Like his U.S. Senate rival, Ken Paxton, the Austin state lawmaker introduced a plan to address what he called an “affordability crisis.” But they differed on who is to blame for rising costs.
Kayla Guo
Kayla Guo covers state politics and government. Before joining the Tribune, she covered Congress for The New York Times as a reporting fellow based in Washington, D.C. Kayla has also covered transportation policy for Politico and local news for The Raleigh News & Observer, and she was a part-time digital producer for The Boston Globe. She graduated from Brown University, where she studied public policy and served as editor-in-chief and president of the independent student newspaper. She was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She is based in Austin.
Posted in
Investigations
James Talarico accused Ken Paxton of voter fraud. His own voter registration is raising questions.
After hitting his GOP foe for voting under an address where he no longer lived, the Tribune and ProPublica found the Democratic Senate candidate also appears to have done so.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico calls for tighter regulations on data center development
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, unveiled her own plan this week and called on Gov. Greg Abbott to take executive action to pause data center development.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Talarico pledges $25 million for Black voter outreach at sometimes tense Houston town hall
The Democratic Senate nominee faced pointed questions from some Black voters and was confronted by a political content creator who said “you cannot win without us.”
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Texas Tech chair donated $275K to Ken Paxton day before AG intervened in Brendan Sorsby saga
Cody Campbell, a major Texas Tech booster and GOP megadonor, has vocally defended Brendan Sorsby’s right to play amid a legal battle stemming from his betting scandal.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2027
Texas agencies must cut spending by 3% under new order from Abbott, Patrick and Burrows
The Big Three framed the move as a way to keep Texas fiscally conservative and help fund priorities like property tax cuts. Public education and school vouchers were exempted.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico raises over $30 million in second quarter, campaign says, more than triple Ken Paxton’s sum
The Austin Democrat’s haul is a record for a U.S. Senate candidate in the second quarter of an election year and is nearly three times what Beto O’Rourke raised in the same period in 2018.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Gina Hinojosa proposes sending every Texas household $1,500 in her bid to oust Greg Abbott
Her plan would cost $17 billion which would come from the rainy day fund. She said Abbott is hoarding money in that account that belongs to Texans.
Posted in
State Government
Rep. Nate Schatzline resigns from Texas House to lead “election integrity” policy in Gov. Abbott’s office
The Fort Worth Republican, one of the most hardline conservatives in the Texas House, had been floated for secretary of state in unconfirmed media reports ahead of his hire by the governor.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Supreme Court decision loosening campaign finance rules could be boon for Paxton in Senate race
Now permitted to spend freely in coordination with GOP candidates, national Republican committees can use their flush war chests to help candidates like Paxton close fundraising deficits.
