The lieutenant governor said Wednesday he wants the Senate to decrease the threshold required to bring legislation to the floor to 18 members, which would allow the GOP to continue sidelining Democrats.
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 2020 Elections
What went wrong with Texas Democrats’ 2020 plans? State party leaders intend to find out.
The state party chair plans to do a “deep dive” after executive committee members asked for answers about the outcome of the November election and demanded reforms.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Gov. Greg Abbott tells supporters he’s considering placing law enforcement for central Austin under state control
It’s the latest proposal from the governor to punish the capital city for its August decision to trim its police budget by a third, primarily by shifting some responsibilities out of law enforcement oversight.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection bid received a big cash assist from national Republicans late in campaign
The super PAC backing Cornyn’s reelection, Texans for a Conservative Majority, got a $1.2 million donation from the Senate Leadership Fund days before the election.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
On Election Day, Republicans lost a critical advantage in the state Senate. Will Dan Patrick push to change the rules?
In January, the lieutenant governor suggested he could push to further lower the threshold required to bring bills to the floor if the GOP lost its supermajority. Now that that has happened, it remains to be seen whether Patrick will follow through.
Posted in
Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses Drew Springer over Shelley Luther in Texas Senate special election runoff
Springer and Luther, who has been a vocal opponent of Abbott’s pandemic management, are in a Dec. 19 special election runoff.
Posted in
Politics
Harris County GOP chair who assumed role after facing backlash for racist Facebook post resigns
Keith Nielsen won the job in March, but as he prepared to take office this summer, he faced widespread condemnation for posting a Facebook graphic juxtaposing a Martin Luther King Jr. quote with a banana.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Republicans eye 2022 — and beyond — after romping in November election
Two questions could shape Texas politics in the coming years: Who will challenge Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022? And will Abbott — and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — run for president in 2024?
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott reiterates Texas will not shut down again while touting arrival of new coronavirus treatment
Abbott’s news conference came the same day that Texas reported more daily new cases than ever before — 12,293 — easily surpassing the previous record of 10,823 two days earlier.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.
The last time case numbers were this high, Abbott closed bars and urged Texans to avoid summer holiday gatherings. This time, he’s staying the course, relying on a 2-month-old blueprint to claw back reopenings regionally based on hospitalizations.
