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The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Derision Points

    By Elise Hu

    To the list of things that Rick Perry shows contempt for — Barack Obama’s leadership abilities, excessive federal regulation, coyotes that interrupt his morning jog — add this surprising one: George W. Bush’s ideological disposition. The governor seems to go out of his way to criticize his predecessor as insufficiently conservative. Bush, for his part, makes no mention of Perry in his memoir. "There's certainly no love lost between these two men," says UT presidential scholar Bruce Buchanan. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmerich

  • Arlene Wohlgemuth: The TT Interview

    By Ross Ramsey

    The former budget-slashing Texas House member and current executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation on how she reads the mood out there, what reductions in state spending should be on the table, whether cost-shifting to local school districts is a plausible option, why lawmakers should forget about new sources of revenue, the trouble with Medicaid and what members of the Republican near-supermajority in the Legislature must do to keep the confidence of voters — and get re-elected. Full Story 

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  • Jack Martin: The TT Interview

    By Ross Ramsey

    The founder and chairman of Public Strategies Inc. — set to be honored today an Austin luncheon — on why the Republicans beat the Democrats so badly on Election Day, whether Texas is philosophically the same state it was 30 years ago, how things have changed for business interests dealing with the government and whether the "little guy" has a voice in our political system. Full Story 

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    Credit: Public Strategies Inc.

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Our wall-to-wall Election Day coverage — complete results up and down the ballot and county by county, the all-hands-on-deck Trib team on the Republican tsunami, my conversation with George W. Bush's media adviser and Rick Perry's pollster about what happened on Tuesday, Stiles and Ramsey on what 194 candidates spent per vote this election cycle, Hu on how the GOP rout will affect the substance of the next legislative session, Hamilton on the Texas Democratic Trust's unhappy end, Ramshaw and Stiles profile the new arrivals at the Capitol in January, M. Smith on what's next for Chet Edwards and Ramsey and me on six matters of politics and policy we're thinking about going forward — plus Thevenot and Butrymowicz on a possible solution to the high school dropout problem: The best of our best from Nov. 1 to 5, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Trust Busted

    By Reeve Hamilton

    The Texas Democratic Trust might have been the biggest single loser in Tuesday's general election, as Texas Republicans swept away most of the advances that the group financed and fought for during the last three election cycles. And the losses came as the Trust prepared to shut down its operations — its mission ended, if not accomplished. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Inside Intelligence: The Next Governor of Texas Will Be...

    By Ross Ramsey

    For the first installment of our non-scientific survey of political and policy insiders on issues of the moment, we asked two questions: "Which candidate do you think will win the race for governor?" and "Who are you voting for?" We also gave them a chance to explain — and, boy, did they. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • The Polling Center: Finding the Actual Voters

    By Jim Henson and Daron Shaw

    So how to create a likely voter model? Campaign pollsters typically use a combination of past voting history — available off the registered voter list — and current interest and engagement. Those who have voted in the past, as well as those who are jazzed about voting this year, tend to get into the likely electorate. Full Story 

    Rick Perry and Bill White
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • The Polling Center: Are You Experienced?

    By Adam Myers

    Is the anti-career-politician, pro-outsider-businessman mood palpable in Texas? Yes. Is this preference for private-sector experience related to vote choice in the governor’s race? No. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Adam Myers

  • Perry By 10 in New UT/TT Poll

    By Ross Ramsey

    Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads his Democratic challenger, Bill White by 10 points — 50 percent to 40 percent — in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Libertarian Kathie Glass has the support of 8 percent of respondents; Deb Shafto of the Green Party gets 2 percent. In the last UT/TT poll, conducted in early September, Perry led by 6 points, 39 percent to 33 percent. In a red state in a red year, GOP incumbents in other statewide races are beating their Democratic opponents by between 13 points and 20 points, the new poll found. Full Story 

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  • 2010: Poll: Perry Ahead of White

    By Ross Ramsey

    Gov. Rick Perry is maintaining an 11-point lead over Democrat Bill White, according to a survey of 1,200 registered and regular voters done for three statewide trade groups. Full Story 

    Rick Perry and Bill White
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Washington Weak

    By Ross Ramsey

    The battle in the 2010 governor's race is about the battleground itself: Rick Perry wants to bind himself to voters in opposition to an intrusive and profligate Washington D.C. — meddling liberal Yankees, in other words. Bill White wants to motivate voters in opposition to what he portrays as the sorry condition of the state under Perry, the self-serving "career politician." For White, Washington is Perry's bogeyman to divert attention from his failures at home. For Perry, Washington is the root of the evils the state confronts — foremost, issues he says White ignores. Full Story 

    Rick Perry and Bill White
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • A Wave or a Tsunami?

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    A surge in Republican enthusiasm nationwide has the GOP hopeful about taking back the U.S. House and, maybe, the U.S. Senate in November. In Texas, that high tide has turned a handful of what are usually considered safe Democratic House seats into live targets. Ben Philpott of KUT and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • A Likely Story

    By Ross Ramsey

    You can ask all the right questions in a political poll and still get a wrong answer. The results are based not only on how people answer the questions but on a pollster's educated guess about who'll vote and who won't. Full Story 

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