Data centers are largely driving the sudden rise in natural gas power projects on the waiting list to connect to Texas’ grid.
Chris Essig
Chris Essig is the data visuals editor at The Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, he leads a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data to help reporters hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo.
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2026 Texas Elections
After Virginia’s referendum, the Texas-ignited redistricting war is looking like a wash
Most Texas Republicans remained supportive of their state’s redraw even as their gains have been wiped out by California and Virginia.
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Graphics and data reporting
T-Squared: We’re relaunching our Texas Public Schools Explorer to better serve parents and teachers
Today, we are unveiling our most ambitious update yet to The Texas Tribune’s schools explorer, with more information and added context to help Texans interpret information about our schools.
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2026 Texas Elections
Nate Sheets promises to fire everyone linked to Sid Miller at Texas agriculture department after primary win
Sheets, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, also promised to lower costs for farmers and work with federal officials to beat a parasitic fly heading toward Texas.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas primary election results for U.S. Senate, attorney general and more
Follow The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2026 primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the Texas Legislature and more.
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Redistricting Texas 2025
Texans are voting in new congressional districts. See how yours looks for the March 2026 primaries.
Last year, Texas Republicans drew new districts aimed at picking up five more U.S. House seats. This tool compares previous and new districts.
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Graphics and data reporting
Here are the most important stories from our data visuals team in 2025
The Tribune’s team of data journalists produced a congressional redistricting tool, covered several education data releases, visualized the measles outbreak and more.
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Energy
Residents protest high-voltage power lines that could skirt Dinosaur Valley State Park
One of three possible routes would border the North Texas park. The project is part of a statewide effort to keep pace with Texas’ rapidly growing energy needs.
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Immigration
Immigrant families in Texas have gone into hiding after latest Trump administration policy
Last month the Trump administration made people from 19 nations ineligible to obtain legal status. “Fear won,” said one woman who came from Venezuela nearly a decade ago.
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Public Education
Texas Education Agency taking over Lake Worth, Connally and Beaumont school districts
The three interventions come after the state’s education agency announced plans to take over Fort Worth ISD in October.
