At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford; and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, talked about the coming race for lieutenant governor and whom they'd back in a Cruz-Perry presidential primary showdown.

On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Tea Party lawmakers helped kill a major water bill on Monday, but that's one of a small number of victories during a session many thought the more conservative wing of the GOP would flourish.

Three days after the governor raised the possibility of new revenue streams — including the issuing of 100-year bonds — to fund transportation, members of Texas Tea Parties warned legislators against caving on conservative principles.

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.

State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state's bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution.

Gov. Rick Perry would beat Attorney General Greg Abbott in a Republican race for governor held today, but a win in that race — if it actually comes to pass — isn't clearly in the hands of either candidate.

Political observers say U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has shifted perceptibly right since Tea Party darling Ted Cruz joined him in the Senate. If he's doing it because he's worried about being "Dewhursted," they suggest he has little to worry about.  

An exclusive excerpt from the January 2013 issue of Texas Monthly: Nate Blakeslee on how Michael Quinn Sullivan became one of the most powerful unelected figures at the Capitol.

Tea Party activists are releasing their priorities for the upcoming legislative session on Tuesday, and a top leader says they will call for ethics reform, an end to double-dipping by elected officials and better disclosure on personal financial statements.

Austin's first Formula One race has been largely deemed a success. But state officials are still discussing whether to give as much as $250 million in tax subsidies to the race promoters.

No surprise in Texas' U.S. Senate race: Ted Cruz is headed to Washington. The Tea Party Republican — an underdog in the primary — sailed to victory in Tuesday night's general election against Democrat Paul Sadler.

Ted Cruz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, said that after two years of campaigning, he's grateful for his grassroots support and excited for what lies ahead. The Tea Party candidate is expected to easily defeat Democrat Paul Sadler on Election Day. 

Rick Perry, re-building his brand after a calamitious presidential campaign, is running some risk in the U.S. Senate race, where Tea Party darling Ted Cruz is stirring anti-establishment anger and where the governor has endorsed David Dewhurst.

Speaking to more than 200 people at a Tea Party event in Sugar Land, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz showed more difference in style than in substance.

Three years ago, Gov. Rick Perry got his first real look at the Tea Party movement, and now he says he wants to "get it into the groundwater."

Displaced Mexicans are seeking refuge in El Paso from drug war violence raging in their country, Julian Aguilar reports. And Ross Ramsey explains how the Tea Party movement has shaped Gov. Rick Perry's politics.

God and Country, a new Texas-based organization, will hold a rally Saturday at a Tyler church to “draw a line in the sand and aggressively and publicly defend those certain unalienable rights endowed by our creator.”

Full video of my January 26 TribLive conversation with state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview.