Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke hope to define the election on issues viewed as favorable to their own parties.
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
Beto O’Rourke to lay down initial $10 million on fall TV ads
The expenditure, which the Democrat’s campaign announced Friday, comes as GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has dominated the airwaves for over two weeks.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Beto O’Rourke confronts a formidable GOP firewall as he woos rural Texans
Despite its dwindling population, rural Texas has consistently helped protect GOP dominance in statewide races, even as Democratic support grows in the state’s populous metro centers and suburbs.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott, Beto O’Rourke agree to debate Sept. 30 in Edinburg
O’Rourke wants more debates, but Abbott has indicated this is the only one he is willing to do before the November election.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Republican effort to remove Libertarians from November ballot rejected by Texas Supreme Court
On Aug. 8, a group of Republican candidates asked the Supreme Court to remove 23 Libertarian opponents from the ballot, saying they did not meet eligibility requirements. The Republicans included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others in congressional and state legislative races.
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Texas 2022 Elections
As his district gets redder, Uvalde’s Republican congressman faces heat for votes on guns and gay marriage
Gonzales broke with his party to support sweeping gun safety legislation that passed after the city’s tragedy. He drew backlash from GOP activists again after he voted to protect same-sex marriage.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Beto O’Rourke intensifies campaign on abortion rights as trigger law goes into effect
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “trigger law” last year, ensuring that Texas would automatically outlaw abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned Roe v. Wade. That happened in June, mobilizing Democrats nationwide and giving O’Rourke’s campaign a burst of momentum.
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Environment
Gov. Greg Abbott declares Dallas-Fort Worth deluge a disaster, freeing up state resources to help in recovery
The declaration covers 23 counties across the state and comes after some saw more than 10 inches of rainfall Monday.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Progressive fundraising group raising $25 million to boost Democrats this November and beyond
The list of the Texas Future Project’s beneficiaries includes groups like Annie’s List and Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, which work to elect more Democratic women who support abortion rights.
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Texas 2022 Elections
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and his wife defied property tax law for eight years by claiming two homestead exemptions
In Texas, married couples generally can claim only one such exemption, meant to provide some tax relief on properties considered “principal residences.” Homestead exemptions cannot typically be claimed on commercial properties, second homes or income properties.
