Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Gov. Perry speaks at Texas State Board of Education meeting on February 1st, 2013

Your evening reading: Perry calls for more charter schools; Obama administration offers compromise on birth control rule; governor's call for tax relief sparks confusion

Enlarge photo by: Gage Skidmore

Is Ted Cruz, less than a month into his Senate career, already rubbing off on John Cornyn?

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz speaks to Republican Convention delegates on the final day June 9, 2012.

Your evening reading: Cruz aggressive at Hagel confirmation hearing; Straus announces House committee assignments; poll shows Clinton competitive in Texas

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Attorney General Greg Abbott, left, and Gov. Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday threw cold water on speculation about a potential 2014 showdown with one of his political allies.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Attorney General Greg Abbott, Gov. Rick Perry, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson and Department of Public Safety chief Steve McCraw at the signing of House Bill 3000 on May 25, 2011.

Your evening reading: if Perry seeks re-election, Abbott won't run against him, governor says; poll shows Texans supportive of assault weapons ban, divided on Cornyn; Dell foundation to donate $50 million for UT medical school

Enlarge credit: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry, left, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst at Perry's State of the State address on Jan. 29, 2013.

Largely devoid of any conservative red meat, Gov. Rick Perry's State of the State address may have offered some clues to his political future.

Enlarge credit: Bob Daemmrich

Flanked by state leaders, Gov. Perry begins his State of the State speech on January 29, 2013

Your evening reading: Perry's State of the State avoids hot topics; Cornyn, Cruz vote against Kerry's confirmation; poll shows Perry vulnerable in 2014

Enlarge photo by: David Fulmer

El Paso, Texas

A proposed federal immigration reform poses a test for Texas Republicans: Their leaders, compared to politicians from other states, tend to be more moderate. But those leaders stand at the front of a GOP that is hostile to some of the proposal's key points.

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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about federal health care and the state, about abortion legislation touted by the governor and about state money for Planned Parenthood.

Enlarge photo illustration by: Gage Skidmore

A major new federal immigration proposal has corralled bipartisan support, but Texas Republicans aren't biting.

Enlarge photo by: Steve Pribut

Your evening reading: Texans react to senators' immigration plan; report urges state to expand Medicaid; Boy Scouts may end ban on gay leaders

Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

January 9th, 2013: Sen. Dan Patrick R-Houston who is in favor of eliminating the two-thirds rule, speaks on the Senate floor. Senators have agreed to leave the rule as is.

The blocker bill, a tradition of the Texas Senate, gives the minority party power, because it requires that two-thirds of the Senate must agree before a bill is heard on the floor.

Enlarge photo by: Todd Spoth

Ted Cruz at the JW Marriott hotel in Houston on May 29, 2012.

The immigration debate about to descend on Washington has already pushed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz into the spotlight.