State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, appeared on conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham's show Friday morning to announce he is considering a run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
Root and Galbraith on a Dallas billionaire's radioactive waste dump victory, Grissom on the passage of eyewitness ID reform, Hamilton on the old grudges bedeviling the debate over higher ed, Philpott on the status of congressional redistricting, Ramsey on Rick Perry's un-campaign for president, Ramshaw on why medical schools are the scorned children of the state's education budget, my session-wrap interview with three veteran Democrats, M. Smith on why Rob Eissler can't pass mandate relief for school districts and Stiles on who's giving what to which Texas candidates in 2011-12 congressional races: The best of our best content from May 16 to 20, 2011. Full Story
Candidates in next year’s U.S. House and Senate elections in Texas raised more than $5 million in the first quarter from individuals. Most live in Texas. But a significant portion came from outside the Lone Star State, according to the Federal Election Commission. California led the way, followed by Virginia, Washington, D.C. and New York. Full Story
President Barack Obama will be in Texas today for a fundraising event, and at least one Republican running for U.S. Senate, former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, is eager to welcome him to the state — sort of. Full Story
Aaronson on the latest attack on Planned Parenthood, Aguilar previews the sanctuary cities debate, Grissom on a death row inmate's unsuccessful appeal, Hamilton on the UT System's faculty "productivity" data dump, Philpott on the prospect of lawsuits over education cuts, Ramsey on puppies and other distractions, Ramshaw on a tobacco fight, my interview with the presidents of UT-Austin and Texas A&M, M. Smith on a former State Board of Ed member who may have violated state ethics law, Stiles interactively displays the effects of House redistricting and Tan on the Senate budget end game: The best of our best content from May 2 to 6, 2011. Full Story
Texas candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives have raised more than $9 million in the first quarter of this year in advance of the 2012 federal elections. This interactive map visualizes campaign finances by congressional district during the first quarter of 2011. Full Story
Members of Congress from Texas — and potential candidates for those offices — have raised more than $9 million in the first quarter of this year in advance of the 2012 federal elections, campaign records show. Full Story
While television and conservative talk radio continue to marginalize his presidential candidacy, unrest and anxiety over the nation’s economic woes festers, and a passionate and energized base of young people supporting him grows. It's long past time to take him seriously. Full Story
On the day he announced his intention to form a 2012 presidential exploratory committee, Texas congressman Ron Paul, R-Surfside, sparred with Stephen Colbert about the Fed, the debt ceiling and whether he and his sons are the "Libertarian Kennedys." Full Story
At Monday's TribLive conversation, I interviewed U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, about the President's plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, the perpetual fight between Texas and Washington and what's likely to happen in 2012 Senate races — including the one to succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
At Monday's TribLive conversation, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, talked about the GOP's prospects for regaining a majority in the Senate in 2012 — and about the soon-to-be-open seat in Texas. Full Story
Three years ago I interviewed the apparent 2012 Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate — then a retired lieutenant general hawking a memoir — for Texas Monthly. You can read the nearly 2,700-word Q&A here. Full Story
At this morning's TribLive conversation, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was unwilling to distance himself from controversial remarks about Planned Parenthood by his colleague, U.S. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona. Full Story
To avoid government shutdown, congressional Democrats agreed to repeal an amendment that would have prohibited Texas from using federal funds to replace, rather than supplement, state funding of schools. Full Story
Texas has the largest GOP delegation in Congress, and those members have high seniority, spots on key committees and seats at the leadership table — evidence, observers say, of the state’s sway inside the Capitol. Full Story
These maps visualize the number of years members of the U.S. House of Representatives have served, with darker shades representing longer seniority. Full Story
The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday said U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual has agreed to stay in Mexico City to help the two governments organize a transition. Full Story