The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
An unlikely sight descended on the Capitol on Wednesday: a contingent of donkeys circling the building in the midday sun. As Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, the animals were led there as part of a protest aimed at stopping state officials from killing wild burros in West Texas. Full Story
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Ross, Reeve, Brandi and Thanh look ahead to the South Carolina primary, look back on the history of the death penalty in Texas, and discuss the current state of women's health clinics in the state. Full Story
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The team over at ProPublica has created a new news app called PAC Track that tracks Super PAC expenditures. The Make Us Great Again Super PAC has spent $3.8 million in support of Rick Perry. Endorse Liberty, the Ron Paul Super PAC, has spent nearly $3 million. Full Story
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The Republican primary may have engulfed the national political conversation, but as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some young voters have only just begun to tune in. Full Story
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Four of the state's top officeholders each raised more than $1 million during the second half of 2011. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is running for the U.S. Senate, raised $1.5 million for his federal campaign account during the fourth quarter alone. Full Story
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Despite condemnation from Turkey's foreign ministry, Gov. Rick Perry today defended his description of the U.S. ally as a country under the rule of "Islamic terrorists." Full Story
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During a question-and-answer session with voters in South Carolina, Gov. Rick Perry said he would eliminate the Small Business Administration, which provides loans, counseling and other assistance to small businesses. Full Story
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While most of Monday night's Republican presidential debate featured the top-tier candidates sniping at each other, Gov. Rick Perry was just trying to stay relevant. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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The 16th debate of the Republican presidential primary season ended Monday with front-runner Mitt Romney bruised but not beaten. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry's frenetic campaign schedule suggests he is not thinking much about the moment his presidential run will come to an end. But in an interview before a studio audience Monday in Myrtle Beach, Perry sounded somewhat less certain of victory and finally willing, perhaps, to look beyond a campaign that started off with such hope but quickly went off the rails. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith said in a press release on Friday that he plans to remove controversial provisions in the Stop Online Piracy Act. As Andy Uhler of KUT News reports, some online-business leaders say the legislation, introduced by Smith, R-San Antonio, could cause economic damage. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith said in a press release on Friday that he plans to remove controversial provisions in the Stop Online Piracy Act. As Andy Uhler of KUT News reports, some online-business leaders say the legislation, introduced by Smith, R-San Antonio, could cause economic damage. Full Story
You might come to believe that Ted Cruz, the former state solicitor general, is the reason the stone monument to the Ten Commandments is still standing near the northwest corner of the Texas Capitol. It's not so. Full Story
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Rick Perry, trying to rescue his presidential campaign in South Carolina, got some unwelcome news Saturday from back home, where influential evangelical leaders threw their support behind former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Full Story
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The conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation today wrapped up its annual legislative primer, which has become a must-attend for state Republican leaders. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the group is already working to influence next year's legislative session. Full Story
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A federal judge's decision not to allow Rick Perry and three other presidential candidates onto Virginia's GOP primary ballot "disenfranchises" the state's voters, Joe Nixon, the Texas governor's lead counsel, said Friday. Full Story
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In a radio interview Friday morning, Rick Perry was asked again which federal departments he planned to shut down if elected president. This time he remembered to name three — but not the same three as before. Full Story
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Rick Perry’s 28-year-old son, Griffin, has propelled himself into the headlines — and injected some much-needed energy into his father’s decidedly downtrodden candidacy — with his Twitter missives from the campaign trail. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry launched his campaign for president exactly five months ago in Charleston, S.C. Once a front-runner in the Palmetto State, Perry is now hoping for a comeback to get some much-needed momentum. Full Story
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The major Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate knocked heads Thursday night in a debate that was a good deal livelier than the presidential forums that have become a TV mainstay. Full Story