The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
When Gov. Rick Perry left the presidential campaign trail Thursday, he took his considerable fundraising muscle with him. His departure frees up his federal campaign coffers and the support of the Super PAC that backed Perry. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/05b476bbfd12df381cdeec789ee21569/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Make%20Us%20Great%20Again%2002%202012)
What's next for Rick Perry? He still has nearly three years in his current term as governor. But he also trumpets a message of federalism that’s still relevant in national politics. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/961450e39e47afd9e804d1dc0bee30f3/BD%20INC%20Perry%20Out%20086%202012)
Now that Gov. Rick Perry has exited the presidential race, some may wonder how a candidate who entered the race as a front-runner fell so far. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a5842e0aa10d3576d68ffb3387aa12d6/BD%20INC%20Perry%20Tear%2003%202012)
Rick Perry may be out of the presidential race, but Texas Congressman Ron Paul is still fighting for the nomination. During Thursday night's CNN debate, he showed he’s still got plenty of fire in the belly heading into Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PaulCNNDebate.jpg)
Rick Perry wasn't even winning in his home state when he got out of the presidential race. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/de5f12834c299817267d20532bc75142/BD%20INC%20Perry%20Out%20Sign%20303)
Evan Smith and Emily Ramshaw discuss Gov. Rick Perry's exit from the presidential race and look ahead at what Texans can expect now that their leader is returning from five months on the campaign trail. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/APerryOut120CMS.jpg)
Evan Smith and Emily Ramshaw talk about why Gov. Rick Perry called it quits. Ross Ramsey talks about Ron Paul's appeal and his chances of winning the GOP nomination. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/jan19.jpg)
Buried in the Texas Democratic Party’s campaign filing this week was a $210,000 deposit with a cryptic heading: “confidential litigation settlement.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Green_Party_Ballot_PIC.JPG)
Now what? This week, we asked the insiders what Gov. Rick Perry's reentry into state politics will be like (and, it should be noted, collected these answers before the governor dropped out of the presidential race on Thursday morning). Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/inside_intelligence-logo.png){kind=logo}
Rick Perry's last attack might be successful and put a significant dent in Mitt Romney's run for president. If so, the Texas governor might have landed a successful punch after he was already out of the fight. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PerryRomney.jpg)
Following Rick Perry's decision to leave the campaign trail, his strategists suggest he could run for governor — or even for the presidency — again. "As you know, we don't have term limits in Texas," Perry adviser Ray Sullivan said. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aaff0747854311227cf362ce47d54f6e/BD%20INC%20Perry%20Out%2048%202012)
An unlikely sight descended on the Capitol on Wednesday: a contingent of donkeys circling the building in the midday sun. As Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, the animals were led there as part of a protest aimed at stopping state officials from killing wild burros in West Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Burro-Protest-1-18-12-by-Jeff-Heimsath-580x400-580x399.jpg)
Ross, Reeve, Brandi and Thanh look ahead to the South Carolina primary, look back on the history of the death penalty in Texas, and discuss the current state of women's health clinics in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tribcast_2.jpg)
The team over at ProPublica has created a new news app called PAC Track that tracks Super PAC expenditures. The Make Us Great Again Super PAC has spent $3.8 million in support of Rick Perry. Endorse Liberty, the Ron Paul Super PAC, has spent nearly $3 million. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PAC-Track-ProPublica.jpg)
Four of the state's top officeholders each raised more than $1 million during the second half of 2011. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is running for the U.S. Senate, raised $1.5 million for his federal campaign account during the fourth quarter alone. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/517f68fe76d2e5029bea1ca863ed91d1/BD%20INC%20Senate%20Debate%20226%202012)
The Republican primary may have engulfed the national political conversation, but as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some young voters have only just begun to tune in. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/_DSC3420e.JPG)
Despite condemnation from Turkey's foreign ministry, Gov. Rick Perry today defended his description of the U.S. ally as a country under the rule of "Islamic terrorists." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PerrySC.jpg)
During a question-and-answer session with voters in South Carolina, Gov. Rick Perry said he would eliminate the Small Business Administration, which provides loans, counseling and other assistance to small businesses. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4028268c0545fa69ada74e40772b8b6b/BD%20INC%20Perry%20392%202012)
While most of Monday night's Republican presidential debate featured the top-tier candidates sniping at each other, Gov. Rick Perry was just trying to stay relevant. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PerrywithChild-SC2012.jpg)
The 16th debate of the Republican presidential primary season ended Monday with front-runner Mitt Romney bruised but not beaten. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Republican-Presidential-Candidates-South-Carolina.jpg)