A Challenge to Donna Campbell
Mike Novak, a former Bexar County commissioner, plans to challenge State Senator Donna Campbell in the Republican primary.
Former senior executive editor Paul Burka joined the staff of Texas Monthly in 1974, one year after the magazine’s founding. He led TM’s political coverage for nearly forty years and spearheaded its storied roundup of the Best and Worst Legislators each biennium. A lifelong Texan, he was born in Galveston, graduated from Rice University with a BA in history, and received a JD from the University of Texas School of Law.
Burka spent five years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature, where he served as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources Committee. He won the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award in 1981. He also received a National Magazine Award in 1985, for his two-part profile of Clinton Manges. After retiring from Texas Monthly in 2015, he taught at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He died in 2022.
Mike Novak, a former Bexar County commissioner, plans to challenge State Senator Donna Campbell in the Republican primary.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin has some advice for Governor Rick Perry, should he choose to enter the presidential race in 2016.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The uncivil war inside the Texas Republican party may be about to break wide open. Elements of the Tea Party are encouraging Tyler congressman Louie Gohmert to challenge U.S. senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The Legislature is locked into a mind-set in which it is impossible even to consider a long-term solution for addressing our transportation needs.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The third and final special session of the 83rd Legislature is over, and the result is an opportunity for voters to approve $1.2 billion in additional funding for roads in November 2014.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Do not count Susan Combs out of the comptroller's race.
By Paul Burka
Oregon is considering a "vehicle miles traveled" tax. Should Texas?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
“Transparency” is a word that is frequently invoked in the Capitol. But it is honored more often in the breach than the observance. Take the current battle over transportation funding. The problem is that the state has chosen to finance transportation by issuing bonds. This is a clever way to
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
If ever there was a clear-cut case for getting rid of the Texas Enterprise Fund, it is Rick Perry's decision to give Chevron, one of the world's richest corporations, a $12 million TEF grant.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Joe Straus' statement on the failure of the House to agree on a solution to the state's transportation needs is worth posting, because it lays bare the failure of the state's leaders to address the real problem.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Last week I wrote a post regarding Dan Branch’s announcement for attorney general, in which I lamented whether candidates will ever again run for higher office by explaining how they will execute the specific duties of that office. Branch took exception to my analysis and has sent in
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Last week the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the City of Farmers Branch, located northwest of Dallas, which sought to pass an immigration enforcement ordinance that would have prohibited landlords from renting to immigrants who were deemed unlawfully present and authorized arrest and prosecution of landlords
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
George Mitchell, one of the greatest Texans of his time, has died at the age of 94. He had been in failing health for several months. In addition to the contributions he made to Texas, Mitchell was a generous benefactor to Texas A&M and to his (and my) hometown of
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Today the Washington Examiner published the results of a poll that was provided by Ted Cruz’s staff and taken six weeks after the 2012 general election. The survey shows that Hispanics favored Democrat Paul Sadler over Cruz 60 percent to 40 percent and Obama over Romney 59
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
When I read about Dan Branch’s announcement of why he is running for attorney general — “I’m running to fight against an overreaching federal government, to fight for open and accountable government, and to preserve limited government in Texas” — it caused me to wonder whether anyone will
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The news that Kinky Friedman is considering another run for statewide office is not really news. It is just sick comedy.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
CSCOPE is an Internet-based curriculum developed for Texas schools and teachers by state-funded education service centers. The reason it was created is that many small school districts do not have the expertise to develop their own curricula. CSCOPE fills that void. It became controversial because some elements of the curriculum
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Now that HB 2, the omnibus abortion bill, is on its way to the governor’s desk, who are the winners and losers in the battle over abortion? Winner: Wendy Davis, who became a national figure by virtue of her filibuster and has the chance to reenergize the Democratic party in
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Is it possible that Susan Combs, having already announced that she will retire from public life after serving out her term as comptroller, is still trying to find a niche for herself in the 2014 primaries?Here’s an article she sent to her mailing list, which was forwarded
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The Texas attorney general is widely considered to be running for governor, but what are his priorities?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations met to discuss the possible impeachment of University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Will voters support a constitutional amendment for more spending on roads, after seeing all the construction that is going on?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Where does the governor go from here?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
George Bush strives for a higher command.
