Most Texas Republican Politicians Avoided the NRA Convention in Houston. But Democrats Poured In.
John Cornyn and Dan Patrick pulled out after Uvalde. Greg Abbott appeared by video. As Ted Cruz spoke, Beto O’Rourke led a protest.
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2022
What Texas GOP Leadership Has (and Has Not) Said in the Days Following Uvalde
“We need to stop the bad guys.” —Ted Cruz
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2022
“It Will Happen Again”: Texas Leaders Have No Plans to Prevent the Next Uvalde
Defenders of limitless guns are out of ideas but full of excuses.
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2022
A Year of “Protecting Children” in Texas
State leaders have campaigned in 2022 on "saving" Texas children from threats real and imagined. All the while, we've been selling them out.
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2022
At a Right-wing Comedy Night, the Hosts Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Former Texas legislator Rick Green has built a marketplace for conservative stand-up—and proselytizing.
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2022
Progressives Are Gaining in South Texas, but Henry Cuellar Appears to Have Narrowly Beaten Them Back
Jessica Cisneros’s challenge from the left animated some national Democrats against the nine-term congressman.
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2022
Anti-Trans Politics Has Won in the Texas GOP, But Its Main Figurehead Lost
. . . and other key Texas Lege results from the primary runoffs.
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2022
The Democratic Party Picks Its Team—For Better or Worse
First-time candidate Rochelle Garza cruised to the attorney general nomination, while Mike Collier and Jay Kleberg eked out narrow runoff victories over all-but-unknown opponents.
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2022
The “Incomprehensible” School Shooting in Uvalde
Governor Abbott’s comments showed just how lost our leaders are when it comes to gun violence.
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2022
The Bush Stops Here: George P.’s Loss Brings an End to the Family Dynasty
In the Republican runoff for attorney general, incumbent Ken Paxton—not to mention Donald Trump—got his wish.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2022
The Harris County GOP Is Assembling “Rapid Response Teams” to Monitor the Runoff
Houston Republicans are going on the offensive in this week's election as a trial run for November.
Business
May 20, 2022
Samsung Spills Toxic Water, Wins Texas Environmental Prize
As TCEQ investigates its Austin plant, the company was praised for “protecting our state’s natural resources.”
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2022
Texas Republicans Suddenly Want to Tell CEOs What They Can and Can’t Do
The state GOP long opposed new regulations on corporations. Then Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick launched a crusade against “woke” businesses.
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2022
2022 Primary Runoffs
Your guide to the 2022 Texas primary runoff elections.
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2022
Jeb to the Rescue? George P. Bush Gets a Cash Infusion from His Family’s Donor Network
Please clap.
Politics & Policy
May 18, 2022
A Texas Cop’s Indictment Made Him a Right-wing Darling. Will It Get Him Elected?
Justin Berry was running a sleepy state House race against Ellen Troxclair before his policing at George Floyd protests came to the fore.
Politics & Policy
May 17, 2022
Mike Collier’s Excellent Political Adventure
The Houston accountant has lost two statewide elections and knows the challenge of being a Texas Democrat. Why is he running a third time?
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2022
Donald Trump Had Nothing New to Say in Austin. His Fellow Speakers Did.
The former president played the usual hits at a rally Saturday, but rock musician Ted Nugent found new lows.
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2022
An Austin Attorney’s Supreme Court Brief Has Eerie Similarities to Justice Alito’s Leaked Draft Overturning Roe
Jonathan Mitchell, who cooked up the Texas “vigilante” law that effectively made abortion illegal in the state, argues the quiet parts of the majority opinion out loud.
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2022
Sarah Stogner Has a Lot to Say for Herself
The Texas Railroad Commission candidate stripped down in a campaign video to get attention for her issues—and landed a spot in the May 24 Republican runoff. Which means it’s time to hear her out.
Business
May 11, 2022
The U.S. Is Offering Meat Processors $1 Billion in Grants. Will It Actually Help?
Today’s the deadline to apply for federal aid, but some experts say decreasing regulations and hiring more inspectors would be more useful.
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2022
Don’t Be Certain the Draft Decision Ending Roe Will Drive Texas Turnout
Democratic leaders have predicted that the leaked draft decision will get Texas liberals to the polls. History provides caution.
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2022
Collin College Has a Free Speech Problem
At the sprawling North Texas community college, four professors say they were let go for speaking their minds. They’re not going quietly.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Texas Abortion Doctors Face a Difficult Choice: To Flee or Not to Flee
With an abortion ban looming as the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe, the heartbreak of trying to provide reproductive care is too much for some.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Rick Perry, Drug Pusher
How did the former governor become a leading advocate for psychedelics?
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2022
Will the Threat to Abortion Rights Shake Up Texas’s Tightest Primary Runoff?
