The candidates are miles apart on climate, but both are making affordability a central issue as Texans grapple with spiking prices.
Politics
Stay informed with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth political coverage, including Texas elections, state government, policy debates, and the leaders shaping the future of the state.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Tracking the money raised and spent in the U.S. Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton
See the latest fundraising totals, where the money is coming from and how super PACs are spending in what’s poised to be Texas’ most expensive Senate race.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
19 million Texans are registered to vote, breaking record
The number of Texans registered to vote jumped 2% from March even as the state struggles to process backlogged voter records.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
How Gina Hinojosa went from progressive to populist, emerging as Greg Abbott’s most formidable challenger
Hinojosa has gone from unknown state lawmaker to Abbott’s most viable Democratic challenger yet — a surge that has dared Democrats to wonder if she could actually topple this mainstay of the Texas Republican establishment.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Ken Paxton to close Senate campaign with “Come and Take It” bus tour ending at the Alamo
The Republican nominee plans to hit over 30 stops across Texas, concluding with a stop at the Alamo on the eve of Election Day, as he competes in an intensely close Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Bobby Pulido pitches himself as the Democrat “you used to vote for” in bid to oust Rep. Monica De La Cruz
In Texas’ 15th Congressional District, the Tejano musician is trying to remind voters of the Democratic Party their abuelitas supported for decades. The GOP incumbent casts him as a relic of a “corrupt, compadre system.”
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Pro-Cruz PAC launches seven-figure Spanish-language ad buy attacking Talarico
Aimed at Hispanic voters, the new ad from Truth and Courage PAC attacks Democrat James Talarico over his past comments on gender and sexuality.
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Politics
Meet the candidates running for Texas’ State Board of Education in 2026
The education board sets learning standards and approves instructional materials for public schools. Here are the nine candidates who are running and what’s at stake.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Trump says John Cornyn and Karl Rove to blame if Ken Paxton loses Senate race
If Ken Paxton loses to James Talarico, blame would fall on weak Republicans who failed to close ranks, the president said on social media.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Elon Musk is the donor behind Senate Republicans’ massive rescue mission for Ken Paxton
The world’s wealthiest man transformed Texas’ U.S. Senate race with a massive cash infusion to the Senate GOP’s main outside group, which has taken over the airwaves with ads boosting Paxton.
