The latest 2012 elections news from The Texas Tribune.
Even if none of the remaining incumbents gets beat or loses, this will be the biggest freshman class over all — legislative and congressional officeholders combined — since 1983, when 63 newbies came in. Full Story
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Voter registration is over for this election — now it's up to the campaigns to convince people to get up and vote. The competitive races are relatively static. What was hot last week remains so this week, and so on. Here's the latest Hotlist. Full Story
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Did the outrage over voter ID take all the energy away from Texas Democrats? A flurry of GOP-backed laws that affect voter registration indicate it did. Full Story
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In a new TV ad, Republican Wayne Faircloth says state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, actually lives in Austin and says he can afford his house there because "he's a trial lawyer who sues businesses." Full Story
Three Republicans who served in the Legislature with Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, are criticizing his GOP opponent's use of a picture of Jesus in a controversial mail piece. Republican U.S. Rep. Quico Canseco is standing by the ad. Full Story
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With a tight presidential race going down to the wire, Gov. Rick Perry will campaign this weekend for formal rival Mitt Romney in Colorado and Nevada, where Perry will appear at a series of rallies. Full Story
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In South Texas, Democrat Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles is hitting her Republican opponent, incumbent J.M. Lozano of Kingsville, for neglecting to report $55,000 in donations from PACs associated with GOP heavy hitters. Full Story
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Former Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Texas next week to raise money for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Cheney will be joined at events in Austin and Dallas by Romney’s son Josh. Full Story
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Four new senators are coming from the Texas House, where their voting records can be analyzed. Compared to the people they're replacing, they're more conservative. Full Story
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In Dallas, former Democratic state Rep. Carol Kent, who was swept out of office in the Republican wave of 2010, is vying for an open House seat against Jason Villalba, a political newcomer and Hispanic Republican. Full Story
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Democrat Pete Gallego, locked in one of the hottest congressional races in the country, says his opponent Quico Canseco went too far by using the face of Jesus in a political ad. Canseco stands by the mailer. Full Story
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In a new campaign ad, state Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth, accuses his SD-10 opponent, incumbent Democrat Wendy Davis, of violating ethics rules and hiding details about her public sector legal clients. Full Story
The biggest challenge for state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston, and her Democratic opponent, Ann Johnson, may be distancing themselves from each other. Full Story
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Lots of people get elected by voters who didn't look at their names — voting instead by choosing all candidates from one party or another. Much of the electorate only uses that one piece of information to determine who gets votes. Full Story
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In a new ad, Republican Wayne Faircloth, who is challenging state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, in House District 23, says his career as a small-business owner has prepared him to work on balancing the state budget and create jobs. Full Story
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This week's changes to the Hotlist were done with an eraser. Full Story
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Randy Weber's latest ad says CD-14 opponent Nick Lampson voted against the Bush tax cuts, child tax credits and ending with this: "Voters fired him. Twice." It goes on TV on Friday, Weber's campaign said. Full Story
On the campus of Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat, and her Republican opponent Mark Shelton squared off on education funding, women's health, and of course, ethics. Full Story
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State Rep. Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas, has become the first GOP lawmaker to openly disparage other elected officials for collecting a state pension while receiving a government salary for their elected position. Full Story
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