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The filing period to get on the March 1 primary ballots ended on Monday, which means we can now present you with a finalized list of candidates running for seats in the Texas House and Senate.

The final day of filing saw a few big surprises. As some had suspected, San Antonio state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer chose to try again for the Senate seat that he lost last year in a special election runoff. His decision not to hold on to his House seat set off a scramble among candidates hoping to succeed him.

Also waiting until the last day to make a decision was Abilene Republican Susan King who decided that she would enter the SD-24 GOP contest after all.

The almost entirely unexpected development was the decision by Adrian Garcia, who had resigned as Harris County sheriff in a bid for Houston mayor, to challenge Gene Green in the Democratic primary for his Houston congressional seat.

Here's the candidate filings for the Texas House:

^{Sources: Texas Secretary of State, Republican Party of Texas, Texas Weekly Research}

Here's the candidate filings for the Texas Senate:

^{Sources: Texas Secretary of State, Republican Party of Texas, Texas Weekly Research}

Enlarge Spencer Selvidge

Workers with Bee Cave Drilling install a jackhammer bit on the drilling rig while putting in a water well on a private lot in Spicewood, Texas on February 6, 2012.

More companies are filing for bankruptcy across much of Texas this year, and the screeching halt to activity in drilling country appears to have something to do with it.

But one region has escaped a spike in bankruptcies: North Texas.

That’s according to data compiled by Androvett Legal Media, a Dallas-based public relations firm that focuses on legal issues. Some experts say the trend illustrates North Texas’ diverse economy.

In 2015, federal bankruptcy filings surged by 31 percent the state’s Eastern District, 38 percent in the Southern District (which includes Houston) and a whopping 63 percent in the Western District of Texas (which includes Austin and San Antonio). 

Meanwhile bankruptcy filings this year in the North District — encompassing Dallas — continued a steady drop since 2011. 

Here’s a look at the trends in each district over the past five years, according to Androvett’s data:

Yvette Ostolaza, managing partner in the Dallas office of the international law firm Sidley Austin, said the statewide increase in bankruptcies is “definitely energy related,” as plummeting prices — now hovering in the mid-$30 range — challenge producers and service companies.

Though many energy companies are headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she said, the region’s broader economy is weathering the storm, and the bankruptcy filings reflect that.

“Our economy in Dallas is way more diversified, so we’re not seeing as many issues,” Ostolaza.

Still, she cautioned that regional filings only tell part of the story, since larger companies are often incorporated in Delaware or New York and would seek bankruptcy relief in those states.

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U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate Ted Cruz at a presidential town hall hosted by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., (r.) at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. on Dec. 7, 2015.

The ethanol lobby in Iowa is not letting up on Ted Cruz.

America's Renewable Future, a renewable fuels advocacy group, announced Tuesday morning it is bolstering its anti-Cruz effort with two new ads, one for radio and the other for the Web. The organization has been hammering the Texas senator for weeks, accusing him of favoring the oil industry over farmers in Iowa, the first-in-the-country caucus state.

Both of the new spots suggest the GOP presidential candidate is not nearly as committed to ending oil subsidies as much as he is to getting rid of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets the minimum amount of ethanol that must be blended into the U.S. gasoline supply.

"Iowa farmers will not fall for Ted Cruz's Washington lies," a narrator says in the online video, which is titled "Ted Cruz (R-Oil)." "He is bought and paid for by the oil companies."

Cruz's campaign insists he wants to eliminate all energy subsidies. It has asked Iowa radio stations to take down a previous ad from America's Renewable Future, calling the group's claims "blatantly false."

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A super PAC supporting Cruz is staffing up in the Midwest as it seeks to bolster its ground game in the early voting states and beyond.

Keep the Promise PAC announced Tuesday morning that it has hired two consultants to lead its efforts in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and a number of other Midwestern states. The operatives, Holly Gerard and Philip Jackson, are both from Oklahoma.

Gerard and Jackson have been tasked with identifying and turning out Cruz supporters across the Midwest. They will organize a team of field directors as well as paid and unpaid canvassers, according to the group.

