Though in theory the platform sets forth official positions on topics as diverse as foreign policy and legislative procedure — and as specific as the HIV/AIDS crisis and the federal minimum wage— many officeholders take it as more of a guide than a rulebook.This year, the biggest debate may be not about what the document says, but what it doesn't. 

Jasper continues to deal with fallout from the dismissal of its first black police chief. Black community leaders in the East Texas town say racial tensions are at "an all-time high."

A defamation lawsuit filed by WallBuilders founder David Barton has become an early test of new tort reform legislation intended to protect free speech. 

The short-lived tenure of Jasper's first black police chief — and the public feuding it has provoked — threatens to wrench open still healing wounds from the town's troubled past.

A new state requirement that students must retake standardized tests if they do not achieve a minimum score has landed hundreds of thousands in summer school, carrying a hefty price tag for school districts.

Attorneys for the state of Texas and death row inmate Hank Skinner have filed a joint motion with the Court of Criminal Appeals to send his case back to district court so he can obtain DNA testing.

There's something new in the Texas Republican Party platform: a call for a national guest-worker program. 

Rick Santorum avoided aggravating an already divided group of fellow Republicans on Friday night and instead regaled the crowd with tales of campaign misadventures and hopes for the party's future.

After some at the GOP state convention booed Thursday at Gov. Rick Perry's mention of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, he got a mostly positive reception Friday during his own speech. That wasn't the case for Mitt Romney, whose name drew jeers from the audience during a speech from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

House Speaker Joe Straus, booed at the Republican state convention two years ago, is bracing for another chilly reception from the GOP faithful on Friday.

Gov. Rick Perry, speaking at the state’s Republican convention on Thursday, fueled speculation that he’ll run for re-election, saying he was “not riding into the sunset” but “mounting up for the next operation.”

The Republican Party of Texas gathers in Fort Worth on Thursday to start a three-day convention that will feature candidates, national conservative figures and party officials.

Tuesday night was a wash for candidates hoping to capitalize on a backlash against the 2011 Legislature's deep budget cuts to public schools. Some won and some lost, and there wasn't a definite guiding narrative as to why.

If the 2012 primaries are any guide, the plaintiffs’ bar is becoming less shy about investing in the Republican side of the ballot — and Republican candidates are not being bashful about accepting the money.

Despite losses for moderate Republican candidates in several open seats — and the ousting of three incumbents — the ideological control of the State Board of Education won't be much different after this election cycle.