Congress

Ted Cruz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, told Meet the Press moderator David Gregory that he's "thrilled with the pick of Paul Ryan" as Mitt Romney's running mate.

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As part of his series on retiring members of the U.S. Senate, MSNBC's Chuck Todd interviewed outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, on this morning's edition of The Daily Rundown.

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The surprise winner of Tuesday's U.S. Senate runoff, Ted Cruz, was a guest on this morning's edition of Fox News Sunday.

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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday that a special counsel should be appointed to investigate reports of national security leaks because the Obama administration "cannot be trusted to investigate itself."

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As legislators tinker with what some say is the cornerstone of America's food safety net, some Texans are concerned about what cuts could mean for low-income families, if they come to fruition. 

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Texas officials and politicians weren't quiet about a House panel's vote on Wednesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt over a fight involving the "Fast and Furious" weapons operation. Use our Storify timeline to follow this week's key developments and to see what Texans had to say.

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The Republican congressman from Lewisville on his objections to a law setting higher efficiency standards for lightbulbs and how he intends to stop the Department of Energy from enforcing the standards. 

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A lot of people are rooting for David Dewhurst in the race for U.S. Senate — some because it would create a top political job opening in Texas. What if he loses? It would spoil a lot of ambitions. 

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Using the most recent campaign-finance reports filed by congressional candidates in Texas, we have compiled a list of the major numbers for those candidates.

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Texas judges run in partisan elections, and sometimes what they do as politicians gets in the way of what they're supposed to do as judges. 

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Aaronson on why the latest Texas job gains are a mixed bag, Aguilar on the fight over an Eagle Pass coal mine, Batheja on nasty U.S. Senate race ads, Galbraith on El Paso's water woes, Grissom on John Bradley's tough primary, Hamilton and M. Smith on the controversial chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Murphy's cool higher ed stats interactive, Ramsey talks to Robert Draper about what's wrong with Congress, Ramshaw on Joe Barton vs. himself, Root on Perry's Mitt embrace and my exclusive sit-down with the chancellor of the UT System: The best of our best content from May 14-18, 2012.

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An excerpt on U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, from Robert Draper's new book on Congress — Do Not Ask What Good We Do — from a chapter titled "Coffee with Your Congressman." 

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An excerpt on U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, from Robert Draper's new book on Congress — Do Not Ask What Good We Do — from a chapter titled "Woman of a Certain Rage." 

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The author of a new book on Congress on what's wrong in Washington, what might change things and whether he thinks more or less of the institution after seeing it up close.

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The former lobbyist on how to regulate lobbying in Washington, why he thinks the system is essentially corrupt, when money in politics is a problem and when it's not, and why anyone should listen to someone like him. 

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In case you missed it, here's an archived copy of last night's U.S. Senate candidate forum, featuring four Republicans and two Democrats who hope to succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison.

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Big endorsements, little endorsements, new attack websites and other political news of the week. 

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High expectations can raise the risks for a candidate, especially in a rookie campaign against a wealthy incumbent. Falling short when the predictions are rosy can affect future runs for office.

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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, both candidates for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, launched new television ads this morning on the same topic: Ted Cruz.

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