State government

The elections are behind the state's politicians. The 86th legislative session is ahead. In between, it's time to raise money.

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Nearly half of the Democrats who will serve in the House next year signed on to support state Rep. Dennis Bonnen's speaker bid. Other members are left wondering what a House with Bonnen at the helm could mean for them — and whether they could get behind it.

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Under Texas law, landlords cannot be punished for discriminating against families with federal housing vouchers. The impact is clear in Houston, where one in four families who receive housing assistance never gets to use it.

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House Speaker Joe Straus said the unusual decision was meant to ensure lawmakers didn't rush to a decision they might "regret."

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The Legislature voted last year to end straight-party voting for the 2020 elections. After a tough night for some down-ballot Republicans, some are wishing they'd done it sooner.

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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Matthew and Cassi about the likely next speaker of the Texas House, the start of bill filing for the 2019 legislative session and an incoming Texas congressman's stint on Saturday Night Live.

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The long-awaited decision comes more than a year after Amazon announced the public bidding war in September 2017.

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Some favorite candidates of hardline conservatives lost their seats, while others won closer-than-expected races.

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Democrats, who picked up 12 state House seats, are more confident they’ll have a stronger hand in electing the next leader — an outlook that even some Republicans privately agree with.

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The timing allows Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint a replacement for the remainder of his term.

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Democrats flipped four major state appeals courts, toppling 19 incumbent Republican appellate judges.

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Texas women were poised for potential wins after multiple upsets in March primaries. On Tuesday, in race after race, Texas women won up and down the ballot including races for Congress and the Texas House.

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In a wide-ranging interview Wednesday night, Patrick sounded off about Straus, the midterm elections and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke: "It scares me what he stands for."

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Fourteen of 35 LGBTQ candidates won their races Tuesday night, and activists say the 2018 election will carve a path for a future "rainbow wave" in Texas.

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Republicans hoped to keep a majority Texas House seats from Dallas County when they redrew district boundaries in 2011. Seven years later, they've only held onto two of 14.

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In a wide-ranging conversation with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, Straus launched jabs at two fellow Republicans: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and President Donald Trump. He declined to weigh in on who should succeed him as the leader of the lower chamber.

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In the pilot episode of his new podcast, Point of Order, Evan Smith sits down with Speaker Straus the morning after the midterms to talk everything from the balance of power in the Texas House to President Trump's tweets.

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Historic turnout, unusually tight races and a "blue wave" that didn't quite break.

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Republicans won every statewide office in Texas, as they have in every election for the past 20 years. But Democrats are taking heart in their narrow losing margins.

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Led by female candidates, Texas Democrats picked up 12 Texas House seats from Republicans, mostly in North Texas. But Republicans still have the edge in the lower chamber.

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