Now that she'll join Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison on stage at the second GOP debate — now that she's cracked spoiler-worthy double digits in the latest poll and will fundraise, Ron Paul-style, through an online "money bomb" — it's fair to ask what longshot gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina is in it for. Full Story
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Texas identity remains alive and well and continues to play a critical role in the state’s politics. Full Story
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Democrat Jack McDonald surprised his supporters last month by dropping his 10-month bid for Congress. He said at the time he'd give money back to donors who want it back. Now come the details, in an email from the candidate to supporters. Full Story
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The president announced he would ask Congress for an additional $1.35 billion for the Race to the Top education grant program — which Gov. Perry spurned last week — along with more flexibility in doling it out to individual districts. He also took a swipe at Texas. Full Story
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Former Houston Mayor Bill White has said it won't be easy to beat a Republican for the Texas governorship. The latest Rasmussen numbers prove it. He's trailing both Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by double-digits. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story
James Baker enters the fray. Full Story
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It seems Republicans in Texas are generally unimpressed with the President, according to Rasmussen poll numbers. Full Story
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Kay Bailey Hutchison has a friend in baseball legend Nolan Ryan. Full Story
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It's Debra Medina's moment. Full Story
To find the most-common occupations among the thousands of people who've donated to the major candidates in the last year, we created word clouds, a visualization technique that boosts the size of words depending on their frequency. Full Story
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As the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality prepares for a legislative review next year, one of its ex-commissioners is consulting with environmentalists who are critical of the agency and the Perry administration. Full Story
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Kay Bailey Hutchison says Texas government should be more transparent. Rick Perry says it already is. Let the sniping begin. Full Story
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Low-income and minority students have every right to expect the same level of educational excellence experienced by their peers in more affluent settings. We literally cannot succeed without setting high expectations for them and fully developing their talents. Full Story
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Take a look at the toplines from the latest Rasmussen poll, conducted after the first GOP gubernatorial debate. A Perry challenger's gaining ground, but it's not Hutchison. Full Story
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In spite of what both campaigns said last month, agriculture commission candidate Hank Gilbert got two-thirds of his money from gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami. Gilbert reported it to the state; Shami didn't. And both Democrats say the money had nothing to do with Gilbert's decision to get out of Shami's race. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story
Alma Aguado is running for Governor of Texas and, if Kay Bailey Hutchinson retires, for the U.S. Senate. While she says she would rather be governor, her Facebook page for politicians still reads, “Alma Aguado for U.S. Senate.” Full Story
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Debra Medina has a dream — and it’s not just to bring a gun into a grocery store. Full Story
It costs an average of 63 percent more to attend a four-year state school today than it did in 2003 — and that's still not enough to keep pace with bulging university budgets. Some policy makers see the higher education business model on the cusp of collapse. Full Story
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