The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
In every major urban and suburban Texas county, where the vast majority of Texans cast their ballots, the Democratic vote share increased betweeen 2004 and 2008. Montgomery County was the single exception. In Denton, Collin, Fort Bend, and Williamson Counties — four of the five most populous traditionally Republican suburban counties — the Democratic vote rose. Full Story
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In the health care debate, universal coverage has significant if not overwhelming support, but is also marked by pronounced partisan differences, and Texans appeared truly split down the middle on the “public option.” Full Story
Kinky Friedman’s song “Before All Hell Breaks Loose” begins, “Time to resign from the human race.” Today, we will find out if he thinks it’s time to do the same in the governor's race. Full Story
Think like the political pros and your mind will go to the long game instead of the short one. The short game is the elections of 2010. The long game is redistricting in 2011, when maps are drawn that corral the voters into the districts that will elect legislators for the next ten years. Full Story
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Debra Medina may yet have a role to play in the race for governor. Analysts say her potential effect ranges from negligible to potential spoiler. Full Story
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Nearly 130,000 students attend Texas charter schools, but 40,000 more are waiting to get in. Full Story
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After Houston mayor Bill White joined the race for governor late last week, one of his first stops was Austin, a Democratic stronghold that made for a nice, safe place to start his campaign. Full Story
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Candidates from both sides of the spectrum are self-recruited and responsible for their own campaigns. So what's the value of a relationship with the state's political parties? Full Story
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It was a political week, with a full-court press from our staff on Bill White's switch to the governor's race and all of the fallout; the moves during the first week of filing for political races; Philpott's look at Republicans challenging Republicans; Hu's latest in the popular Stump Interrupted series; Ramshaw on emergency rooms, family doctors, and child protection; Stiles and Grissom mapping payday lending locations juxtaposed with family income data; Rapoport on the state budget and education; Thevenot on KBH's plans for schools; and Hamilton on the power (or not) of political endorsements. The best of the best from November 28 to December 4, 2009. Full Story
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All ears are upon Houston Mayor Bill White — a man whose own ears Texas Monthly calls “perhaps a size too large for the superstructure.” Full Story
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
Remember Van Taylor? Full Story
The collaboration of the big five newspapers on polling in the 2010 election cycle is good news for Texas. Full Story
Education has emerged as one of the more contentious fronts in the gubernatorial campaign, with Kay Bailey Hutchison this week releasing a barrage of school proposals and attacks on the status quo. But the differences between the candidates have more to do with execution than with design. Full Story
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Democrats are still talking about who'll fill out their statewide ticket, and it doesn't look like they'll know by the end of the week. Republicans might not see everyone's filing this week, but expect all of their non-judicial statewide incumbents to file for reelection. Full Story
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Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, will seek reelection next year. Is that really a ray of hope for Elizabeth Ames Jones? Really? Full Story
They certainly provide daily fodder for campaign news coverage, but there’s no guarantee that endorsements will translate to anything positive for a candidate — let alone an electoral victory. Full Story
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Removals of Texas children from abusive homes have reached their highest point since the 2008 polygamist sect raid, when hundreds were taken into custody in a single day. Full Story
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Two Houston bloggers duke it out over the wisdom and promise of the mayor's gubernatorial candidacy. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story