In an interview with The Shark Tank, a Florida politics blog, Gov. Rick Perry said he would decide whether to run for re-election in June, then make his decision on a presidential bid "sometime later in the year."

Political insiders rarely take things at face value, so it’s not surprising that they are scratching their collective heads over Ann Bishop’s sudden hiring and equally sudden departure from the office of Gov. Rick Perry. 

Gov. Rick Perry’s opponents say his tenure hasn't been kind to Texas women — but they can't argue about his hiring practices. Among Perry’s most senior staff, two-thirds are women.

For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked questions about the budget, about how lawmakers will spend the money they've got, the chances for a business tax, and the outlook for other fiscal proposals.

For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about the power of the three leaders in the Capitol, and a ranking of who's strongest and weakest among the statewide elected officials in Texas. 

“Career coach” is not listed on Gov. Rick Perry’s résumé — but it might as well be. In the 12 years he has held Texas’ highest elected office, he has helped align the professional stars for many of his key advisers.

Gov. Rick Perry's control of the executive branch after 12 years in office is well established. But he's made hundreds of judicial appointments, too.

When Ken Armbrister, chief legislative aide to Gov. Rick Perry, said last week that Perry had told him he was going to run for re-election in 2014, Armbrister may have done his boss a favor.

Gov. Rick Perry looks like he will be in office as long as voters will have him. He talks like he wants voters to keep him where he is. Many think he's just bluffing, but that's not how he has operated in the past.

Apple Inc., which has reported having $100 billion in cash on hand, could get up to $35.5 million in various state and local incentives if it expands its operations in Austin. 

Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators.

Nearly four years after Hurricanes Ike and Dolly ravaged the Texas coast, thousands are still waiting for housing assistance.

John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas' state climatologist since 2000, has seen his duties explode in the last 18 months amid public clamor for information on the drought. 

Greg Abbott is all set to run for governor, but now Rick Perry might be in his way. It feels similar to 2010, when many thought Perry was a lame duck, but he ran again.

Lame duck or not, Rick Perry is still the Republican governor of a strongly Republican state. In Texas, he controls the levers of government, muzzles the news media and has no meaningful political opposition.

The underlying fundamentals that buttressed Gov. Rick Perry's political power in the state are not much changed, and they suggest that the governor will reassert his powerful presence in Texas politics now that he is back.

The attorney general is in the happy position of defending redistricting maps that benefit his allies and punish his foes — all in the name of official state business.

The easiest way to win an election is to have the votes. The next easiest way is to change the rules of the election. Some political folks, inside and outside the Texas Senate, are looking at the rules.