Texas Elections 2018

“Together, we need to build something new — a new Texas," former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez told a crowd of supporters in Dallas, where she formally kicked off her Democratic bid for governor. Full Story 

Dozens of women from Texas are running for Congress this year, and several are drawing attention as serious contenders, prompting predictions that the state will elect the first freshman female to a full term in Congress in 22 years. Full Story 

Speculate all you’d like, but there are ways to tell if 2018 will be an election year for the Democrats or one for the Republicans. Full Story 

Chris Evans, who is challenging state Rep. J.D. Sheffield in the Republican primary, pleaded guilty in 2001 to making a pipe bomb. "Growing up, I blew up tree stumps recreationally," he told the Tribune. Full Story 

The early Texas primaries force some quick deadlines on candidates and campaigns. Early voting begins on Feb. 20 — just seven weeks from now and two weeks before Election Day. Full Story 

2018 is set to be a busy year in Texas politics. Watch as Texas Tribune executive editor Ross Ramsey and political reporter Patrick Svitek discuss what to keep an eye on. Full Story 

Who’s on the ballot in Texas for the March 6 primaries? Here are all the Democrats and Republicans running for statewide, congressional and legislative offices and the State Board of Education. Full Story 

Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro will launch a political action committee on Tuesday that aims to support Democratic Party efforts to take control of the U.S. House and groom younger candidates. Full Story 

Some of the political kids in Texas wanted a quick ruling on redistricting for Christmas, a perennial request that never seems to be granted. With just two Texas elections left in the decade, the courts are still arguing over the state's maps. Full Story 

Embattled U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, will not appear on the 2018 primary ballot after a late push by the state Republican Party to keep him off. Full Story 

Competitiveness is the biggest difference between Texas House elections and those for Texas seats in Congress or in the state Senate. A dozen or so seats in the Texas House are still within the grasp of either of the major political parties. Full Story 

Bo French says the "Thief Bill Waybourn" Facebook page he created to mock Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn was merely satire. Three law enforcement groups are calling it a "scandalous crime." Full Story 

The Texas GOP is suing the Texas secretary of state to keep embattled U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold off the 2018 primary ballot — one day after he announced he will not seek re-election in 2018. Full Story 

Twelve of the 15 districts on the Texas Senate ballot in 2018 are represented by Republicans. Most of those, and all of those held by Democrats, have remained firmly in the clutches of the party now in power during the last two election cycles. Most of 2018's competition will be in March, not in November. Full Story 

U.S. Rep. Roger Williams is set to help fundraise for an opponent of a fellow Republican congressman, embattled U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold. Full Story 

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak should resign over a conflict of interest, an accusation Mackowiak denies. Questions of conflicts are also being raised elsewhere as the 2018 election season gets underway. Full Story 

Past congressional elections in Texas have favored Republicans, but Texas Democrats are hopeful. Here's a look back. Full Story 

The months leading up to Monday's candidate filing deadline were full of talk about who might challenge whom, a drawn-out round of punditry. Now we know who filed for what, and some of the results were unexpected. Full Story 

A hectic candidate filing period came to a relatively calm close Monday evening, with few major surprises as the field was set for the 2018 primaries in Texas. Yet it's been a tumultuous few weeks across the state's political landscape. Full Story 

Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has decided to challenge current Commissioner George P. Bush in next year’s Republican primary. He is expected to announce his candidacy Monday, several sources said Friday. Full Story