Politics & Policy
September 7, 2021
Who Killed Criminal Justice Reform in Texas?
Texas was once a model of how to safely and economically move away from mass incarceration. Now the old politics of “law and order” are back.
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2021
The Democratic Quorum Break Puts Greg Abbott in a Bind
Primary challengers say Texas’s governor is weak. The failure to pass new restrictions on voting, a GOP priority, will add fuel to their criticism.
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2021
Killing Reagan: How American Conservatives Replaced Their Heroes With Trump
At a conservative gathering in Texas, two Florida Men are the winners, while the movement itself seems adrift.
Politics & Policy
July 8, 2021
Texas Republicans Are Already Declaring for 2022. Democrats Are Dazed and Confused.
GOP challengers have announced bids against Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and Sid Miller, while a forlorn Democratic party casts its eyes on Matthew McConaughey.
Politics & Policy
July 8, 2021
The QAnon Movement Isn’t Dead. From What I Saw in Dallas, It’s Just Evolving.
The outlandish conspiracy theory has made legions of believers into political activists. And the Texas GOP benefits from that.
Best and Worst Legislators
June 15, 2021
2021: The Best and Worst Legislators
A wild year begat an even wilder legislative session. Lawmakers faced blackouts, a pandemic, and their own worst impulses. Amid the chaos, we plucked out the leaders—and the losers.
Business
May 12, 2021
Elon Musk Is Turning Boca Chica Into a Space-Travel Hub. Not Everyone Is Starstruck.
Residents of the South Texas beach town say SpaceX’s billionaire owner is ruining their “little piece of heaven.”
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2021
Austinites Ban Public Homeless Camps, While San Antonio Voters Protect the Police’s Ability to Collectively Bargain
Plus, Lubbock becomes Texas's largest "sanctuary city for the unborn."
Politics & Policy
April 1, 2021
Meet “Big Dan” Rodimer, the Jersey Guy Who Wants to Be a Texas Cowboy (and Congressman)
You ain’t a cowboy till your stunt double’s been bucked off.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
Who’s Responsible for the Texas Blackouts?
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2021
Californians Could Ruin Texas—But Not the Way You Might Think
Lone Star State leaders have worried about transplants importing West Coast values and politics here. But they’ve largely ignored the more pressing challenges newcomers are bringing with them.
Politics & Policy
January 12, 2021
The Serious Stuff, the Loud Stuff, the Money Stuff: A Preview of the 87th Texas Lege
Lawmakers will have their hands full with a budget deficit and the pandemic. Here's what else to watch for this session.
Politics & Policy
January 8, 2021
American Democracy Survived Ted Cruz’s Demagoguery—This Time
Texas’s junior senator shares responsibility for inciting the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol. That’s brought him scorn from much of the country—but might win him fresh support from Trump Republicans.
Politics & Policy
December 19, 2020
The Shelley Luther Reality Show Is Canceled After Just Seven Months
The rebel salon queen beat Governor Greg Abbott once, but on Saturday, he had the last laugh.
Politics & Policy
December 11, 2020
Ken Paxton Takes His Texas Grifting to the National Stage
Facing a bribery allegation and criminal fraud charges, the Texas attorney general is tossing his supporters fresh red meat by leading an attempt to overturn the will of American voters.
Politics & Policy
November 16, 2020
What Does MAGA Look Like After Trump? This Weekend’s Protests Offer Clues.
In Dallas, the “Stop the Steal" events were more of a celebration than a wake.
Politics & Policy
November 9, 2020
How Did a Florida Man Become the Face of the Texas Republican Party?
Texas GOP chairman Allen West is at war with the governor and in love with the camera.
Politics & Policy
November 9, 2020
What Price Will Texas Democrats Pay for Their Failure, and for How Long?
GOP control of redistricting will cost Democrats for a decade, and out-of-state donors might well decide their money is best spent elsewhere.
Politics & Policy
November 3, 2020
Can Big, Bland John Cornyn Coast to a Fourth Term in the Senate?
Cornyn's race against MJ Hegar has been relatively sleepy, but that is to the senior senator’s advantage.
Politics & Policy
October 28, 2020
How the Texas GOP Went Off the Rails in 2020
The last year has featured bizarre scandals, lots of bickering, and troubling signs that Tuesday could be rough on the state’s Republican juggernaut.
Politics & Policy
October 28, 2020
Texas Democrats Went Missing for Decades. Can They Come Back Tuesday?
The state’s minority party hasn’t had this big an opportunity to shake off its loser mentality in a long, long time.
Politics & Policy
October 13, 2020
The Biggest Fight in the State? Control Over the Texas House.
For the first time in a decade the Texas House—and influence over redistricting—is in play. Will it slip out of the Democratic party’s grasp once again?
Politics & Policy
October 8, 2020
What If They Held an Election and Everyone Came?
State leaders have long tried to correct for the problem of too much democracy. But voters may get the last laugh this election.
Politics & Policy
October 5, 2020
The Calls of Impropriety Are Coming From Inside Ken Paxton’s Office
The Texas attorney general has called his 2015 indictment for securities fraud a “witch hunt.” Now, seven of his aides accuse him of corruption.
Politics & Policy
October 3, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Voter Suppression Methods Have Become More Subtle—But They’re Still Transparent
The governor’s most recent order on ballot drop-off locations follows a long history of efforts by him and his party to lower voter turnout, and could have an outsized effect on the battle for control of the state House.
Politics & Policy
September 11, 2020
Greg Abbott’s “Back the Blue” Posse Can’t Shoot Straight
Facing down a potential Democrat-controlled Texas House, the governor has made a hard push to reframe the November election on his terms.
