The four-way Republican primary drew millions in donations over the second half of 2025, outpacing the comparatively meager fundraising by Democrats led by Sen. Nathan Johnson.
Eleanor Klibanoff
Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She also co-hosts the weekly politics podcast, TribCast. Eleanor previously spent three years as the Tribune’s women’s health reporter, covering abortion, maternal health and LGBTQ issues. Before coming to Texas, Eleanor worked for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, where she reported, hosted and produced the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.” Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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TribCast
TribCast: Can Texas zero out property taxes?
TribCast digs into the dueling proposals that are teeing up a contentious property tax fight.
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TribCast
TribCast: 10 questions that will shape Texas politics in 2026
Matthew and Eleanor look ahead in the new year to Gov. Greg Abbott’s power, Democrats chances and the issues that will dominate election season.
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2026 Texas Elections
Statewide battles, Latino voters and down-ballot contests: the biggest Texas political stories to watch in 2026
The Texas Tribune’s politics team has compiled five of the top stories we’re watching this year, when voters will have their first chance to make their opinions known on the events of 2025.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas’ next top lawyer: What does the attorney general do and how has Paxton remade the office?
Texans will elect a new attorney general next year for the first time in over a decade. The office handles legal matters impacting everyday life and, currently, plays a leading role in the conservative movement.
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Courts
Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples asks federal courts to overturn right to gay marriage
Judge Dianne Hensley, who has been fighting the state judicial oversight body since 2019, is hoping to tee up a new challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
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Immigration
Texas AG’s lawsuit that sought to shutter Harris County program for undocumented immigrants rejected
The county allocated $1.3 million to groups that provide immigration legal services amid an uptick in federal enforcement. Paxton called the program “evil and wicked.”
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TribCast
TribCast: The rise of school district takeovers
Texas Tribune education reporters join TribCast to unpack what the recent spate of school district takeovers says about our systems for measuring academic performance
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TribCast
TribCast: The 2026 Texas primary slate is set
With the candidate filing deadline behind us, TribCast digs into the musical chairs that awaits voters in 2026
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Courts
AG Ken Paxton’s campaign against immigrant-serving groups gets boost from court rulings
Courts have said that the attorney general can use a 100-year-old law to demand entities’ internal records and sue to shut them down if he believes they’re violating the law.