Court reverses rebuke against state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt for wearing “pussyhat,” mocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s disability
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct had admonished Eckhardt in 2020 for her actions as Travis County judge. Full Story
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![State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, questions one of her colleagues during a floor debate on April 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A Texas election in the shade of government’s third branch
Challenges to new Texas laws on voting, political districts and abortion are all pending in court, as is the state’s challenge to federal vaccine mandates. But until the courts rule, those laws remain in place — and they provide political fodder for the incumbents who support them. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 1, 2021. Today, the Supreme Court will hear cases regarding abortion in Texas.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: The Abbott vs. O’Rourke battle begins
The two-term Republican governor likely faces off against a Democratic challenger. Watch as we go behind the scenes. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, left, and democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke are major contenders for the upcoming governor race in Texas.]()
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Abbott, O'Rourke lead off election year with visits to border cities
The Republican governor officially announced his reelection campaign Saturday in McAllen, while likely Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke campaigned in El Paso. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, left, and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Shelley Luther, anti-lockdown activist and GOP candidate, said Chinese students should be banned from Texas universities
Luther became nationally known at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 when she refused to shut down her Dallas salon in defiance of emergency orders. She was sentenced to a week in jail but was released after only a few days. Full Story
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![Dallas hair salon owner, Shelly Luther expresses the need for business to open up in Texas. She reassures everyone that her salon takes proper precautions at all times.]()
Credit: Jessica Nicole Rodriguez for The Texas Tribune -
Here’s your Texas 2022 March primary ballot
The Texas 2022 primary will take place March 1. See the full list of candidates statewide and find out who's on your ballot based on where you live. Full Story
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![Voting stickers for the 2022 primary ballot page in Texas.]()
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Analysis: Texas candidates run for the border
Texas candidates are talking all kinds of things right now, but one set of issues floats to the top, as it has in state elections for decades: border security and immigration. Full Story
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![A U.S. Border Patrol vehicle along the border fence between El Paso and Juarez on Feb. 10, 2019, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas enters 2022 with a bang — and some whimpering
The new year comes with a new election — and with familiar challenges to the way Texans vote and have their votes counted. Full Story
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![A voter casts their ballot at a polling site at the Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Statewide elections, a redder South Texas and Beto-mania: the biggest Texas political stories to watch for in 2022
Next year, every state official and every member of the Texas Legislature and Congress are up for election. That makes for a big year in Texas politics. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on Oct. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas storms — actual and political — of 2021
Here are a dozen of my columns from 2021: highlights on the winter storm, redistricting, the state’s finances and on issues that could figure into this next round of elections. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on June 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke targets Gov. Greg Abbott for vetoing bill to improve internet access in rural Texas
Abbott vetoed legislation in June that would have helped shore up the Universal Service Fund, which supports telecommunications in rural Texas. He said it would have “imposed a new fee on millions of Texans.” Full Story
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![A colonia, unincorporated neighborhoods that lack basic services such as street lights, proper drainage, paved roads or waste management, is seen near Edinburg on March 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A rose by any other name could stink up the Texas ballot
Political people in Texas know that the Rick Perry on the 2022 Republican primary ballot is not the former governor of the state. Do voters know? Full Story
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![Voters cast their ballots at the poll booths in University Park United Methodist Church on election day in Dallas. Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas attorney general cannot unilaterally prosecute election cases, state's highest criminal court rules
The 8-1 decision came Wednesday from the all-Republican Court of Criminal Appeals. Full Story
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![The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
A Rick Perry — no, not that Rick Perry — files to run for Texas governor
A Springtown man with the same name as the former governor filed Monday to run for the state's top post against Gov. Greg Abbott, raising the prospect of dirty political tricks. Full Story
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![A view of the U.S. and Texas flags flown on the south side of the Texas Capitol from the Capitol Dome in Austin on Aug. 12, 2021.]()
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Democrat Matthew Dowd ends campaign for Texas lieutenant governor, citing need for “greater diversity”
The former George W. Bush political strategist had launched a bid to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. On Tuesday, Dowd said he’s stepping aside to make way for a “diverse field” of candidates in the race. Full Story
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![Author and political strategist Matthew Dowd at a Texas Tribune event at the Austin Club on May 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
As critical race theory and mask mandate debates heat up, Texas GOP takes aim at local school board and municipal races
The Republican Party of Texas announced Monday it had launched a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates for nonpartisan local offices. Full Story
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![The Carroll ISD Administration Building is photographed in Southlake, TX on November 18, 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has opened three investigations into allegations of racial and gender discrimination at Carroll Independent School District.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: It takes a village to win big races in Texas
Want to win a statewide political race in Texas that's not at the very top of the ballot? It helps a lot if your party's top candidate wins — or at least runs a close second. Full Story
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![A woman votes at Great Baptist Hills on July 14, 2020, in Austin.]()
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Analysis: Betting a Texas election on a weather forecast
Gov. Greg Abbott says he can "guarantee" there won't be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That's the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll. Full Story
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![Power lines along a row of homes in South Austin. Many residents experienced power outages due to the winter storm that rolled through Texas. Feb. 16, 2021.]()
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Matthew McConaughey says he won’t run for Texas governor
The actor said in a video Sunday that “political leadership” is a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.” Full Story
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![Matthew McConaughey spoke at the March For Our Lives rally in Austin in 2018.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general’s race to run for Tarrant County district attorney
Krause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on Aug. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune