Texas Elections 2018

Months after state lawmakers tried and failed to pass bills restricting transgender restroom access, transgender Texans plan to vie for seats in Congress and the Texas Senate next year. Full Story 

Hurricane Harvey presents the state of Texas with a set of problems that are bigger than politics, a turn of fortune that could be a political boon to Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story 

The nation's highest court says Texas should use the political maps it already has in place while litigation over those maps continues. But the courts have been known to change the maps in the middle of election years. Full Story 

The races at the top of the 2018 Republican primary ballot don't look very competitive. That might be good news for the party's most conservative down-ballot candidates. Full Story 

Angela Paxton, the wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton, is seeking the seat in Senate District 8 that Van Taylor, R-Plano, is vacating to run for Congress. Full Story 

State Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Frisco, confirmed he is challenging state Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls in next year's Republican primaries. Full Story 

Continuing a dramatic reversal on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal appeals court to allow Texas to enforce a photo voter identification law that a lower court found discriminatory. Full Story 

El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar filed paperwork Friday to begin a campaign for the U.S. House seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a fellow El Paso Democrat. Full Story 

Families in politics are nothing new — they're all over history and, for that matter, the current Texas Legislature. But the upcoming Senate primary in Collin County offers a fresh twist on the theme. Full Story 

A federal judge struck another blow to the state’s voter ID law this week – ruling the Legislature’s attempted fix does nothing to address the problems the courts have raised throughout the six-year legal fight. Full Story 

In a Tuesday interview at one his campaign stops in Killeen, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke talked about his 2018 Senate run, why he supports impeaching President Trump and which El Paso Democrat he hopes will replace him in the U.S. House. Full Story 

Two more prominent Democrats are joining the race to challenge U.S Rep. Will Hurd, whose sprawling 23rd Congressional district runs across much of the Texas border. Full Story 

Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed that Texas has no plans to ask lawmakers to redraw the state's Congressional map in a fresh round of legislative overtime. Instead, Paxton is appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Full Story 

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, is using his congressional recess for a 34-day tour of Texas in his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz next year. Full Story 

Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, is launching a bid against U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Republican member of Congress from Texas. Full Story 

The rift over the bathroom bill in the Texas Legislature won't end with the special session; it's a prelude to the March 2018 primary elections. Full Story 

As lawyers for Texas defended the state's political maps against charges of intentional discrimination, a lawmaker at the center of the case invoked "legislative privilege" Friday to avoid answering some questions. Full Story 

Before sign-waving supporters, Gov. Greg Abbott formally launched his re-election campaign Friday in San Antonio, days before he brings the Texas Legislature back for a special session. Full Story 

Democrats have some chances to pick up seats in the Texas House next year, with a dozen Republicans defending seats in politically wobbly districts. But watch those redistricting judges in San Antonio before you make any bets. Full Story 

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, posted a strong first fundraising quarter as a Senate candidate. Full Story