Keep the Promise PAC is one of the four main super PACs supporting Cruz, an umbrella organization that already has staff in Iowa and South Carolina. Officials with the groups have said they are focused on setting up a far-reaching field operation, eschewing TV advertising for now.

*****

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush was set to return to Texas today to raise money for his campaign.

The former Florida governor is scheduled to attend a breakfast reception in El Paso, three days after the fifth GOP debate in Las Vegas. The fundraiser costs at least $250 to attend, according to an invitation.

*****

Democrats are getting creative as they seek to tie Cruz to his bombastic rival in the Republican race for the White House, Donald Trump.

Correct the Record, a super PAC backing Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, has sent one of Trump's signature hats — "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" emblazoned on it — to Cruz's campaign headquarters in Houston. But the group added another phrase — "RELIGIOUS TESTS" — to highlight Cruz's comments suggesting the United States should favor Christians over Muslims in accepting refugees from Syria.

The hat is part of an effort by Correct the Record and other Democratic groups to show many GOP hopefuls are not that different from Trump, who has called for banning Muslim immigration to the United States. The group said Monday it has mailed customized hats to several Republican candidates.

"Though Donald Trump’s Muslim-bashing rants are the loudest, you’re equally responsible for the creation of a deeply disturbing atmosphere in America," Correct the Record said in a letter also sent to Cruz. "You support Trump’s fear-mongering and you imitate his efforts with hateful proposals of your own. We hope this hat will help you to show the American people your true colors. You act like Trump; now you can look like him too."

*****

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, cut a $5,000 check to Democratic congressional candidate Dolly Elizondo on Monday.

Gillibrand is an advocate for women running for office, and this is the first overt sign that women in national politics are getting involved in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa of Edinburg.

The biggest question hanging over this primary race is whether EMILY's List, an organization that backs female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, will get involved. The group is widely considered the best fundraising interest group in national politics.

Gillibrand came up through the ranks of the U.S. House and Senate as an EMILY's list endorsee. The money came from her "Off The Sidelines" leadership PAC, according to an aide.

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Republican presidential candidate George Pataki has an explanation for why he did not qualify for the Texas primary: He's just planning to win elsewhere.

That's what the former New York governor told reporters Tuesday night as they peppered him with questions about his failure to meet filing deadlines in a number of states. Pataki and another bottom-tier candidate, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, missed the cut Monday to place their names in the mix for Texas' March 1 primary.

"I'm just going to keep going" and try to win other nominating contests, Pataki told reporters after the fifth GOP debate in Las Vegas.

Enlarge Abby Livingston

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate Majority Whip, holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, May 12.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters on Thursday he thinks it’s time to consider changing an immigration policy that allows Cubans to quickly establish legal status in the United States.

Currently, Cubans who arrive in the country via a land port are paroled into the country and allowed to apply for legal residency, commonly called a “green card,” after only a year while immigrants from other nations often wait several years longer.

“I think it is unfair and I think it does need to be reconsidered,” Cornyn said of the policy. “I think we ought to have an immigration policy that treats all countries the same.”

The current provision is part of an agreement reached during the Clinton Administration, known as the “wet foot/dry foot” policy. Under the policy, Cubans found at sea are sent home or to another country.

In fiscal year 2015, about 28,400 Cubans entered Texas through the Laredo field office of Customs and Border Protection, which extends from Del Rio to Brownsville. The figure represents an 82 percent jump from 2014, when 15,600 Cubans entered through the Laredo field office.

Immigration policy experts credit the recent surge to the ongoing efforts by the Obama administration to reestablish ties with the Castro regime after more than five decades of tension. That has many Cubans rushing to take advantage of the current provision before a possible change to the law.

Cornyn joins U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in calling for a change to the policy, which he called a “Cold War relic.”

*****

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, was tapped last week to deliver the weekly Republican address.

The freshman and former CIA agent discussed “House efforts to strengthen the Visa Waiver Program to help prevent foreign terrorists from entering the United States," according to a news release from Speaker Paul D. Ryan's office.

