TribCast: What’s next for Republicans?
Mark Davis, the dean of Texas conservative talk radio, joins TribCast to talk about the GOP’s outlook for 2026. Full Story
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![A Texas representatives speak on House floor during the opening day of the 89th Texas special legislative session Monday, July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is handing more of his office’s work to costly private lawyers
Despite having an office with hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton frequently opts to hire private lawyers. One cost taxpayers more than $24,000 in one day. Full Story
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![An illustration of bags of money, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and a group of lawyers holding briefcases and documents.]()
Credit: Margaret Flatley for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Democrat Joe Jaworski to run for Texas attorney general again
The former Galveston mayor lost his party’s nomination in a 2022 runoff but says better preparation and a different political environment will work in his favor. Full Story
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![Joe Jaworski, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, speaks with Frank Ramirez at a campaign event in San Antonio on Oct. 31, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton investigating “potential noncitizens” for voting in 2020 and 2022 election cycles
Most of those voters are in Harris County, home to Houston. Noncitizen voting is illegal and documented instances are rare. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fields questions at the Frisco Gun Club during a press conference announcing his intent to sue the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on May 1, 2024. This comes after the Justice Department announced a new rule requiring all gun sellers to conduct federal background checks on buyers, closing what is known as the “gun show loophole”.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson announces run for attorney general
The third-term Democrat from Dallas faces long odds in a state that has only elected Republicans to statewide office for three decades. Full Story
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![Texas Senator Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, in action on the Senate floor on the second-to-the-last day of the 89th legislative session on June 1, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Why Greg Abbott refuses to release his emails with Elon Musk
The governor’s office said some of the correspondence with the billionaire and his companies contains “intimate” information that isn’t of “legitimate concern to the public.” Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference.]()
Credit: Michael Minasi/KUT News -
Divorce between Ken and Angela Paxton will proceed outside public view, reports say
A Collin County judge’s reported decision could keep details of the divorce from spilling into Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate race. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on January 6, 2025.]()
Credit: Photo by Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. John Cornyn outraises AG Ken Paxton by $1 million in first three months of Senate primary matchup — but there’s a catch
Cornyn will need to use his deep coffers to overcome an early polling deficit to Paxton, who is looking to deny the GOP incumbent’s bid for a fifth term. Full Story
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![from left: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is challenging Cornyn in the Republican primary.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Sen. Angela Paxton files for divorce from Attorney General Ken Paxton
In a statement, Angela Paxton said she moved to end her 38-year marriage “on biblical grounds,” citing “recent discoveries.” Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife Senator Angela Paxton wave to conventioneers during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Former Democratic state House candidate among nine indicted for alleged vote harvesting in South Texas
The charges are the latest escalation in a probe that resulted in Texas authorities indicting six other Frio County area officials in May. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Republican Party of Texas convention on Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton drops appeal: Texas to pay $6.6 million to whistleblowers
The Legislature will still have to appropriate the funds to pay the judgment, either during the upcoming special session or during the next regular session. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023 a day before a scheduled impeachment vote in the Texas House in a long-running ethics complaint.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrat Colin Allred launches 2026 U.S. Senate campaign
Allred lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last year by 8.5 points while outperforming the top of the ticket. Full Story
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![Then-U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, at a Kamala Harris campaign rally at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
Judge dismisses Ken Paxton lawsuit challenging State Fair of Texas gun ban
Texas’ attorney general alleged the City of Dallas and the fair were violating state law and the second amendment with the ban, which was adopted after a 2023 shooting. Full Story
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![Crowds attend the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 14, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. John Cornyn looks to overcome Paxton primary challenge by embracing Trump
As he faces the toughest electoral challenge of his career, Cornyn has also wielded his powers as a U.S. senator to lean into partisan issues prized by the GOP base. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, prepares to introduce Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Agriculture secretary, during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Thursday, January 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Gov. Greg Abbott, AG Ken Paxton do not have to release Uvalde or Jan. 6 emails, Texas Supreme Court rules
The decision, stemming from a 2022 lawsuit, narrows the public’s legal options to challenge Texas officials under the state’s open records law. Full Story
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![Family members and friends participate in a march in support of those killed and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde on July 10, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Top Paxton deputy accused of witness tampering during impeachment trial
In dueling lawsuits, current and former employees of the attorney general’s office sling allegations that threaten to intrude on Paxton’s U.S. Senate bid. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks about impending impeachment proceedings against him at a press conference in Austin on May 26, 2023. Behind Paxton from left: Tommy Tran, executive assistant; James R. Lloyd, associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation; Austin A. Kinghorn, associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel; Ryan Fisher, director of government relations; Joshua Reno, deputy attorney general for criminal justice; Suzanna Hupp, special adviser; Brent Webster, first assistant attorney general; Lesley French, chief of staff; George Lane, adviser; Paige Willey, deputy communications director; and Ralph M. Molina, deputy attorney general for legal strategy.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Former astronaut Terry Virts launches Democratic bid for U.S. Senate in Texas
The early announcement tees up what is likely to be a crowded primary field angling for the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Full Story
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![International Space Station (ISS) crew member Terry Virts of the U.S. speaks by satellite phone shortly after landing near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, June 11, 2015. Three astronauts landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Thursday, ending their 199-day mission after an unexpected "bonus month" aboard the International Space Station, NASA Television showed.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton requests death row inmate Robert Roberson be executed Oct. 16
A court hearing on Wednesday will determine whether to proceed with Paxton’s request. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project -
Aaron Reitz, former top DOJ official and Paxton aide, launches bid for Texas attorney general
Reitz, formerly a key cog in Texas’ conservative legal pipeline, once said the AG’s office is at war with “the forces that want to destroy the American order.” Full Story
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![Then-Texas Deputy Attorney General of Legal Strategy Aaron Reitz speaks during a press conference in the William Clements Building in Austin on June 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ swift surrender to DOJ on undocumented student tuition raises questions about state-federal collusion
Experts say Wednesday’s action to eliminate the long-standing policy could be a “collusive lawsuit,” where the state and feds worked the courts to get a desired outcome. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on Sept. 24, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas Tribune