham and Jay Kleberg will face off to be Texas’ next land commissioner in November
Republican Dawn Buckingham and Democrat Jay Kleberg won their primary runoffs. The winner of November’s general election will replace George P. Bush as head of the Texas General Land Office. Full Story
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![Incumbent state Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, and Democratic opponent Jay Kleberg will face off in November for commissioner of the Texas Land Office.]()
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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.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
End of the Bush era? Democratic men in trouble? 5 things to watch during Texas’ primary runoffs
Tuesday’s elections will solidify the major parties’ statewide tickets and have national political implications. Full Story
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![Candidate signs for the primary election stand outside of the voter center located at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dallas on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn calls Ken Paxton scandals an “embarrassment” when asked about attorney general runoff
Cornyn is the most prominent Texas Republican to criticize the attorney general’s rocky record ahead of the runoff election against George P. Bush. Full Story
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Why Ken Paxton’s supporters in the Texas attorney general race are unbothered by his mounting scandals
Paxton’s backers say they’re looking past the FBI investigation into Paxton and his felony indictment because he’s a a strong conservative advocate fighting the Biden administration. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a campaign event during a Bulverde Spring Branch Conservative Republicans meeting on Monday evening in Bulverde. Paxton criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, championed voter fraud in Texas and praised the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune
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