/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/ramsey-ross_TT.jpg)
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.
The deck is stacked. Texas is a Republican state. Ted Cruz is an incumbent U.S. senator seeking re-election. Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, has never run statewide. But the underdog is raising more money. That's news, right? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/10/11/Beto_and_Ted.jpg)
With all these candidates lining up, you might think there are going to be special elections for the Texas Senate in Houston and San Antonio. Eventually, you're probably going to be right. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/07/31/_BDP6954TT.jpg)
Efforts to close loopholes in the state's open information laws fell short at the end of last year's legislative session. An interim committee intended to get a head start before the 2019 session hasn't met. Its members haven't even been named. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/08/18/Transparency-WindowWiping.jpg)
A census question on citizenship could undercount populations in states with large numbers of poor and/or Hispanic residents — states like Texas. And an undercount would cut into the state's representation, and its federal services. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/09/16/Census-1.jpg)
Texas Republicans busted through a Democratic wall in 1990, but only because their candidate in the big race that year came close enough to make other victories possible. Texas Democrats haven't been able to get that close. Full Story
State officials are warning school officials, in effect, not to turn into political organizers. That means educators shouldn't be telling students how to vote, but it sounds like some state officials don't even want educators helping students to become voters. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/08/01/APrice-AustinISDSchoolBus-17.jpg)
Glenn Hegar, the state's comptroller of public accounts, is warning lawmakers that Texas' bond ratings are at risk because of a couple of pending expensive problems. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/01/09/_95I8485_Hegar_3.jpg)
Lots of Texas Republicans outperformed Donald Trump on the 2016 ballot, and many of them wouldn't be in office if they hadn't. In a presidential midterm year, overcoming the president's shortcomings might be the key to re-election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2018/03/16/txballot-trump-01.png)
Republicans outnumber Democrats in Texas, if your measure is turnout for the two major party primaries. But in three of the state's largest counties — Bexar, Dallas and Harris — Democrats outran Republicans this year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2018/03/15/Ross_8_TT.jpg)
A score-settling Texas House report on economic development policies was published Tuesday — after the elections it might have influenced, ordered up by lame-duck legislators who won't be in Austin to see it through. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/08/15/StateAffairs0449.jpg)