Border security overpowers school vouchers and Paxton impeachment in Republican Texas House primaries
Despite all the hubbub about vouchers and the attorney general’s impeachment, it’s still about the border. Full Story
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![Texas Republican state House ads touting the border as a central election issue. Clockwise, from top left: Mark LaHood, challenger for HD-121; Joanne Shofner, challenger for HD-11; Chris Spencer, challenger for HD-1; and Gary VanDeaver, HD-1 incumbent.]()
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Houston-area Democrats line up in competitive primary to succeed John Whitmire in the Senate
Whitmire held the Senate seat for four decades. Six Democrats are now competing for the seat in the upper chamber. Full Story
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![The Texas Senate gallery as technical staff prepares communications for next week's start in the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton on September 5th. Paxton is accused of several ethics violations during his three terms as Texas Attorney General.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas conservatives test how far they can extend abortion and gender-transition restrictions beyond state lines
Recent state and local legal maneuvers signal that Texas’ conservative movement could be wading into a complicated constitutional morass the country hasn’t dealt with since before the Civil War. Full Story
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![A view of the U.S. and Texas flags flown on the south side of the Texas Capitol from the Capitol Dome in Austin on Aug. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
After border bill fiasco, Sen. Ted Cruz calls for Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s replacement
Texas’ junior senator has long been a critic of Mitch McConnell, who has led Republican senators since 2015. Full Story
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![U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shakes hands with Sen. Ted Cruz during U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020.]()
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Texas House candidate Kyle Biedermann blasts expulsion of Bryan Slaton, removed for having sex with a drunk intern
In a statement, Biedermann said the point he was trying to make was that leaders “selectively punish impropriety.” Full Story
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![Former state Reps. Bryan Slaton, Kyle Biedermann on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on April 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
FBI foils 2022 plot by militiamen to “start a war” at the Texas-Mexico border
A Tennessee man arrested Monday hoped to travel to the southern border with a militia group that allegedly plotted to go “to war with the border patrol,” believing that the country was being invaded by migrants. Full Story
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![Shipping containers line the bank of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, on Jan. 19, 2024.]()
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Mayra Flores: DNA testing needed at border, even if that means detaining kids for months
The former Republican congresswoman is running for her former seat representing the 34th congressional district. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores speaks at a Republican primary forum for 34th Congressional District candidates in Harlingen on Jan. 20, 2024. The event was hosted by Cameron County Young Republicans and Cameron County Republican Women.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Federal investigators asked to reopen fraud case against Texas House candidate Jared Woodfill
Woodfill’s former client fears that politics played a role in the case, which she said was mishandled and abruptly closed by the Harris County DA’s office. Full Story
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![Jared Woodfill speaks during a reception for for his campaign at the Federal American Grill in Houston on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Hospitalized Texas Democrat Al Green rushed to Capitol for impeachment vote in scrubs, saving Mayorkas
The Houston Democrat is recovering from abdominal surgery. Democrats did not expect him to attend the vote, but his surprise appearance sank the impeachment vote. Full Story
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![Congressman Al Green (D) speaks to the rallying crowd at Cesar Chavez High School about the takeover of HISD on March 31,2023]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
Bills to fight Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s whistleblower case top $700,000, records show
The lead attorney helping defend Paxton against former top aides is charging $540 an hour. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton recites the pledge of allegiance at a Trump Rally in Conroe on January 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Once hesitant, Texas Republicans have united behind Donald Trump again
While polls once showed Trump and DeSantis tied in Texas, they now suggest the primary is all but over here. Trump leads Nikki Haley by a landslide. Full Story
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![Former president Donald Trump holds his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Mar. 25, 2023.]()
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Texans discuss health of state’s democracy at Tribune event
Sessions at the event, held at the University of Houston-Downtown, tackled voter turnout, local governance, community news and more. Full Story
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Speaker Dade Phelan forcefully defends Ken Paxton impeachment in campaign ad
Facing heat for presiding over the impeachment of the attorney general, Phelan is addressing the issue head-on and citing an alleged Paxton extramarital affair. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan beckons at another member of the House during a special legislative session at the state Capitol in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
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School voucher opponents are unpopular with Texas GOP primary voters, poll finds
In a University of Houston poll, nearly half also signaled they didn’t support Republican incumbents who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![Bonham Middle School students eat lunch in the school’s cafeteria Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Why this South Texas county closed half its early voting sites for 2024
A new law requires small counties to increase early voting days and hours — with no new money from the state. Full Story
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![The Kiva Hut Community Center in Taft, Texas on Jan 26, 2024. The community center has been the town’s only early voting site for years. It won’t be available for early voters in March or in November following the passage of House Bill 1217. The new law is forcing the San Patricio County elections administrator to shut down four early voting locations.]()
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Texas Democrats and Republicans split on border proposal — not necessarily on party lines
The deal would also provide money to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, another priority for many Texas lawmakers. Full Story
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![Migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. cross the Rio Grande, bags and children in tow, back into Ciudad Acuña, Tamaulipas, Mexico from their camp in Del Rio on Sept. 21, 2021.]()
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House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump are accusing Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan has overseen the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history. Full Story
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![Beaumont, Texas: Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dade Phelan poses for a portrait at his office in Beaumont on Friday, Jan 26, 2024. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Today is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming primary election
New voters must complete and submit a paper voter registration application by today, Feb. 5, to vote in the March 5 primary election. Full Story
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Senate negotiators release sweeping border and military aid bill
The $118 billion national security package is a top priority for President Biden, but Trump and his allies oppose it. Full Story
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![U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC - The U.S. Capitol is seen on Thursday, January 6, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott defends migrant tactics in Eagle Pass amid escalating legal battle with Biden administration
DPS tells visiting governors that efforts to deter migrants are effective and razor wire and buoy barriers “save lives.” Full Story
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![Flanked by Republican governors, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to the press in Eagle Pass on Feb. 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune