Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson to retire effective Dec. 31
The timing allows Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint a replacement for the remainder of his term. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson on Jan. 10, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats’ biggest win on election night may have been the courts
Democrats flipped four major state appeals courts, toppling 19 incumbent Republican appellate judges. Full Story
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![The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
2018 was the year of the woman in Texas. Candidates say it's "not a one-time deal."
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. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on outgoing House Speaker Joe Straus: "He's not much of a Republican."
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." Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally held by the NE Tarrant Tea Party in Grapevine on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, the "rainbow wave" outpaces the blue one
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. Full Story
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![Left to right: State Reps.-elect Erin Zwiener, HD-45, Jessica González, HD-104, and Julie Johnson, HD-115.]()
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Gerrymandering backfired for Texas Republicans in Dallas County in 2018
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. Full Story
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![Downtown Dallas in January 2018.]()
Credit: Brandon Formby / The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus: Texas and the Republican Party are “moving in opposite directions”
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. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith records an interview for a Texas Tribune podcast with Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, in the Speaker's office at the State Capitol in Austin on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018.]()
Credit: Rodolfo Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Point of Order: Joe Straus on the midterms, Donald Trump’s tweets and the next speaker of the Texas House
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. Full Story
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Four top takeaways from the 2018 Texas midterm elections
Historic turnout, unusually tight races and a "blue wave" that didn't quite break. Full Story
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![Voters cast their ballots in midterm elections in Houston, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats were aiming for historic wins in 2018. What they got instead was hope for 2020.
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. Full Story
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![Beto O'Rourke speaks to his supporters after losing to Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections, in El Paso on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic women lead biggest shift in Texas House since 2010 midterms
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. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie, and his Democratic opponent Terry Meza,]()
Credit: Facebook -
Democrats Nathan Johnson and Beverly Powell defeat state Sens. Don Huffines and Konni Burton in Texas midterm
Burton and Huffines were two of three Republican senators in districts where more voters backed Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump in 2016 or where the president had a narrow winning margin. Full Story
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![State Sens. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, Don Huffines, R-Dallas, and Joan Huffman, R-Houston.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich: Burton/Marjorie Kamys Cotera: Huffines/Laura Skelding: Huffman -
Gov. Greg Abbott clinches second term as GOP wins closest statewide races in 20 years
Abbott easily bested his Democratic opponent, Lupe Valdez. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced rare single-digit contests before eventually besting Democratic challengers. Full Story
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![Texas Governor Greg Abbott smiles before a gubernatorial debate against his Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.]()
Credit: NICK WAGNER/AMERICAN-STATESMAN -
Judge orders Harris County to keep some polling locations open an extra hour
Texans looking to cast their ballots on Election Day were met by a series of delays and technical difficulties that resulted in long lines, and in some cases kept voters from casting their ballots. Full Story
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![Voter wait in line outside Marshall Middle School, one of several polling places in Houston being kept open an hour longer after polls opened late with issues including election machine technical problems that caused delays in voting.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Split Decision: Watch candidates in the 2018 Texas elections virtually debate
During the general election campaign, The Texas Tribune produced six episodes of its Split Decision video series. Watch candidates for lieutenant governor, Congress and agriculture commissioner discuss the various issues in their races. Full Story
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With days to go, contest for attorney general shows signs of a competitive race
Attorney General Ken Paxton has run a mostly under-the-radar re-election campaign, but new ads and big donations in the final days suggest Republicans aren't taking anything for granted. Full Story
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![Houston lawyer Justin Nelson (left) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
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More than 4,884,528 Texans voted early in the midterm election
Early voter turnout in the 2018 midterms surpassed turnout from the 2012 presidential election in the 30 Texas counties where most registered voters in the state — 78 percent — live. Full Story
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![Long lines for the start of early voting at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center near downtown Houston Monday, Oct. 22. (Photo by Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
In midterms, Democrats see a chance to disrupt GOP dominance of state appeals courts
Enough judicial seats are up for election that Democrats could flip the four sprawling appellate court districts that serve Austin, Dallas and Houston. Hillary Clinton won those districts in 2016. Full Story
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![The Texas Third Court of Appeals in Austin on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
While Beto O'Rourke rakes in cash, big donors ignore the Democratic statewide ticket
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke has raised money hand over fist, but the rest of the statewide ticket has been left relatively empty-handed as many left-leaning megadonors have shifted — or sharply curtailed — their giving. Full Story
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![Lupe Valdez, Democratic candidate for governor, and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, vying for the U.S. Senate, at the Texas Democratic Party convention in Fort Worth on June 23, 2018.]()
Credit: Joan Brook for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke is betting big on Facebook ads: He’s spent more than $6 million in six months.
U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s spending in particular on the site suggests Facebook is playing a bigger role in his race this year than in any other in Texas — and possibly the country. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso (left), is challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera: O'Rourke/Bob Daemmrich: Cruz