George was backed by outgoing GOP chair Matt Rinaldi, who ushered in a Republican civil war and oversaw staffing cuts and drops in fundraising.
Renzo Downey
Renzo Downey is the lead writer of The Blast, The Texas Tribune’s premium politics newsletter. Prior to joining the Tribune in February 2023, he worked as a state government and politics reporter and a newsletter editor for Florida Politics. He was previously an intern on the state desk at the Austin American-Statesman. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Renzo received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Northwestern University.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Texas GOP convention kicks off with party leaders attacking Speaker Dade Phelan
Phelan’s foe Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged Republicans to stop giving Democrats a say in the speaker election.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
False ad depicting Dade Phelan with Nancy Pelosi could inspire new anti-deepfake legislation
A mailer, paid for by the Jeff Yass-bankrolled Club for Growth Action PAC, falsely depicted Phelan in a hug with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Posted in
State Government
Texas lawmakers and agency leaders experiment, ponder policies for an AI future
Agencies like the Texas Department of Transportation are using the technology to react to crashes and prepare invoices. More uses and regulations are coming.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera gains momentum in race against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales
Gonzales is taking heat from the right for his vote in support of the bipartisan gun safety bill passed after the Uvalde school shooting.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is two House votes away from passing school vouchers
Abbott called on supporters to push through the primary runoffs to deliver the final pro-voucher members needed to pass his legislation, plus some padding.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton declare victory in attack on House GOP defectors
The two state leaders and other prominent Republicans, like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and former president Donald Trump, endorsed challengers in dozens of races citing the incumbents’ disloyalty to the party.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
In a sharp reversal, North Texas voters pick Brent Money over Jill Dutton in House GOP primary
Dutton just won a special election against Money to fill expelled Rep. Bryan Slaton’s unexpired term through the end of the year.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Abbott mum on another special session as he charges into voucher opponents’ primary battles
Abbott is promising to continue the fight for “school choice” but staying mum on whether that means he will call another special session as he has previously threatened.
Posted in
Politics
At Texas-Mexico border, Ron DeSantis unveils immigration platform with Trump in mind
The Florida governor calls for deputizing local law enforcement to police the border and deport migrants, saying his plan is “more aggressive” than the former president’s proposals.