Politics & Policy
August 31, 2020
If Texas Is a Battleground, Biden and Trump Aren’t Acting Like It
Both parties’ conventions sidelined politicians from the nation’s second biggest state. They might have had good reason.
Politics & Policy
July 30, 2020
Congressman Gohmert Has Had a Louie of a Week
The East Texas Republican tested positive for the coronavirus after refusing to wear a mask—which almost made us forget about his supporters allegedly beating up his opponent’s campaign manager.
Politics & Policy
July 22, 2020
After the Protests: Four Perspectives on the State’s Criminal Justice System
While demonstrators marched in cities and towns across the country, a police union rep, an activist, a legislator, and an attorney sat down to discuss how to break the deadlock and bring about better policing.
Politics & Policy
July 21, 2020
The Texas GOP Held Its Convention on Zoom—and It Was a Comic Disaster
When Texas Republicans gather for their biennial convention, it's usually an impressive show of force. This time, it was an embarrassment.
Politics & Policy
July 17, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Penchant for the Path of Least Resistance Has Led Texas to the Brink of Disaster
The COVID-19 crisis is the predictable result of the governor muddling through things.
Politics & Policy
July 9, 2020
The Primary Runoffs Have Finally Arrived. Here’s What to Watch For.
Originally scheduled for May and pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic, the elections feature a few key races, some scandal-ridden candidates, and many old friends.
Politics & Policy
June 30, 2020
A Socially Distanced Senate Runoff Debate Finally Got MJ Hegar and Royce West to Throw Down
The race to choose a Democratic challenger to John Cornyn has been overshadowed by other news, but it finds the Texas Democratic Party bitterly divided.
Politics & Policy
June 29, 2020
Mike Pence Preaches to a Maskless Choir in Dallas
With Donald Trump’s approval rating dropping among his formerly reliable white evangelical base, the administration dispatched the vice president to Robert Jeffress’s First Baptist Church.
Politics & Policy
June 26, 2020
The COVID-Related Death of a Local Republican Official Points to the Risks of an In-Person Texas GOP Convention
Days after he attended his county party convention, Bill Baker was hospitalized with COVID-19. In three weeks, more than 7,000 Republicans will descend on Houston.
Politics & Policy
June 24, 2020
Ronny Jackson Was Trump’s Doctor. Now He Wants to Be the President’s Best Friend in Congress.
It’s an unusual and risky campaign strategy: Jackson is trying to appeal primarily to Trump, in the hopes that the voters will follow.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
Greg Abbott Invites You to Figure Out What His Coronavirus Executive Orders Allow
A month and a half after telling local officials they couldn't mandate masks, the Texas governor congratulated a local official on realizing that, actually, they could.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
The Next Legislature Will Meet Amid an Economic Nightmare. What Could Go Wrong?
It's March 2021 and Democrats are in power again, the state budget is a bloodbath, and the coronavirus stalks the Capitol.
Politics & Policy
June 11, 2020
The Texas GOP Gives Itself a Tough Task: Rooting Out Racism in the Party
After GOP leaders in 12 counties posted racist responses to the George Floyd protests, top Republicans declared war on bigotry in their party. It’s not going to be easy.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2020
Black Studies Scholar Peniel Joseph on the Significance of the BLM Protests
The UT professor sees echoes of the past—and hope for the future—in the demonstrations rocking the nation.
Politics & Policy
June 6, 2020
Black Lives Matter Comes to Vidor—Yes, Vidor
On Saturday, a diverse crowd of 150 showed up in Vidor, once known as a Klan stronghold, to turn their backs on the town's past.
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2020
Can the ‘Texas Miracle’ Survive?
With a virus-infected economy and an oil bust to boot, the Texas model is facing an unprecedented crisis.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2020
Why Does Attorney General Ken Paxton Want to Make Voting a Death-Defying Act?
The resignation of a key election official serves as a warning about the dangers of conducting elections in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
Politics & Policy
May 8, 2020
Showdown at the Salon: How Hairdressing Became the Thing We Fight About in the Middle of the Pandemic
The Shelley Luther saga gave Texas politicians an excuse to change the conversation, and deflect blame.
Health
April 24, 2020
The Majority Agrees: Lifting Stay-Home Orders Won’t Bring Normalcy (But It Will Get People Killed)
Despite the loud protests, very few Americans are ready to go back to work.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
A User’s Guide to How Texas’s Top Elected Officials Are Handling the Coronavirus
In the best of times, our politicians can be a frustrating bunch. How are they doing in an unprecedented crisis?
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2020
Seeking to Represent Sugar Land, Kathaleen Wall Decides to Run Against China
The candidate is running in a district that’s home to more Asian Americans than anywhere else in Texas. Her newest campaign ad blames the People's Republic for the coronavirus pandemic.
Politics & Policy
March 24, 2020
Dan Patrick to Dan Patrick: Drop Dead
The Texas lieutenant governor is among a growing number of politicians who are willing to trade lives to save the economy. It’s a false choice.
Politics & Policy
March 18, 2020
Is Climate Change Denial Thawing in Texas?
Surprising statements by oil industry leaders have grabbed headlines. But the bigger change is underway more quietly, among young Republicans.
Politics & Policy
March 11, 2020
Let’s Count the Ways Texas’s Dismal Health-Care Landscape Could Make the Coronavirus Worse
A high uninsured rate, hospital closures, and poor elder care leave Texas especially vulnerable to a COVID-19 epidemic.