The race to replace state Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, has it all: the high price of ambition, reruns of a 2006 campaign ad, a bikini-clad beauty and a fight over conservative bonafides.
North Texas
North Texas is the state’s largest and fastest-growing metropolitan region, centered on Dallas and Fort Worth. Its sprawling suburbs, major employers and transportation networks make it a powerful economic and political force.
The Capital Gang
The six Texas congressional candidates who ended the year with $1 million or more on hand are incumbents. Only two of the candidates with the 20 biggest bank accounts are not.
A Hard Road
Lawmakers are still perturbed at TxDOT, but the state’s transportation agency is trying to do better. The first step, says one commissioner: Figure out how to meet the transportation needs of Texas citizens — which it’s not doing.
2010: White, Perry Lead in Fundraising
The latest campaign finance reports show that both candidates raised more than $700,000 in January. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison spent more than any other candidate: $3.3 million.
TribBlog: Friendly Fire
The Texas State Rifle Association has nothing but love for Sen. Hutchison. So why is it endorsing Gov. Perry?
HuTube: GOP Debate Behind-the-Scenes
Go behind-the-scenes at the first GOP gubernatorial debate.
A Detention Center Mea Culpa
The U.S. government is imposing greater restrictions than necessary on most aliens held in custody for immigration violations, according to a charge made by … the U.S. government.
Keep On Trucking
Texas has the worst rates of cargo and heavy equipment theft in the country. Yet while criminals are raking in billions of dollars each year, the state has never had an organized system to address the problem.
More Than One Million Caught
Next time you plan on speeding through an intersection after the signal changes to red, remember this: A camera could be watching.
2010: The Texas Tribune Index
The number-crunchers among the Republicans and the Democrats in Texas use election results to get a feel for the political environment in each legislative district. They start with statewide races and then bake in some assumptions about what might happen if they put the right candidates in place. We and other political watchers need the same thing, without the partisan ingredients. So we cooked up the Texas Tribune Index.

