The latest 2012 elections news from The Texas Tribune.
At last Saturday's quarterly meeting of the Texas Lyceum, I interviewed political-strategists-turned-pundits Matthew Dowd and Mark McKinnon about the media's coverage of the 2012 elections and how reporting on politics will be different going forward. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/McDowd_ART.jpg)
Gov. Rick Perry on Friday set a March 2 special runoff election to fill the open seat created by the death of the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos. The race is between state Rep. Carol Alvarado and former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Alvarado-Garcia.jpg)
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about what he learned in his unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Dew-close.jpg)
It feels like the 2013 legislative session, which gets under way Tuesday, is a five-month interruption of the election season. At some point, elections expanded to fill all of the space between the biennial sessions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HouseChairs.jpg)
Eight contenders have filed paperwork to run in the Jan. 26 special election to replace the late Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. The packed field could mean the district goes without representation until spring if a runoff is needed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dc2135dc713723f5d227f866447f01b7/BD%20INC%20Gallegos%2005%202011)
Willie Nelson and Mickey Mouse may not have been candidates in the 2012 presidential election, but they won write-in votes. That support didn't get them any closer to the White House, as counties don't officially count write-in votes for uncertified candidates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/SillyVotes-2.jpg)
The year 2012 in Texas Tribune videos was a busy one. From Gov. Rick Perry's failed presidential campaign to rock-and-roller Ted Nugent's musings, the surprising U.S. Senate campaign, prosecutorial misconduct controversy and pre-legislative prognostications, our cameras were running. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/TribuneMixTape.jpg)
The year began with Rick Perry's first political losses and ends with speculation about his future and about the entire political organization chart in Texas. A last look at what happened in between. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aeb88227c503fd00b4f3c08544712d9e/BD%20INC%20Perry%2003%202012)
Gov. Rick Perry's strikingly disastrous presidential bid, U.S. Sen.-elect Ted Cruz's surprisingly successful campaign and a Legislature full of fresh faces were among the top political stories of 2012. Jay Root and Ross Ramsey take a look back. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/YearInReview-Politics.jpg)
The year 2012 in Texas Tribune videos: From Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign to rock-and-roller Ted Nugent, the U.S. Senate campaign, prosecutorial misconduct and pre-legislative prognostications, our cameras were running. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TribuneMixTape.jpg)
State Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, and Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat and former Harris County commissioner, are the front-runners in a special election to to replace state Sen. Mario Gallegos, who died in October. Full Story
Election season ends Saturday, in a way, with the start of the biennial blackout on campaign contributions during a legislative session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Capitol-Money-SalarayUpdate_1.jpg)
On Nov. 8, the Tribune and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Politics Project asked four veteran members of the Capitol press corps to forecast the coming controversies in the 83rd session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/session3.jpg)
On November 8, the Tribune and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Politics Project asked four experts on state health, water, transportation and education policy to preview the fights over those issues in the 83rd session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/session2.jpg)
On Nov. 8, the Tribune and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Politics Project asked four political strategists to talk about what the 2012 election means for the 2013 session and beyond. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Session1.jpg)
The "late train" — the rush of supplicants making kiss-and-make-up contributions after an election — ended this weekend with the beginning of a blackout that outlaws political donations during a legislative session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Blackout_1.jpg)
Just like in 2008, Tarrant County voters favored Mitt Romney and President Obama in the same proportion as Texas voters did overall. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tarrant-Voting-3.jpg)
Freshman legislators are getting their first look at Washington and Austin, and the differences are as clear as red and blue. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/WelcomeToWashington.jpg)
Texas Democrats don't hold any statewide offices, and they are terribly outnumbered in the state Legislature. But they were the only gainers in this year's elections. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib_ElectionDay_Tamir.Kalifa001.jpg)
Who's leaving, who's coming in, and how the numbers compare to turnover after the last 40 years of Texas elections. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Yearbook-002.jpg)