Politics & Policy
October 10, 2022
Are Texas Republicans Serious About Secession?
Calls for independence are growing louder on the right. Maybe that would change if more Texans understood the costs of such a move.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
Latest
251-300 of 7061 Articles
Politics & Policy
October 5, 2022
The Editor’s Suggestion That Led to Kinky Friedman Running for Governor
The musician, author, and columnist needed an idea. Texas Monthly’s then–editor in chief said, “Make something up.” The rest is history.
By John Spong![John Spong's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2022
Texas Election Officials Are Fighting an Endless Battle With “Stop the Steal” Activists
Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud have made life more difficult and dangerous for poll workers.
Politics & Policy
October 3, 2022
Is Dan Patrick Campaigning—Or Auditioning to Be a Travel Influencer?
The lieutenant governor’s rural bus tour looks more like an extended vacation than a reelection bid.
Politics & Policy
September 30, 2022
Friday Night Sound Bites: The Debate Between Beto O’Rourke and Greg Abbott Happened, but Did It Matter?
It’s become a Texas tradition to hold brief gubernatorial debates during high school football prime time.
Politics & Policy
September 28, 2022
Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke Are Finally Debating. Here’s What They Need to Be Asked.
Ahead of Friday’s gubernatorial debate, Texas Monthly’s news and politics team came up with hard questions for both candidates.
Health
September 27, 2022
The Effort to Redefine Abortion Goes Beyond Ted Cruz
An abortion to save the life of a pregnant patient is “not an abortion,” according to Texas’s junior senator.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 26, 2022
The Forward Party Wants to Disrupt Traditional Politics. But Can It Win Elections?
Founded by Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, and David Jolly, the new party claims to encompass the left, right, and center. Its Houston launch, while well attended, prompted doubts about its viability.
Politics & Policy
September 23, 2022
During a Summer of Record Heat, Many Prisoners in Texas Struggled to Make It Through the Day Without AC
Seventy percent of Texas prisons do not have AC, except for a small number of ill and elderly inmates, an issue that the Legislature has repeatedly punted on.
Politics & Policy
September 21, 2022
Texas Moms Champion Beto With a Giant Roadside Reminder of the Uvalde Shooting
Uvalde-based activist group Fierce Madres partnered with Moms Against Greg Abbott to erect the anti-Abbott signage.
Politics & Policy
September 20, 2022
Biden’s New Border Patrol Leader in the RGV Promoted Trump’s Family Separation Policy
Twenty months after the former president left office, those who carried out his administration’s cruelest policy are still in place.
Politics & Policy
September 19, 2022
What’s Driving Greg Abbott’s Escalating Migrant Busing Scheme?
The Texas governor’s plan has been adopted by Ron DeSantis in Florida, and it has grown crueler as it spreads.
Politics & Policy
September 16, 2022
Ken Starr’s Pursuit of Righteousness
The conservative legal luminary, famous for the Clinton impeachment and his leadership of Baylor, mistook piety for doing what’s right.
Politics & Policy
September 15, 2022
Why Bringing More Affordable Housing to Austin Is a Block-by-Block Battle
A recent neighborhood fight demonstrates how the outsized influence of existing homeowners restricts supply in a city that badly needs 135,000 new homes.
Politics & Policy
September 14, 2022
Is There Anything Ken Paxton Could Do to Turn Voters Against Him?
Texans have stood by their attorney general through two criminal indictments and a host of other scandals. Is there any misdeed that might stick to his Teflon coating before the November election?
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2022
What Makes Beto Run—Again?
On his summer barnstorming tour of Texas, Beto O’Rourke argued that Republicans are waging war against Texas values.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 12, 2022
Opinion: In Defense of Texas’s New Pamphlet on State History
Two academics published an opinion article in Texas Monthly titled “What the 1836 Project Leaves Out.” But they’re the ones who left out facts inconvenient to their narrative.
Politics & Policy
September 8, 2022
Dan Patrick Demanded That Texas Retirement Funds Divest From BlackRock. But He Kept His Shares in the Firm.
The lieutenant governor said the company was “discriminating against the oil and gas industry." He didn’t mention his own holdings in the firm.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 6, 2022
The Politics of Adobe Could Reshape Far West Texas
The humble material has long been used to build homes in the desert. But working with adobe isn’t so simple anymore.
Politics & Policy
September 5, 2022
The Ballí Saga on Padre Island Reminds Us That the Little Man Can Win
Cecilia Ballí recalls reporting on her family’s legal victory over the lawyer who swindled the Ballís out of lucrative land rights on Padre Island.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
September 1, 2022
An Iconic Texas Spring Was Dry for Months. Is Mother Nature or Man to Blame?
Plans were underway to revive tourism at Fort Clark Springs in southwest Texas. But then, in a scenario increasingly common across the state, the water stopped flowing.
Politics & Policy
August 26, 2022
Will Hispanics in South Texas Vote for Abortion Rights?
The region has long been characterized as adamantly opposed to abortion rights. But the reality is more complicated. And times are changing.
Politics & Policy
August 25, 2022
Opinion: What the 1836 Project Leaves Out in Its Version of Texas History
The Legislature established a committee last year to “promote patriotic education.” Drafts of one of its pamphlets reveal an effort to sanitize the state’s long struggle with racial issues.
Politics & Policy
August 22, 2022
How True the Vote Fabricates Claims of Election Fraud, for Fun and Profit
Gregg Phillips, a former Texas official who claims that “2,000 mules” stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump, has raised millions of dollars to chase nonexistent fraudulent votes.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 19, 2022
A Presbyterian Minister Is Leading the Opposition to Anti-Transgender Texas Policies
Remington Johnson has become a touchstone for the families of transgender children.
