Politics & Policy
November 10, 2022
Texas Democrats Are the Charlie Brown of Political Parties
Every two years, the party tries to kick the football—and every two years, it misses. Good grief!
Politics & Policy
Reporting and commentary on the Legislature, campaigns, and elected officials
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301-350 of 7133 Articles
Politics & Policy
November 9, 2022
GOP Gerrymandering Made the Texas Midterms Kind of Boring
Only a handful of the state’s 219 legislative and congressional races were competitive. That was by design.
Politics & Policy
November 7, 2022
How to Lose a Texas School Board Campaign in 150 Days
Maryam Zafar, a college junior, wanted to improve the Round Rock schools she had attended. Then she saw how hard it was.
Politics & Policy
November 4, 2022
Why Is Ken Paxton Sending a Task Force to Monitor Harris County’s Elections?
Local officials and civil rights activists worry that the attorney general could be laying the groundwork for challenging another election.
Politics & Policy
November 3, 2022
Gen Z Is More Liberal Than Older Generations. The Texas Right Has a Plan to Change That—One Local Race at a Time.
Amid a crowded field of conservative youth organizers, Run GenZ is supporting young candidates for local office across the state.
Politics & Policy
November 2, 2022
Inside the Movement to Root Out Nonexistent Election Fraud in Texas
Weston Martinez can’t provide evidence for his claims of fraud in the 2020 election, but he is drawing crowds of right-wing activists across Texas.
Politics & Policy
November 2, 2022
The Mysteries of Texas’s Midterm Elections
Republicans are pursuing South Texas Latinos. Democrats are counting on the Dobbs abortion decision. Nobody knows who’s going to turn out to vote. And the polls are all over the place.
Politics & Policy
November 1, 2022
A Federal Judge Jailed Two Leaders of True the Vote
Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips refused to disclose the name of a mystery man who supposedly helped them investigate election software company Konnech.
Politics & Policy
October 31, 2022
Can Texas Democrats Make the Election a Referendum on Abortion?
For the first time in fifty years, single-issue abortion voters are pro-choice. Can Texas Democrats capitalize on it?
Politics & Policy
October 27, 2022
Can Alexandra del Moral Mealer Save the Harris County GOP?
State Republicans and local business leaders are betting big on the 38-year-old political newcomer, pouring nearly $5 million into her campaign to unseat County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Polls suggest the race is a dead heat.
Politics & Policy
October 26, 2022
Sorry, Democrats, Texas Is Not Secretly a Blue State
Millions of eligible Texans don't vote. That doesn't mean they're liberals-in-waiting.
Politics & Policy
October 25, 2022
Ted Cruz Wants to Be Popular. Why Is He So Bad at It?
On Monday’s ‘The View,’ and Sunday in Yankee Stadium, the senator tried again to be relatable and regular—with the usual results.
Politics & Policy
October 24, 2022
Wherever Donald Trump Goes, There You Are
The former president’s rally in Robstown was just like all his others in Texas, but he still commands state leaders’ attention.
Politics & Policy
October 24, 2022
Before Roe, Faith Leaders Helped Texans Get Illegal Abortions. What Will They Do Now?
Progressive religious leaders are mulling their options to help women who seek abortions—and some are willing to risk lawsuits and jail time.
Politics & Policy
October 21, 2022
Dan Crenshaw Is Phoning It In With ‘Reloaded III’
Where’s the passion? Where’s the intensity? And where are the robot arms, Congressman?
Politics & Policy
October 20, 2022
Why the Truth About Uvalde May Not Be Known for Years, If Ever
DPS director Steve McCraw could legally release mountains of evidence tomorrow. Instead, he is hiding behind a veil of secrecy.
Politics & Policy
October 17, 2022
Minority Rule: How 3 Percent of Texans Call the Shots for the Rest of Us
Low primary-election turnout and an anemic Democratic party means statewide officials and legislators are far to the right of most Texans.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2022
Some Texas Lawyers Think Greg Abbott’s Border Initiative Is Unconstitutional—But They’re Afraid to Challenge It
As the federal judiciary has shifted to the right, many who represent migrants are wary of bringing Operation Lone Star before the nation’s highest courts.
Politics & Policy
October 13, 2022
A National Law That Would Keep the Spurs in San Antonio, and Other Texan Proposals in Congress
Texan legislators in Washington keep their eyes on the important things. Texas Monthly rounded up the latest.
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2022
Texas Election Chief Speaks Out on Conspiracy “Nuts,” Death Threats, and President Biden’s Legitimacy
In an exclusive interview with Texas Monthly, Secretary of State John Scott urges “stop the steal” activists to accept the 2020 election results.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.