The Evening Brief: Sept. 28, 2012

Culled:

•   Cornyn says GOP is not going to spend money to help Akin (The Courier-Journal): "Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said on Thursday that he does not intend to put money into the race of controversial Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin. 'We have no plans to do so,' Cornyn told The Courier-Journal in an interview just a short time ago. 'I just think that this is not a winnable race,' he said. 'We have to make tough calculations based on limited resources and where to allocate it, where it will have the best likelihood of electing a Republican senator.'"

•   Two El Paso Democratic state reps break from party, support Rep. Dee Margo for reelection (El Paso Times): "Two Democratic state lawmakers have broken from their party to support the Republican incumbent in a seat representing El Paso in the Texas legislature, drawing strong rebuke from their party. State Reps. Marisa Marquez and Naomi Gonzalez, both Democrats, were featured in a mailed political advertisement supporting Republican state Rep. Dee Margo in his reelection campaign against Democrat Joe Moody. Both women said their statements used on the flier were not an endorsement for Margo, but their words of praise for the Republican lawmaker are a break from the party loyalty that is typically observed by elected officials in El Paso."

•   Sen. Davis blasts GOP opponent for “false” campaign ads (The Dallas Morning News): "Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth jumped ahead of her GOP opponent in the Senate District 10 race on Friday, responding to accusations made against her in campaign commercials that have yet to air. Davis called the ads by Republican Mark Shelton 'patently false' and an indication that Shelton intends to use negative attacks to 'misinform' voters. Davis and Shelton, a House member and Fort Worth physician, are locked in one of the closest legislative races in the state this year."

•   Homeland Security to view binational same-sex couples as families in deportation cases (The Associated Press): "The Department of Homeland Security is planning to issue a policy memo stating illegal immigrants with American same-sex partners are eligible for consideration of having their deportation put on hold."

New in The Texas Tribune:

•   Texas AG Weighs In on School's Bible Verse Controversy: "Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has stepped into what has become a national headline-grabbing controversy over cheerleaders at an East Texas school displaying Bible verses at football games."

•   The Oops Diaries: Internal Power Struggle Preceded Oops Moment: "The turmoil on the debate stage was matched by monumental infighting and bitterness inside Gov. Rick Perry's campaign. In the last excerpt from Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail, the divisions are laid bare."

•   In State Politics, Outsiders Become Insiders in January: "Getting elected takes a particular set of skills, governing another. And some members of the incoming freshman legislative class have no experience running things."

•   Like $10,000 Degree, Perry Tuition Plan May Not Fit All Schools: "As with Gov. Rick Perry’s $10,000 degree proposal, his latest call for reducing the price of college — locking in tuition for four years — may prove difficult to implement uniformly in a state as diverse as Texas."