The 87-year-old Houston Democrat, known as Ms. T, has served in the Legislature since 1973. On Tuesday, her party won control of the Texas House for the first time since 2003.
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.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2027
Texas Democrats already angling to be the next House speaker
Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Houston Democrat, and Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., D-Eagle Pass, have both announced their intentions.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Democrats flip Texas House amid generational wave
Democrats needed to flip 14 seats to win the lower chamber, which has been under Republican control since 2003. They were on track to easily clear that threshold.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Here’s what to watch as Texas wraps its most competitive electoral season in years.
Democrats have forced Republicans to compete from U.S. Senate to railroad commissioner, and early turnout hit a modern-day midterm record. Tuesday night could reshape Texas politics.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
These are the most competitive November races up and down Texas’ midterm ballot
Texas has an unusually large slate of competitive races for the state Legislature and U.S. House this year. Here’s our list of contests to watch.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
How Texas Democrats and Republicans have shifted their campaign ad pitches throughout the midterms
Democrats have moved from healthcare to taxes and corruption, while Republicans have ramped up ad spending on property taxes, crime and transgender issues, an analysis of AdImpact data shows.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
How to read the tea leaves as early voting totals in the Texas election trickle in
Counties are reporting record-breaking early voting participation. But that information alone isn’t necessarily useful in interpreting who will win.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Republicans won’t moderate if Democrats gain ground in the Texas House, hardline leader says
“None of us are willing to go backwards and say, ‘Oh, well, we lost a few seats, so our policy agenda is going to change,” state Rep. Mitch Little said at last week’s Texas Tribune Festival.
Posted in
State Government
Texas lieutenant governor: Who is running and what to know
The lieutenant governor’s office is often described as the most powerful in Texas government. Here’s where GOP candidate Dan Patrick and democratic candidate Vikki Goodwin stand.
Posted in
The 2026 Texas Tribune Festival
John Fetterman pushes back against allegations he’s a lazy senator, bad Democrat
The Pennsylvania senator has regularly criticized his party, sparking speculation he could caucus with Republicans after the 2026 midterms. At the Texas Tribune Festival, he called on Democrats to embrace a diversity of views.
