Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talks about education funding in the final days of the legislative session on May 17, 2011.

Your afternoon reading: Dewhurst makes ad buy; why Perry will survive the "oops" fallout; Gingrich picking up steam

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

The set at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. on Oct. 10, 2011, the night before Rick Perry's fourth Republican presidential debate.

For Rick Perry, it may take more than his solid showing at Saturday's foreign policy debate to erase the "oops."

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For this week's version of our nonscientific survey of political and government insiders in Texas, we asked about Rick Perry's chances — before and after "Oops."

Enlarge photo by: Muliadi Soenaryo

Your afternoon reading: Perry makes $1 million Fox News ad buy; Penn State scandal has possible Texas link; Congress's poorest members

Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Gov. Rick Perry during higher education press conference April 14th, 2011

Hey, Texplainer: One of the federal agencies Rick Perry managed to remember during Wednesday's GOP debate is the U.S. Department of Education. He says he wants to close it. But what exactly would that mean?

Enlarge photo by: Gage Skidmore

A humbled Rick Perry put on a happy face Thursday, but his infamous flub and the inevitable fallout have left his campaign shaken.

Enlarge photo by: Todd Wiseman

Your afternoon reading: Perry, in damage-control mode, to appear on Letterman; DMV board rejects Confederate license plates; EPA issues first greenhouse gas permit in Texas

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry attempts to hush the crowd as he is introduced at his prayer event, The Response, in Houston on Aug. 6, 2011.

It was, as it has inevitably been called, the "oops" heard 'round the world.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

The set at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. on Oct. 10, 2011, the night before Rick Perry's fourth Republican presidential debate.

Your afternoon reading: what to look for in tonight's GOP debate; sales tax receipts up 16 percent in October; suspect arrested in Morton case

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Paltry turnout marked an already quiet Election Day on Tuesday.

Enlarge photo by: Muliadi Soenaryo

Texas Capitol on Feb 22nd.

Your afternoon reading: federal court rejects Texas redistricting maps; Perry criticizes "don't ask, don't tell" repeal; Railroad Commission nixes firearms ban

Enlarge graphic by: Todd Wiseman

Hey, Texplainer: What will happen to Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams now that the video of him beating his then 16-year-old daughter has gone viral?

Enlarge credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

On this Election Day, expect short lines and minimal drama.