The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
This week in the Newsreel: The Legislature makes progress on key education and water bills; Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, is busted for barratry; and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst bares his partisan teeth. Full Story
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UPDATED: U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and his twin, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, will hold their own event at the Capitol on Monday to promote the Medicaid expansion provision of federal health reform. Full Story
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Austin has become a growing market for Mexican narco cinema, hastily made films inspired by the cartels. The videos are popular in Austin partly because of the city's increasing population of Hispanic immigrants and Texas’ proximity to Mexico, where the movies are made. Full Story
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Some voters will associate a particular policy with a particular individual, and they will probably transfer the opinion of the person to the issue at hand. President Obama's numbers in Texas show that any issue he supports is unlikely to gain much traction in the state. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Cruz's attempt to repeal health care reform fails; crash victims want Gonzalez to step down; George P. Bush steps up fundraising efforts Full Story
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George P. Bush, Republican candidate for Texas Land Commissioner, told a crowd at the Texas Legislative Conference in New Braunfels on Friday that he's interested in education issues, in cutting regulations and taxes, and in helping the 1.7 million veterans expected to live in or return to the state over the next few years. Full Story
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After successfully leading the bruising campaigns for two state senators and a state representative, Terrysa Guerra, an unassuming Democratic strategist, has emerged as a secret weapon for her party. Full Story
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Your evening reading: former workforce commissioner announces bid for governor; House committee approves budget with additional school funding; Cornyn wants hearing on immigrant release Full Story
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Tom Pauken, the former Texas workforce commissioner and former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, confirmed Thursday to the Tribune that he will file to run for governor. Full Story
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George P. Bush is running for land commissioner, clearing the way for other politicians who want to run in 2014 but don't want to run against that famous last name. But the filing doesn't end the speculation — it just changes it. Full Story
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In an interview with The Shark Tank, a Florida politics blog, Gov. Rick Perry said he would decide whether to run for re-election in June, then make his decision on a presidential bid "sometime later in the year." Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about exemptions from school property taxes and about the political future of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Full Story
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Whether or not the Catholic Church remains strongly opposed to gay marriage under Pope Francis I, one thing is for sure: There is a clear and widening gap between papal and public opinion on same-sex relationships in the U.S., and Texas is no exception. Full Story
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Political insiders rarely take things at face value, so it’s not surprising that they are scratching their collective heads over Ann Bishop’s sudden hiring and equally sudden departure from the office of Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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A postmortem of the Republican Party's 2012 losses has pushed immigration reform back into the spotlight. Full Story
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As recently as 2003, the president of the Greater Fort Bend County Tea Party had a different title: director of propaganda for the American Fascist Party. James Ives says he was working undercover doing research for a book he never wrote. Full Story
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Brandishing his fiery style and flair for oratory, Ted Cruz told conservatives over the weekend that their comeback is already well under way. Full Story
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In a rousing closing keynote at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned that "liberty is under assault from every direction.” Full Story
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In this edition of the Newsreel: George P. Bush officially enters the race for Texas land commissioner, the Senate Finance Committee passes a $195.5 billion budget and educators spend spring break at the Capitol. Full Story
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The senior adviser to the new high-profile Democratic group Battleground Texas on what he thinks it will take to make the state politically competitive for Democrats and why he thinks it's possible. Full Story
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