The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas ranked 38th out of 50 in the latest State Integrity Investigation, an assessment of government accountability and transparency. That suggests that the state may be heading in the wrong direction when it comes to ethics. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/15/PerryFinal490.jpg)
Ted Cruz has been branded a “wacko bird” by a Senate colleague and a “jackass” by the former speaker of the House. Cruz does not appear to be bothered. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/10/28/Cruz_Boulder_Reuters.jpg)
LUBBOCK — Activists at the Texas Federation of Republican Women convention ate up talk of the Lone Star State's Texas-sized influence in 2016. The GOP faithful hope the state's earlier-than-usual primary will make it matter more. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/07/Cruz_Lubbock.jpg)
The state’s 2016 elections for Congress and the Texas House can proceed under the current political maps, a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio said late Friday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/RedistrictCourt4.jpg)
Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia on Friday endorsed state Rep. Sylvester Turner in the Houston mayoral runoff. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/03/UP9A0142.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott is planning to release a set of issues he would like Republican primary voters to prioritize next year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/06/Abbott_Lubbock_GaggleTT.jpg)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick revealed Friday he tried to draft state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, to run for lieutenant governor last year before he decided to enter the race. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/06/Nelson_FlatteringTT.jpg)
In the Roundup: A Houston nondiscrimination ordinance goes down, state regulators find no clear link between oilfield activity and some North Texas earthquakes, and a local police department gets the legal go-ahead to keep its "In God We Trust" stickers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/110615_Still.jpg)
In a 19-page court filing, the special prosecutors pursuing the financial securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton delivered a scathing response to Paxton's latest efforts to dismiss his three felony charges. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/09/29/UP9A0115.jpg)
A state appeals court ruled Thursday that conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan lives in Austin despite his claims otherwise, so his dispute with the state Ethics Commission will play out in Travis County. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/15/UP9A7502.jpg)
This week on The Ticket: Ted Cruz and Chris Christie were two of the winners from the last GOP debate. What does that mean for their campaigns? We join New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz and WNYC's David Furst to find out. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/12/TT-theticket_leadart-sside.png)
Democratic state Rep. Sylvester Turner led the field for Houston mayor, but the blue team took two big hits during Tuesday's election in the nation's fourth largest city. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/10/26/Houston_SkylineTT_lgXKlzM.jpg)
About 430,000 more Texans voted Tuesday than in the 2013 constitutional election. Hear more about turnout and see how many Texans voted — by county — on Proposition 7, which directed more money to the state highway fund. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/10/30/2015-10-231-2.jpg)
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady on Wednesday gained the upper hand in becoming the House's next lead tax-writer when he won the endorsement of a key House panel, two sources with direct knowledge of the panel's decision confirmed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2bf9f0df85a6287cbff6ba32b54e4b60/BD%20INC%20Brady%2001%202011)
House Speaker Joe Straus issued more than 150 interim charges Wednesday, directing committees to study issues such as the effectiveness of border security operations and the impact of the plummeting cost of oil on the local economy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/09/UP9A7921.jpg)
As the number of unaccompanied children apprehended on Texas’ southern border dropped by more than 40 percent in the 2015 fiscal year, a high-ranking border Democrat warns that the problem of illegal mass migration isn't close to being solved. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/07/31/ShelterChildren.jpg)
The presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has hired a Texas state director to help deliver a home-state victory for the Republican presidential candidate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/05/TylerNorrisTT.jpg)
Voters overwhelmingly favored seven changes to the Texas constitution, including measures that will cut property taxes, boost funding for road projects beginning in 2017 and let state officeholders live outside of Austin. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/I-VotedSticker.jpg)
State Rep. Sylvester Turner ran well ahead of the pack in the Houston mayoral race, capturing about 32 percent of the vote, and will face former Kemah Mayor Bill King in a Dec. 12 runoff to lead the nation's fourth-largest city. Full Story
Houston voters resoundingly rejected the city's anti-discrimination ordinance after being told it would allow men to legally enter women's bathrooms. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/03/MayerParker-Prop1.jpg)