School voucher supporters say they have the votes to get a bill across both the Texas Senate, led by Patrick, and the House, which has repeatedly blocked such proposals.
James Barragán
James Barragán was a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and previously had stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a 2023-24 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
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Texas Legislature 2025
After election, Texas House speaker race remains up for grabs
Neither Speaker Dade Phelan, nor his current opponent Rep. David Cook, have enough public support yet from the GOP caucus to win the nomination.
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2024 Texas Elections
Donald Trump wins Texas’ 40 electoral votes
The win continues the state’s streak of going red in every presidential election since it went for Jimmy Carter in 1976.
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Politics
Colin Allred courts Black voters in the final days of his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz
With stops in Houston and the Rio Grande Valley, Allred hopes to make the race competitive by running up the tally with the core of the Democratic base.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Ken Paxton agrees to pause its investigation into Texas civic group’s voter registration efforts
Jolt, which advocates for more Latino voting participation, says the attorney general’s probe spurred threatening comments online.
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Politics
In Texas visit, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff raises more than $1 million
The stop by the husband of presidential candidate Kamala Harris included a rally to boost local Democrats looking to flip seats in the Texas House.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Former Gov. Rick Perry joins House Speaker Dade Phelan’s team as senior adviser
Perry was the longest-serving governor in Texas history.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Eight Texas independent voters share how they’re sizing up the candidates heading into November
Among independents, men lean toward Trump and women to Harris, according to polling. We talk to independents about the candidates they favor and the issues that matter to them.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Another Republican is challenging Dade Phelan for Texas House speaker
The Texas House speaker race is becoming increasingly crowded. Phelan, who is under fire from his right, says he plans to seek the leadership position again.
Posted in
Politics
Dan Patrick starts Texas Senate leadership political action committee
New group plans to support policy goals of the conservative Senate majority.