Ideological purity is the big issue on March 2 in this South Texas district. Freshman state Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island, touts her “moderate” approach and bipartisan tendencies, but her challenger insists, “The first thing we have to do is get rid of all the closet Republicans from the Democratic Party.”
Julián Aguilar
Julián Aguilar reported for the Tribune from 2009 to 2021, most recently on politics and on the Texas-Mexico border. He focused on immigration reform and enforcement, voter ID, international trade, border security, and the drug trade. His political coverage has included local, legislative and congressional races in Texas, as well as local and national elections in Mexico. Before joining The Texas Tribune, he was a freelance writer for the Fort Worth Weekly, a government and crime reporter for the Laredo Morning Times, and a political writer for the Rio Grande Guardian. A native of El Paso, he has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and a master's degree in journalism from the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas.
Posted in
State Government
Primary Color: HD-36
Embattled state Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores is quitting, and two Democrats are vying to replace him in one of the state’s poorest and least-educated districts — where old-school border politics rule, where no Republicans bothered to file for the general election. After all, this is the Rio Grande Valley.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Climbing Steadily
Voters in Texas’ 15 largest counties cast more than twice as many ballots during the first three days of early voting for the March Primary as they did during the same span in 2006.
Posted in
Higher Education
Trading Places
Texas, that famous bastion of conservatism, has become a leading exporter of agricultural products to communist Cuba — second only to Louisiana among the 50 states.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Brief: February 18, 2010
Shami takes another hit, Keller back in the spotlight and the state of Texas’ health.
Posted in
Economy
The Brief: February 17, 2010
Budget crunching, the EPA offends Texans, early voting is underway, and gay couples still can’t get … a divorce.
