Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, the Democrat also emphasized he wasn’t running for president in 2028.
State Government
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The 2025 Texas Tribune Festival
Texas Democratic candidates pitch themselves as the best to beat Gov. Greg Abbott
Gina Hinojosa said Abbott is to blame for corruption in Texas and Andrew White spoke on abortion and immigration.
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The 2025 Texas Tribune Festival
Texas still needs a plan for its growing water supply issues, experts say
Panelists at The Texas Tribune Festival shared their opinions on what the state should do after voters approved a historic investment in water infrastructure.
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The 2025 Texas Tribune Festival
Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan says he’s “not a MAGA Republican” and couldn’t carry Trump’s agenda
At a Texas Tribune Festival event on Thursday, the Beaumont Republican said his opposition to Trump and his agenda informed his decision to give up the speaker’s gavel last year.
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Higher Education
Texas lawmakers say colleges have to balance free speech with duty to keep discourse civil
Legislative panels were created after Republican leaders criticized students mocking or celebrating conservative activities Charlie Kirk’s death.
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State Government
Former state Rep. Chris Paddie fined $105,500 for violating revolving door lobbying law
The Marshall Republican began lobbying less than two years after donating campaign funds to other state lawmakers, according to a Texas Ethics Commission order.
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The 2025 Texas Tribune Festival
Texas House Democrats say they are keeping their options open for speaker in 2027
Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, Democratic Rep. Donna Howard acknowledged that Republicans have unified around Speaker Dustin Burrows to the point that he “may not need us” to retain the gavel.
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Congress
Fresh off defeating state THC ban, Texas hemp industry faces wipeout under federal deal to end shutdown
The issue roiled Texas politics earlier this year when Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a ban on THC products spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
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Health care
How building a new hospital cost this rural Texas town a place to deliver babies
Olney Hamilton Hospital joins the nearly 60% of rural Texas hospitals that do not deliver babies, leaving large swaths of the state without a nearby place to give birth.
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2026 Texas Elections
Mike Collier to challenge Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick again — as an independent
Patrick has twice defeated Collier, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018 and 2022.