The address is a response to President Obama's weekly address that airs on radio and on the Internet.

*****

For the first time since 1999, there is a Christmas tree on the floor of the Texas Senate Chamber. The House floor has a tree every year, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who paid for the tree with campaign funds, told reporters last Friday that he wanted to bring some Christmas spirit to his side of the building.

"Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus — we have to remember what Christmas is truly all about for millions and millions and millions of Americans," Patrick said, as he hung an ornament depicting Mary and Joseph looking at Baby Jesus. "This is the smallest ball on the tree. And when Jesus came, he was the small infant that everyone was focused on."

Asked if Mary and Joseph's struggle to find shelter could be compared to the plight of Syrian refugees, Patrick declined to comment.

"I'm focused on Christmas, not politics, today," he said.

Here are some quick facts about the Senate Tree:

• 24 feet tall (the House tree is 26 feet)
• From Denison
• Cost Patrick "about $500"

*****

Sylvester Turner received congratulations Sunday for his victory in the Houston mayoral runoff from Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

"As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Mayor-Elect Turner has been a champion for consumer protections, affordable health care and quality education," Clinton, the former secretary of state, said in a statement. "He's pledged to continue the progress made under Mayor Annise Parker to rebuild Houston's infrastructure, protect public safety, defend the equal rights of all Houstonians, and help hard-working families get ahead."

"I'm looking forward to working with him to serve the people of Houston and the city they call home," Clinton added.

Turner eked out a win Saturday against former Kemah Mayor Bill King, beating the Republican-leaning businessman by just under 2 percentage points.

Clinton did not make an endorsement in the race, but Turner had the backing of President Barack Obama and the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

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For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked first about whether Speaker Joe Straus can breathe easy about his chances to win a fifth term as the House's presiding officer.

With several of Straus' allies choosing not to run for re-election and another couple of key lieutenants facing primary challenges, some of Straus' enemies see an opportunity to topple the Speaker.

The insiders, though, see things differently. Fully 90 percent see Straus as either definitely or probably breathing easy about his chances to hold on to the Speaker's gavel.

The next question tested the conventional wisdom that Democratic turnout spikes in presidential years, leading to net gains in the Legislature. Nearly three-fifths of the insiders predict that Democrats will gain one to three seats in the Texas House.

Another 27 percent see Democrats either not gaining any seats or losing seats to their Republican counterparts. But 14 percent predict a net gain of four to six seats for Democrats and one person ventures that the Democrats will gain seven to nine seats overall.

Several primary contests could become costly, based on the particulars of the race. For instance, the Senate District 26 Democratic contest could become another proxy war between tort reformers and trial lawyers. The GOP primary in Senate District 24, meanwhile, has attracted multiple candidates, some of whom will attract establishment support and others who will attract Tea Party support.

And there are potentially explosive House GOP primaries pitting an establishment incumbent against a Tea Party challenger and vice versa.

Nearly half the insiders believe the SD-26 primary in San Antonio between José Menéndez and Trey Martinez Fischer will end up being the most expensive non-presidential primary contest while about a quarter think the SD-24 primary will be the most expensive. Another 16 percent name the HD-8 contest between Byron Cook and Thomas McNutt.

We finished this final Inside Intelligence of the year by asking the insiders for their pick for the surprise contest of the primary cycle. We received many perceptive choices there and those responses are well worth checking out.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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Looking at the list of House primary challengers, can Speaker Joe Straus breathe easy today about his re-election chances?

• "Primary challengers are serious on paper, but not in reality. And MQS didn't field enough primary challengers to move the needle."

• "He won't breathe easy, but I'll cover 5-to-1 bets today that he's re-elected Speaker next session."

• "As long as right wing Republicans continue to eat their own, he can be elected Speaker."

• "Not only Straus, but all of his lieutenants should be endangered species on the ballots."

• "Bigger threat is him surviving a primary runoff."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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What's the net gain in the House for Democrats in the general election?

