Middleton is the second Republican to join what is expected to be a growing field of candidates angling to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton as the state’s top legal official.
Jasper Scherer
Jasper Scherer is the politics editor for The Texas Tribune. He oversees a team of reporters in Austin and Washington who lead the newsroom’s coverage of campaigns and elections, watchdog Texas' top officials, and translate what the state’s political and legislative developments mean for Texans. Jasper previously reported on politics for the Tribune, which he joined after stints covering politics and government at the state and local levels for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. A native of San Francisco, Jasper graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in journalism and political science in 2017, the same year he began covering Texas politics. He is based in Austin.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Budget day in the House: Texas lawmakers approve $337 billion spending plan
Among the hundreds of amendments were ones that focused on school vouchers, the attorney general’s office and the Texas Lottery.
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Texas Legislature 2025
$337 billion, two-year budget gets Texas House approval
The lower chamber’s plan largely aligns with the Senate’s proposal and puts billions toward teacher pay, border security and property tax cuts.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas plans to spend $51 billion on property tax cuts. It may not be sustainable.
State budget watchers — and some Republicans — worry Texas is spending too much on property tax cuts.
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Politics
Texas AG Ken Paxton officially joins U.S. Senate race challenging John Cornyn
The attorney general positions himself as a disruptor against the Republican establishment embodied in the longtime Senate fixture.
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Politics
National Democrats to target GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s South Texas district in 2026
The battlefield for both parties is again converging on South Texas, where De La Cruz scored one of the GOP’s high-profile wins last year when she secured a second term.
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election to fill U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat
The decision to wait until November means a narrowly divided Congress will be down a Democratic representative for most of 2025.
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Politics
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former aides win $6.6 million in whistleblower case
Paxton vowed to appeal the “bogus ruling” that found he improperly fired the four plaintiffs after they reported him to the FBI on allegations of corruption.
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Texas Legislature 2025
The Dan Patrick Show: How to build an audience — and political power
In an interview, the lieutenant governor talks about his recent pop-up investigations and how he uses storytelling to make a political point.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’ll push for special session if THC ban, bail changes fail
Only Gov. Greg Abbott can call for a special session. But in his role presiding over the Texas Senate, Patrick can block any bill from passing, giving him leverage to compel overtime sessions by killing must-pass legislation.