Ted Cruz leads Beto O'Rourke 49-43 in Quinnipiac poll
A poll from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday gives U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a 6-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso (left), is challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera: O'Rourke/Bob Daemmrich: Cruz -
T-Squared: Presenting the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival Program
More than 90 panel discussions and one-one-one interviews. Nearly 340 speakers from across Texas and around the country. A mix of local, state, national and global politics and public policy. A sparky new location in the shadow of the Capitol. #TribFest18 is going to be our best fest yet. Full Story
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How can the federal government reunify kids with deported parents? First step: Find them.
Some 400 parents were sent back to their native countries without their children. As an official with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency put it, “we don’t keep track of individuals once they’ve been deported to foreign countries.” Full Story
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![Immigrant children are led by staff in single file between tents at a detention facility next to the Mexican border in Tornillo on June 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake -
Libertarians, independents and write-ins: Here are Texas' non-major party options in 2018
Texas has eight independent candidates running for office, and the Libertarians will be on the statewide ballot once again. Full Story
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![A "vote" sign in a yard in west Austin on March 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Mentions in a few news stories can’t turn a candidate into a contender
Getting mentioned in a news story isn't the same thing as getting a vote. But it sure seems important to candidates who are having trouble getting voters to pay attention. Full Story
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![Voters arrive to the polls for the last hour of the primaries in Houston on Tuesday, March 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Democrat running for Texas agriculture commissioner reckons with her past
Kim Olson, who is running to unseat Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, is a veteran, farmer and outspoken feminist. But will an episode from her past derail her candidacy? Full Story
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![Kim Olson, the Democrat running for agriculture commissioner, tours a farm in Midland in July.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Trump sends campaign cash boost to 6 Texans in fight for control of Congress
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign announced it made donations to around 100 Republicans in congressional races ahead of the midterms. Six of those recipients were Texas incumbents. Full Story
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![U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the National Rifle Association convention in Dallas on May 4, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson -
Prospects for "red flag" gun law in Texas plummet as Abbott sees "coalescence" against it
Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday he sees a "coalescence" against the idea of having a so-called "red flag" law in Texas, further dooming the proposal's chances in the Legislature. Abbott asked lawmakers to consider the idea as part of the school safety plan he released earlier this year after the deadly Santa Fe High School shooting. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives the keynote Friday speech at the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 15, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Some voters say they’re inundated with political spam this year. Is there a way to make it stop?
Political speech is protected by the First Amendment, so candidates can get around bans on spam. But just asking to be taken off a list will usually work. Full Story
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Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Mexican reporter and son released from immigration detention in Texas
Emilio Gutiérrez Soto and his son Oscar spent seven months in federal detention. Their release comes a day before a court-ordered deadline for federal officials to turn over emails about why the two were detained. Full Story
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![Emilio Gutiérrez Soto and son Oscar reunite after being released on July 26, 2018.]()
Credit: Julián Aguilar/The Texas Tribune -
As reunification deadline lands, hundreds of migrant families remain divided
Some parents have been declared ineligible because of "red flags" in their records. But many haven't been reunified because immigration officials already deported them. Full Story
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![A pile of kids shoes left by mayors from U.S. cities lays at the front gate outside of the children's tent encampment built to deal with the Trump administrations "zero tolerance" policy, in Tornillo on June 21, 2018.]()
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As more states legalize marijuana, is Texas poised to move in that direction?
In Texas, both political parties now support loosening the restrictions on marijuana in their platforms. That's just the clearest sign that both public opinion and the political calculus on pot are rapidly shifting. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
TribCast: Looming family reunification deadlines and moldy state office buildings
On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Evan, Patrick and Emma about Texas' mold-infested state health services building, whether the feds will meet a court-ordered deadline for migrant family reunifications and why some Republican statewide officials have no incentive to debate their Democratic opponents. Full Story
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![A Texas Department of State Health Services employee found mold on their office keyboard hand rest in June 2018.]()
Credit: Obtained by The Texas Tribune -
In re-election bid, Attorney General Ken Paxton emphasizes record as Democrat seizes on indictment
Paxton was indicted nearly three years ago in a securities fraud case that is unlikely to be resolved before Election Day. His Democratic challenger, Justin Nelson, sees the race as one of "integrity vs. indictment." Full Story
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![Justin Nelson (left) is the Democratic nominee facing incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Joan Brook: Nelson/Bob Daemmrich: Paxton -
The government has lost track of hundreds of migrant parents, likely delaying reunifications
For the second time, it looks like the government's efforts to reunify separated migrant families will be stymied by its own bureaucratic failings. Full Story
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![Immigrants, many wearing ankle monitors, are dropped off at the McAllen Central Station, where they are they are given bus tickets to other parts of the country. On Saturday, June 23, 2018. Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune]()
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“Why did I come to America?” Black asylum-seekers from Africa face unique challenges in the U.S.
African immigrants arriving in Texas are finding a litany of unique racial, cultural and practical challenges to becoming legal residents in America. Full Story
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Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
As Thursday deadline approaches, reunification remains uncertain for hundreds of migrant families
A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to reunite all migrant children 5 and older with their parents by Thursday — but officials' own data shows that will be near impossible. Full Story
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![Mercedes (right), a Salvadoran asylum seeker, is reunited with her daughter, Maria in Corpus Christi on July 13, 2018. The two were separated by U.S. authorities after crossing the Texas-Mexico border in mid-May.]()
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Dozens of groups ask Trump administration for more time to comment on border wall
The allegations come as the Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to build at least 33 miles of wall or other barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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![Border Patrol agents in New Mexico on April 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Julián Aguilar/The Texas Tribune -
No matter the outcome of the midterms, Texas delegation in Congress poised to lose clout
Thanks to retirements, term limits and political turmoil, the Texas delegation in Congress is bracing for a significant loss in seniority next year. If Democrats take back the House, the loss in clout will be even more dramatic. Full Story
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![Top row, left to right: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, U.S. Reps. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, and Michael McCaul, R-Tomball. Bottom row: U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio and Eddie Bernice Johnson, D- Dallas.]()
Credit: Official House portraits/Marjorie Kamys Cotera: Castro/Alyssa Banta: Johnson/DenKuvaiev: iStock -
Surge of candidates leaves Texas Democrats struggling to recruit qualified staffers
The uptick in the number of Democrats running across Texas this election cycle has exposed a weakness in the party’s statewide apparatus: a shortage of experienced operatives equipped to run campaigns. Full Story
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![Campaign volunteers for Sri Kulkarni, a Democrat vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, work the phones before a primary runoff in May.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune