In part one of our two-part look at the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder.
State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
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Texas Legislature 2025
A guide to Texas’ special legislative session
Texas lawmakers start a 30-day special session July 21. They will tackle consumable THC, flood dangers, new congressional districts, abortion pills and other conservative priorities.
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State Government
As Texas embraces federal immigration database to verify voter citizenship, some experts are worried
Texas officials praise the revamped immigration database, but some critics are raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy.
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Health care
THC-related poison control calls tripled in Texas after hemp became legal. Experts say there’s more to the story.
Experts say poison control data don’t specify which calls are related to hemp versus more dangerous K2, but show that most THC poisonings cause minor side effects.
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Redistricting Texas 2025
Texas Democrats vow to use delay tactics to drag out GOP redistricting effort
With few options to prevent the Republican majority from passing a new congressional map, Democrats threatened to filibuster, delay hearings and even break quorum.
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Investigations
Texas lawmakers largely ignored recommendations aimed at helping rural areas like Kerr County prepare for flooding
Texas lawmakers’ inaction on flood prevention often hits rural and economically disadvantaged communities the hardest, experts said.
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Texas measles outbreak
Better testing, less vaccine messaging among lessons learned from historic Texas measles outbreak
Faced with a skeptical religious community that became the center of the outbreak, public health officials say they may have pushed too hard on vaccine messaging.
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Politics
The Texas Legislature is back for a special session. Here’s what we’re watching.
Lawmakers will have 30 days to tackle a packed agenda outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott, from flood relief to redistricting to THC products.
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Hill Country floods
Number missing from Hill Country floods down to 3
Officials removed nearly 100 from the list of the missing Saturday, saying many had been found safe. There was no update on the death toll, which was most recently 135 statewide.
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State Government
Appeals court upholds Texas law limiting cities’ enforcement of local ordinances
The 2023 law, previously ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County judge, prevents cities from enforcing ordinances that don’t align with broad swaths of state law.