New in TribTalk: Brown on Battleground Texas
Jenn Brown, the executive director of of Battleground Texas, makes a case for why 2014 is going to be a different year for Texas Democrats. Full Story
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![Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Sen. Wendy Davis, and Sen. Royce West took part in the Stand with Texas Women Rally at the Capitol on July 1, 2013.]()
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Inside Texas Politics: Cruz, Ascendant
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy about this week's Republican state convention in Fort Worth. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey on WFAA-TV's "Inside Texas Politics" on June 8, 2014.]()
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What's in a Name? For Van de Putte, a Potential Hurdle in Her Campaign
Political analysts say that state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte's prospects in her lieutenant governor race rely largely on a significant turnout from Hispanic voters in the general election. Could her last name impact her ability to motivate some of those voters? Full Story
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![State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte D-San Antonio, the 2014 Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, hugs one of her grandsons during a campaign event on June 4, 2014, in Austin.]()
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The Playlist: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
A documentary and a book in the works will document Texas A&M University’s transformational decision to join the Southeastern Conference, so we start this week’s R&B-themed Playlist with James Brown’s “Get On the Good Foot.” Full Story
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GOP Approves Hardline Immigration Stance in Party Platform
After hours of debate on the final day of the biennial state GOP convention, Republican delegates reverted the party's immigration plank to a more hardline stance on immigration. Full Story
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![Delegates wave Dan Patrick posters advocating a more secure border on the Texas Republican Convention floor on June 7, 2014.]()
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Cruz Runs Away With Straw Poll at Republican Party Convention
Texas' junior senator received 43 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential preference poll Saturday at the Texas GOP convention. Gov. Rick Perry came in fourth with less than 12 percent of the vote. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas thanks Republican delegates in Fort Worth on June 6, 2014.]()
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At GOP Convention, Patrick Focuses on Immigration
State Sen. Dan Patrick, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, told delegates at the state GOP convention that the party will attract Hispanic voters, because Republicans stand "for the future of their family." Full Story
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![Sen. Dan Patrick rallies the faithful at the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth on June 7, 2014.]()
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Republicans Poised for Lively Floor Debate at State Convention
As they enter the final day of the Texas GOP convention and decide on the party's political platform, Republican delegates are set to debate key voting issues among conservatives — immigration and homosexuality. Full Story
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![The atrium of the Fort Worth Convention Center, site of the Texas Republican Convention on June 5, 2014.]()
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best content from June 2 to June 6, 2014. Full Story
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AG, Lawyers for Hank Skinner Argue Over DNA in Death Penalty Case
Lawyers for the state and for death row inmate Henry Skinner on Friday filed proposed findings to a Pampa judge who is considering whether DNA tests on crime scene evidence should preclude his execution. Full Story
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Scientists: Data Shows Fracking's Link to Methane in Well
While Barnett Shale gas producers deny any connection between methane-contaminated wells and their operations, a pair of scientists dispute that. They say test results just released by state regulators provide concrete evidence of a link. Full Story
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Analysis: Paxton's Legal Trouble Puts Abbott in a Difficult Position
Ken Paxton's violation of securities law gives Sam Houston, his opponent in the race for attorney general, something to talk about for the next five months. It could also limit one of Greg Abbott’s lines of attack against Wendy Davis. Full Story
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![State Sen. Ken Paxton celebrated with supporters after winning the Republican primary runoff for Texas attorney general on May 27, 2014.]()
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A Home for Former Inmates, Founded by a Former Inmate
A small fraction of the tens of thousands of inmates released in Texas each year find spots in state-contracted halfway houses. For many inmates, the private market is not an easy option either. Full Story
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![At the Hand Up, a halfway house in Houston, former inmates have more freedom to look for jobs than at state-chartered facilities, but few can afford the rent.]()
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Texas' Shift From Blue to Red Informs 2014 Races
In 1961, a political science professor from Wichita Falls became the first Texas Republican to win a statewide seat since Reconstruction. It took another 37 years for the party to sweep the other major offices. Full Story
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New in Texas Weekly: Big GOP's in Cowtown
The latest issue of our subscriber-only premier newsletter for political insiders is out. Don't get left behind. Subscribe today! Full Story
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The Brief: June 6, 2014
Texas' longest-serving governor has set the table for a second presidential run, but he has to reckon with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz this time around. Full Story
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Texas Ranchers Vote on Boosting Beef Marketing
Across Texas, ranchers are voting this week whether to expand a program that promotes the beef industry. The election has sparked debate on the way beef business is done in the state and across the country. Full Story
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New in TribTalk: Keffer on the Budget; Davis and Busby on Gay Republicans
State Rep. Jim Keffer argues that Republican voters are being misled on the budget, and Jeff Davis and Christopher Busby of Log Cabin Republicans say it's time for the Texas GOP to make room for LGBT voters. Full Story
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![The exterior of the Texas Capitol in April 2014.]()
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TDCJ Policy Reduces Witnesses to Executions
As public scrutiny of the state's execution process is increasing, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is more strictly implementing a media viewing policy that means fewer witnesses to the controversial procedure. Full Story
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![The execution chamber seen from one of two witness viewing rooms at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit.]()
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Judge in Texas School Finance Case Faces Recusal Hearing
The next step in nearly two years of litigation over the troubled Texas school finance system is a hearing on whether District Court Judge John Dietz should recuse himself from the case. Full Story
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![After a trial that lasted more than three months, Travis County District Court Judge John Dietz ruled in February 2014 that the state's school finance system is unconstitutional.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera