At the Texas Tribune Festival, Hinojosa rejected the “progressive” label in favor of a populist branding in her race against Gov. Greg Abbott.
Eleanor Klibanoff
Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She also co-hosts the weekly politics podcast, TribCast. Eleanor previously spent three years as the Tribune’s women’s health reporter, covering abortion, maternal health and LGBTQ issues. Before coming to Texas, Eleanor worked for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, where she reported, hosted and produced the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.” Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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2026 Texas Elections
“Uncharted territory”: Two months from Election Day, Democrats in Texas are truly competitive
Democrat James Talarico is consistently leading in the polls over Ken Paxton, which is unheard of in recent decades. National forecasters are calling Texas a tie, or else giving the advantage to the Democrat.
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TribCast
TribCast: Weighing the impact of Paxton’s political baggage
GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton has been dogged by allegations of personal and professional improprieties throughout his political career. Do voters care?
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Ken Paxton whistleblower endorses James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race
David Maxwell was among the top attorney general officials who reported Paxton to the FBI and later testified at his impeachment trial.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Former GOP Texas Supreme Court justices back Democrat for attorney general
Democrat Nathan Johnson is hoping to capture moderate Republicans and independents to defeat conservative Mayes Middleton in November. The GOP has controlled the office since the 1990s.
Posted in
Courts
Meta to pay Texas $1 billion in child safety case
As part of Texas’ settlement, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram will apply stricter age verification measures and institute a daily two-hour limit for teens.
Posted in
TribCast
TribCast: The Big Bend border barrier backlash
TribCast is joined by state Sen. César Blanco and politics reporter Alejandro Serrano to discuss the growing bipartisan outrage over building border barriers in Texas’ largest national park.
Posted in
Courts
Shawn Thierry, who broke with Democrats over trans issues, appointed Harris County district judge
The former Houston legislator left the Democratic Party over its stance on gender-transitioning care for minors, and is now embraced by Republicans.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Trial lawyers, once a force for Democrats, reclaim political clout in Texas GOP’s MAGA wing
Texas plaintiffs’ lawyers are bankrolling populist GOP insurgents. Tort reform groups like Texans for Lawsuit Reform are aghast.
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Politics
New secretary of state will continue to defend Texas’ open primaries against GOP lawsuit
The Legislature “can and will” take steps to limit who can vote in which primary, Secretary of State Robert Howden said in a Monday court filing.
