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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.
"We're going to take a decisive step — before the end of this year ... to cut taxes across the board for working families and businesses," Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday in a speech to a meeting of Republican governors in Austin. Full Story
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Jay Hulings, who has built early momentum in the Democratic primary for Texas' most competitive congressional district, suggested Monday that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should step aside for "new leadership." Full Story
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday endorsed a primary challenger to a sitting member of the Legislature, state Rep. Sarah Davis, a Houston-area Republican. Full Story
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Candidate filing opened Saturday for next year's elections in Texas, and it runs through Dec. 11. Full Story
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Attorney Justin Nelson is entering the race to be the state's top lawyer with just over a month until the candidate filing deadline for the 2018 primaries. Full Story
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Vice President Mike Pence is coming to Austin next week to address Republican governors' yearly meeting, according to the group. Full Story
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Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez told the Tribune Monday she is "in the exploratory process" of a possible run next year against Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
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"It has been a tough cycle to recruit candidates," former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro said Sunday about the challenges for Texas Democrats in 2018. Full Story
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A working group of the Texas House Republican Caucus has recommended that it consider changing its bylaws to give GOP members an opportunity to coalesce behind a candidate for speaker before the official vote on the floor. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott, already sitting on a massive war chest for his re-election campaign, is getting some fundraising help from Vice President Mike Pence. Full Story
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