The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas ranks 33rd for its percentage of female legislators. The number of women in the upper chamber is unlikely to increase, even as two of the seven in the Senate — Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte — pursue statewide office. Full Story
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Republicans running for lieutenant governor demonstrated in their debate Monday that they are concerned about their March primary, not about how their positions might sound in November. Full Story
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The House Republican leadership on Thursday released a one-page blueprint for immigration reform. But with its call to legalize 11 million undocumented workers, the immediate question was whether the plan would fly within the party. Full Story
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Congressional Republicans unveiled a set of guidelines for comprehensive immigration reform on Thursday, saying immigrants should have a path to legal status only after paying fines and passing background checks. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Debra Medina, a candidate for Texas comptroller in 2014, talked about a possible shift away from property taxes and toward sales taxes — and the implications for the state budget. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Debra Medina, a candidate for Texas comptroller in 2014, talked her comparatively meager cash on hand and whether she'll have enough money to run a winning campaign. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Debra Medina, a candidate for Texas comptroller in 2014, talked about her Tea Party past and the advantages of running as an outsider. Full Story
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Full video of my 1/30 TribLive interview with Debra Medina, a candidate for Texas comptroller in 2014. Full Story
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We've expanded the officials in our Ethics Explorer to include the judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the members of the State Board of Education. We've also updated our existing analysis on members of the Legislature. Full Story
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In the high-stakes gubernatorial race, the candidates are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a competition to raise more money — and, hopefully, win more votes — than the competition. Full Story
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After a polarizing freshman term in the state House, Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, a Tea Party backer, has drawn backlash from some Republicans in a closely watched race. Full Story
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New research by a Sam Houston State University economics professor finds Texas fifth in income inequality. Could it become a big issue in the governor's race? Full Story
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Months after her husband was killed in Mexico, Lorena Acosta finally laid her husband to rest on Monday in West Texas. Acosta hopes to use her personal tragedy to spotlight what she said are deep-seated problems within law enforcement south of the border. Full Story
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Twenty candidates — including seven Republicans and five Democrats — are hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. It is by far the most crowded statewide race in Texas this year. Full Story
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Time magazine on Tuesday posted an article talking about Wendy Davis' "moment of truth." Davis then spent the rest of the day making the most concerted effort of the past week to push aside critics who have seized on details of her life story to say she isn't fit for office. Full Story
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Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis and lieutenant governor hopeful Leticia Van de Putte spoke Tuesday night at a Travis County Democratic Party fundraiser. Watch their full remarks here, courtesy of the Tribune's livestream. Full Story
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UPDATED: Democrat Celia Israel defeated Republican Mike VanDeWalle on Tuesday in a special election runoff for House District 50. She will serve the remainder of former state Rep. Mark Strama's term. Full Story
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Saying she’d “had enough,” state Sen. Wendy Davis unloaded on Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday night, blaming him and his allies for waging a smear campaign against her family. Full Story
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The Republican lieutenant governor candidates' views on abortion after rape, displayed prominently in Monday night’s debate, may have edged farther right than the Texas GOP’s comfort zone. Full Story
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The four Republican candidates for lieutenant governor took on end-of-life issues, border security and, of course, one another in an hour-long debate in Dallas. Full Story