U.S. House candidate Jessica Cisneros predicts it will, but most national Democratic leaders are standing behind the incumbent, Henry Cuellar.
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2022
Campaign Cash From Out of State Is Flowing Into Heated School Board Races in the Dallas Suburbs
Frisco is one of Texas’s top school districts. Well-funded candidates for its board are running campaigns designed to stir discontent with public education.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
In a Houston Suburb, Book Bans Fuel a Bitter School Board Race
Two right-wing activists in the high-performing, highly diverse Katy Independent School District aim to unseat incumbents in Saturday’s election.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
What the Bleep Is Going On With Texas Property Taxes?
No, sorry, we can't blame the Californians. Here's more than you ever wanted to know about your home’s skyrocketing appraisal.
Politics & Policy
May 3, 2022
When Reality Meets Wedge-Issue Politics at the Border, Politics Wins
Kevin McCarthy’s trip to Eagle Pass laid bare the bipartisan bankruptcy of U.S. policy.
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2022
Are Texas Republicans on the Verge of Winning Hispanic Majorities?
Greg Abbott says yes. New polling tells a different story.
Politics & Policy
April 27, 2022
Republicans Have Their Knives Out for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
But for now, her two GOP challengers are busy slashing at each other before the May 24 runoff election.
Politics & Policy
April 26, 2022
Cancel Culture Comes for Beto O’Rourke
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate says he wants to have a dialogue with Texans of all persuasions. But in one rural community, Republicans worked to make sure he would have no place to talk or listen.
Politics & Policy
April 21, 2022
Ted Cruz Watch
The senator speaks his Disney slash-fiction fantasies.
Politics & Policy
April 20, 2022
Greg Abbott Tried to Act Presidentially. He Might Have Run Afoul of the Law.
A legal expert says the governor’s effective blockading of the border could have violated the U.S. Constitution.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Unintentionally Warm Welcome of Asylum-Seekers
The governor’s move to bus migrants to D.C. may be an attempt to stick it to Joe Biden, but it’s playing out in ways he didn’t anticipate.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2022
“Migrant Lockdowns” Are the New Active-Shooter Drills in the Rio Grande Valley
When undocumented immigrants venture near campuses, many schools institute security protocols. But criminal acts by migrants aren't common.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2022
Is Our Children Learning Too Much?
There’s a long tradition in Texas of moral panics over what schools are teaching kids. The newest iteration is particularly quaint.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
The Dead Sea of West Texas Just Got Deadlier
Dangerous gas leaking from an abandoned well has become an issue in the colorful Railroad Commission runoff election.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
Who Is Greg Abbott?
After a quarter century in statewide office, Texas’s most popular politician remains an enigma—even to the folks who keep electing him. But the truth about the governor is hiding in plain sight.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2022
Meet the King Ranch Scion Who Wants to Be Texas Land Commissioner
Conservationist, businessman, and filmmaker Jay Kleberg offers unusual qualifications for the job.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Latest Border Theater
The governor's plans to bus migrants to D.C. and ramp up vehicle inspections at ports of entry have little to do with federal immigration policy.
Politics & Policy
April 6, 2022
A Democratic Congressman’s Gift to the GOP
By chasing an early retirement and triggering a special election, veteran Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville has opened up a big opportunity for Republican candidate Mayra Flores.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
Bad News for George P.—Lots of Texas Republicans Just Don’t Like Bushes
Two-fifths of Texas Republicans say they would never vote for a Bush.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
A Texas County Welcomed a Border Militia Last Fall. Now Some Officials Have Grown Weary of It.
The Patriots for America answered Kinney County's call for help cracking down on immigration. The group's methods concern civil liberties groups.
Politics & Policy
April 4, 2022
Texas Abortion Providers Feel “Ignored” by the Biden Administration
After the state’s abortion ban went into effect last year, the president promised a response that experts say has not materialized.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2022
Texas Log Cabin Republicans Will Settle for a Slightly-Bigger-Tent GOP
At an event of the group of “GLBT” conservatives in Houston, speakers studiously avoided discussion of their party’s anti-trans policies.
Politics & Policy
March 29, 2022
Lina Hidalgo Aides Are Accused of Steering a Contract to an Ally. Internal Communications Paint a Murkier Picture.
Documents shared with Texas Monthly reveal the thinking of some of the Harris County Judge’s staffers in awarding an $11 million bid.
Politics & Policy
March 28, 2022
A Fundamentalist East Texas Church Bought a Sawmill. Injuries and Child Labor Violations Began to Pile Up.
Almost 25 percent of severe injuries at mills in the state since 2017 have occurred at a single facility, owned by members of the Church of Wells.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2022
Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable
Texas’s attorney general is seen as the most beatable statewide Republican, but Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski are struggling to motivate the Democratic base.