The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
President Donald Trump is the elephant in the room of Texas Republican politics. In some GOP primaries, he's everywhere. In others, candidates don't want to talk about him. But many we talked to agreed: They wish he'd stop tweeting. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday jumped into the hotly contested Republican primary for Senate District 8, endorsing Angela Paxton, wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, over Phillip Huffines, the twin brother of a sitting state senator. Full Story
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Lawmakers say local property taxes are getting too high. School leaders say the taxes are increasing because the state is taking on a smaller share of public education funding. Hey Texplainer, what's really happening? Full Story
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Federal legislation to protect young undocumented immigrants and bolster border security is again at a standstill after the U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to advance any of four proposals on the issue. Full Story
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One day after a mass shooting at a South Florida high school, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, indicated Thursday that he was willing to sit down with a top Democrat to discuss gun policy. Full Story
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Listen to Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey explain his Hotlist of dramatic and competitive primary races across the state while taking reader questions. Full Story
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After the governor released multiple attack ads against her in her Republican primary race, state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, said she might "just not vote" in Gov. Greg Abbott's race for re-election this year. Full Story
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A year after the Texas Freedom Caucus first launched, the bloc of hardline conservatives in the Texas House is optimistic it will broaden its membership before state lawmakers head back to Austin in 2019. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday said he thinks lawmakers should keep to their promises to vote on an immigration bill this week. But he added that whether that happens is anyone's guess. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily, Ross, Patrick and Emma talk to state Rep. Sarah Davis about Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to unseat her, Ross' primary hot list and a state Supreme Court justice's quick-turn candidacy. Full Story
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In the latest chapter of an ongoing fight over how involved public school districts may get in this year's elections, Attorney General Ken Paxton has warned three Texas school districts to "cease and desist" what he called illegal electioneering efforts. Full Story
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The race to replace U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke is turning into a border brawl where hardly any punches are being pulled. Full Story
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New state Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock is the latest judge to face a familiar challenge in Texas: On the bench, he has to appear impartial. But to keep his seat, he has to win the approval of Texas' deep-red electorate. Full Story
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In crowded, competitive Republican primaries to replace two retiring congressmen, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is investing time, energy and political capital to help two of his former staffers join him in the Texas delegation. Full Story
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For the second time in a matter of months, a top legal adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott has been named to a prominent judicial post. Full Story
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Both sides revealed the outlines of their cases Monday in a federal court trial testing Texas' nearly 150-year-old system of statewide elections to the state's two highest courts. Full Story
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As the state's Republican Party faces a heated primary season, The Texas Tribune wants to hear from young conservatives about the present and future of their party. Full Story
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The Texas primaries are three weeks away. Between statewide races and those for seats in Congress and the Texas Legislature, there are 215 races on the 2018 Democratic and Republican primary ballots. Which ones are on my short list? Full Story
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is preparing Texas Republicans for a turbulent election year amid super-charged Democratic enthusiasm — including in his own re-election campaign. Full Story
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Watch video of our conversation with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Full Story
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