From groceries to childcare, Texans are spending more to live here. Here’s how much costs have risen, why it’s happening and what candidates are proposing to fix it.
Ken Paxton
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
In attacking Talarico for campaign absence, Trump calls for debate that Paxton has avoided
The Democrat, off the trail with the flu, quickly accepted the president’s call to “immediately report to a Debate Stage” with Ken Paxton.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
“We have to suck it up”: Ken Paxton privately suggests cutting federal benefit programs to reduce national deficit
In a conversation that has been leaked in pieces to multiple publications, the GOP Senate nominee called for “reasonable cuts to mandatory spending,” which is driven by Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
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Criminal Justice
Texas carries out nation’s first execution since Tennessee’s botched attempt
Jamaal Howard’s lawyers had sought a last-minute stay citing the inmate’s mental fitness, but their bid was denied by a state and federal court.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Most Texas Republicans ignore Democratic calls to debate in statewide races
The last U.S. Senate race in Texas to go without a debate was in 2000. Gov. Greg Abbott, meanwhile, debated his Democratic opponents in each of his last three campaigns.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Harris County’s cashless bail policy for misdemeanors upheld
The policy dates to a 2019 settlement after the county’s cash bail system was found to exacerbate poverty while not “meaningfully” promoting public safety.
Posted in
Politics
Ken Paxton raises personal-best $18 million in third quarter for Texas’ U.S. Senate race
The attorney general more than doubled his second-quarter haul, but still is well short of past totals posted by Democrat James Talarico, who has yet to announce his July-to-September fundraising.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Most polls have Talarico ahead of Paxton in the U.S. Senate race
We’re tracking all major polls in the U.S. Senate race to give Texans a fuller picture of where this race is headed. Paxton has been consistently trailing in the polls, but the margins are tight.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Tribune’s sample ballot tool now includes local elections for 16 million Texas voters
The updated 2026 election ballot tool is a major expansion and part of The Texas Tribune’s mission to help Texans shape the future.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
In TV ad, Angela Paxton urges voters to back “the Republican ticket” that includes her estranged husband
The ad is funded by a super PAC that has spent well over $100 million boosting Senate GOP nominee Ken Paxton, whom Angela Paxton accused of adultery in filing for divorce last year.