Energy
August 18, 2022
Texas Leaders Shut Renewables Out in Planning the Power Grid’s Future
On a state advisory committee, only one member has experience developing wind or solar power. And he’s voiced some eyebrow-raising ideas.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Health
August 16, 2022
When Does the Life of a Pregnant Texan Count Under the State’s New Abortion Ban?
We asked for clarification from 99 Texas legislators who support the law, plus the attorney general who will enforce it, for clarification. Only one granted an interview.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 12, 2022
The Trump Raid’s Newest Victim: The Texas GOP
After the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, state Republicans near-unanimously lined up behind the former president—before details of the investigation left them silent.
Politics & Policy
August 10, 2022
Austin Tice Has Been Held Hostage Longer Than Any American Journalist Ever. His Texas Family Is Still Fighting for His Return.
The freelance journalist disappeared in Syria in 2012. His family in Houston hasn’t given up on seeing him come home.
Politics & Policy
August 8, 2022
The Houston Doctor Who Foretold America’s Health Care Woes in 1995
When a family doctor spoke out about insurance companies ruining his practice, few expected his appeal would still resonate 27 years later.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 8, 2022
In Dallas, Donald Trump Provided a Violent Blueprint for Seizing Power
In a week marked by militant rhetoric at CPAC—including Ted Cruz’s promise to “fight the barbarians”—the former president vowed to inflict a “crippling defeat” on his enemies.
Politics & Policy
August 5, 2022
Will the Alex Jones Verdict Change the Conspiracy Culture He Popularized?
The damages awarded this week in Austin are only the beginning of the likely end of Jones and Infowars. But it remains to be seen what that means for other purveyors of misinformation.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 5, 2022
In Dallas, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán Got a Standing Ovation From the Trump Faithful
“The globalists can all go to hell,” the authoritarian populist said at CPAC. “I have come to Texas.”
Politics & Policy
August 4, 2022
Almost No One Thought George W. Bush Was the Real Deal. Except Paul Burka.
Even when Bush was a complete political newcomer, Burka could see his potential to change Texas and usher in a yet-to-end Republican dynasty.
Politics & Policy
August 2, 2022
The Lawyers in the Alex Jones Trial Nearly Came to Blows
Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Bankston and F. Andino Reynal, who represents Infowars in the case, both have distinct challenges. Last week, their tensions boiled over.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 1, 2022
Why Molly Ivins Matters More Than Ever
Fifteen years after the popular journalist’s death, we’re living in the world she saw coming—and struggling to follow her example of joyful opposition.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
August 1, 2022
A New Book Exposes the Junk Science That Leads to Wrongful Convictions. Its Unlikely Hero Is a Texan.
On Wednesday in Austin, the head of the Texas Forensic Science Commission will interview the author of the latest forensic-science takedown.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 28, 2022
The Free Speech Elephant in Alex Jones’s Courtroom
The trial this week in Austin to determine what Infowars owes in damages for defaming Sandy Hook parents could have had huge free-speech implications. Because of Jones’s choices, it won’t.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2022
Kim Ogg Wants a Democratic Socialist Judge Thrown Off the Bench
Franklin Bynum has tried to reform the Harris County criminal justice system from within. That's made him a target of the district attorney.
Politics & Policy
July 26, 2022
The Korean War Memorial Dedicates Its Wall of Remembrance—Mistakes and All
Two brothers in Dallas tried for years to correct the misspellings and omissions. Now they’re heartbroken.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 26, 2022
What Does Alex Jones Owe the Sandy Hook Families He Defamed?
A jury in Austin, selected on Monday, is about to grapple with that surprisingly complicated question.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 25, 2022
Is This a Typical Texas Heat Wave or the Coldest Summer of the Rest of Our Lives?
Across the state, Texans are experiencing record-high temperatures, but we might be recalling this summer fondly someday.
Politics & Policy
July 21, 2022
What Happens When Texans Protest Their “Mind-boggling” Property Taxes?
Homeowners in hot housing markets got a nasty surprise when their appraisals arrived this spring. Here’s what happened when some of them tried to get reductions.
Politics & Policy
July 19, 2022
A January 6 Fugitive Was Arrested on a Property Connected to the Kinney County Attorney
Lucas Denney was staying on a ranch that documents suggest is connected to an official who helped pen the border county’s recent “invasion” declaration.
Politics & Policy
July 18, 2022
Texas Democrats Know They Need a New Leader. They Settled for the Old One.
At this weekend’s convention in Dallas, a contentious election for party chair revealed racial and gender-based fault lines.
Politics & Policy
July 15, 2022
The Korean War Memorial’s New Wall of Remembrance Appears to Forget Hundreds of U.S. Casualties
Dallas brothers Hal and Ted Barker, who have spent decades studying Korean War deaths, believe the wall is riddled with omissions and errors.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 14, 2022
The Uvalde Officer With the Punisher Logo on His Phone Is Not the Problem
After KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman published video from inside Robb Elementary, one policeman incorrectly became a symbol of larger failures.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 14, 2022
A Texas Mother’s Choice: Seek an Out-of-State Abortion or Let Her Baby Die a Slow, Agonizing Death
A severe pregnancy complication and the state’s strict limits on abortion combined to leave an expectant mother with few options—none of them good.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2022
Democrats Took Control of Texas’s Largest County. Then Party Leaders Went to War With Each Other.
Long-brewing tensions between Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and District Attorney Kim Ogg have come to a head months before an election.
Energy
July 12, 2022
Solar Power Is Bailing Texas Out This Summer
Enjoying that AC? Thank the mighty power of the sun and the renewable energy source keeping the grid afloat.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()