Just a Few Races Will Tell You How the Wind Blows
Nearly 700 people are running for various state offices, but to figure out the direction of Texas politics, you only need to see the results in a few of those contests. Full Story
Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
Nearly 700 people are running for various state offices, but to figure out the direction of Texas politics, you only need to see the results in a few of those contests. Full Story
The best of our best for the week of Jan. 6 to 10, 2014. Full Story
Republican Lisa Fritsch released the first video ad in her run for governor in both English and Spanish. The tagline? "I'm not your father's conservative." Full Story
The primaries are underway and a flurry of legislative scorecards is coming out, offering both information and misinformation about the candidates. The grades are useful so long as you know how they were determined. Full Story
For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about moving the dates for presidential and non-presidential primaries, about straight-ticket voting and about online voter registration. Full Story
The primaries are on, and our biennial Hot List is back, ranking the races by risk to the incumbents and/or the level of drama for candidates and voters. We'll add, subtract and change the rankings as the races develop. Full Story
The state's longest-serving governor is beginning his last year in office. His people are finding long-term jobs, and his allies and appointees can start thinking about what happens next. Full Story
The legislative changes coming in the 2014 elections mean several current lawmakers will be replaced. But their voters, in almost all instances, are likely to stick with politicians of the same party. Full Story
2013 wasn't supposed to be a very political year, but in this very political state, it became one. Full Story
For Texas Democrats, 2014 marks another run at the statewide offices that have remained out of their reach for two decades. Their challenge: convincing voters that a Democrat can win a statewide race here. Full Story