State Rep. Wayne Smith Now Wants Recount in House District 128 Runoff
In a reversal, state Rep. Wayne Smith is now pursuing a recount in his narrow loss in Tuesday's Republican primary runoff. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/10/Smith_v_Cain.jpg)
-
![State Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, faced off with lawyer Briscoe Cain in the May 2016 GOP primary runoff for House District 128.]()
-
Liveblog: 2016 Texas Primary Runoff Results
Throughout Tuesday night, Tribune reporters will keep you updated on the results of Texas' Republican and Democratic primary runoffs, from the first early voting totals through the last ballots counted. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/01/IMG_0016.jpg)
![Voters wait in line at the University of Texas Co-op to cast their ballots in the March 1, 2016 primary elections.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber -
Texas House Runoff Turns Ugly in Final Days
An already bitter Republican primary runoff for a Texas house seat has turned uglier in the final days before early voting begins as court filings from one candidate’s divorce and child custody battle take center stage. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/12/Miller-Opponent.jpg)
![State Rep Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels, and opponent, Kyle Biedermann.]()
-
After Primary Night Surprise, State Rep Tries to Fend Off Challenger
State Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, wasn't viewed as a particularly vulnerable incumbent in the March primary. But he barely eked into a runoff with 31-year-old attorney Briscoe Cain. Full Story
![State Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, faced off with lawyer Briscoe Cain in the May 2016 GOP primary runoff for House District 128.]()
-
Convictions, Lawsuits Don't Slow Ron Reynolds Re-Election Bid
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Democrat from Missouri City, is busy appealing convictions and settlement judgments related to his law practice, but he says he’s confident he can ‘easily’ win re-election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/17/Bartholomew_v._Reynolds.jpg)
![Angelique Bartholomew (l) is challenging state Rep. Ron Reynolds in the Democratic runoff for House District 27.]()
-
Analysis: Texas Legislative Review Process in Need of a Review of Its Own
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, is trying to rescue legislative reviews of state agencies from poachers in the lobby and in the Legislature itself. He says they've "made a mockery" of the process. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/17/7C2A8151.jpg)
![Speaker Joe Straus on the floor of the Texas House on April 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Straus Stays Firm but Won’t Raise Voice in Texas House
Buried in a couple of vanilla announcements this week, House Speaker Joe Straus gently telegraphed some of his plans for next year’s legislative session. If you weren’t listening carefully, you probably missed it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/28/Joe_Straus_Campaigning.jpg)
![House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, campaigns for re-election at The Barn Door restaurant in San Antonio on Jan. 21, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
New Prison Rule Means Jailbirds Can't Tweet
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has decided that prison inmates should not be allowed to have active social media accounts, even if friends or family on the outside run them. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/04/13/Social-media-prison.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva -
Paying Off Toll Roads Could Top $30 Billion
If Texas decided to pay off construction debt on nearly all of its toll roads tomorrow, the price tag would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 billion, according to a preliminary report. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/Toll-Sign.jpg)
![The Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, in Houston.]()
Credit: Ken Lund -
Analysis: Low Voter Turnout in Texas Gets Obama's Attention
Perhaps it’s not in the best interests of the people now in office in Texas — whatever their party labels — to change the electoral setup that put them in office. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/11/Obama-7.jpg)
![President Obama talked about civic engagement in a digital age during an interview with The Texas Tribune's Evan Smith at the South by Southwest Interactive festival on March 11, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Pool -
Analysis: Politics Wasn't at Play With Tax Hearing, Bettencourt Says
After questions about a special Senate committee hearing in San Antonio, and the appearance there of a challenger to House Speaker Joe Straus, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt makes a fairly strong case that there’s nothing to see here. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/07/BD7_6507Bettencourt.JPG)
![Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Endorsements, Loyalties — and Getting Things Done
Endorsements seem harmless enough, but several state senators will have to eat some crow to get their legislation passed next year. They endorsed challengers to fellow legislators — and lost. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/07/HallBurtonHuffines.jpg)
![The three senators who sent the fewest bills to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk this session: Bob Hall, R-Edgwood (left), Konni Burton, R-Colleyville (middle) and Don Huffines, R-Dallas (right).]()
-
How Much Texas Politicians Spent per Vote in 2016 Primaries
House Speaker Joe Straus spent $307 for every vote he got in Tuesday's primary election, leading the pack of state candidates. Here's a table detailing how much money selected state candidates spent for each vote they got. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/04/07/BudgetSurplus-Capitol.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Stuart Seeger -
Analysis: A Good Election Night to Be an Incumbent
For all of the talk and bluster about replacing the people in government with new folks, Texas voters on Tuesday were remarkably gentle with incumbents, giving nearly all of them a ticket to the general election in November. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/01/TrustTed-Signs.jpg)
![Supporters wait for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to take the stage at the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas on the evening of the Texas primary on Mar. 1, 2016.]()
Credit: Eric Kayne -
Straus, and Most of His House Allies, Survive Challenges From Right
House Speaker Joe Straus sailed to victory in his re-election bid and he avoided a significant net loss in fights between hard right conservatives and his lieutenants elsewhere in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/14/IMG_9754.jpg)
![The House of Representatives on May 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Liveblog: 2016 Texas Primary Results
Throughout the night, Tribune reporters will keep you updated on the results of Texas' Republican and Democratic primary battles, from the first early voting totals through the last ballots counted. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/25/6F6A9203.jpg)
![Travis County voters cast ballots at Travis County Tax Office on Feb. 25, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles -
Open Legislative Races Draw More than 70 Candidates
A slew of open seats in the Legislature means there will be at least 18 freshman lawmakers in the Capitol come January. Two thirds of the open seats are currently held by a Republican. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HouseChairs.jpg)
![The March 1 primary ballot will feature 18 open seats in the Texas Legislature – two in the Senate and 16 in the House.]()
Credit: Steve Laugh -
UT/TT Poll: Foreign Terrorists the Greatest Threat to U.S., Texans Say
Foreign terrorist groups and illegal immigration are the greatest threats to the United States, according to voters surveyed for the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/25/TT-primary16-chart.001.jpeg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Open Senate Seat Sparks Four-Way Race
With longtime state Sen. Kevin Eltife's retirement, four GOP candidates in Senate District 1 are racing to define themselves as conservative outsiders, including state Reps. Bryan Hughes and David Simpson. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/12/sd1.jpg)
![Top Row: David Simpson and Bryan Hughes
Bottom Row: Major General James K. "Red" Brown Jr. and Mike Lee]()
-
In Central Texas House Race, Candidates Disagree on Speaker
While state Rep. Marsha Farney and challenger Terry Wilson share conservative views on abortion and immigration, they differ on whether to support House Speaker Joe Straus. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/09/Wilson_Farney_sidebyside.jpg)
![State Rep. Marshey Farney, left, and Terry Wilson, right.]()