Poll finds Cornyn, Paxton in dead heat in Texas’ Senate GOP primary
Every previous public poll had shown the attorney general with a considerable lead over Texas’ incumbent senator. Full Story
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Gabby Birenbaum is the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Tribune. She covers the Texas congressional delegation and the impact of federal policy on Texas. Gabby previously covered Washington for The Nevada Independent, where she wrote the weekly D.C. Download newsletter and covered the 2024 presidential election and competitive Senate race. Prior to The Nevada Independent, Gabby worked at The Washington Monthly and Vox. Gabby graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and political science. She is a native of Arlington, Virginia and is based in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, watching movies and being a long-suffering fan of DC sports teams. Her work is supported by a partnership with Report for America.
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary.]()
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Casar, Doggett would run for same Austin congressional seat under GOP map, setting up clash of generations
The contest would unearth brewing Democratic tensions over age and experience, forcing Austin politicos to choose between two well-liked progressives. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar, both of Austin (left), listen as Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio speaks during a press conference with Texas Democratic leaders at the Texas Capitol on July 31, 2025. Doggett and Casar could face each other in a primary under the new congressional redistricting maps drawn by the Texas Legislature at Pres. Trump's prompting.]()
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Colin Allred wants voters to know “I’m just as angry as they are” in new Senate bid
Allred says he has learned to show up more in his attempt at a Senate do-over. But critics contend he’s not generating enough attention. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (R-Texas) speaks at his Election Night watch party after losing the Senate seat to incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas on Election Day, November 5, 2024.]()
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Rep. James Talarico mulls U.S. Senate bid as his profile rises amid Texas Democrats’ redistricting standoff
The Democratic state lawmaker has inquired about Senate television ad rates, two sources told the Tribune. Full Story
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![Texas Rep. James Talarico D-Austin smiles during a redistricting rally at Delco Activity Center Friday, July 25, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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John Cornyn enters critical window to change trajectory of Texas Senate primary against Ken Paxton
The annual summer break is a critical window for Texas’ senior senator, whose allies are blitzing the airwaves with ads courting primary voters — and President Donald Trump. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.]()
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Wesley Hunt tests waters of a Senate bid, setting up possible heavyweight primary with Cornyn and Paxton
The Houston Republican’s case rests on the notion that Sen. John Cornyn cannot win the primary and his challenger, Attorney General Ken Paxton, could jeopardize the seat in November. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, alongside his house Republican colleagues, speaks about the Republican Party’s upcoming legislative agenda and accomplishments in the first one hundred days of holding the majority in the House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 17, 2023.]()
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Dems say a bomb threat made at their hotel and other redistricting updates
Texas Democrats left the state to stop a Republican-led effort to change the state’s congressional boundaries, setting off a national conversation. Full Story
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![Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., center, stands with other Democratic members of Congress and Texas House Democrats during a press conference at IBEW Local 701 in Warrenville, Ill., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025.]()
Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats flee the state in bid to block GOP’s proposed congressional map
The lawmakers’ absence means the lower chamber won’t have enough members present to function, stalling passage of a draft map Democrats have condemned as a political power grab. Full Story
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![Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu speaks during a press conference alongside dozens of fellow Texas lawmakers and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in Carol Stream, Ill., on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025.]()
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Texas House panel advances redrawn congressional map that would add more GOP seats
The new district lines could be considered by the entire state House as soon as early next week. Full Story
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![State Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christ, makes introductory remarks during the Texas House special committee hearing on redistricting August 1, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Why the proposed Texas congressional map may not be a lock to net five new GOP seats
The new proposed lines would also prevent few, if any, opportunities for Democrats hoping that an aggressive gerrymander could backfire on Republicans. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, D-Austin, Al green, D-Houston, and Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune