Defend Texas Liberty promised big primary spending. Then its leader met with an Adolf Hitler fan.
The Defend Texas Liberty PAC gave just $10,000 in the last two months of 2023 and received no new money from its billionaire funders. Full Story
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Robert Downen was a reporter covering democracy and the threats to it, including extremism, disinformation and conspiracies. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, he worked for five years at the Houston Chronicle. As a Hearst Media fellow, he developed what would become "Abuse of Faith," a landmark investigation into child sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention that prompted a Department of Justice investigation. Before coming to Texas, Robert was a business reporter in New York's capital region and the managing editor of six newspapers in his home state of Illinois. He is a 2014 graduate of Eastern Illinois University.
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![A Texas Flag elephant statue sits outside the convention hall during the Republican Party of Texas 2022 Convention in George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, June 17, 2022, in Houston.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi backed a group with white supremacist ties — while working for its billionaire funder
Farris Wilks is a key funder of Defend Texas Liberty, the state party’s largest donor, which is under fire for its ties to white supremacists Full Story
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![Former state representative Matt Rinaldi spoke to demonstrators at the Governor’s Mansion in protest of Gov. Abbott’s executive orders to close businesses and mandate masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
From RaTmasTer to kingmaker: How Jonathan Stickland trolled his way to Texas GOP power
In his teens and his 20s, Stickland was a prolific internet troll. But instead of growing out of it, he would make a career of it — ascending to the role of a conservative Texas powerbroker, before taking heat for hosting a meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Full Story
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![Huddle with Rep. Jonathan Stickland R-Bedford at the center on August 3, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores accused of cribbing others’ pictures of Mexican food as her own cooking
Flores, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for her old seat, is being accused of routinely stealing stylish photos of Mexican campfire cooking and passing them off as her own idyllic life on a ranch. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios, speaks at a rally in Brownsville on Nov. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Southern Baptist Convention settles high-profile lawsuit that accused former leader of sexual abuse
The suit prompted a major newspaper investigation into Southern Baptist sexual abuse and seven other men to come forward with allegations against Paul Pressler, an influential conservative activist and former Texas judge. Full Story
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![Paul Pressler, retired justice of the Texas 14th Circuit Court of Appeals.]()
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Far-right activist blasts Speaker Phelan for being "pro-Muslim" in political mailer
The card insinuates that Phelan wants to wish his constituents a happy Ramadan instead of a merry Christmas. Muslim Texans say it’s Islamophobic and some Republicans say it doesn't reflect Christian values. Full Story
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![Cary Cheshire outside of the offices of Pale Horse Strategies in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023. Cheshire is the executive director of Texans For Strong Borders and a longtime employee of Defend Texas Liberty-linked groups.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribune -
Tim Dunn, the powerhouse GOP donor, to sell his West Texas oil company for $12 billion
Tim Dunn has used his wealth to establish a network of organizations that push his ultraconservative views across Texas. The deal comes amid a time of consolidation in the Permian Basin. Full Story
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![Tim Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating and chairman of Empower Texans, speaks during The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, 2016.]()
Credit: Brett Buchanan for The Texas Tribune -
Conservative consulting group rebrands with new name after leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes
In a Nov. 13 filing with the Texas Secretary of State, an attorney for Pale Horse Strategies LLC wrote that the firm would also conduct future business under the name “West Fort Worth Management LLC.” Full Story
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![State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, on the House floor on May 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP executive committee rejects proposed ban on associating with Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers
Some members of the committee said such a ban, proposed two months after a prominent conservative activist was caught meeting with a famous white supremacist, might be a “slippery slope” or too vague. Full Story
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![Nick Fuentes (middle) is seen exiting the offices of Pale Horse strategies with Chris Russo, founder and president of Texans for Strong Borders (right) in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Prominent anti-LGBTQ+ activist Jared Woodfill running for Texas House
If elected next year, Woodfill also plans to run for House speaker. His campaign accuses his 2024 opponent, conservative state Rep. Lacey Hull, of conspiring with incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan to work against conservatives. Full Story
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![Attorney and former Harris County Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill listens to Dr. Steven Hotze as they held a press conference to discuss his election fraud claims and answer questions about the arrest of an ex-cop who he hired to investigate the claims Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Houston.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Steve Gonzales/The Houston Chronicle