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• Most members of the Texas Legislature are white men — and so are the committee chairs

  by Alexa Ura and Chris Essig Jan. 24, 2019

  Four out of every five committee chairs this session are men, and 72 percent of chairs are white. Full Story 

• Texas State students were likely a key factor in flipping this conservative county to Democrats

  by Matt Zdun, Chris Essig and Darla Cameron Nov. 15, 2018

  Beto O'Rourke surged to a 15-point edge over Ted Cruz in Hays County during last week's election, even though the Central Texas county hadn't voted for a Democrat at the top of the ticket since 1992. Full Story 

• Are Texas suburbs slipping away from Republicans?

  by Alexa Ura, Chris Essig and Darla Cameron Nov. 7, 2018

  In Williamson, Hays, Collin and Fort Bend counties, Republicans saw their dominance falter on Tuesday. Full Story 

• Gerrymandering backfired for Texas Republicans in Dallas County in 2018

  by Alexa Ura, Chris Essig and Darla Cameron Nov. 7, 2018

  Republicans hoped to keep a majority Texas House seats from Dallas County when they redrew district boundaries in 2011. Seven years later, they've only held onto two of 14. Full Story 

• Where Ted Cruz’s close victory over Beto O’Rourke stands among Texas' historical election results

  by Chris Essig, Ryan Murphy and Brandon Formby Nov. 7, 2018

  It was the closest a Democrat came to toppling a Republican incumbent U.S. senator since 1978. And while O'Rourke beat Cruz in some traditional GOP strongholds, it wasn't enough to overcome rural Texas counties and some suburbs that remain fiercely loyal to Cruz. Full Story 

• Here's how Texas voted in every U.S. Senate election since 1961

  by Chris Essig Nov. 5, 2018

  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz won re-election in 2018 against Democrat Beto O'Rourke by about 2.6 percentage points. Here's a look at the margins of victory for every U.S. Senate election in Texas since 1961. Full Story 

• More than 4,884,528 Texans voted early in the midterm election

  by Darla Cameron, Elbert Wang and Chris Essig Nov. 3, 2018

  Early voter turnout in the 2018 midterms surpassed turnout from the 2012 presidential election in the 30 Texas counties where most registered voters in the state — 78 percent — live. Full Story 

• As Texas grows, an affordable housing crisis looms. Here are six things to know.

  by Brandon Formby, Darla Cameron and Chris Essig Oct. 5, 2018

  Demographics, income and location all play roles in the difficulties Texans face finding an affordable home in a neighborhood they like. Full Story 

• How to know if you’re spending too much on housing in Texas

  by Emily Yount Swelgin, Chris Essig, Brandon Formby and Naema Ahmed Oct. 5, 2018

  We analyzed housing data in hundreds of Texas ZIP codes to create a searchable tool so readers can see how affordable their neighborhood is. Full Story 

• The candidate list for Texas House speaker keeps growing. Here's who's already in.

  by Alex Samuels and Chris Essig Sept. 4, 2018

  Despite all the focus on November, many in Texas politics are keeping a close eye on January. That's when the 150-member Texas House will pick its new House speaker. Just last week, two more candidates entered the race. Full Story 

• The Trump administration is making plans to detain more immigrants in Texas. Here's where they would be held.

  by Jolie McCullough and Chris Essig Aug. 2, 2018

  Several new facilities have already opened this summer, and the federal government has requested up to 15,500 beds at two Texas military bases. Full Story 

• What happens when immigrant families cross the border outside a port of entry

  by Darla Cameron, Emma Platoff and Chris Essig June 20, 2018

  How exactly are families being separated at the border? Here's where parents and children go after they're apprehended. Full Story 

• Puzzling shapes: Travel across this gerrymandered Texas district

  by Alexa Ura, Jim Malewitz, Chris Essig and Matthew Zhang April 24, 2018

  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a Texas redistricting case that has flagged two congressional districts and nine Texas House districts. Here's a closer look at one of the districts in question: U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's curiously shaped 35th Congressional District. Full Story 

• How a fluke win diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters in this Texas congressional district

  by Alexa Ura and Chris Essig April 24, 2018

  Two congressional districts are part of a Texas redistricting case the U.S. Supreme Court will take up Tuesday. Here's a detailed look at what's at issue in one of them: the 27th Congressional District. Full Story 

• How a fluke win diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters in this Texas congressional district

  by Alexa Ura and Chris Essig April 17, 2018

  Last year, federal judges ruled that when Texas lawmakers redrew the 27th Congressional District in 2011, they did so in a way that diminished the political clout of Hispanic voters. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a redistricting case that includes CD-27, take a closer look at what's at issue in the district. Full Story 

• Ahead of 2020 census, Texans are becoming even harder to count

  by Alexa Ura and Chris Essig Updated: March 27, 2018

  Local officials, demographers and advocates are worried the census could be particularly tough to carry out in Texas in 2020. They are bracing for challenges both practical and political that could make the state, which is already hard to count, even tougher to enumerate. Full Story 

• Here's who's running for Texas House Speaker and who may soon join the race

  by Alex Samuels and Chris Essig March 19, 2018

  The Texas House is in the midst of a months-long scramble for control. Here's an updated look at who is running to lead the chamber after Speaker Joe Straus steps down in January as well as who may soon throw their hats in the ring. Full Story 

• Dangerous deliveries: Are Texas lawmakers doing enough to reduce maternal deaths?

  by Marissa Evans and Chris Essig Jan. 16, 2018

  After a months-long investigation, the Tribune found that the state's data on maternal mortality is a moving target, that the number of women dying during or after pregnancy is still rising and that the state has missed opportunities to improve women's health programs. Full Story 

• Puzzling shapes: Travel across one gerrymandered Texas congressional district

  by Chris Essig and Matthew Zhang Dec. 30, 2017

  Revisit our animated tour of Texas Congressional District 35, which wiggles its way from Austin to San Antonio, swallowing specific neighborhoods while avoiding — or splitting — others, all in the name of partisan political advantage. Full Story 

• Congress just sent a massive tax cut bill to Trump. Here's how Texans voted.

  by Abby Livingston and Chris Essig Updated: Dec. 20, 2017

  The U.S. House and Senate voted for a major overhaul of the American tax code on Tuesday and Wednesday, sending the measure to President Donald Trump's desk. Here's how all 38 Texans in Congress voted on the bill. Full Story