Republican leaders like to say government should just get out of the way and let the private sector do work its unfettered magic. But during the session, they may have a hard time squaring their stated philosophy with their support for tax giveaways to private industry.

Tea Party activists are releasing their priorities for the upcoming legislative session on Tuesday, and a top leader says they will call for ethics reform, an end to double-dipping by elected officials and better disclosure on personal financial statements.

State Rep. David Simpson of Longview, a Republican who rode to office with heavy Tea Party support two years ago, is considering a run for Texas House speaker against incumbent Republican Joe Straus of San Antonio.

The Texas Ethics Commission backed off Thursday from a proposal to take some investigative authority away from the Travis County district attorney’s office, but the agency approved two recommendations aimed at enhancing criminal investigations of state elected officials.

Some lawmakers revealed lobbyist ties to investments they made in politically connected banks, and others didn't. It highlights a murky area of the state ethics law — and one some argue needs to change.

Austin's first Formula One race has been largely deemed a success. But state officials are still discussing whether to give as much as $250 million in tax subsidies to the race promoters.

Some critics of House Speaker Joe Straus say he’s too moderate to run the Texas House. But Bryan Hughes, the man some hope will unseat Straus, has worked as a trial lawyer, a profession not associated with conservative causes.

As Democratic victories in races across the nation left Republicans with several questions, Texas Republicans enjoyed another statewide sweep. 

About two days after his onetime rival Mitt Romney lost his bid for the White House, Gov. Rick Perry said he is keeping his options open for 2016. But he added that 2016 is "multiple lifetimes away.”

Ted Cruz, a Harvard-educated lawyer and Tea Party icon, easily won the U.S. Senate race Tuesday night, becoming the first Hispanic from Texas to land the job.

Barring a shocking upset, Ted Cruz will be elected U.S. senator Tuesday night, and former state Rep. Paul Sadler will join a long line of Texas Democrats who have failed to break the GOP stranglehold on statewide politics.

Austin will be the epicenter of the auto racing world this month when its new, $400 million track — the Circuit of the Americas — hosts the first Formula One race in the United States since 2007. 

Voters in Congressional District 23 are getting a taste of what folks in swing states are seeing in the presidential contest: a real nailbiter of a race. Each side claims it's winning, but the amount of money and the tenor of the attack ads suggest the race is a tossup.

The Texas Democratic Party in Lubbock County has released a video showing several young men in an altercation with one of its volunteers and yelling racially derogatory remarks at the volunteer, who was looking out for vandals targeting signs for President Obama.

Republican U.S. Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco and his Democratic challenger, state Rep. Pete Gallego, debated once in Spanish a month ago. Since then they haven’t appeared on stage together, and time is running out.