Sen. José Rodríguez, an El Paso Democrat, announces his retirement
Rodríguez, who was first elected in 2010 to represent Senate District 29, said he will retire from the Senate at the end of this term in January 2021. Full Story
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![State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, speaks to the press following Gov. Abbott's State of the State address in Austin on Feb. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
How to watch the third 2020 Democratic debate in Houston
ABC News and Univision will be broadcasting the debate with Beto O’Rourke, Julián Castro and eight other qualifying presidential candidates in Texas on Thursday. Full Story
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![Democratic 2020 presidential candidates former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke participate in the first U.S. 2020 presidential election Democratic candidates' debate in Miami, Florida on June 26, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Mike Segar -
Texas Democrats plot path to flipping state in 2020
The state party has high hopes and ambitious goals in a new document outlining their path to turning the state blue. Full Story
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![Texas Democratic Convention at the Alamodome on June 17th, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats ask Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session after two mass shootings
Members of the House minority say they want to consider legislation “closing the background check loopholes” and “banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.” Full Story
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![A person attending a vigil for Leilah Hernandez, one of the victims of the Texas shootings in Odessa and Midland, lights a candle on Sept. 2, 2019.]()
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Analysis: 2020’s real Texas House prize fights are in the general election — not the GOP primaries
While the state's political class is entranced with allegations that Republican House leaders would like to see some of their GOP colleagues replaced, the real stakes are on what happens when the 2020 primaries are over — and which party is in control when it's time for redistricting in 2021. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas Democrats sensing a theme in Republican misfortunes
With the speaker of the house and state attorney general under fire, the long-suffering party sees a potentially helpful thread heading into 2020. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dennis Bonnen presiding over his first votes as speaker of the house. Jan. 9, 2019. Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / Texas Tribune.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats sue over Michael Quinn Sullivan and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen meeting
In their lawsuit, the Democrats contend Bonnen, Sullivan and state Rep. Dustin Burrows violated campaign finance laws and demanded that Sullivan produce a recording of the meeting that he has so far played only for select Republicans. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dennis Bonnen during the Texas Fallen Heroes ceremony at the Capitol on May 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: After an encouraging 2018, Texas Democrats taking some risks
The 2018 elections put some cracks in the Republican Party's dominance in Texas elections — enough to attract Democratic candidates into races they used to be too risk averse to consider. Full Story
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![State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, announces he's running for the U.S. Senate against John Cornyn, in Dallas on July 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Republican Party platform supports some marijuana expansions. So why doesn’t Dan Patrick?
Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said a bill that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana was "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But his party's platform supports marijuana decriminalization. So what gives? Full Story
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![The Texas Republican Convention at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. Bob Parks salutes the flag from the front row on June 14, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats plan multimillion-dollar effort to unseat Cornyn
The state party is launching an early, aggressive campaign to "define Cornyn before he defines himself." Full Story
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![US Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and US Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speak to media following Texas Public Policy Foundation's annual policy orientation in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Backlash builds against UTEP president nominee Heather Wilson
Student activists, professors and community members have rallied to oppose Wilson's nomination, citing her anti-LGBTQ voting record. Full Story
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![Heather Wilson.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Why Julián Castro's first trip in his 2020 campaign was to Puerto Rico, not Iowa
During his visit, the newly announced presidential candidate highlighted the much-criticized federal response to Hurricane Maria and aimed to distinguish himself as the candidate of an increasingly diverse Democratic Party. Full Story
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![2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro greets a man in San Juan, Puerto Rico, whose home was damaged by Hurricane Maria on Jan. 14, 2019.]()
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Julián Castro's 2020 announcement brightens spotlight on potential Texas showdown with Beto O'Rourke
Texas could have two Democrats running in the 2020 presidential race — and one of them, Julián Castro, got an early start Saturday as speculation continues to swirl around Beto O'Rourke's intentions. Full Story
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![Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro (left) and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke.]()
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Split Decision: Watch candidates in the 2018 Texas elections virtually debate
During the general election campaign, The Texas Tribune produced six episodes of its Split Decision video series. Watch candidates for lieutenant governor, Congress and agriculture commissioner discuss the various issues in their races. Full Story
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Win or lose, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign against Ted Cruz could shape Texas politics for years
Despite the excitement he's generated among Democrats, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is still widely viewed as a long shot. Yet the El Paso congressman's campaign could still help rebuild his party and make a difference in races lower on the ballot. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, speaks to his Gainesville supporters at the Historic Santa Fe Train Depot in Cooke County on June 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Surge of candidates leaves Texas Democrats struggling to recruit qualified staffers
The uptick in the number of Democrats running across Texas this election cycle has exposed a weakness in the party’s statewide apparatus: a shortage of experienced operatives equipped to run campaigns. Full Story
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![Campaign volunteers for Sri Kulkarni, a Democrat vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, work the phones before a primary runoff in May.]()
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Legalizing marijuana, limiting access to assault-style weapons part of Texas Democrats' platform
Party delegates in Fort Worth also decided to back required paid sick leave for working Texans and oppose building a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Many platform ideals contradict those of Republicans, who hold every statewide office and control both chambers of the Legislature. Full Story
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![The 2018 Texas Democratic Party convention in Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Joan Brook for the Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Are Texas political conventions necessary?
The state's major political parties hold huge conventions every two years, and they're about to do it again. But why? Full Story
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![Front row delegates at Day 3 of the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth, Saturday, June 7, 2014.]()
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Analysis: Millennial Texans might be louder, but they’re not voting
In all of the attention paid to low voter turnout, this got lost: Millennial Texans made up only a small part of the electorate in this year's Democratic and Republican primaries. Full Story
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The son of a governor, Andrew White long avoided politics. Then a health crisis, his dad's death and a hurricane changed his mind.
A series of life-changing events propelled Andrew White to follow in the footsteps of his father, former Gov. Mark White, and launch his own bid for Texas' highest office. Full Story
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![Democratic candidate for governor Andrew White is interviewed in his home in Houston on Friday, April 20, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune