The public doesn't closely follow legislative debates over the budget, but sometimes those budget debates line up pretty accurately with public opinion.

Texas provides a looking-glass view of the national picture on the issue of guns — though with its own Texas flavor, of course. 

A couple of Democrats won election in 2012 talking about education, but that doesn't mean the issue was a silver bullet for the minority party. Lots of others talked about it and lost, and the two who won were victorious in districts favorable to them.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio hit the Sunday talk shows to discuss an immigration reform plan that he said would not provide amnesty. In Texas, a strong majority of Texans oppose a comprehensive overhaul, with the "pathway to citizenship" a likely stumbling block.

Attitudes about gun control proposals among Texas Republicans provide a foundation for understanding Sen. Ted Cruz’s resistance to the apparent compromise taking shape in the U.S. Senate.

It's no shock that Texans tend to be more conservative when it comes to federal gun control measures. But Texans are also conservative in another, more literal sense when it comes to proposals seeking to reduce the requirements to carry a concealed handgun.

Some voters will associate a particular policy with a particular individual, and they will probably transfer the opinion of the person to the issue at hand. President Obama's numbers in Texas show that any issue he supports is unlikely to gain much traction in the state.

Many Republican officials are moderating their views on immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for immigrants already in the U.S. Their voters, however, remain opposed to the idea. And Tea Party voters are strongly opposed.

The results of the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll on everything from the top race of 2014 to the gun debate, Aaronson on Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on a financial thaw in the Mexican oil patch, Batheja on cents and sensibility, M. Smith on school choice, Rocha and Dehn on TWIA reform, Galbraith on water and fracking, Murphy’s interactive map of poverty in the state, E. Smith's TribLive interview with House Public Education Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock and Root on a lobby couple living large and reporting small: The best of our best content from March 4-8, 2013.

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. 

Texans favor ending federal oversight of state election laws, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And an overhaul of federal immigration laws that includes a pathway to citizenship for people who are now in the country illegally would have the support of a narrow majority.

Water is a top issue with lawmakers, if not quite there with voters, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And voters prefer adding a surcharge, based on water usage, to help pay for water projects.

Texans haven't changed their overall views on the availability of abortions. But a majority favors a "fetal pain" proposal that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. 

Texans are generally against tougher gun control laws, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, but they overwhelmingly support criminal and mental health background checks for gun purchases.

The latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll has a bigger sample size than its predecessors — the better to see what various subgroups of Texans are thinking about politics and policy in the state.

It's not so much what Texans think about gaming in Texas — they're generally for it — but about how strongly they feel. And the people who don't want expanded gaming feel more strongly than proponents.

Heading into President Obama’s fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, we thought it would be worth rehashing his approval numbers here in Texas.