The two Republicans are competing in a heated primary. Cornyn accused Paxton of abusing his office and legal experts said the AG’s legal opinion is not binding.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
Nearly $100 million gone: How Austin ISD spent bond money on schools it will soon close
A $2.4 billion bond package was pitched as a way to improve campuses as the Austin school district faced mounting financial pressures and declining enrollment.
Texas 2025: Year in Photos
Photojournalists document another year across Texas. Our photos illustrated the tense redistricting debate at the Capitol, the aftermath of the Hill County floods and more.
Texas 2025: The stories that mattered most to readers
Texans closely followed 17 constitutional propositions, the growth of one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities and a controversial plan to move billions of gallons of groundwater.
A national GOP push to exclude noncitizens from future redistricting could have big ramifications in Texas
Some Republicans only want citizens included in population counts used to draw political districts. In Texas, that raises important questions about power and representation.
Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim “Trump Accounts”
The Texas billionaires want to incentivize parents to claim investment accounts created under President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation.
Islamic group sues after Gov. Greg Abbott directs DPS to investigate them
The CAIR Legal Defense Fund and another group claim the governor’s proclamation identifying them as terrorists “is defamatory and finds no basis in law or fact.”
LGBTQ+ Texans fought to be recognized. That work is eroding under a conservative pressure campaign.
Conservative activists argue they’re protecting women and rebalancing the law that Democrats tilted in favor of LGBTQ+ people.
Anti-DEI crusader Sid Miller urged UT to enroll student emphasizing her race and socioeconomic status
In May 2023, Miller wrote a letter urging university leaders to reconsider admitting a student whom he described as a “biracial Latina,” who was also the daughter of his political associate.
Welcoming Melissa Barragán Taboada as the first editor-in-chief of our new Austin newsroom
A veteran Austin journalist, Melissa will lead a newsroom dedicated to closing the information gaps in Austin; fostering strategic collaborations with local organizations; and delivering relevant, timely journalism that keeps pace with Austin’s explosive growth.

