Two was company in the first general-election debate of the governor’s race.
July 2010
Posted in
Demographics
What Do Mexican Elections Mean for Texas?
How will a shift in Mexican political power impact border violence or U.S./Mexico relations?
Posted inState Government
All Tea-ed Up
If the rainbow flavors of the Tea Party feature a common taste, it’s that of fiscally restrained government — and the anti-Washington and pro-state fervor that comes along with it. Not coincidentally, that was the overwhelming theme of the GOP’s recent convention, setting the tone — as the Democrats did in their state gathering — for the November general election.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Brad Levenson: The TT Interview
After a series of investigative reports revealed serious problems with the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants on Texas death row, lawmakers created the Office of Capital Writs. California lawyer Brad Levenson will be moving to Texas to open the new office and attempt to restore some confidence in the state’s busy system of capital punishment.
Posted in
State Government
The Lobby Wars
HillCo’s lawsuit against two of its departing partners is threatening business as usual in the insular world of the Texas lobby, raising the specter of open combat in an industry that prefers to settle its fights behind closed doors. But as its allegations make plain, HillCo believes that two rogue employees are the ones who crossed the line, turning competition for clients into espionage and biting down hard on the hand that fed them.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Same As the Old Boss
Ciudad Juárez’s mayoral election has Texas’ economic leaders intrigued as the border city plans to bid its current mayor farewell in October. For residents in the city plagued by cartel violence, little change is expected, and many brace for continued bloodshed.
Posted in
State Government
Rice Poli Sci Chair Mark Jones on House Partisanship
Mark P. Jones, political science chairman at Rice University, recently ranked Texas House members’ partisanship based on their 2009 legislative votes. The study, which we’ve used to create an interactive chart, shows Texas’ increasingly polarized political environment, Jones says in an interview.
Posted inState Government
Multimedia Independence Day
Since our November 2009 launch, we’ve produced hundreds of video and audio stories, and our photographers have captured thousands of images of the Texas political universe. Now, all that content finally has a home. The navigation bar under our logo now hosts the “Multimedia” tab, and what better way to introduce this new hub than with a video?
Posted inState Government
Party of One
As a crowd rushed the stage in the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi waving signs with his name, Bill White began his speech to the Texas Democratic Party State Convention. “Rick Perry is in it for Rick Perry,” the gubernatorial nominee declared. Playing against type — the wooden, spreadsheet-loving wonk that has often characterized his public persona — an invigorated White lit into Perry with relish, describing his opponent’s alleged disregard for the “the public interest.”
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Grissom, Hamilton, and Philpott on the Texas Democratic Party’s state convention, the two-step, the forecast, and the ticket; Galbraith on the political and environmental battle between state and federal environmental regulators, and on a new age of nukes in Texas; Burnson on signs of the times in San Antonio; Ramshaw on hackers breaking into the state’s confidential cancer database; Aguilar’s interview with Katherine Glass, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for governor; Acosta on efforts to stop ‘Murderabilia’ items that sell because of the association with killers; Ramshaw and the Houston Chronicle’s Terri Langford on the criminal arrest records of workers in state-funded foster care centers; Hu on accusations that state Sunset examiners missed problems with workers compensation regulators because they didn’t ask the right questions of the right people; Ramsey and Stiles on the rush to rake in campaign cash, and on political races that could be won or lost because of voter attraction to Libertarian candidates; and Aguilar’s fresh take on South Texas’ reputation for corruption. The best of our best from June 28 to July 3, 2010.