The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas’ population has grown 40% this century, and 91% of the new Texans are people of color. Federal judges now have to decide whether those monumental changes are reflected in the state’s political maps. Full Story
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The Supreme Court next month will hear arguments in his challenge to the law that prevents the repayment, prompting fears among watchdog groups that another rollback of campaign finance regulations might be looming. Full Story
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The former George W. Bush political strategist had launched a bid to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. On Tuesday, Dowd said he’s stepping aside to make way for a “diverse field” of candidates in the race. Full Story
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The Republican Party of Texas announced Monday it had launched a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates for nonpartisan local offices. Full Story
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For Texas voters, fear of an insecure border consistently overshadows other issues — electric grid failures, handgun regulation, abortion access — even when those things top the news. Full Story
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Current state party leader Gilberto Hinojosa has indicated he isn’t going anywhere. But that hasn’t stopped open discussion about leadership of the party with several months until convention delegates vote on the position. Full Story
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In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell, James and Karen about the status of the power grid and the pandemic heading into winter. Full Story
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Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter. Full Story
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Want to win a statewide political race in Texas that's not at the very top of the ballot? It helps a lot if your party's top candidate wins — or at least runs a close second. Full Story
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So much is unknown about the new COVID-19 variant: the severity of the illness it causes, whether it can resist vaccines and natural antibodies and whether it’s more contagious than the delta variant that has burned through Texas and the U.S. for months. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott says he can "guarantee" there won't be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That's the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll. Full Story
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Taylor was a key player in the 2019 school finance overhaul that lawmakers passed. Full Story
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It remains unclear whether Gov. Greg Abbott — the only official with the power to convene special sessions — will order state lawmakers back to Austin, or what issues he would include on the agenda. Full Story
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We want to hear from Texans about how this catastrophic event is still affecting their lives. Full Story
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The actor said in a video Sunday that “political leadership” is a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.” Full Story
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Crockett is running for the seat vacated by Johnson, who announced Saturday that she would not seek reelection in the 30th Congressional District after serving nearly three decades in Congress. The seat is solidly Democratic. Full Story
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O’Rourke has ground to make up after his own underwhelming performance with voters there in 2018 when he ran for U.S. Senate — and turning out more Latino voters has long been key to Democratic hopes statewide. Full Story
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Krause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year. Full Story
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For two months, providers have had to work in a sort of limbo as they wait to see if the new law passes the Supreme Court's review. Full Story
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Gohmert is at least the fourth GOP primary opponent that Paxton will face. At least three Democrats are also running for the job. Full Story
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