The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Ted Cruz on Saturday night placed third in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, narrowly trailing Marco Rubio for a disappointing finish in a state that seemed tailor-made for the U.S. senator from Texas. Full Story
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a native Texan, suspended his presidential campaign after a disappointing finish behind the top three contenders in the GOP South Carolina primary. Full Story
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With Donald Trump leading in the polls, the question shifts to the strength of Ted Cruz elsewhere in the South should he lose South Carolina. Full Story
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In the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission, Lance Christian — a political novice — is embarking on something of an experiment: Can the agency staffer win statewide office based on scientific expertise alone? Full Story
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In the Roundup: The University of Texas at Austin issues its much-anticipated campus carry guidelines, Pope Francis speaks to Texans from just across the border and the 2016 presidential saga continues – this week, in South Carolina. Full Story
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In all, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has attended or held 16 events in Greenville, S.C. The only other campaign destination in that ballpark is Des Moines, where he attended at least 21 events during his 10-month courtship of Iowa. Full Story
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Despite taking all the right positions and drawing the right endorsements, Ted Cruz has struggled to shore up the support of South Carolina's evangelical voters as strongly as many of his supporters had expected he would. Full Story
He claims he won't get involved in the food fight. He won't get down in mud. And he most certainly won't throw rocks at other candidates. But no matter how Ted Cruz spins it, the U.S. senator from Texas is in the brawl. Full Story
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A high-ranking official at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is resigning after he co-authored an unflattering study that found the state’s exclusion of Planned Parenthood from a family planning program restricted women’s access to health care. Full Story
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The Texas Racing Commission voted 5-4 on Thursday to repeal rules allowing a new form of gambling, ending a monthslong deadlock that pitted members of the industry against state lawmakers. Full Story
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While many Democrats have mixed feelings about the group that helped lead the party's election efforts in 2014, Battleground Texas officials still believe in their long-term strategy to turn Texas blue. Full Story
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In a race pitting an East Texas incumbent versus an upstart challenger endorsed by conservative activists, a pair of unlikely issues has commanded focus: toll roads and a controversy at the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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Martha and Kimberly Martinez would like to know how a man with Juan Francisco De Luna Vasquez's lengthy criminal history could be living illegally in the United States when he killed their sister. Full Story
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One says he's the most reliable steward of the Texas GOP's finances. The other says he'll make the party a more assertive voice for conservative values. Tom Mechler and Jared Woodfill meet again. Full Story
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During a whirlwind, one-day visit to Ciudad Juárez on Wednesday Pope Francis delivered poignant remarks on immigration and corruption, keeping intact his reputation as a polite but no-holds-barred pontiff. Full Story
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The next Texas legislative session is almost a year away, but Senate Republicans are already zeroing in on proposals to bolster legal protections for religious opponents of same-sex marriage. Full Story
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Ted Cruz is ratcheting up pressure on his Republican rivals to back up their accusations of dishonesty against his presidential campaign, challenging Donald Trump to follow through with an alleged threat to sue him. Full Story
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After weeks of planning and speculation about what Pope Francis might say during his visit to the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez area on Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Catholics are finally ready for the all-day affair. Full Story
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's “impossible” strategy to undercut the Affordable Care Act — President Obama's signature domestic policy achievement — won the Texan both enemies and fans. Full Story
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An open-seat U.S. House race is sure to draw a packed field, and nine candidates — six Democrats and three Republicans — are aiming to succeed 10-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa in the 15th district. Full Story
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