The U.S. senator won the Hawkeye State during the 2016 Republican primaries. This year he used his appearance to blame Democrats for anti-Semitism and call out GOP Trump foes Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Gabby Birenbaum
Gabby Birenbaum is the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Tribune. She covers the Texas congressional delegation and the impact of federal policy on Texas. Gabby previously covered Washington for The Nevada Independent, where she wrote the weekly D.C. Download newsletter and covered the 2024 presidential election and competitive Senate race. Prior to The Nevada Independent, Gabby worked at The Washington Monthly and Vox. Gabby graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and political science. She is a native of Arlington, Virginia and is based in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, watching movies and being a long-suffering fan of DC sports teams. Her work is supported by a partnership with Report for America.
To report a tip, contact Gabby on Signal at @gabbybirenbaum.05
Posted in
Congress
Christian Menefee’s district sat vacant for 11 months. His first bill in Congress would set a deadline for special elections.
The Houston Democrat was elected earlier this year to finish out the term of Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025. The safely blue district was left vacant for 334 days.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Hispanic GOP candidates could reshape Texas’ congressional delegation — if they can win Hispanic voters
Texas voters could nominate as many as six Hispanic Republicans in the state’s most hotly contested congressional races. Party leaders hope that’ll help keep Hispanic voters in the GOP’s corner.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Talarico leads both Cornyn, Paxton in new polls of Texas’ U.S. Senate race
The Austin Democrat, who won his party’s nomination in March, led Cornyn and Paxton in two successive polls, though he did not crack 50%.
Posted in
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.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Top Democratic PAC books $22 million in ads, Republican counterpart reserves $14 million for U.S. House seats in South Texas
House Majority PAC is targeting five majority-Hispanic seats, including the 23rd Congressional District, which was recently vacated by Republican Tony Gonzales. The top Republican group is spending $13.9 million on two seats.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
On the issues: A Q&A with Ken Paxton and John Cornyn
As Cornyn and Paxton head to the runoff, we updated our Q&A to reflect the two candidates. Both declined to participate, so we used their past statements and voting history to show where they stand on foreign policy, AI and other key issues.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
John Cornyn wallops Ken Paxton in first quarter fundraising for U.S. Senate seat
Both Republican candidates lagged far behind Democratic candidate James Talarico.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico raises record-breaking $27 million in first quarter for Senate bid
The Austin Democrat’s haul is the largest-ever sum for a Senate candidate — in any state — in the first quarter of an election year.
Posted in
Congress
Rep. Tony Gonzales resigns from Congress amid backlash over sexual misconduct allegations
House members were set to vote this week on expelling both the San Antonio Republican and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. Gonzales’ announcement came shortly after Swalwell said he would step down.
