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.
Texas House of Representatives
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State Government
TribBlog: Ethics Reform a Nudge at Hodge?
Embattled former Dallas state Rep. Terri Hodge hasn’t even finished serving her year in prison for lying on her tax returns. But her successor, freshman Democratic Rep. Eric Johnson, is already pledging to file legislation that would prohibit lawmakers who commit felonies from receiving state pension benefits.
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State Government
TribBlog: Kuempel Dead [Updated]
State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, died this morning of an apparent heart attack. He was taken to Austin’s Brackenridge Hospital with heart problems; an aide in his Capitol office said his defibrillator went off and said he was taken to the hospital.
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State Government
On the Records: Mapping GOP Gains
Texas is — at least geographically — more red after Tuesday’s GOP wave.
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2010 Full Election Results
Complete 2010 general election results up and down the ballot, and county-by-county interactive results maps for statewide races.
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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.
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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.
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State Government
The Biggest Gainers
Texas House Republicans react after defeating 22 incumbent Democrats, giving them the largest majority they’ve seen since Reconstruction.
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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.
