Five ways Texas shaped this year's wild presidential race
The reliably Republican state played host to an action-packed March 1 primary and gave the GOP primary field one of its last men standing, then grappled with Trump's nomination. Full Story
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![Scenes from Donald Trump's campaign stop in Austin on Aug. 23, 2016.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
Five stories that marked 2016 in Texas politics
It may have been the offseason for the Texas Legislature, but there was still ample news coming from state officials, much of which will reverberate through the legislative session starting in January. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gave the opening speech at the state republican convention in Dallas, Texas on May 12, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Congressman on thin ice...on purpose
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth has tried everything from moving baggage on a runway to housekeeping at a Holiday Inn to better understand the lives of his constituents. This week, he helped out at a local ice skating rink. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, operates an ice-resurfacing machines at a Fort Worth ice skating rink on Dec. 21, 2016, as part of an ongoing effort to perform constituent jobs in his district.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
School finance, testing fiasco topped 2016 education news
School districts lost a court case that could have forced the state to reform its school finance system, and federal officials toured Texas to investigate claims that special education services were arbitrarily capped. Full Story
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![Protesters at a press conference held by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in May, 2016 calling on Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Kent Scribner to resign over the district's bathroom guidelines for transgender students.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
Former A&M President Elsa Murano under consideration for agriculture secretary
Elsa Murano, former president of Texas A&M University, is under consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, according to his transition team. Full Story
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![Elsa Murano, former Texas A&M president.]()
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Trump's rhetoric, border surge colored immigration debate in 2016
The president-elect's tough border talk propelled him to victory, the U.S. Supreme Court dashed President Obama's deferred action hopes and the Texas border surge drew questions. Full Story
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Texans Susan Combs, Sid Miller at center of Trump ag secretary speculation
The race to be President-elect Donald Trump's agriculture secretary is heating up, and two Texans appear to be at the center of it. Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, left, and former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.]()
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Trump, women's health, child welfare top Texas news in 2016
Here’s a look at the top health and human services storylines The Texas Tribune tracked this year. Full Story
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![Jill Ramirez, the director of outreach for the Latino Healthcare Forum, passes out flyers and explains components of the Affordable Care Act on Oct. 5, 2013. With Donald Trump's election to the White House, the health law faces an uncertain future.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas Tribune -
Former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs to meet with Trump team
A new name from Texas is surfacing as President-elect Donald Trump works to fill his administration: former state Comptroller Susan Combs. Full Story
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![Former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs on November 16, 2016. Combs has started a project to help women called HERdacity and written a book, Texas Tenacity: A Call for Women to Direct Their Destiny. The project is an online community aimed at empowering women and the book will be released in early 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas electors cast 36 votes for Trump, 1 for Kasich and 1 for Ron Paul
All but two of Texas' 38 electors voted Monday to officially put Donald Trump in the White House, with one elector casting a ballot for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and another voting for a fellow Texan, former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Full Story
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![Elector Christopher Suprun, who said he will vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich instead of Donald Trump, is sworn in at the Texas Capitol as a member of the Electoral College on December 19, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: On transgender Texans and bathrooms, a call to stay calm
Some Texas lawmakers were in a hurry to require transgender Texans to use the restrooms that match the genders listed on their birth certificates. But the policy and politics are complicated enough to prompt the governor to tap the brakes. Full Story
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![An accessible unisex bathroom at The University of Texas at Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang/The Texas Tribune -
DNC chair hopefuls make pitches with an eye on Texas
The debate over the future of the Democratic Party came to Austin on Saturday, with all five candidates for national party chairman pitching activists on the path forward after a devastating loss in the presidential election. Full Story
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![Five candidates to chair the Democratic National Committee speaking in Austin (clockwise, from top left): Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Sally Boynton Brown; New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley; U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison; U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez; and South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison.]()
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Texas GOP readies for closely watched Electoral College vote
Texas Republicans are preparing for a closely watched Electoral College vote Monday in what is normally an afterthought to a presidential election. Full Story
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![Chair Tom Mechler at the GOP state convention on May 12, 2016.]()
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Texas schools will soon get a first peek at their grades
The state's new system of grading public schools and districts from A to F is barely starting to kick in, and many educators are already intent on killing it. Full Story
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![State Education Commissioner Mike Morath testifies Tuesday Aug 16, 2016 before the Senate Education Committee at the Texas Capitol.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune -
Trump selects Perry to lead U.S. Department of Energy (video)
In the Roundup: Donald Trump selects former Gov. Rick Perry to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, Gov. Greg Abbott takes a wait-and-see approach on anticipated bathroom legislation and Attorney General Ken Paxton takes on a new fight over Christmas. Full Story
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Analysis: A short history of Perry’s surprisingly long political career
Rick Perry has become the unsinkable Molly Brown of Texas politics — seemingly at the end of his career time after time, and now on his way to the biggest government job of his career. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rick Perry is shown on April 13, 1989, on the Texas House floor with state Rep. Pete Laney (right) and Rep. Ron Lewis the floor of the house during the 71st Legislative Session.]()
Credit: Texas State Library & Archives Commision -
In SEC case, Paxton lawyers zero in on Rep. Byron Cook
Fighting federal civil fraud allegations, Attorney General Ken Paxton is zeroing in on state Rep. Byron Cook's credibility in a new push to discredit the latest claims. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton entered a federal courthouse in Sherman on Sept. 2, 2016. Paxton's lawyers argued in a hearing that the federal civil fraud case against him should be dismissed.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Here are 7 times Texas officials have fought over Christmas
Ken Paxton has come to the defense of a Christmas-themed Peanuts poster at a Texas public school. This isn't the first time elected officials have fought over Christmas; in fact, it's something of a holiday tradition. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton has come to the defense of a Christmas-themed Peanuts poster. But this isn't the first time a Texas official has fought over Christmas.]()
Credit: Illustration by Callie Richmond / CBS -
Trump officially selects former Gov. Rick Perry for energy secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has officially selected former Gov. Rick Perry, a former rival turned loyalist, to lead the Department of Energy. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry addresses media at a press conference following the unveiling of his official portrait at the Texas Capitol on May 6, 2016]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott on proposed bathroom legislation: Wait and see
Gov. Greg Abbott is adopting a wait-and-see approach about anticipated legislation that would prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Full Story
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![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to the Convention of States gathering at the Texas Capitol on Dec. 6, 2016]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune