After successfully leading the bruising campaigns for two state senators and a state representative, Terrysa Guerra, an unassuming Democratic strategist, has emerged as a secret weapon for her party.

The organizers hoping to make Texas a safe place for Democrats to run for office will know how they're doing by how their volunteers answer a simple question: Would they let a friend run as a Democrat, or would they advise against it?

It’s easy to admit that those other states need some federal oversight, but here in Texas? Get out of town.

This week in the Newsreel: Highlights from the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, lawmakers work toward completion of the first supplemental appropriations bill and Sylvia Garcia wins the SD-6 special election.

By increasing our sample size and providing more analyses of the data in our blog, we hope to provide interested parties with what they seek: in-depth coverage of the actors and issues that are driving important parts of the political process in the state. 

There is less to those Rick Perry-Greg Abbott horserace numbers than you might think. It's early, for one thing, and campaigns and voter attitudes change things dramatically. Plus, the two might never face off on a ballot.