When a party wins everything, as the GOP has in Texas this year, it gets almost everything its way. It also has everything to lose.
Joe Straus
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Straus on the Offensive
House Speaker Joe Straus is moving quickly to squelch any talk of a speaker’s race. His office released two letters this afternoon — one from conservative leaders expressing support for him, and another that emphasizes his strengths as House leader.
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State Government
The Speaker in a Squeaker?
Tuesday’s elections gave Republicans a nearly two-thirds majority in the Texas House — and, with it, the power to do just about whatever they want in the next legislative session. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the party faithful are battling over who should lead the lower chamber.
Posted in
Economy
Majority Rules
Whether you call it a wave, a rout or a tsunami, one thing is clear: Republicans in the Texas House won a massive mandate for conservative bills — and budgeting — in the coming legislative session.
Posted in
State Government
The Biggest Gainers
Texas House Republicans react after defeating 22 incumbent Democrats, giving them the largest majority they’ve seen since Reconstruction.
Posted in
State Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 53
In this post-election TribCast, Evan, Elise and Ben look back on the election year that was and discuss Gov. Rick Perry’s political future and the implications of the massive Republican landslide in the Texas House.
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State Government
2010: 130 to Chisum
House Speaker Joe Straus says he’s now got 130 votes for re-election as speaker — and that the only thing new is that 99 Republicans instead of 76 will make the House a much more conservative body. But State Rep. Warren Chisum says he will continue the challenge to Straus that he announced three weeks ago.
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State Government
Straus: “I Don’t Need Lessons” From Chisum
“I don’t need lessons on how to be a Republican,” Joe Straus said Wednesday morning, responding to claims by his challenger in the Speaker’s race, state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, that he isn’t Republican enough to hold the leadership post.
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State Government
2010: Joe vs. the Volcano
House Speaker Joe Straus says he’s got 122 votes for another term as speaker — in spite of the fact that at least a dozen of his past supporters were defeated in Tuesday’s election.
Posted inState Government
Tonight’s the Night
Over the past year, we’ve seen nearly $100 million worth of gubernatorial politics in Texas and millions more spent maneuvering for advantage in Congress, in the Legislature and in other statewide and local offices. Tonight, we’ll finally know what’s what.