Democratic Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos joins crowded Texas House speaker race
Rodríguez Ramos faces an uphill battle, as Democrats are the minority party with 64 seats in the 150-member Texas House. Full Story
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![State Rep. Ana-Maria Rodríguez Ramos, D-Richardson, speaks at a Texas House Progressive Caucus press conference at the Capitol on Sept. 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Amarillo Republican John Smithee joins Texas House speaker race
After Attorney General Ken Paxton’s failed impeachment trial, his allies touted Smithee, one of the House’s most senior members, as a speaker candidate. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, speaks on the House floor in 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton agrees to pause its investigation into Texas civic group’s voter registration efforts
Jolt, which advocates for more Latino voting participation, says the attorney general’s probe spurred threatening comments online. Full Story
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![Voter registration tables were set up at the ‘For the People’ voting rights rally at the Texas Capitol on Sunday, June 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton withdrew an opinion on gun bans weeks after suing Texas state fair for a similar restriction
Paxton sued Dallas and state fair officials last month, arguing the fair’s private organizer had violated state law by banning firearms on the fairgrounds. Full Story
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![The State Fair of Texas in 2016.]()
Credit: Allison V. Smith for The Texas Tribune -
At this West Texas church, “the Lord’s work” is helping the poor, not rewriting law
Led by co-pastors Joe and Dawn Weaks, Connection Christian Church, a 118-year-old congregation in Odessa, has transformed while keeping true to its legacy of helping the community. Full Story
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![Pastor Dawn Weaks leads her congregation in prayer during a blessing of the backpacks ceremony for the start of the new school year at Connection Christian Church Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
GOP bid to remove polling sites from Tarrant County college campuses fails
County Judge Tim O’Hare said he proposed the cuts to save costs. Critics accused Republican leaders of suppressing the vote of young people who back Democrats. Full Story
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![ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 10, 2024: Makayla Ortega, 19, a student at University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), registers to vote at the UTA campus in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. CREDIT: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
Odessa’s mayor ran to help the West Texas city “repent.” Now he wants a second term.
Under Javier Joven’s leadership, his critics say, the Odessa City Council has lost focus on municipal issues like roads and water infrastructure. Full Story
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![Javier Joven, Mayor of Odessa, poses for a photo at his childhood home Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Russian captive’s father blasts Ted Cruz in ad endorsing Colin Allred
Joey Reed said the Texas senator did not do enough to free his son Trevor who was held in Russia for three years until he was released in 2022. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed during a 2020 court hearing in Moscow on March 11, 2020.]()
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National Dems target Texas, but focus remains on protecting Senate incumbents
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz this November, but the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has vulnerable incumbents to defend first. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, addresses the crowd at a grassroots event in McAllen on Wed. Sept. 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick asks Senate to consider bills to unmask protesters, change runoff elections
The new list includes many right-wing priorities, and would escalate Republicans’ wars against diversity, equity and inclusion programs and review laws to keep noncitizens off voter rolls. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. James Frank becomes fourth Republican to challenge Dade Phelan for House speaker
Frank said he would work to bring better communication, member empowerment and management of the flow of legislation if he became the chamber’s leader. Full Story
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![State Rep. James Frank, R- Wichita Falls, chairs the House Human Services Committee hearing at the Capitol on March 21, 2022. The committee is investigating reported allegations of sexual exploitation at a facility in Bastrop.]()
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Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach
The vice presidential candidate was briefly in Dallas for a fundraiser on behalf of Kamala Harris’ campaign. Full Story
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![U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz acknowledges applause at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 21, 2024.]()
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Austin congressman leads GOP rebuke of Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, which U.S Rep. Michael McCaul chairs, accused Biden of ignoring warnings from his staffers and allies, leaving American interests vulnerable to the Taliban takeover. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, speaks with Juliegrace Brufke, Capitol Hill reporter at Axios, during a one on one conversation at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
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Revisit the highlights and top interviews from the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival
Politicians broke news and took tough questions during the three-day festival. Full Story
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![Open Congress at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, TX on Sept. 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Colin Allred responds to comparisons with Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, defends his strategy
Allred has run a more traditional campaign in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, focusing on targeted ads and moderate policy. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, speaks about his U.S. Senate race against incumbent Ted Cruz with Tim Miller, writer at The Bulwark, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Mayorkas: Texas’ immigration policies have wreaked havoc and disorder
The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary specifically called out the state’s policy of busing migrants to cities in other parts of the country. Full Story
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![Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, speaks about border issues with Laura Barrón-López, correspondent for PBS News Hour, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, TX on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
“It’s time for big change”: Texas Republicans seeking to oust Speaker Dade Phelan present united front
Reps. Tom Oliverson and Shelby Slawson, both members of House Republican leadership, became the first two candidates to challenge Phelan’s speakership. Full Story
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![State Reps. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, and Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, discuss the speaker of the Texas House position on a panel moderated by politics reporter Zach Despart at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
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Liz Cheney says Dick Cheney will vote for Kamala Harris, and she will support Democrat Colin Allred in Texas Senate race
Liz Cheney endorsed Allred at The Texas Tribune Festival Friday. Full Story
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![Former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney speaks with Mark Leibovich, staff writer at The Atlantic, during a one-on-one conversation about democracy at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton sues Travis County to block voter registration efforts
The Texas attorney general filed a similar lawsuit earlier this week against Bexar County, which includes San Antonio. Full Story
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![Voter registration forms at a booth on the campus of UT-Austin on Oct. 11, 2022.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
After four years, Wendy Davis’ lawsuit against “Trump Train” goes to trial
A jury will decide if a group of Trump supporters violated state and federal law when they allegedly harassed a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway in 2020, frightening those on board. Full Story
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![The Biden-Harris campaign bus arrives in Abilene on Oct. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Ronald W. Erdrich/Abilene Reporter-News via REUTERS