Huffines has been the most vocal fellow Republican taking on Abbott, pressuring him over his COVID-19 response, the border and other hot-button issues.
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.
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Politics
GOP state Rep. Lyle Larson, who has increasingly broken with his party, won’t seek reelection
The San Antonio Republican announced Wednesday he will not run for another term in 2022.
Posted in
Redistricting Texas
After his Round Rock district was redrawn to help Republicans, state Rep. James Talarico says he’ll move to Austin to run in 2022
“Republicans have gerrymandered me out of my district,” Talarico tweeted. “If they think they can keep me off the House floor, they better think again.”
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Politics
Special runoff election to fill vacant San Antonio-area House seat set for Nov. 2
Republicans are pushing to flip the seat of former state Rep. Leo Pacheco.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Weighing reelection bid, GOP Texas Sen. Kel Seliger confronts redrawn district, Trump endorsement of primary challenger
After high-profile clashes with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a fellow Republican, Seliger suspects members of his own party are trying to oust him.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
South Texas was already a political battleground. New maps could alter game plans.
With proposed maps out, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, says he might switch to a neighboring district where U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is retiring. The initial maps are also sure to impact decisions in regional legislative races.
Posted in
Redistricting Texas
Texas House proposes map that increases Republican strength and decreases Black and Hispanic majority districts
The Texas Legislature is in the midst of its third special session, which is dedicated to redrawing political maps based on the latest census data that showed people of color fueled 95% of Texas’ population growth over the past decade.
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Politics
Donald Trump adds fresh pressure to Gov. Greg Abbott over demand for a forensic election audit
There has been no evidence of widespread election fraud in Texas, where Trump defeated President Joe Biden by 6 percentage points. After the November election, a secretary of state official said Texas’ election was “smooth and secure.”
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Politics
Republican John Lujan and Democrat Frank Ramirez advance to runoff for San Antonio-area Texas House seat
Lujan is a Republican who previously held the seat and is hoping to help his party make inroads in South Texas. Ramirez is a former San Antonio City Council staffer.
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Politics
Brian Harrison wins Texas House seat after beating fellow Republican John Wray, who used to hold the seat
Harrison is the former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump. He will replace Waxahachie Republican Jake Ellzey, who was elected to Congress in July.
