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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday vowed to challenge Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez over her views on border security and immigration. Valdez accused the governor of "spewing his fear-based open borders nonsense." Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign will report raising $3.2 million in the first three months of this year, less than half the $6.7 million his Democratic rival has said he will report for the period. Full Story
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The Wisconsin Republican's sweep across the state included public promotion of last year's income tax overhaul, private fundraising events and a three-day retreat on politics and policy in Austin. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, says he raked in over $6.7 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the first quarter of 2018. It's an eye-popping number that poses a new category of threat to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Full Story
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"Texans aren't afraid," U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday morning in Beaumont. "Texans are strong. Texans are free...Texans are tough." The rally marked the beginning of a 12-city, three-day tour of Texas to kick off Cruz's re-election bid. Full Story
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Republican congressional candidate Chip Roy joins the TribCast crew to discuss his upcoming runoff. Plus, we tackle the 2020 census, the March for Our Lives protests and whether Rex Tillerson could be the University of Texas System's next chancellor. Full Story
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An event organized by Houston-area high schoolers and aimed at promoting bipartisanship drew some of the state's most well-known partisans, including Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, and the chairs of both state parties. Full Story
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Authorities have identified the man as Pflugerville resident Mark A. Conditt. They say he died Wednesday in one of his own bomb blasts as they were trying to arrest him. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign relied on Cambridge Analytica for over $5.8 million in services, according to federal records. The data firm is now under fire for allegedly improperly harvesting information from Facebook. Full Story
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With 10 weeks until the May 22 runoffs, both Democrats running to take on Gov. Greg Abbott expressed interest in participating in debates. But they appeared to differ on a timeline. Full Story
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