The Texas Legislature remains mostly white and male
When the 2021 legislative session begins Tuesday, three of every five lawmakers in the state House and Senate will be white and just 27% of seats will be held by women. Full Story
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![The Capitol at sunset on May 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Four years ago, Texas Republicans were the most likely to use mail-in voting. Here’s how that flipped in the last election.
Absentee ballots, which only certain groups of Texans are eligible to use, have traditionally been a tool utilized by the GOP, and in 2016, higher percentages of Republican voters cast absentee ballots than did Democratic voters. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature isn’t like Congress, right?
The Texas Legislature is more bipartisan than Congress, historically speaking. But a unique set of issues to address and an atmosphere of division emanating from Washington, D.C., could test that in the session that starts Tuesday. Full Story
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![Signs adorn every seat in the House Gallery to ensure social distancing in the house chamber. Jan 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump visiting Texas' Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as his administration rushes to award more border wall contracts
The president's visit comes a week after Department of Homeland Security officials touted the “historic” completion of 450 miles of border fencing during his administration. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, in September of 2020.]()
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Joe Biden says Texas voters should oust Ted Cruz in next election
"I think they should be just flat beaten the next time they run," Biden said, when asked if Cruz and another Republican senator, Josh Hawley of Missouri, ought to step down. "I think the American public has a real good clear look at who they are. They're part of the big lie, the big lie." Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questions judicial nominees during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 4, 2019.]()
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GOP megadonor couple from Hill Country launch PAC for 2022 Texas elections
The couple, Michael and Mary Porter, have emerged as some of the top donors to Texas Republicans over the last few years, and now they are getting even more serious about their political activities. Full Story
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![A view of the rotunda at the state capitol. Jan. 8, 2018.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
All 13 Texas Democrats in the U.S. House have called for impeaching Donald Trump after Wednesday's riot
House leadership said it "will move forward with impeachment,” if Vice President Mike Pence does not invoke the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment to remove Trump. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.]()
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Analysis: A frustrating vaccine rollout in Texas that should’ve been smoother
The vaccine rollout in Texas is bumpier than it ought to be, especially because the federal and state governments in charge of distributing vaccines have known for months that they’d be doing this as soon as the drugs were developed. Full Story
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![Tarrant County residents wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Esports Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 05, 2021.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
“We would have been shot”: Texas activists shaken by law enforcement reaction to Capitol siege
Texas organizers said the insurrection at the U.S. capitol demonstrates how differently law enforcement is applied based on protesters' race and politics. Full Story
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![Police officers made an arrest and deployed pepper spray as supporters of President Trump stormed the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The joint session of the House and Senate was sent to recess after the breach as it convened to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election.]()
Credit: Matthew Rodier/SiPA USA via REUTERS -
After riot at the U.S. Capitol, Ted Cruz gets fierce blowback for his role in sowing doubts about Joe Biden’s victory
Wednesday’s chaos led to calls for Cruz’s resignation from Texas Democrats. But Cruz says he “ain’t going anywhere.” Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in September of 2020.]()
Credit: Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS -
Ken Paxton told Trump supporters to "keep fighting." When they breached the Capitol, he falsely claimed it wasn't them.
At a low point in his rollercoaster political career, Paxton is betting on the Trump base to bring him back up the hill, lending the legitimacy of office to debunked claims that have motivated violence. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats ask Gov. Greg Abbott to overhaul COVID-19 vaccine distribution process
“The dearth of reliable public information leads to skepticism over the government’s ability to look out for the public health,” state Rep. Vikki Goodwin wrote in the letter, which 37 other House Democrats signed. Full Story
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![Eager valley residents look amongst the rows of cars lined up at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes. Area residents lined up overnight to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jan 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Most Texan Republicans in the U.S. House voted in favor of objections to certifying Joe Biden's win
Congress overwhelmingly voted against an objection by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the certification of Arizona's results and another to the results from Pennsylvania. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day.]()
Credit: Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS -
“Find a place to hide or seek cover”: A harrowing day at the U.S. Capitol for Texans in Congress
Texans in Washington, D.C. — lawmakers and staffers alike — described a day when protesting supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the U.S. Capitol. Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Jan.6, 2021.]()
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Some Texas Republicans decried Capitol insurrection — but didn’t connect the violence to their own rhetoric
Texas lawmakers and other officials have taken the lead on baseless lawsuits that sought to dismiss the results of the presidential election and have tried to rally Trump supporters to protest his loss. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, spoke at a Freedom Caucus press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in December of 2020.]()
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Julián and Joaquin Castro call on Ted Cruz to resign after he objected to Joe Biden's victory just before pro-Trump rioters breached Congress
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also said, “Texans should hold Sen. Ted Cruz accountable for this fiasco.” Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, left, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, center, walk from the House of Representatives to the Senate at the U.S. Capitol after a challenge was raised during the joint session to certify the 2020 election results, in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Mike Theiler -
Texas politicians united in pleading for calm as Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol
The chaos began shortly after some GOP lawmakers, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, launched a dispute to the certification of Arizona’s electoral votes. Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol during a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. The joint session of the House and Senate was sent to recess after the breach as it convened to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election.]()
Credit: Chris Kleponis/Sipa via REUTERS -
After a day of chaos at U.S. Capitol, Congress rejects Ted Cruz-led effort to dispute election results
Hours after pro-Trump protesters swarmed the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate returned to resume certification of the Electoral College votes for president. Early this morning, they certified the results for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Full Story
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![Pro-Trump rioters clashed with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton -
Texas Congressman Kevin Brady says he’s tested positive for COVID-19
Brady, a ranking member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, said he will begin treatment Wednesday. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, spoke on a panel for the Lincoln Reagan Dinner, at the Bayou City Events Center in Houston in 2017.]()
Credit: Spike Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: As Ted Cruz argues for the president, Donald Trump’s supporters are the real prize
The senator from Texas is among legislators questioning the validity of President-elect Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump. What's at stake? The hearts of the Republican voters who strongly back the incumbent president. Full Story
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![Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, challenged President Donald Trump about releasing his tax returns during a presidential debate in 2016 in Houston. Feb. 25, 2016.]()
Credit: Mike Stone/REUTERS