Want to win a statewide political race in Texas that’s not at the very top of the ballot? It helps a lot if your party’s top candidate wins — or at least runs a close second.
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 2022 Elections
Analysis: Betting a Texas election on a weather forecast
Gov. Greg Abbott says he can “guarantee” there won’t be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That’s the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: A swelling Texas treasury gives 2022 hopefuls room for big ideas
As the political season starts, the contestants got an unexpected bit of good news: The state comptroller says the next Legislature will start with almost $25 billion in the state treasury. Expensive campaign promises just got a lot easier to make.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: 2022 primary elections in Texas merit a severe weather alert
Next year’s primary elections start a year after a winter storm knocked out power across Texas — and the government response to that disaster could be on voters’ minds.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Different year, different race, different Beto
Sneaking up on a bruised Ted Cruz and almost winning the 2018 U.S. Senate race made Beto O’Rourke a big political name. But after that loss and a poor showing in the 2020 Democratic primary for president, the El Pasoan’s challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott is a different kind of contest.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Texas Republican lawmakers pleased most of their own voters, most of the time
They didn’t make a majority of Texas voters happy on a single issue, but the Republican majority in the Legislature made most of their own voters happy — and then drew maps that minimize political threats to them in the November general election.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
TribCast, special edition: Our pollsters analyze the latest UT/TT Poll on the 2022 candidates and issues
In this edition of TribCast, Ross talks to pollsters Joshua Blank, James Henson and Daron Shaw about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, focused on the 2022 elections and this year’s legislative issues.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Analysis: Early signs point to another Republican-dominated election cycle in Texas
Republican incumbents enter their reelection campaigns well ahead of their Republican challengers and with most voters unacquainted with the Democratic challengers in the field, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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Redistricting Texas
Analysis: Texas legislators aren’t ready to take self-interest out of redistricting
In Texas, the Legislature draws political maps — with results that predictably favor the party in power. Do independent commissions do any better?
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Redistricting Texas
Analysis: With grades like these for political maps, Texas won’t be making the honor roll
The new political maps drawn by Texas Republicans have run into some criticism from academics studying gerrymandering. That puts the Texans in the same boat with Illinois Democrats.