Politics & Policy
January 26, 2023
How to Survive the Texas Legislature
The ways of the Texas Legislature are confoundingly weird. Here’s a guide to the madness.
By
Christopher Hooks
![Christopher Hooks's Profile Photo]()
and
Forrest Wilder
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Dan Patrick
Politics & Policy
January 18, 2023
Opinion: Texas Should Accept Medicaid Expansion
By not doing so, the state is jeopardizing the health of its most vulnerable populations and leaving billions of savings on the table a year.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Comparing Two of the Most Powerful Lieutenant Governors in Texas History
Like Bill Hobby, Dan Patrick has made the most of an inherently powerful position.
Politics & Policy
January 11, 2023
Texas Lawmakers Want to Make It Harder to Know What They’re Doing
State leaders used to invite coverage of their activity. Now the Texas Legislature is making reporting more difficult than ever.
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 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 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
and
Dan Solomon
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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.
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 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
June 20, 2022
Yes, the 2022 Texas GOP Platform Is Extreme. But Little of It Is New.
Observers cite the party’s convention as evidence that state Republicans have gone “full MAGA.” But if anything, MAGA folks are following Texas.
Politics & Policy
June 14, 2022
What Does the Senate’s Gun Safety Deal Mean for Texas?
John Cornyn helped wrangle other senators from both parties to advance a spate of provisions. But will the Texas Legislature follow his lead?
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
June 7, 2022
Greg Abbott Once Promised to End School Shootings, but After Uvalde His Tone Has Changed
After ten Texans were murdered at Santa Fe High School in 2018, the Legislature passed seventeen school safety bills. They didn’t work.
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 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 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
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
March 7, 2022
Is It Illegal to Have a Transgender Child in Texas?
Answers to your questions about the state's new rules targeting transgender kids.
By
Dan Solomon
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Politics & Policy
February 9, 2022
Retiring Kel Seliger Hopes Someone Else in the Texas GOP Will Stand Up To Dan Patrick
The old-school conservative spoke with us about partisan gerrymandering, Patrick’s hold on the state Senate, and Donald Trump.
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2021
Mike Collier Thinks Republican Legislators Would Be Relieved If He Beat Dan Patrick
The certified public accountant is running for lieutenant governor again and hopes Beto O’Rourke will top the ticket.
Politics & Policy
August 24, 2021
Matthew Dowd Says He Won’t Run Against “Craven” Greg Abbott, but “Cruel” Dan Patrick? Wait and See.
The former Bush adviser pledges to help Texas Democrats win in 2022—including, possibly, by putting his hat in the ring.
Best and Worst Legislators
June 15, 2021
2021: The Best and Worst Legislators
A wild year begat an even wilder legislative session. Lawmakers faced blackouts, a pandemic, and their own worst impulses. Amid the chaos, we plucked out the leaders—and the losers.
Politics & Policy
April 28, 2021
Why Dan Patrick Is in a Quandary Over a Bill to Allow Texans to Carry a Gun Without a Permit
The lieutenant governor is no stranger to forcing votes on controversial issues, but a new gun bill the House passed has concerned some members of his Senate caucus.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2021
The GOP’s Voter Restriction Bill Would Be a Do-over of the Attempted Voter Purge of 2019
Provisions of Senate Bill 7 would require some naturalized citizens to prove their right to vote.
Politics & Policy
March 19, 2021
Why Is Dan Patrick All in on Repricing Electricity Overcharges?
The lieutenant governor has long responded to crises with more talk than legislation. But is something different this time as he deals with the aftermath of the blackout?
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
Dan Patrick Declares War on “Green” Wall Street Investors
The lieutenant governor wants to require state pension and education funds to divest from financial giants that are trimming their investments in oil and gas—but he hasn’t thought through the potential consequences.
Politics & Policy
January 11, 2021
The Texas GOP Returns to Its Favorite Pastime: Infighting
With state government more firmly in Republican hands, the next year will feature a return of the Republican civil war. Here are the skirmishes to watch for.
Politics & Policy
June 13, 2020
Texas Has Shifted to an “It’s Your Responsibility” Pandemic Plan
As new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reach their highest levels yet, the state is relying less on restrictions and more on individual decisions.
By
Dan Solomon
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Politics & Policy
June 11, 2020
The Texas GOP Gives Itself a Tough Task: Rooting Out Racism in the Party
After GOP leaders in 12 counties posted racist responses to the George Floyd protests, top Republicans declared war on bigotry in their party. It’s not going to be easy.
Health
April 24, 2020
The Majority Agrees: Lifting Stay-Home Orders Won’t Bring Normalcy (But It Will Get People Killed)
Despite the loud protests, very few Americans are ready to go back to work.