• "Presidential cycles are always better for Democrats. There are at least three seats that Republicans hold now that we won't hold next session. Some of our Republicans in most competitive GE districts having to fend of challenges from Empower Texans won't help the others. The Republican will get beat up in the primary, making what is usually a close November election more difficult for the Republican to win."

• "Any gain is assuming a lot about Democrats' ability to do anything correct, but assuming that we can, the extremities to which R's have taken themselves present meaningful opportunities in at least nine districts. Surely we can bat .500... surely."

• "So what, it's like a midget putting on high heels. You asked the wrong question. A more meaningful question would be, will the R's be over 100? That answer is, probably not."

• "The Ds have lost their energy. And I don't see Hillary getting them stoked up. She's the Jeb of the donkey party."

• "Are they still trying? God bless their hearts."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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What's your pick for most expensive non-presidential primary race in terms of direct and independent expenditures?

• "Will Hurd now has a primary challenger in addition to a rematch with Pete. Look for lots of money to be dropped in this race."

• "Cook will be able to raise a lot of money and McNutt has personal resources he can use."

• "Adrian Garcia vs. Gene Green"

• "U.S. CD-19 — nine candidates, two or three media markets. Although SD-24 will spend plenty, and SD-26 will be highest per candidate."

• "SD 24 will go into a runoff, and I'm sure a lot of money is going into a pretty safe Republican seat, but will it go to the right-leaning Tea party candidate or the more moderate, GOP-backed one?"

What's your pick for the primary race with the biggest potential to surprise the Texas political world?

• "Harris County Republican Party where Hispanic social conservative lawyer upends incumbent Paul Simpson. This will be a significant move forward toward expanding a Hispanic presence in the party."

• "RRC. It appears the industry is in for their second non-hand picked member regardless of who is elected."

• "Helen Madla vs. Carlos Uresti"

• "Stickland losing handily. He wouldn't have flirted with RRC unless he knows he is going to be a loser back home. Maybe he thought his sugar daddy would pay him more."

• "Joe Straus wins, but by a small margin."

• "Gene Green's probable loss. If one can call that a surprise. It might more correctly be termed 'an expectation overdue since 1992.'"

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, George Allen, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Elna Christopher, Harold Cook, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Curtis Culwell, June Deadrick, Nora Del Bosque, Glenn Deshields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Jack Erskine, Gay Erwin, Tom Forbes, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Eric Glenn, Daniel Gonzalez, Clint Hackney, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, Ken Hodges, Steve Holzheauser, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Myra Leo, Ruben Longoria, Matt Mackowiak, Jason McElvaney, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Gardner Pate, Robert Peeler, Jerry Philips, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Grant Ruckel, Andy Sansom, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Ben Sebree, Jason Skaggs, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Colin Strother, Sara Tays, Trey Trainor, Corbin Van Arsdale, Ware Wendell, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Thursday, Dec. 24

• Christmas Eve

Friday, Dec. 25

• Christmas Day

Tuesday, Dec. 29

• GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz fundraiser and rally; Myrtle Wilks Community Center, 1498 I-20 Frontage, Cisco (5 p.m.)

Thursday, Dec. 31

• New Year's Eve

Friday, Jan. 1

• New Year's Day
• First day to apply for mail-in primary election ballot

*** We will be taking the next two Fridays off for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Our sincerest thanks from all of us at Texas Weekly to you for reading us this year and our sincerest wishes for a pleasant holiday season with family and friends. We'll be back Jan. 8 for what promises to be a political year that will be nothing short of fascinating. ***

A new report from the American Tort Reform Association singles out the Rio Grande Valley and East Texas for the shame-inducing designation of Judicial Hellhole. The tort reform group cites as support for its action the high number of patent lawsuits in East Texas and hailstorm-related litigation in the Valley.

Former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wendy Davis started a two-day trip to Iowa on Thursday to stump for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The main goal of Davis' tour is to motivate women, party activists and those who care strongly about abortion rights.

