Hurd Defies the Odds. Can He Last?
Congressional Republicans have never been able to retain a black lawmaker in a true swing district for more than a couple of terms. Could Texas' Will Hurd change that? Full Story
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The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Congressional Republicans have never been able to retain a black lawmaker in a true swing district for more than a couple of terms. Could Texas' Will Hurd change that? Full Story
A visiting judge has ordered the removal of the current judge overseeing conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan's challenge against the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush just picked up a serious GOP fundraiser in East Texas. Gaylord Hughey Jr., the top GOP bundler of East Texas, said in an interview with the Tribune that he is backing Bush, should he follow through on a presidential run. Full Story
The Texas attorney general’s office said Tuesday that President Obama’s own actions should convince a federal judge to keep a controversial immigration plan on hold. Full Story
The 8,900 U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed on Texas’ border with Mexico can clock in next week knowing they’re still going to get paid after Congress on Tuesday voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September. Full Story
After a recent report showed that some University of Texas at Austin applicants received help securing admittance over the admissions office’s objections, conservative activists are calling Texans at home and asking them to take action. Full Story
After a week of legislative chaos over funding the Department of Homeland Security, a Republican group is running ads in U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert's East Texas district, looking to build support for a DHS funding bill. Full Story
The state has worked for decades to halt the proliferation of colonias, but it has no way to declassify communities that have outgrown the colonia description. Full Story
In a House committee hearing on Monday, one witness sought to redefine the climate change debate as one with clear implications to national security. Full Story
During an event that had an unmistakable political charge, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz spoke Monday about how a nuclear Iran presents an existential threat to Israel. Full Story
Leading Texas Republicans on Monday asked the Obama administration for greater flexibility to administer Medicaid — a move that has gotten little traction in the past — while reiterating that they would not participate in an expansion of the program under the Affordable Care Act. Full Story
The Tribune's Jay Root and Neena Satija filed a story over the weekend on the problem of deferred maintenance at state government buildings in multiple agencies. It makes for some grim reading. Full Story
Iowa and New Hampshire have the first presidential nominating contests, but there’s a key Republican primary fight going on in Texas: the money chase. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at GOP donors and bundlers in high demand. Full Story
The first University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll of 2015 had good news for likely White House hopefuls Scott Walker and Hillary Clinton — so we’re kicking off this week’s playlist with George Jones singing “The Race Is On." Full Story
Sen. Rand Paul won his third consecutive Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll Saturday, dashing the hopes of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who came in third, and former Gov. Rick Perry, who placed eleventh. Full Story
In a Friday night scramble with the clock running down, Congress managed to pass a stopgap measure funding the Department of Homeland Security for seven more days. The search for a more permanent solution continues. Full Story
Buddy Barfield, once an adviser to former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Full Story
Rick Perry spoke at the CPAC conference on Friday morning, presenting the former governor a chance to reset the table before the conservative base and the national press after his disastrous 2012 bid. Full Story
Voters are evenly split on whether the state should offer in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants, but that outer parity covers some pronounced polarization on the issue, according to the latest UT/TT Poll. Full Story
At CPAC, the annual meeting of conservative firebrands, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday delivered a presidential pitch that highlighted his willingness to take on fellow Republicans in the name of the conservative cause. Full Story