Politics & Policy
April 23, 2020
Bull Session—Dan Patrick Repeats: Let’s Get Busy Living (And Get Busy Dying)
Plus, Ted Cruz says skateboarding is not a crime, and Dan Crenshaw becomes the cool face of the GOP’s coronavirus response.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
A User’s Guide to How Texas’s Top Elected Officials Are Handling the Coronavirus
In the best of times, our politicians can be a frustrating bunch. How are they doing in an unprecedented crisis?
Politics & Policy
March 24, 2020
Dan Patrick to Dan Patrick: Drop Dead
The Texas lieutenant governor is among a growing number of politicians who are willing to trade lives to save the economy. It’s a false choice.
Politics & Policy
March 5, 2020
Bull Session: Did Biden Win Texas by Courting the Whataburger Vote?
Plus, Beto’s bandmate blasts his Biden endorsement, Mike Bloomberg comprende Tejas, Dan Crenshaw vs. Pete Davidson, and Dan Patrick vs. shirts.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2020
Kirk Watson Escapes Dan Patrick’s Senate
The departure of the longtime Austin senator—for the greener pastures of higher education—will set off a fierce race for his seat.
Politics & Policy
January 7, 2020
The White Settlement Shooting and When It’s Okay to Politicize a Tragedy
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick were quick to find a self-serving narrative in the shooting at a church last week.
Politics & Policy
December 26, 2019
The Last Decade’s Ten Worst Years in Texas Politics
We stumble down memory lane, gawking at the madness and the mayhem of 2010–2019—and looking for an off-ramp.
Politics & Policy
December 18, 2019
Red Scare: Can Donald Trump Rescue the Texas GOP? Or Is He Part of the Problem?
Like so much in American conservative politics these days, everything begins and ends with Trump.
Music
November 18, 2019
Kanye West, Joel Osteen, Kim Kardashian, and Dan Patrick All Hung Out in Houston This Weekend
Their beautiful dark twisted fantasy.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
October 18, 2019
The Texas GOP Keeps on Dancing to Donald Trump’s Tune
Dan Patrick, John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz stood by at the president’s Thursday night rally in Dallas as he ridiculed them and claimed Hurricane Harvey made the state “a fortune.”
Politics & Policy
September 10, 2019
Dan Patrick Is a Sworn Enemy of Gun Control, So Why Is He Proposing Background Checks Now?
The lieutenant governor’s pledge to “take an arrow” from the NRA is a surprise, but the move is not as politically risky as it looks.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2019
2019: The Best and Worst Legislators
They called it the kumbaya session, but we still found plenty of scoundrels and statesmen.
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2019
Inside the Legislature’s High-Stakes Deal to Save Texas Public Schools and Cut Property Taxes
Texas's top lawmakers managed to put together an $11.5 billion package, but they did it in a way that all but guarantees a tax hike in 2021.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2019
There’s a Grand Bargain on Property Taxes and Education Funding. But What Is It, Exactly?
The governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House announced a deal on property taxes and school finance. It sounds good, but offered awfully little in the way of specifics.
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2019
The Culture Wars Come Roaring Back in the Closing Days of the Texas Legislature
The last few days have brought tearful, angry debate over abortion, religious discrimination, and LGBTQ rights.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2019
Without the Votes for His Sales Tax Hike, Dan Patrick is Exploring Other Tax Increases
The Big Three are desperate to save their property tax proposal. Among the ideas to buy down property taxes is an increase in the oil and gas severance tax.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2019
If You’re Looking for Dan Patrick This Legislative Session, You Might Find Him on Fox News
Once upon a time, the Texas Senate was Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s whole world. His turbulent 2014 campaign for the post was a radical change in Texas politics, the tea party revolution taking the throne. In his inauguration speech he proclaimed that his arrival marked “a new day
Politics & Policy
April 17, 2019
Dan Patrick’s Budget Negotiators Lack Racial, Ideological, and Geographic Diversity
The senators who will help finalize the state budget—which affects 28 million Texans—are all white and Republican, and four of the five are from the Houston area.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2019
Dan Patrick Gets His Way with Property Tax Reform, But Another Republican Has the Last Word
In a powerful floor speech Monday, Senator Kel Seliger offers a demonstration of decency that diminishes the lieutenant governor’s raw power play.
Politics & Policy
April 12, 2019
Dan Patrick Alerts Senate That He Intends to Use “Nuclear Option” to Pass Property Tax Reform
Unless a compromise can be reached next week, Patrick's decision to move forward will upend decades of Senate tradition.