House Speaker Dade Phelan took a risk on Paxton’s impeachment. It may end his career.
The May 28 runoff promises to be an expensive, high-profile contest that will help reshape the political dynamics of the Texas House. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels out the 88th session Sine Die on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton declare victory in attack on House GOP defectors
The two state leaders and other prominent Republicans, like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and former president Donald Trump, endorsed challengers in dozens of races citing the incumbents’ disloyalty to the party. Full Story
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![The House voting board in the Texas Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Insurgent Republicans make major gains in Texas primaries
The shockwaves rippled up and down the ballot as incumbent state House members, judges and other state leaders were forced into runoffs or defeated outright. Full Story
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![Morning sunlight falls on the Texas Capitol dome on Sept. 16, 2023, in Austin.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
It’s primary election day. Here are six things to watch.
Divisions among Republicans are in stark display, some of Texas’ most senior members of Congress are retiring and Democrats are hoping to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![Election signs on March 5, 2024, outside of the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Rick Perry stumps for Speaker Dade Phelan in final days of primary election
Donald Trump endorsed Phelan’s opponent, putting Perry at odds with the former president he served under as energy secretary. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan mingle with supporters during a Get Out the Vote Rally on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Vidor, Texas. Deep fissures within the Republican Party have placed Phelan as the No. 1 enemy of Texas’ far-right conservatives.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton impeachment records reveal fights over witness testimony and alleged bullying
The Texas Senate released hundreds of pages of previously-unreleased documents that pull back the curtain on the proceedings, revealing behind-the-scenes fights between Paxton’s defense team and the prosecution. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton sits with attorneys Tony Buzbee and Mitch Little on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge rules against pregnant workers in win for Paxton
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration over a pregnant worker protection law that he said was unconstitutional because it passed mostly by proxy vote. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol during sunrise in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 15, 2020.]()
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Greg Abbott, Tim Dunn spend millions in Texas GOP primary fights over vouchers, impeachment
Texans For Lawsuit Reform and pro-voucher groups are also spending millions. Full Story
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![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs a bill banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates at the Governor's Mansion in Austin on Nov. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Years before Texas conservatives painted them as criminals, Colony Ridge residents sought help from state agencies
Texas has little to show for conservative leaders’ uproar — or previously unreported complaints about the community developer. Full Story
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![An overhead view of the Colony Ridge development on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in New Caney, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Denton principals for electioneering on district emails
The two principals encouraged colleagues to vote for candidates who oppose school vouchers. 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 -
At odds with Abbott and Paxton, Rep. Stan Lambert is under fire and getting outraised in his GOP primary
District 71 is one of three-dozen Texas House races where statewide Republicans are trying to oust incumbents from their own party. Lambert says he knows his constituents better than they do. Full Story
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![Texas House District 71 Rep. Stan Lambert gestures during an interview at Monk’s Coffee shop in Abilene Thursday Feb. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ronald W. Erdrich for The Texas Tribune -
Frustration boils as Abbott, Paxton target GOP incumbents
Big spending and anger surround reelection bids for state House members like Glenn Rogers, who’s facing heat for votes on vouchers and Ken Paxton’s impeachment. Full Story
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![State Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-Graford, walks to his desk on the House floor prior the gaveling in of the second special session of 2021 on Saturday, August 7.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton sues to revoke an El Paso nonprofit’s state registration after it didn’t immediately hand over client records
Annunciation House, a network of shelters that serves migrants, sought relief from the attorney general’s demand to immediately release information about its clients. Paxton accused the religious group of smuggling humans across the southern border. Full Story
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![Migrants arrive at the Casa Vides Annunciation House shelter in El Paso after being released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody, on June 24, 2018.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton’s push to oust incumbents puts spotlight on Court of Criminal Appeals primaries
The attorney general has tried to supplant eight Republican judges on the court after they rejected his efforts to unilaterally prosecute voter fraud. The judges are now pushing back. Full Story
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![The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Judge rejects attempts to toss indictments against Texas AG Ken Paxton, keeps April trial on course
Paxton’s securities fraud trial will kick off on April 15. He has been under indictment for nearly nine years. He has pleaded not guilty. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to attendees during a reception for Jared Woodfill at the Federal American Grill on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Border security overpowers school vouchers and Paxton impeachment in Republican Texas House primaries
Despite all the hubbub about vouchers and the attorney general’s impeachment, it’s still about the border. Full Story
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![Texas Republican state House ads touting the border as a central election issue. Clockwise, from top left: Mark LaHood, challenger for HD-121; Joanne Shofner, challenger for HD-11; Chris Spencer, challenger for HD-1; and Gary VanDeaver, HD-1 incumbent.]()
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Lubbock group pushes forward with marijuana ballot question despite Paxton lawsuit
The Texas attorney general has sued five other cities that have passed similar policies decriminalizing marijuana. Full Story
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![Nathan Lewis gets signatures on a petition to to legalize marijuana from Andrew Alcala, center, and Yvette Castillo, right, at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Bills to fight Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s whistleblower case top $700,000, records show
The lead attorney helping defend Paxton against former top aides is charging $540 an hour. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton recites the pledge of allegiance at a Trump Rally in Conroe on January 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Speaker Dade Phelan forcefully defends Ken Paxton impeachment in campaign ad
Facing heat for presiding over the impeachment of the attorney general, Phelan is addressing the issue head-on and citing an alleged Paxton extramarital affair. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan beckons at another member of the House during a special legislative session at the state Capitol in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump are accusing Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan has overseen the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history. Full Story
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![Beaumont, Texas: Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dade Phelan poses for a portrait at his office in Beaumont on Friday, Jan 26, 2024. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune