Politics

For the first Inside Intelligence survey of 2012, we waited until the morning after the Iowa caucuses to see what Texans thought Gov. Rick Perry should do after finishing fifth there.

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Federal judges will have to move quickly if Texas is going to hold primary elections on April 3.

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It’s been a long 12 months for Rick Perry. The governor started 2011 in triumph, at the peak of his political power, with a high gloss on his boots and a national audience of conservatives eager for just the tale he was telling. He ends it treading water.

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Texas Democrats and Republicans agreed to hold unified primary elections on April 3, avoiding the costs and confusion brought on by litigation over new political maps for congressional and legislative districts.

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The state doesn't have maps for its congressional and legislative districts, throwing the date what was going to be a March 6 primary into question. It seemed like a good time to ask the insiders about this.

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The Texas primary elections are still set — precariously — for March 6 but a panel of three federal judges extended the filing deadlines for candidates to Monday.

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With roughly three weeks until the Iowa caucuses, Gov. Rick Perry is hoping to convince Iowans to give his candidacy another chance. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.

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With a month to go before people in other states starting voting on presidential candidates, we asked the insiders for their current take on those races. First things first: They don't see much of a window for Gov. Rick Perry.

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Redistricting is right where we left it last week — in the U.S. Supreme Court.

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The Legislature will soon begin the so-called sunset review process for the Department of Criminal Justice and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The review, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, has already attracted the attention of advocacy groups looking to change the state's criminal justice system.

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The Texas primaries will be held on March 6 next year, with runoffs more than two months later, on May 22. Maybe. If the federal courts decide redistricting maps should be redrawn before the voting starts, some of those primary contests could be moved to May.

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Candidates started filing for the primaries this week, so the latest nonscientific survey of political and government insiders focused on what will separate Republicans and Democrats in their respective primaries. And football, too.

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Could the state’s public universities go through the so-called sunset review process, forcing them to periodically defend their existence to state legislators?

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Monday's the day candidates can begin filing for office, and after a flurry of legal activity over the holidays, they now know what districts they're seeking to represent. Probably.

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In which we asked in the insiders about redistricting and, separately, about Formula One racing in Texas.

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A panel of three federal judges in San Antonio proposed new congressional districts for Texas Wednesday. The map is a proposal; the court is seeking comments from the parties by noon Friday.

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Holiday redistricting stories, not unusual things if you've watched this for a while, always start with three wise persons in the guise of federal judges. It's super-sized this year, with six wise men, three in San Antonio and three in Washington.

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Federal judges in San Antonio ordered the state to conduct its 2012 House and Senate elections using political maps drawn by the judges and not those drawn by the state, issuing final maps that give minority voters — and Democrats — more power.

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A panel of three federal judges in San Antonio proposed new congressional districts for Texas today. Among the headlines: It looks like U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and state Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, won't be running against each other.

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State campaign news, candidate announcements, retirements and rumors from the past week.

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