Ted Cruz Will Seek the Presidency
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will announce Monday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for president, the boldest step yet in the junior Texas senator's meteoric rise. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/06/06/CruzFriRPT311CMS.jpg)
-
![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas thanks Republican delegates in Fort Worth on June 6, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
For Likely 2016 Campaign, Perry Recruits Faces New and Old
Former Gov. Rick Perry's 2016 presidential campaign-in-waiting features both operatives who have worked with him in the past and those who are new to his political orbit. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/25/Perry_IA_Freedom_Summit_3.jpg)
![Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke at the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Jan. 24, 2015.]()
Credit: Rebecca Miller -
Gay Rights Activists Find Unlikely Republican Ally
Corsicana Republican state Rep. Byron Cook, who has an adopted child, says both same-sex adoptive parents should be listed on a Texas birth certificate. He believes it's best for the children, though it puts him at odds with his party's stance on gay rights issues. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Ted Cruz Sets Off 2016 Buzz With Speech Announcement
News that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz would deliver a major speech at Liberty University on Monday set off a wave of speculation late Friday that the Texas Republican was preparing to take a step into the 2016 presidential race. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/15/Cruz_NH_copy.jpg)
![Sen. Ted Cruz campaigns in a Barrington, N.H. manufacturing plant.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
Sid Miller's Style Sparks Blowback at the Capitol
Recent episodes highlight a rapidly deteriorating relationship between the cowboy hat-wearing agriculture commissioner and the Legislature that once counted Sid Miller as one of its own. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/11/05/Miller216CMS.jpg)
![New Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller does a fist pump on election night Nov. 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Cruz Wants to Upend D.C. Laws on Contraception, Gay Rights
Ted Cruz has turned his attention to D.C. politics, introducing measures to keep religious colleges from having to fund gay and lesbian student groups and to upend a law on discrimination over reproductive health decisions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/25/Ted_Cruz_IA_Freedom_Summit.jpg)
![U.S. Sen Ted Cruz gives a speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 24, 2015.]()
Credit: Rebecca Miller -
Contracting Reform Bill Sails Out of Senate Committee
Amid an ongoing scandal over how the state awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to a private company, the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved Senate Bill 20, which would overhaul the state’s contracting processes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/11/_F5U9857Nelson1.jpg)
![Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, confers with Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, during a March 11, 2015, committee hearing on state contracting issues.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Houston’s Annise Parker Ponders Political Future
Annise Parker, who is serving her final year as Houston's mayor, has left her mark on the nation’s fourth-largest city and become a national figure in LGBT politics. Doing both at the same time hasn’t always been easy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/_KCB9321_1.jpg)
![Houston Mayor Annise Parker at the Texas Democratic Party's convention in Houston on June 8, 2012.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kmays Cotera -
U.S. Rep. Castro Moves Up the Democratic Ranks
San Antonio sophomore U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has landed a spot as a chief deputy whip, making him one of House Democratic leadership's top vote counters on the House floor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/19/TTEvents_JoaquinCastro156.jpg)
![U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro talks about the national 2016 political landscape during a TTEvents conversation with Evan Smith on Feb. 19, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Post-Scandal, Lawmakers Changing Gears on Health Agency
As the state’s largest health agency reels from a scandal over how it awarded contracts to private vendors, lawmakers on Wednesday said they are slowing down on their ambitious — and controversial — plan to restructure it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/14/Sunset027Nelson.jpg)
![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, wraps up the Sunset Advisory Commission hearing on Jan. 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Sues Feds Over Benefits for Same-Sex Couples
The state of Texas is suing the Obama administration for giving medical leave benefits to certain same-sex couples, according to an announcement Wednesday from Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/02/11/GayMarriage-Court.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Judge Reaffirms Dismissal of Ethics Ruling Against Conservative Activist
A new judge Wednesday reaffirmed the dismissal of a ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission against conservative power broker Michael Quinn Sullivan. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/07/01/FriRPT1329cms.jpg)
![Republican activist Michael Quinn Sullivan visits at the State Republican Convention trade show on June 6, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Cruz's Digital Guru Tapped for Likely 2016 Campaign
Josh Perry, Ted Cruz's top digital strategist, is joining the Texas senator's political operation in Houston. Full Story
![Sen. Ted Cruz campaigns in a Barrington, N.H. manufacturing plant.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
Campus Carry Gets Initial OK in Texas Senate
Following a preliminary Senate vote on Wednesday, Texas is now a step closer to requiring public colleges and universities to allow concealed handguns on campus — a policy opposed by many higher education leaders. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/18/7C2A4712.jpg)
![Sen. Kirk Watson speaks with the author of Senate Bill 11, Sen. Brian Birdwell, as Sen. Joan Huffman listens on. The Senate's campus carry debate began on Mar. 18, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Map: Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Providers
The Senate's proposed changes to the state's breast and cervical cancer screening program — intended to cut funding for Planned Parenthood clinics — could hit low-income women in rural and West Texas hardest. Use our map to see how. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/17/WomensHealthServicesMap.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Michael Stravato / Becca Aaronson -
Bill Would Bar Doctors From Asking About Guns
State Rep. Stuart Spitzer is afraid the federal government can use medical records to identify gun owners. Over the objections of the medical community, he has filed a bill that would prohibit doctors from asking patients whether they own a firearm. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HandgunsAtFiringRange.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Edward A. Ornelas/San Antonio Express-News -
Denton Fracking Ban Tees Up Local Control Fight
Plenty of lawmakers are siding with the oil industry in response to Denton's vote to ban fracking inside city limits. What's surprising this session is how few are weighing in for local control. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/10/17/TxTrib-UrbanDrilling005.jpg)
![Fracking in Fort Worth, Sept. 27, 2013]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
Texas A&M Preparing Bid for 2016 Presidential Debate
Texas A&M University is finalizing its application to host a 2016 presidential or vice presidential debate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/AnM_Tower_AggieLand.jpg)
![Texas A&M University]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune -
Perry and Cruz Deploy Differing Styles in New Hampshire
Both Rick Perry and Ted Cruz are showing New Hampshire voters that they are willing to brave icy weather to travel across the state and get their messages to voters. But the two likely Republican presidential candidates are taking different paths. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/14/Perry-Cruz.jpg)
![Rick Perry and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and 2014 RedState Gathering at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas on August 8, 2014.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Texas Senate Approves Open Carry of Handguns
A bill lifting some of the state's restrictions on handguns passed easily on a 20-11 vote after repeated Democratic efforts to amend it were defeated. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/12/UP9A0917.jpg)
![Jason Orsek with Come and Take it America wears a cloth gun holder with a photo of a gun imprinted on it at the Texas Capitol on Feb. 12, 2015, when the Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony on gun-related bills.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fd749d56bd277c2c63798672bb5ef896/BD%20INC%20POO%202011)