Included in the deal struck this week on a trillion-dollar congressional spending bill is language lifting the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports onto the international market. Three Texas congressmen — Joe Barton, R-Ennis; Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; and Michael McCaul, R-Austin — have played key roles in the yearlong effort in getting the ban repealed.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters on Thursday he thinks it’s time to consider changing an immigration policy that allows Cubans to quickly establish legal status in the United States. “I think it is unfair and I think it does need to be reconsidered,” he said. “I think we out to have an immigration policy that treats all countries the same.”

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the state has violated the constitutional rights of foster children by exposing them to an unreasonable risk of harm in a system where children "often age out of care more damaged than when they entered." The state is expected to appeal the ruling, which if it stands could lead to costly reforms at the state's Child Protective Services division. At any given time, about 28,000 children are wards of the state.

A new federal geological study finds that North Texas' Barnett Shale holds nearly twice as much natural gas as was estimated in 2003. The revised estimate was greeted warmly by oil and gas industry supporters.

State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, announced Wednesday that he’s asking the Department of Justice to look into whether state officials have run afoul of federal law when they warned a resettlement organization to not place Syrian refugees in Texas. "Our nation's highest laws directly protect all people from discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, religion, and many other factors. This order to assistance groups may have violated federal law," he said.

Texas juries imposed only two new death sentences in 2015, the fewest since the death penalty was reinstated nationwide almost 40 years ago. Nationally, 49 death sentences were handed down this year, a 33 percent drop from last year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Executions, meanwhile, declined to a 24-year low, with 28 conducted in six states – Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma and Virginia.

The town of Orange found itself in the middle of a dustup over public displays of Christmas scenes when town leaders chose to remove a nativity scene from in front of city hall after a local atheist group asked to hang a "Happy Holidays" sign. Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton all chose to weigh in, encouraging the town to reinstall the nativity scene.

Because of a recent spike in minors crossing the border illegally in the Rio Grande Valley, Abbott announced Tuesday that he is ordering the Texas National Guard to stay in the area through December.

During a tense meeting, the Texas Racing Commission declined Tuesday to repeal its authorization of historical racing — a move that state leaders warn could mean the shutdown of racetracks across Texas. The commission has one more opportunity to address the issue before the agency's funding is scheduled to dry up in February.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tangled on immigration during Tuesday's GOP presidential debate, setting the stage for a back-and-forth on the hot-button issue for the rest of the week between the two candidates. On Thursday, Cruz sent a definitive message about his stance, saying "I oppose amnesty. I oppose citizenship. I oppose legalization. I always have and I always will."

Abilene state Rep. Susan King ended the suspense over her political future when she announced Monday morning that she would enter the GOP nominating contest for the open SD-24 seat. She announced last month that she had temporarily suspended her campaign in order to receive in-patient treatment for chronic depression. Five other candidates have already filed to run for the Central Texas seat being vacated by Horseshoe Bay Republican Troy Fraser.

The period to apply for a place on the March primary ballot ended Monday evening. One of the biggest surprises of the day was the decision by former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia to challenge Gene Green for his Houston congressional seat in the Democratic primary. Also, two Republican presidential candidates — Jim Gilmore and George Pataki — missed the deadline to get on the presidential ballot.

Abbott on Monday appointed Dallas Independent School District Trustee Mike Morath as the state's next education commissioner, describing him as "a proven education reformer." Morath has served on the Dallas school board since 2011. A vocal school-choice proponent, he pushed for a controversial — and, for now, scrapped — “home rule” policy that would have allowed the Dallas school district to escape state control.

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Peter Lake of Dallas and reappointed Kathleen Jackson of Beaumont to the Texas Water Development Board. They were both named for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2017.

Hector Cerna of Eagle Pass was named by Abbott to the Finance Commission of Texas for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2020. Cerna is president and CEO of IBC Bank in the Eagle Pass region and is a board member of the Border Trade Alliance.

Abbott appointed Kimberly Fish of Longview, Jeanette Sterner of Holly Lake Ranch and Cary M. “Mac” Abney of Marshall to the board of directors of the Sabine River Authority. They were named to terms to expire July 6, 2021.

