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.

With the death this weekend of Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, Texas Republicans lost one of their stalwarts, and one of their biggest and most reliable donors. So did a few Democrats.

The newest Texas Weekly Index measures each of the state's legislative and congressional districts, based on how statewide Republicans and Democrats fared in races in each district over the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.

On this morning's edition of The Daily Rundown, U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, told Chuck Todd that a Democrat can win a down-ballot statewide race in the next four-year cycle.

In 2011, Texas House Democrats were dejected, demoralized and badly outnumbered. Their numbers have improved. Now the question is whether they can move as a bloc.

Texas Democrats don't hold any statewide offices, and they are terribly outnumbered in the state Legislature. But they were the only gainers in this year's elections.

Lots of people get elected by voters who didn't look at their names — voting instead by choosing all candidates from one party or another. Much of the electorate only uses that one piece of information to determine who gets votes.

For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in state government and politics, we asked about the November race for U.S. Senate, whether Democrats will recover faster if Romney or Obama wins, about the GOP's weak spots and about whether the voters are as conservative as the people they've elected.

Delegates at the 2012 Democratic National Convention reflect proudly on diversity in the party.

At this morning's TribLive conversation, GOP state Reps. and Texas Senate hopefuls Kelly Hancock, Ken Paxton and Larry Taylor discussed two key procedural matters related to the 83rd Legislative Session.

At the Democratic National Convention, Texas delegates see reasons for hope in making gains in their home state, and they say enthusiasm hasn't waned for President Obama. 

Minutes before remarks from first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday, longtime labor organizer and onetime Texas lieutenant governor candidate Linda Chavez-Thompson had the Democratic National Convention’s Hispanic Caucus on its feet.

Two of Texas’ top Democratic women — Houston Mayor Annise Parker and longtime state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio — revved up an early morning crowd of state delegates on Tuesday, painting Texas Republicans as on the fringe.

Texans have become accustomed to the nosebleed seats at the Democratic National Convention. But this year, even the most cynical Texas Democrats sense a shift toward relevance. 

All that’s standing between Texas and an absolute one-party rule is a traffic jam or a sick day. I don’t care what your politics are — that’s not good.

With Tuesday's announcement that San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro will give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, speculation is growing about his future. But Castro tells the Tribune he's happy where he is.

With 37 runoff races on the ballot Tuesday, a political primary season that was originally supposed to wrap up in May is finally coming to an end.

Big tents and boos on one hand, and talk about how to start a fire on the other: Notes from the Republican Party's convention in Fort Worth and from the Democratic Party's convention in Houston.