Gov. Greg Abbott succeeded in his campaign against Republicans who defied him on school vouchers. Now he may finally get the votes he needs to pass a bill.
Kel Seliger
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Texas 2022 Elections
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump’s man in Texas, has quietly amassed influence — to the detriment of fellow Republicans
Patrick urged former Gov. Rick Perry to mount a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term. He’s taken the already considerable power concentrated in the state’s No. 2 job to another level, forcing opponents from races and tightening his grip on the Senate.
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Redistricting Texas
Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement
A three-judge federal panel is hearing arguments in a lawsuit claiming that Texas Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act when they redrew state Senate District 10 in Tarrant County to lessen Black and Hispanic voting power.
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Redistricting Texas
Analysis: Maps bolster Republicans in the Texas Senate, especially the top one
The new political maps drawn by the Texas Senate don’t just favor Republicans; that much was expected from a Republican majority. The maps help Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pick which Republicans he wants in the Senate.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas state Sen. Kel Seliger, a Republican willing to buck his party leadership, will not seek reelection
Seliger has served in the Senate since 2005 and led the higher education committee. He was seen as a champion of public education and local control but was derided as too soft on social conservative issues near the end of his tenure.
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Texas Legislature 2021
GOP senator says Gov. Greg Abbott should lose line-item veto after cutting Legislature’s funding, jeopardizing staffers’ jobs
The bill is largely symbolic, as the Legislature is currently at a standstill, unable to move any legislation because House Democrats broke quorum two weeks ago when they fled to Washington, D.C., to block GOP voting bills.
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Point of Order
Point of Order: The long goodbye
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Donna Howard and state Sen. Kel Seliger about sniping and snark on the road to sine die.
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Winter Storm 2021
Many rural Texas counties currently left out of federal disaster aid eligibility for winter storm
Rural counties endured the same storm as big cities, but many haven’t fallen under President Joe Biden’s major disaster declaration. Officials say it’s because those counties lack data on damages.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Is this rural community really Texas’ sickest county?
State data indicates that Donley County in the Panhandle has the highest coronavirus infection rate in Texas. But county Judge John Howard — also the only local doctor — believes that’s because he’s testing far more than other counties.
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Public Education
Midland County officials just found a missing ballot box. It may change the result of a $569 million bond election.
A proposal for a $569 million bond failed, then passed and could fail again after the discovery of missing ballot box from the November election.