The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
The senior U.S. senator from Texas, a quiet observer of the presidential race thus far, still won't endorse his junior colleague, but he does say increased turnout spawned by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump could work in the party’s favor. Full Story
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Three Texas Republicans could have golden tickets to their national political convention this summer; unlike their colleagues, they’ll be allowed to vote for any presidential candidate they choose. Full Story
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The state's primary voters still have 22 contests to settle: 16 on the Republican side, 6 on the Democratic side. Full Story
On the brink of a two-man race with Donald Trump, Ted Cruz is drawing more attention than ever from those organizing to prevent the billionaire from winning the Republican presidential nomination at all costs. Full Story
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The number of children sleeping in Child Protective Services offices shot up after an internal policy change at the agency limited child placements, according to state data released Thursday. Full Story
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Sealed medical records related to the mental health of state Rep. Susan King, R-Abilene, became a flash point in the Republican primary runoff for Senate District 24 on Thursday. Full Story
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State agencies and the companies they contract with must use the E Verify system to screen for undocumented workers, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion Thursday. Full Story
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A Collin County court tossed out an attempt to stop payments to the special prosecutors appointed to pursue the financial fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Thursday. Full Story
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This week on The Ticket: KUT’s Ben Philpott and the Tribune's Jay Root educate themselves about what could happen at a contested convention by taking Convention 101 with teacher and former Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri. Full Story
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Two Houston congressmen are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether unequal distribution of voting machines and polling locations in Harris County disenfranchised minority voters during the March 1 primary election. Full Story
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With Marco Rubio out of the race for the White House, two of his top backers in Texas are throwing their support to Ted Cruz. Full Story
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Ted Cruz once suggested he could clinch the Republican presidential nomination by the end of March. Now he's gearing up for a long slog that could end on the convention floor in Cleveland in July. Full Story
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After a new round of states voted Tuesday, Texas still had the second lowest voting-age participation rate of all that have held both Democratic and Republican primaries so far, behind only Louisiana. Full Story
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D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland has a history with cases involving the Environmental Protection Agency, which Texas has sued 24 times since Obama took office. Full Story
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For decades, the petroleum industry has largely fueled Texas' influence in national Republican politics. But operatives are seeing early signs that the current oil bust has depressed the sector’s political giving. Full Story
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One of Ted Cruz's remaining obstacles to a two-man race with Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination faded away Tuesday as Marco Rubio ended his presidential campaign after losing his home state. Full Story
Two state representatives are set to face off for an open position in the Texas senate after the third place candidate said Monday he will not request a recount. Full Story
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It's true that Texas has cases of voter fraud, but it's more a trickle than a flood. Gov. Greg Abbott says that voter fraud is "rampant," but the numbers don't seem to bear that out. Full Story
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Long after dark here Monday night, the U.S. senator from Texas was pitching Illinois Republicans just hours before polls open in what could be the most consequential day yet of the Republican race for the White House. Full Story
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"The fact is that voter fraud is rampant," Abbott said in response to President Barack Obama's suggestion last week that Texas leaders are uninterested in improving voter turnout. Full Story
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