Facing state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, Marcos Vélez has landed the Texas AFL-CIO’s endorsement and support from a donor trail that leads back to the state party’s top campaign partner.
Renzo Downey
Renzo Downey is the lead writer of The Blast, The Texas Tribune’s premium politics newsletter. Prior to joining the Tribune in February 2023, he worked as a state government and politics reporter and a newsletter editor for Florida Politics. He was previously an intern on the state desk at the Austin American-Statesman. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Renzo received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Northwestern University.
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2026 Texas Elections
After vicious 2024 cycle, Texas House GOP primaries see quieter landscape defined by tort battle
With Texas’ hardline conservative megadonors largely staying on the sidelines, a handful of House primaries have become battlegrounds for the state’s civil justice debate.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas lieutenant governor primary: Who is running and what to know
The lieutenant governor’s office is often described as the most powerful in Texas government. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.
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State Government
Texas House Democrats raised record-breaking $2.2 million in 2025
The majority of the Democratic caucus’ haul came when the party broke quorum over the summer to delay the GOP-controlled Legislature from redrawing the state’s congressional map.
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2026 Texas Elections
Statewide battles, Latino voters and down-ballot contests: the biggest Texas political stories to watch in 2026
The Texas Tribune’s politics team has compiled five of the top stories we’re watching this year, when voters will have their first chance to make their opinions known on the events of 2025.
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2026 Texas Elections
National Democrats put Texas House on list of legislative targets for 2026
Rep. Christina Morales, the new chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said she wants to initially target five GOP-controlled districts, with a broader list to come later.
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2026 Texas Elections
Brandon Herrera raises $1 million, swipes at Rep. Tony Gonzales over alleged affair
Gonzales recently made his first public remarks about the death of his 35-year-old aide who died after lighting herself on fire. He vigorously denied reports that the two were engaged in an extramarital affair.
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The 2025 Texas Tribune Festival
Texas House Democrats say they are keeping their options open for speaker in 2027
Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, Democratic Rep. Donna Howard acknowledged that Republicans have unified around Speaker Dustin Burrows to the point that he “may not need us” to retain the gavel.
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Politics
Texas GOP censures five lawmakers, but rejects banning anyone from the primary ballot
Saturday’s decisions signal a deescalating intraparty tension that heightened at the start of the year.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas GOP to consider blocking lawmakers from 2026 primary ballot in first test of new censure rule
The state party’s governing board will meet Saturday to decide whether 10 Texas House Republicans tried to thwart GOP priorities during this year’s legislative session.