Ashton Oravetz served the Texas Republican Party for 33 years. He worked his way up to chairman of the Smith County GOP. Now, he has stepped down, saying the party’s brand is tarnished and he can do more for conservatives as a grassroots activist.

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Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered...