Ross Ramsey

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.

Latest Contributions

Inside Intelligence: About Those Stories...

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 10, 2011

In this week's nonscientific survey of government and political insiders, we asked about the news about Gov. Rick Perry, and which stories will fade and which will linger. Full Story
Will Redistricting Court Battles Create Electoral Confusion?

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 10, 2011

The redrawing of political district lines — which ideally happens just once a decade after a federal census — could create a series of crazy election cycles for Texas voters and candidates. It happened in the 1990s, and it could happen again now. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 8, 2011

Murphy, Ramshaw and Root on Rick Perry and race, Philpott on Perry's vague economic plans, Tan and Wiseman on Barack Obama's foray into Texas to defend his jobs plan, Aguilar on Perry's proposal to send U.S. troops to Mexico, Ramshaw on efforts to leash rising health care costs, M. Smith on upcoming legal challenges to the state's school finance system, Aaronson interactively explores Medicare spending proposals, Galbraith on efforts to pass — and to oppose — a $6 billion water program, Grissom on the release of a man wrongly convicted of murder and Hamilton on efforts to let the public write some legislation: The best of our best content from October 3 to 7, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
The Business of Being a University Chancellor

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 7, 2011

Why do Texas colleges hire former lawmakers to run the show? It's because the key trait for a new chancellor is the ability to attract money, both from donors and from the Legislature. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Campaign Chatter

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 7, 2011

A looming special election in Bryan, and movement in Fort Worth and El Paso top the list of political moves this week. Full Story

Credit: Erik Hersman
Gone, Baby, Gone

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 7, 2011

Lost track of who's leaving and who's staying in legislative office? Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Drawing Contingency Maps

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 6, 2011

The federal redistricting panel in San Antonio is sharpening its crayons and asking the pack of lawyers in that case to make suggestions about corrective maps. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
An Inside Game, Already Afoot

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 6, 2011

The possibility of five or more new Republican senators in 2013 opens a tactical door for conservatives who'd like to gain control of the Legislature. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Inside Intelligence: Bad News, Good News

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 6, 2011

It's been a noisy week for Rick Perry, the presidential candidate, so we asked the insiders whether any of what they've heard and read over the last few days will stick. Will the stories have legs? Is the good news good enough to last? The bad news? Full Story
Campaign Roundup: The Week's Political News

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 5, 2011

State campaign news, candidate announcements, retirements and rumors from the past week. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera