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.
Articles by Christopher Hooks
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can the ‘Texas Miracle’ Survive?
With a virus-infected economy and an oil bust to boot, the Texas model is facing an unprecedented crisis.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Biden Unity Party Last Night Was a Music Hall Putsch
At a honky-tonk in Dallas, the Democratic party made its move against Bernie—finally.
Lina Hidalgo’s Year of Living Dangerously
Led by a twentysomething Latina, Democrats now run Harris County, offering a glimpse at what things might look like—for better or for worse—if the party finds itself back on top across Texas.
Kirk Watson Escapes Dan Patrick’s Senate
The departure of the longtime Austin senator—for the greener pastures of higher education—will set off a fierce race for his seat.
The Iowa Caucuses Taught Us Once Again That No One Knows Anything
This year is going to feature a lot of confident pronouncements from experts who will be proved wrong again and again.
How Much Does the Democrats’ Big Flop in Tuesday’s Special Election Matter?
Beto & co. came up embarrassingly short, but the result probably doesn’t say all that much about November.
Michael Lind Wants to Put America Back Together
The author and UT professor believes our country is falling apart—and he has a plan to fix it.
Greg Abbott’s Rejection of Refugees is Baffling—and Boneheaded
The governor’s decision makes no sense from a practical perspective, and ultimately, it can’t be explained as a policy choice at all.
The White Settlement Shooting and When It’s Okay to Politicize a Tragedy
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick were quick to find a self-serving narrative in the shooting at a church last week.
Miss Me When I’m Gone: Now That His Campaign Is Over, Julián Castro Is Extremely Popular
Castro’s presidential ambitions have ended, but Texas has likely not heard the last of him.
Terrence Malick’s ‘A Hidden Life’ Is Inspiring But Hard to Learn From
The Austin director’s war film is notable for its near-total absence of politics.
The Last Decade’s Ten Worst Years in Texas Politics
We stumble down memory lane, gawking at the madness and the mayhem of 2010–2019—and looking for an off-ramp.
Red Scare: Can Donald Trump Rescue the Texas GOP? Or Is He Part of the Problem?
Like so much in American conservative politics these days, everything begins and ends with Trump.
Weird Candidates and Fifteen-Way Races: The Texas Primary Ballot Is Madness
Now that races for the March primary are (mostly) set, here are a few things worth keeping an eye on.
Who Gets to Live and Die When the State Relies on False Testimony in Death Penalty Cases?
A.P. Merillat helped send at least 15 people to death row. On Wednesday, Travis Runnels will become the third this year to be executed, even though a former prison official calls Merillat’s testimony “bullshit.”
Rick Miller’s Racist Remarks About “Asians” Were Not Part of the GOP Plan for Fort Bend County
Now that the Texas GOP is trying to present a more diverse face this year, it can't afford to alienate voters in places like Fort Bend County.
Cocaine Is a Hell of a Drug, But Then So Is Partisanship
What Poncho Nevarez’s cocaine problem tells us about corruption and impunity at the Texas Capitol.
Let’s All Hope Tony Buzbee Drank a Lot of Water Last Night
The eccentric megalawyer’s unpredictable and at times unintelligible speech claiming victory in Houston’s mayoral election has to be seen to be believed.
Proposition 7 Could Increase Education Funding, But That’s Part of the Problem
One constitutional amendment on the ballot poses a question that often vexes lawmakers—short-term need, or long-term benefit?
What Happens When the Texas Governor Shares the Worst Day of Your Life on Twitter?
As part of his campaign against Austin’s homelessness rules, Greg Abbott tweeted an old video of a non-homeless man having a mental health episode. His attorney says the governor is “retraumatizing” the man and his family.
Bonn Voyage, Dennis!
The embattled speaker of the Texas House, Dennis Bonnen, calls it quits.
The Texas GOP Keeps on Dancing to Donald Trump’s Tune
Dan Patrick, John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz stood by at the president’s Thursday night rally in Dallas as he ridiculed them and claimed Hurricane Harvey made the state ”a fortune.”
The Bonnen Tape Is Tawdry, Shocking, and Kinda Funny
The secretly recorded meeting between Dennis Bonnen and Michael Quinn Sullivan shows how Texas political operators talk behind closed doors.
The Rick Perry Show Is Back!
Our ever-entertaining former governor has been awfully quiet for the past few years. But we knew that couldn’t last.
Street Fight: Inside Austin’s Bitter Brawl Over Homelessness
Austin’s legalization of camping and sidewalk sleeping has stirred a backlash that obscures the progress some Texas cities have made in steering the homeless off the streets.
In the Name of Leslie Cochran, Will the Governor Please Leave Austin Alone?
Austin-bashing is as old as the hills, but things have gotten a little out of hand.
Trump’s Texas Allies Just Can’t Quite Figure Out How to Defend Him
John Cornyn and other Republicans are doing their best to explain away the Ukraine scandal, but their best just looks silly.
The Unusual Circumstances of Botham Jean’s Murder Made Amber Guyger’s Conviction Possible, But Not Inevitable
The straightforward circumstances of Jean's slaying proved too difficult for the jury to ignore.
Houston’s Indian American Community Showed Its Strength at the Modi Rally
But the event was also unsettling in the way it brought together two leaders—Trump and Modi—in an authoritarian embrace.
The Battle to Rewrite Texas History
While a new generation of scholars is rewriting our history, supporters of the traditional narratives are fighting to keep their grip on the public imagination.
Thursday Night Lights: Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro Fight for Relevancy at the Houston Debate
Beto vs. Julian, Castro tries to shank Biden, why the debate format sucks, and (bonus!) a snoozy Latinos for Trump rally.