The latest Texas congressional delegation news from The Texas Tribune.
Our topics this week include the renewed debate over concealed handguns on campus, the advantages of not debating or talking to the press and the hotly contested battle between Congressman Chet Edwards and Republican Bill Flores in CD-17. Full Story
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The CD-17 congressman touts his record of creating and protecting jobs in two spots airing in select media markets. Full Story
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A new ad from the Bill Flores campaign spotlights incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards' "False" PolitiFact rating. Full Story
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Bill Flores is the latest in a line of Republicans to try to dislodge U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, from the country’s most Republican district held by a Democrat. But this time, he swears, it’s going to come out differently. The pundit class thinks he may be right. Full Story
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The American Future Fund is the second national group to enter the CD-17 race with a TV ad against U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards. Full Story
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Talking point No. 1 for an elected official facing an ethics investigation in Texas: Blame the politicization of the Public Integrity Unit, which is funded by the Legislature but operates out of the district attorney's office in heavily Democratic Travis County. Full Story
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Senate Republicans voted unanimously against opening debate for the defense authorization bill this afternoon, a move that blocked the so-called DREAM Act, a controversial immigration measure. Full Story
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, released a new ad today letting voters know he's so conservative that he says 'no' to President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but yes to protecting gun rights. Full Story
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Nearly as many Texans believe Barack Obama is a Muslim as approve of his performance as president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, says his failure to report millions in stock transactions on financial disclosure reports from 2008 and 2009 resulted from a clerical error made by his accountant. Full Story
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Republican Bill Flores released his second television ad today in his race to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco. Full Story
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As U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, goes, so go the Democrats? In a hyper-partisan year, with control of the U.S. House up for grabs, all eyes are on Congressional District 17, the most Republican district in America held by a Democrat. Pundits think Edwards may finally get beat: Were he to survive, a D.C. analyst says, it would be "one of the greatest Houdini acts ever seen in Texas politics." But the 10-term incumbent has seen awful political environments before. “The Washington Generals have a better record against Harlem Globetrotters than the [National Republican Congressional Committee] does in predicting my defeat," he says. Full Story
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Bob Richter, public editor of the San Antonio paper, responds to the GOP House candidate's charges of biased coverage. Full Story
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The rules of the Texas Senate are designed to create an orderly process that respects the rights of individual members. They have lasted this long because they do the job well and consider the need for compromise in the legislative operation. Trampling the rights of the minority is never a good idea — and yet it has happened over and over again. An excerpt from the forthcoming How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics. Full Story
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An interview with the former Texas congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader. Full Story
The former University of North Texas economics professor, U.S. House majority leader and hired-gun Washington lobbyist, now the head of the conservative activist group Freedom Works and the co-author of the new book Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto, on what the Tea Party is and isn't, why a GOP majority in Congress isn't enough, where George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush went wrong, what Rick Perry did right and why Barack Obama won't be re-elected in 2012. Full Story
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Echoing Gov. Rick Perry's refusal to interview with editorial boards across the state, Republican congressional candidate Francisco "Quico" Canseco says he won't meet with his hometown paper. Full Story
During a break in Wednesday's pretrial hearing, former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, discuss a poll that shows a significant portion of potential jurors in Travis County already believe he's guilty. They're using the numbers to argue for a change of venue in the state's money laundering case against DeLay. Full Story
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At today's pretrial hearing, Judge Pat Priest said the former U.S. House majority leader, not his associates, will be tried first. Full Story
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Last week, Republicans loudly complained about a just-approved bill that would send $830 million in federal education funds to Texas with strings attached. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, Democrats have their own reason to balk. Full Story
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