The latest Texas Senate news from The Texas Tribune.
The quiet race for lieutenant governor isn't quiet any more, as two senators opened a fiery and very public email fight over gossip that could sink both of their chances to succeed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
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Wendy Davis isn't the only reason for the political stirrings in Senate District 10. It's because she serves as a security vote that props up the Democrats and trips up the Republicans. Full Story
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Last week, state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, released a television ad depicting his opponent, former Railroad commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, as a literal puppet. Today, she struck back with an ad of her own. Full Story
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Here's a look at photos over the nine years that David Dewhurst has been lieutenant governor. Polls show he is the front-runner to succeed U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
Full video of Evan Smith's April 19 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, explained why she won't sign the governor's budget compact — and why tax exemptions should be on the table. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, talked about why she thinks she can get re-elected in a GOP district — and why the liberal label doesn't fit. Full Story
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The pay for Texas lawmakers is low, but the pension benefits are sweet. Some say, though, that lawmakers who break the law should have to forfeit their pensions. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst appears to be in the middle of the Republican pack in the Texas Senate, where he presides, according to an analysis of senators' votes by Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones. Full Story
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In her first TV commercials — running during college basketball games this weekend and then in broader rotation in Austin and San Antonio starting next week — Texas Senate candidate Elizabeth Ames Jones says she'll create jobs and fight "Obama bureaucrats." Full Story
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Sen. Florence Shapiro’s departure means the end of a nearly two-decade-long tenure in the state Senate — and an opening in the top position on the Senate Education Committee for the first time since 2003. Full Story
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State Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, is exploring a 2014 run for comptroller — an office that would open up if Susan Combs decides to move on, perhaps to run for lieutenant governor. Full Story
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Child Protective Services officials got an earful on Wednesday at a Senate hearing on improving the caseworker retention rates in rural communities. And they got a minor scolding from Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville. Full Story
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A mentally unstable man has been charged with throwing a bag filled with six Molotov cocktails at the door of the Fort Worth office of state Sen. Wendy Davis. Full Story
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Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators. Full Story
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The February 2012 University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows a riptide of very conservative opinion is exerting a strong pull on state politics. Full Story
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The political action committee of Dallas billionaire waste magnate Harold Simmons is asking 18 lawmakers to return about $65,000 in contributions after admitting that an oversight led to illegal campaign contributions. Full Story
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Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones is making a run for a state Senate seat. But her opponent in the GOP primary, state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, is challenging her on residency. That dispute is among this week's top political news items. Full Story
Pending any legal intervention, the three court-issued redistricting maps (House, Senate and Congress) and the State Board of Education map drawn up by the 82nd Legislature are now in effect. Use our interactive to see which district you live in now and who represents you. Full Story
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Texas senators cut their expenses by just 1 percent from August 2010 to 2011 — a total of $101,000. That’s not much compared to more than $1 million they saved in 2010. Use our interactive to find details on senators' 2011 spending. Full Story
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