The Evening Brief: April 9, 2012

Culled:

• Ron Paul’s next stop on the campaign trail: Home sweet home, Texas: "The prodigal son returns home. After an extended campaign swing in California, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul will be campaigning in his home state, holding several events and fundraisers this week in Texas. As the Republican congressman from Lake Jackson continues to rally his passionate followers, his three-day Texas tour includes three town hall meetings. He will be at Texas A&M University in College Station on Tuesday, Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth on Wednesday, and at the Main Plaza in San Antonio on Thursday."

• Dewhurst's rich father? Armey's jibe, if it is one, lands wide of the facts (The Dallas Morning News): "Former North Texas congressman and current tea party major domo Dick Armey supports Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate race but now has become an issue himself, after an awkward gibe some might say suggested frontrunner David Dewhurst had a rich father."

• A Living Autopsy of the Ron Paul Campaign (FiveThirtyEight): "Ron Paul remains mostly an afterthought, electorally — a candidate pushing a message more than a candidacy. By at least one metric — his chance of occupying the Oval Office — Mr. Paul is doing no better than he did in 2008. But by most other yardsticks, Mr. Paul this year has far exceeded the accomplishments of his 2008 campaign, reflecting, perhaps, how much the mood of the country has shifted.

• Why Ron Paul matters more than Newt Gingrich (The Washington Post): "When it comes to the future of the contest, it’s hard to dispute that Paul matters more than Gingrich. As we have written before, Paul has a group of supporters whose ardor for his message is far greater than any other candidate can boast. Not only that, but Paul’s backers are loyal first and foremost to Paul — not to the Republican party. And that’s what makes Paul potentially influential as the race moves forward."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Updated: Former Death Row Inmate Can Get New DNA Tests: "A judge today granted Kerry Max Cook's request for more DNA testing in the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards, but the former death row inmate will have to fight to prove his innocence in the same place where he was twice sentenced to death."

• Walmart Private Plan Stirs Concern Over Workers' Compensation System: "When Walmart, one of Texas’ largest private employers, dropped out of the state’s workers’ compensation system, it was a heavy blow to advocates of the system who have watched more large companies offer private injury benefits."

• Two for the Ages: Rivals of Hall, Johnson Walk a Fine Line in Primary Races: "Voters don't seem to mind the gray hair on their incumbents in two North Texas districts, but U.S. Reps. Ralph Hall and Sam Johnson seem to attract competitors who think they've passed retirement age. Their challengers are careful to run positive campaigns that don't make age the main issue."