EMILY’s List adds to massive spending on behalf of MJ Hegar in Democratic runoff against Royce West
The two are competing to take on Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in November. The primary runoff is Tuesday. Full Story
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![Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate MJ Hegar at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Austin on Feb. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP convention will happen in person — but Republican leaders will speak via video
As the state has seen a surge in coronavirus cases, calls have been growing over the past week for the party to cancel its Houston event. Full Story
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![James Dickey, Texas GOP Chairman is seen on a large video screen during the final afternoon of the 2018 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Pete Sessions lost his U.S. House seat in Dallas. Can he win a new one 100 miles south?
Sessions has moved to Waco for his next bid, where an eventful GOP runoff campaign against Renee Swann will likely determine who wins the seat in November. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions spoke to a crowd of supporters during a campaign event at the Park Cities Hilton in 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
In GOP runoffs for the Texas House, viability in November is a leading concern
Republicans are hoping to line up their best candidates with control of the lower chamber possibly up for grabs in the fall. Full Story
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![The floor of the house on April 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrat's congressional campaign received a PPP loan in May
Dr. Christine Eady Mann, who is in a runoff for a Central Texas seat, has already paid the loan back. Full Story
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![Dr. Christine Mann outside the medical building in Cedar Park where she works, on Monday, June 1, 2020. Mann is running against U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, the incumbent in Texas' 31st Congressional District.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urges Texas GOP to cancel its convention
The in-person event is scheduled for next week, even as the coronavirus continues to spread through Houston. Full Story
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![Texas Republican Convention attendees stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in Fort Worth in 2012.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
How Texans behave on July Fourth will shape the next phase of the state's coronavirus epidemic
Millions of decisions by a restive population eager to barbecue, jump in lakes and gather for fireworks could have disastrous consequences for public health. Officials are crossing their fingers, and pleading for Texans to give up a little independence. Full Story
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![Aransas Pass hosts its Fourth of July fireworks display on Thursday, July 2, 2020, over Conn Brown Harbor. Attendees were encouraged to social distance and stay in their cars during the show.]()
Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide mask mandate exempts voting sites and churches
As for the voting exemption in his mask order, Abbott says it was designed to make sure Texans do not lose their right to vote "simply because they don't have a mask." Full Story
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![A man exits Toney Burger stadium in South Austin where early voting has begun for the July 14th runoff and special election, in Austin on June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
“How many more are coming?” What it’s like inside hospitals as coronavirus grips Texas’ Rio Grande Valley
The surge in coronavirus cases has slammed hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley. Additional wards have opened. Doctors and nurses pull extra shifts. And the stream of sick people, some gasping for air, keeps growing. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
MJ Hegar maintains big fundraising lead over Royce West in U.S. Senate runoff
Hegar had her biggest fundraising quarter yet as she reaches the end of the Democratic primary runoff to challenge Republican incumbent John Cornyn. Full Story
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![MJ Hegar and Evan Smith.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court won't fast-track Texas Democrats' bid to expand mail-in voting during pandemic
The order Thursday leaves in place Texas' more restrictive regulations for the upcoming July 14 runoff. But the case could return to the high court before November's general election. Full Story
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
High school coaches’ convention will draw thousands to San Antonio as pandemic rages across Texas
To stop the spread of the new coronavirus in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars and banned nonessential surgeries in counties that are hot spots. But indoor conventions that will draw thousands of people are still moving forward. Full Story
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![Purell hand sanitizer at the track prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center on Mar 12, 2020.]()
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports via REUTERS -
Republican runoff in battleground congressional district turns explosive with focus on sex trafficking in Fort Bend County
Kathaleen Wall has run multiple television ads arguing her opponent, Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, has not taken sex trafficking seriously. Nehls has vehemently rejected that assertion. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Early voting begins as coronavirus surges in Texas and a debate over sex ed curriculum
In this edition of TribCast, Emma talks to Matthew, Aliyya and Ross about the state's latest efforts to mitigate spread of the new coronavirus, and the State Board of Education’s ongoing debate over Texas’ sex ed curriculum. Full Story
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![Pharmacy technician Ashley Perez passes a self-swab coronavirus test to a patient at a drive thru testing site at a Walmart in McKinney on Tuesday, June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Dr. Anthony Fauci “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”
Fauci and other top medical leaders have flagged Texas as a COVID-19 hot spot, but Patrick said the infectious disease doctor has “been wrong every time on every issue.” Full Story
Credit: Nick Wagner/POOL via American-Statesman -
Texas Republican Party has contingency plan to move convention online if necessary, GOP chairman says
The party's executive board will meet Thursday evening and could take action on a number of safety protocols including requiring masks, relocating the convention or making it virtual. It could also make no changes. Full Story
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![There was a full house during a committee hearing at the second day of the the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 15, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bar owners file $10 million federal lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott, the second suit over the shutdown in two days
The bar owners say in the lawsuit that Abbott's order violates their constitutional rights and "may very well leave long-term scarring on the Republican form of government if left unchecked." Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Doctors reverse course, say Texas GOP should cancel in-person convention
One day after The Texas Tribune reported that the Texas Medical Association was a sponsor for the indoor convention that is expected to draw 6,000 people, the doctors' group announced it was calling on organizers to cancel. Full Story
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![First day of the Texas Republican Convention at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio on June 14, 2018. .]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
MJ Hegar, Royce West spar on party loyalty, ethics in debate
The tense exchanges between the two Democrats marked a clear turning point in the race to take on Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Full Story
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![Democratic U.S. Senate candidates MJ Hegar and State Sen. Royce West face off at KVUE’s Democratic U.S. Senate Primary debate on June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Screenshot via KVUE -
The Texas GOP convention will gather thousands of people indoors without a mask requirement. One of its sponsors is the Texas Medical Association.
The Texas Medical Association, the state's largest medical group, said it is hopeful convention attendees will wear masks and practice social distancing. Full Story
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![Delegate Elizabeth Victory listens to discussions during the final afternoon of the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
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