By Paul Burka
Following the filibuster by Wendy Davis, I wrote a cautionary post on Burkablog in which I pointed out that the euphoria that flourished in the wake of her memorable performance was not a game-changer; that Democrats would be wise to keep their enthusiasm in check, lest they raise
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
As Act II of the Wendy Davis show returns to the Capitol, the Democratic state senator has become an instant national star thanks to her filibuster against the Republicans' abortion legislation last week. What happens next?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
IMAGINE A KITTEN, VERY CURIOUS BUT EASILY FRIGHTENED: That was the Seventy-ninth Legislature. It poked around school finance, pawed at tax reform, heard loud shouts of “No!”, fled to Mama, curled up, and went to sleep. Lawmakers did a lot of exploring, learned a lot about the world, even grew
By Paul Burka and Patricia Hart
The candidacy of Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor could be a seminal moment in Texas politics.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
With another special session set to begin on July 1, the issue arises of how the Senate will handle the two-thirds rule. Will there be a blocker bill? Will the tradition be honored?The history is that in 2003, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst made the decision that the two-thirds rule would
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
In the epic flood of news these past few days, I wanted to return to a U.S. Supreme Court decision from earlier in the week. After ruling on Fisher, a more far-reaching case came down: Shelby County v. Holder, in which the justices decimated the Voting Rights
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The obvious question about whether the Democrats have a candidate in Davis who has the potential to break the party's long losing streak in statewide races is hard to answer.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The U.S. Supreme Court made the right ruling yesterday in Fisher v. University of Texas by remanding the case to a lower federal court.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The abortion debate in the House yesterday strengthened my longstanding conviction that this issue has done more harm to American politics than any other. It's where our politics began to jump the rails because it is a fight that cannot be resolved.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
In the ongoing sniper fire that is taking place between Senate Finance chair Tommy Williams and Education chair Dan Patrick, I am in total agreement with Williams. If you are appointed to the Finance committee, you are obligated to support the committee’s work. This has been the practice
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Perry told Bloomberg News that he would announce his decision about whether he would seek a full fourth term as governor by July 1. Why is he holding off on his reelect announcement?
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The latest approval numbers aren't terribly surprising.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The battle over securing the border has shifted from Arizona to Texas, according to the New York Times.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Proving the skeptics wrong, the Eighty-third Legislature accomplished most of what it planned to do. Our twenty-third roundup of the Capitol’s saints and sinners reveals who we can thank—and who we needn’t.
Perry's vetoes did very little damage to the record of the Eighty-third Legislature.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Brian D. Sweany, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and I joined Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune to talk about our picks for the 2013 Ten Best/Ten Worst Legislators list.
By Paul Burka
The legislators that shaped the Eighty-third Legislative session, for good and bad.
By Sonia Smith and Paul Burka
Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday added abortion and juvenile sentencing to the special session call.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Governor Rick Perry deserves praise for being on the right side of the rigor debate.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst published an op-ed piece on redistricting in today’s Houston Chronicle. Here is an excerpt:Following every federal census, the Texas Constitution requires the Texas Legislature to draw new district boundaries for the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate and U.S. Congress, which the Legislature did
By Paul Burka
The final touches on the magazine story will be completed today and the names will be tweeted on Texas Monthly's Twitter account next Wednesday at high noon.
By Paul Burka
The 83rd Legislature was the best session in many years, going back to at least 2003, when Republicans completed their sweep of Texas politics by securing a majority in the House of Representatives.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
The sticking point in the budget negotiations between the House and Senate was the System Benefit Fund.
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Poor David Dewhurst. He occupies what was once widely considered to be the most powerful office in the state. Now he is reduced to begging Rick Perry to help him pass his pet legislation so that he can have something to take to the voters. Dewhurst has had plenty of
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
They should have stamped “fragile” on the House budget package. That is how tricky it was to assemble. Chairman Pitts tried to explain to the tea party members that there was no money in SJR 1; it’s just a vessel for moving future payments into the Rainy Day Fund for
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany
Haven’t we seen this picture before? Speaker Straus performs well for most of the session, but when crunch time comes, he can’t close the deal. His team has no cohesion (except for Geren), and there doesn’t appear to be a strategy. So Straus falls back into his old persona of
By Paul Burka and Brian D. Sweany