Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
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?
An all-virtual election bid might be the right thing to do. But will it cost some Democrats their races?
He’s as red as a rose; she’s as blue as the state flower. And now the two congressional candidates are locked in a throwdown in a district that is neither.
South Texas queens who put on a wig, makeup, and heels are rebelling against a culture that has long been steeped in machismo.
State leaders have long tried to correct for the problem of too much democracy. But voters may get the last laugh this election.
Gina Ortiz Jones lost by fewer than 1,000 votes to popular retiring Republican Will Hurd in 2018 in the sprawling southwest Texas district. Now, she faces a less well-known rival in Tony Gonzales.
As a lifelong Republican—and, more recently, dedicated Never Trumper—it’s clear to me that the state GOP desperately needs to enter the twenty-first century.
His friends, both Black and white, confront the reality of police brutality in their quiet hometown.
The Texas attorney general has called his 2015 indictment for securities fraud a “witch hunt.” Now, seven of his aides accuse him of corruption.
The Republican touts his bipartisanship in an appeal to this increasingly blue congressional district northeast of Dallas, but he’s been a reliable vote for Donald Trump’s policies during his first term.
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.
As Mexico lags on sending what it owes to U.S. reservoirs and farmers on both sides of the border protest, experts say the 1944 agreement is not suited for today’s agricultural landscape.
‘Ready or Not’ is an affectionate portrait of Marcel McClinton, a teen activist and mass shooting survivor who challenged incumbent councilman Michael Kubosh.
This election will be highly unusual. Here’s what you need to know before voting.
But in a state where violations are many and consequences are few, reporting reckless neighbors might not make a difference.
Sheriff Troy Nehls won his primary as a Trump ally, but has distanced from the president in his race against Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni.
Once a Democratic stronghold, then gerrymandered to be a Republican one, the district includes a large swath of Austin and part of southern Tarrant County near Fort Worth.
It looks like they had fun making it!
The Dallas salon owner who rose to fame for defying shutdown orders is still campaigning to “reopen” Texas.
After some Houstonians had to wait in six-hour lines to vote in the March primary, new county clerk Chris Hollins is determined to help every eligible Houstonian cast a ballot this fall.
In the 2018 midterms, many lifelong Republican women voted Democratic. Will the urgent issues driving this election keep them there?
Instead of wasting time on tiresome culture wars, Texas’s political leaders ought to be thinking big. They could start by saving Houston from disaster.
Can a batch of new books, a documentary, and Donald Trump’s calamitous administration resuscitate the legacy of our 43rd president—and his illustrious family?
There's still a lot we don't know about the spread of COVID-19 on college campuses.
As COVID-19 spreads, some Hispanic San Antonians are relying on sage, psychics, and prayer.
In the spring, racial-justice activism flourished on the affluent campus. Now, as the fall semester kicks off, Black students and alumni are hoping to see change.
Facing down a potential Democrat-controlled Texas House, the governor has made a hard push to reframe the November election on his terms.
In this exclusive excerpt from the forthcoming ‘The Man Who Ran Washington,’ two veteran political correspondents recount how the future Reagan and Bush cabinet member's family legacy, a personal tragedy, and a friendship forged on the Houston Country Club’s tennis courts put a restless middle-aged lawyer on the path to
Both parties’ conventions sidelined politicians from the nation’s second biggest state. They might have had good reason.
Siena, Italy, crams 30,000 people into the amount of space occupied by a five-stack interchange in the Bayou City.
The Harris County judge has frequently pushed for bolder pandemic policy than Houston’s mayor, adopting a new style of politics her critics say Texans aren’t ready for.
Terence O'Rourke has spent a decade warning officials that a storm making landfall directly in Galveston Bay could be much worse than even Harvey.
The world’s most endangered sea turtle has made an impressive comeback, attracting thousands of visitors to North Padre Island, but now advocates say it may be at risk again.
SU Kappa Alpha brothers believe they were disciplined for the content of a social media post; the national organization says they violated protocol.
On The National Podcast of Texas, the legendary Democratic strategist on whether Texas is swingable and what it’ll take for Joe Biden to win.
A jobless Texan on life without the $600 federal unemployment payments.
The former city manager talks about a dead rat in a gift basket, a poop sandwich, and her timely new memoir, ‘Greedy Bastards.’
UT-Austin hit students with a request that at any other time would have seemed ridiculous: before classes start, would they please spend 14 days in self-quarantine?
Kevin Fink, Chris Shepherd, and others are lobbying lawmakers to pass the $120 billion grant program that has bipartisan support.
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.
Travis County offered the electric car giant a package of tax incentives worth about $1,200 a year for each of the five thousand jobs it promises to create at its new factory.
The death rate from COVID-19 in deep South Texas is more than twice the state average.
New polling indicates that the governor’s office is lagging behind mainstream opinion of the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
When Texas Republicans gather for their biennial convention, it's usually an impressive show of force. This time, it was an embarrassment.
The COVID-19 crisis is the predictable result of the governor muddling through things.
An APD tweet went viral after internet sleuths theorized that the cards were a police stunt. We got ahold of documents to find the truth.
MJ Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Troy Nehls crushes Kathaleen Wall in Fort Bend County, and other key results.
After running second in the Democratic primary to a progressive challenger, Moore argues that her critics haven’t done their homework.
Access to mail-in ballots has been restricted by the courts, but Texans might be able to vote from their car.
