Most Texas voters skip the primary elections, leaving many of the decisions about who serves in office to a relatively small group of Texas — voters who have more clout as a result.
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.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: Giving professors freedom, so long as they agree with politicians
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to revoke tenure for professors teaching lessons about race that he disagrees with. It’s a new chapter of an old fight between academics and populist politicians.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the power of Us vs. Them
A week into early voting in the Texas party primaries, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick launched his latest culture-war volley, an attack on college professors whose teachings about race don’t match his notions about what they should be teaching.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Texas voters and political candidates aren’t on the same page
What top Texas candidates are talking about isn’t always the same as what the voters think are the most important issues facing the state.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Hey, Texans, get out there and vote!
On this first day of early voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries, take a moment to think through the issues — whether the candidates are talking about them or not — before you cast your ballot.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: The road from the Texas Legislature to statewide office isn’t Easy Street
The statewide races on the March primary ballots are sprinkled with the names of state and federal legislators from Texas. You might think they have the upper hand in those contests. Maybe, and maybe not.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: March primaries in Texas lead to November — some with a stop in May
Early voting starts on Monday, and the primaries are on March 1. But some recent polling foreshadows May runoffs for some offices high on the Texas ballot.
Posted in
Economy
Analysis: “Nothing to see here” is good news for Texans and for incumbent politicians
The first really cold weather of the year came and went without straining the state’s electric grid — a welcome relief for voters and for politicians, who didn’t want a repeat of 2021’s winter blackouts.
Posted in
Energy
Analysis: State leaders ask Texans to trust the grid, doubt elections
As winter weather moved in this week, the state’s elected leaders worked to regain Texans’ confidence in the electric grid that failed last year. A few days earlier, some of those same leaders were undermining confidence in something else they oversee: elections.
Posted in
Energy
Analysis: In Texas, cold weather brings a political chill
This week’s cold weather forecast triggers memories of the electricity blackouts that left millions in the dark during a polar vortex and killed hundreds of Texans last year. It’s triggering politicians’ memories, too, during the primary election.