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Matt Stiles covered government and politics for the Tribune, with a focus on data journalism, from 2009 to 2011. He oversaw and developed the Tribune’s library of web applications and interactive graphics. Previously, he was a government reporter at the Houston Chronicle. While there, he won the newspaper’s Jesse Award for service journalism and beat reporting and was its reporter of the year in 2007. Before joining the Chronicle, Stiles worked as a reporter for nearly four years at The Dallas Morning News.
The big power companies in Texas on the hot seat during a Senate hearing about this month's rolling blackouts have donated more than $400,000 since 2000 to members of the two committees asking questions. The donations are part of nearly $4 million in campaign money the companies and their employees have spent on political candidates during that time. Full Story
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that it plans to release hard population totals and racial breakdowns for Texas next week, the first step in what could be a politically complicated redistricting process. Full Story
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How did the candidates on the ballot last year compare in their political spending on advertising, polling and staff? Use our interactive bubble chart to explore category data released recently by the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
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The Texas Ethics Commission now requires political candidates to document their political spending in specific categories — advertising, consulting, polling, etc. — allowing the public to better understand campaign-finance filings. This interactive bubble chart visualizes those spending categories by candidate, political party and election type in the second half of 2010. Full Story
We already know that the major-party candidates in the governor's race spent more on advertising than others on last year's ballot, thanks to the cost of television. But some other ad vendors also received lucrative business from the competitive state House races, with mixed results. Full Story
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How much did state-level candidates raise, spend and owe in the closing days of 2010 — and how much do they still have for future campaigns? Our interactive table lets you sort the totals by dollar amounts, election type, political party and candidate status. Full Story
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Last week we helped you navigate the labyrinth of offices at the Texas Capitol complex. Today we're releasing an interactive feature that shows where House and Senate members sit in their respective chambers. Full Story
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The 2010 political campaigns are over, but looking back at the fundraising and spending that financed them is now fully possible thanks to records made public by the Texas Ethics Commission after Tuesday’s filing deadline. Full Story
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Most people know that Gov. Rick Perry, inaugurated to a third term Tuesday, has served longer than any other chief executive in Texas history. What's remarkable, though, is just how much longer than the state's previous governors — even those who've served during the modern era. Full Story
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Our latest data app aims to help Texans make sense of the legislative process, tracking bills as they move through the Legislature. Full Story
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