Donald Trump has built close ties to many Texas Republicans, from judges to elected officials to policy experts.
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.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Election Day updates: South Texas continues dramatic shift toward Donald Trump, GOP
Texas might not be a swing state, but many of its races will have major consequences to the national political landscape and on the lives of everyday Texans.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Monica De La Cruz retains GOP control of South Texas congressional district
De La Cruz defeated Democrat Michelle Vallejo for Texas’ 15th Congressional District in a rematch from two years ago.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz defeats Democrat Colin Allred
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and civil rights lawyer from Dallas, repeatedly broke fundraising records in his campaign, raising more than $80 million by mid-October.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
In final days of Senate race, Cruz courts Latino voters along the border and Allred rallies in his hometown
Both candidates are making their closing arguments at the culmination of a heated and expensive race which could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson case
The AG also said he’d make a criminal referral against the lawmaker, who apologized for texting a Court of Criminal Appeals judge about a new trial for the death row inmate.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Republicans dominate fundraising in final weeks of Texas House battles
Across a dozen of the most competitive House races, Republicans raked in more than $11 million over the last month, compared to the nearly $3.5 million collectively raised by their Democratic counterparts.
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2024 Texas Elections
Beyoncé endorses Kamala Harris while Donald Trump vows border crackdown in dueling Texas stops
Harris talked about reproductive rights to a stadium full of supporters in Houston. In Austin, Trump stumped to supporters and reporters at a private jet terminal and appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
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Robert Roberson
Robert Roberson’s case spotlights Texas’ GOP divide on criminal justice
Texas’ junk science statute has remained hamstrung for the last decade. So too have other criminal justice reforms, despite efforts from the Texas House.
Posted in
Politics
Former President Donald Trump to make stop in Austin on Friday
The GOP presidential nominee will hold a press conference and appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast during his first visit to the capital since 2022.
