The current speaker, fellow Republican Dade Phelan, is expected to seek the gavel again but has not made an official announcement yet.
Patrick Svitek
Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Republican confidence grows as they eye a South Texas congressional sweep
Democrats are spending big to stop Republicans from flipping two of the three key battleground seats that have historically gone blue.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
“I’m in no rush”: Voter apathy takes hold of early voting ahead of Texas midterm election
Republicans may be waiting to vote on Election Day after former President Donald Trump pushed voting in person on Nov. 8 at a rally in South Texas.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
O’Rourke outraises Abbott in final month of Texas governor’s race
In the homestretch of the state’s governor race, Beto O’Rourke outraises incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott though he still trails in the polls.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Bernie Sanders tours Texas hoping to amp up progressive turnout, including in key South Texas race
The two-time Democratic presidential candidate visited Central Texas and South Texas amid concerns that young and working-class voters are not mobilized enough for the midterm election.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Dark-money group features Uvalde shooter footage in ad criticizing Abbott’s gun policies
The ad drew swift pushback from Republicans criticizing its use of the gunman’s image.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Texas Republicans in tight races open to rape and incest exceptions to abortion ban
In some battleground state legislative races, Republicans have been making overtures to those who believe the ban as too extreme. They have said they are open to revising the ban to include the exceptions — and even voiced confidence that the Legislature will do so when it reconvenes in January.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
As early voting begins, pressure is on for Beto O’Rourke to close the gap with Greg Abbott
O’Rourke has not had the upper hand in any polls, or even come within low single digits, compared with 2018, when he more regularly showed up within the margin of error against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Donald Trump energizes South Texas voters ahead of early voting as Republicans predict red “tsunami”
Trump rally attendees said they were basing their midterm votes on issues such as the economy and the border and were hopeful Trump would run for president again.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
For Republicans, winning Hispanic voters will be a bigger fight than South Texas
Nearly half of Hispanic Texans live in the state’s five largest counties, a voting bloc Democrats cannot afford to lose as they struggle to compete in the state’s vast rural areas.