The Texas Department of Transportation has a new executive director: James Bass, the agency's longtime chief financial officer. A 30-year veteran of the agency, Bass will begin his new job on Jan. 1. He takes over for Joe Weber who announced in October that he would be leaving at year's end.

Kimberly Corley, a former executive for the Shell Oil Company with 30 years of energy industry experience, was named the Railroad Commission's new executive director this week. She will replace Lindil Fowler, who was temporarily filling the position after Milton Rister retired in August. Alexander Schoch was also named agency general counsel. He retired early this year from Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal company, where he had served as executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary.

The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund said on Thursday that it has endorsed former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, who is seeking to regain the West Texas-based CD-23 seat he lost to San Antonio Republican Will Hurd in the 2014 general election.

Republican SD-24 candidate Dawn Buckingham announced last Friday that she has received endorsements from three Travis County precinct chairs – Bill Warmuth, Kevin Pakenham and Mike Goldman. The Rural Friends of Electric Cooperatives endorsed Buckingham on Thursday.

The Texas Home School Coalition Association announced late last week that it has endorsed five more candidates for the Texas House, pushing their list of total endorsements for representative to 21 candidates. The association endorsed five Republican candidates on Friday, none of whom are incumbents — Cole Hefner, for District 5; David Watts, for District 7; Philip Eby, for District 58; Mike Lang, for District 60; and Dan Morenoff for District 114.

Annie’s List, a group dedicated to getting Democratic women elected to the Legislature, announced late last week a pair of endorsements for the upcoming election — Lina Ortega for HD-77 and Victoria Neave for HD-107. The group noted that it has already made a $28,000 direct expenditure on behalf of Ortega’s campaign.

HD-49 Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa announced the members of her campaign team, which includes longtime Austin political consultants David Butts and Mark Littlefield. Also introduced as a member of the Hinojosa team is Katie Naranjo whose name was floated earlier as a possible candidate for the seat as well. Tapped to chair the Hinojosa campaign is former City Councilwoman Laura Morrison.

Another HD-49 hopeful — Huey Rey Fischer — picked up the backing of former state Rep. Glen Maxey on Thursday.

GOP HD-55 challenger Hugh Shine received an endorsement on Thursday from the political arm of the anti-abortion group, Texas Alliance for Life. In making the endorsement, the group highlighted Shine’s co-sponsorship of legislation to ban late abortions from his tenure in the Texas House in the late 1980s. Shine is challenging freshman state Rep. Molly White, who already has the support of Texas Right to Life.

HD-73 state Rep. Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels, received last Friday the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business/Texas, which advocates on behalf of small businesses in the state. He received on Monday the endorsement of the Associated Republicans of Texas (ART).

Conservative advocacy group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is endorsing Joshua Crawford in the Republican primary contest in the Odessa-anchored HD-81. He is challenging first term state Rep. Brooks Landgraf for the party nomination.

Former state Rep. Jim Landtroop, who is challenging John Frullo for the GOP nod in Lubbock’s HD-84, announced on Monday an endorsement from Texas Right to Life.

GOP HD-130 candidate Tom Oliverson announced last Friday endorsements from the Conservative Review’s Gary Polland and Eagle Forum’s Cathie Adams.

Democratic political consultant Jeff Rotkoff has been hired by the Texas AFL-CIO to be the labor organization’s new campaigns director. He most recently worked for high-profile Democratic donors Amber and Steve Mostyn. He has also worked previously as the executive director of the House Democratic Campaign Committee. The Texas AFL-CIO also announced the hire of Kara Sheehan as field organizer.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs has a new dean — Angela Evans, a former deputy director of the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and clinical professor at the LBJ School.

Jay Hartzell has been named the new dean of the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. Now the senior associate dean for academic affairs there, he begins his new job Feb. 1.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, the LBJ School of Public Affairs and IBC Bank are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. Steve and Amber Mostyn are major donors to the Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.