If you’re going by the numbers of Republican and Democratic winners, nothing really happened in the general election in Texas this year. But there’s a lot beneath the numbers.
Ross Ramsey
Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: Texas voters still fly a red political flag
Texas Republicans might not be able to do everything their most ardent partisans would like, but Tuesday’s election left them in the driver’s seat in what remains a GOP-controlled state government.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: In Texas, the end of a grinding election, and another already on the horizon
As a grueling election cycle comes to a close, there is no rest for the weary: Candidates are already talking about what’s on the Texas ballot in 2022.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: A Texas election with a decade of politics at stake
A nine-seat change in the Texas House could affect the balance of power in the Texas Capitol, but also in Congress. Texas lawmakers will draw political maps next year that could remain in place until the 2030 census.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: The 2020 election’s October surprise has been with us for months
The pandemic persists as the top issue in the election, overpowering the kind of late-breaking news and events that can turn people’s heads just before they vote.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: Democrats or Republicans could win the Texas House this year. But what if they tie?
The next speaker of the Texas House will come from the majority party, whether that’s the Republicans or the Democrats after the election. But there’s an outside chance the parties will have the same number of members.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: Money counts in Texas elections, but timing matters, too
MJ Hegar’s challenge of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has attracted millions of dollars in financial support, most of it late in the race. She’s now in better financial shape than the incumbent, but time is running short.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: The second election can be harder than the first one
Texas Democrats are trying to add nine seats to their total in the Texas House, enough to regain a majority they lost almost two decades ago. But Republicans aren’t idle, and they’re targeting seats Democrats barely won last time.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Analysis: It’s harder to vote in Texas than in any other state
Voting laws in Texas are the most restrictive in the country. And voter turnout here is among the lowest, too. Maybe those facts are related.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Analysis: Running government like a business — except for elections
You’ve heard that refrain — the one about running the government like a business — from dozens of candidates over the years. In the case of voting, businesses might be a good place for government officials to pick up some pointers.
