Creighton, Toth Bound for Senate Runoff
UPDATED: With all of the precincts counted, Brandon Creighton and Steve Toth finished first and second and appear headed for a runoff in the contest to succeed Tommy Williams in the Texas Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, insurance company president Gordy Bunch, former state Sen. Michael Galloway and state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, were the four initial candidates in a May 10 special election for Senate District 4. Creighton and Toth are heading to a runoff Tuesday.]()
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Questions of Politics, Experience in Burton, Shelton Runoff
Former state Rep. Mark Shelton and Tea Party favorite Konni Burton are vying in a Republican runoff election for the state Senate seat left open by Wendy Davis. It's a swing district that both political parties are paying close attention to. Full Story
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![Tea Party candidate Konni Burton and former state Rep. Mark Shelton are vying to represent Senate District 10 in a Republican runoff election.]()
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In SD-16, Carona Touts Experience, and Huffines is Pulling No Punches
State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, says his long tenure in office is an asset. Donald Huffines, who is challenging him in a contentious Republican primary race, says he's too liberal and too corrupt to represent a conservative Senate district. Full Story
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TribLive: Dewhurst on the Two-Thirds Rule, Chairs
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst weighed in on the Senate's two-thirds rule and his possible picks for the chairmanships of key committees. Full Story
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Texas GOP Gets a Hand From D.C. Democrats
Some Texas Republicans would like to change a rule that allows Democrats to block bills favored by the majority of the state Senate. They have a new ally, at least on the idea: Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Full Story
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Guest Column: The 2013 Senate, From Left to Right
How Texas state senators rank, from liberal to conservative, based on nearly 1,000 nonlopsided votes during the regular and special legislative sessions in 2013. Full Story
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Credit: Tommy LaVergne of Rice University -
Surprise Could Leave Senate Democrats Without a Safety Margin
Sometimes, it's the non-announcement that gets the political headline. Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns won’t run for the Senate, greatly increasing already high odds that the SD-10 seat will go to the Republicans. Full Story
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Huffines Will Challenge Carona in SD-16 Primary
Dallas developer Donald Huffines, who has never run for office but comes from a well-known family, confirmed Monday that he will challenge state Sen. John Carona in next year's Republican primary. Full Story
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In the Senate, an Expected Exit and a Surprising One
Announcements from state Sens. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, doubled the number of senators who won't be back in 2015. And there could easily be more. Full Story
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![Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, holds a copy of the state budget on the Senate floor March 20, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie K Cotera -
TribLive: Patrick on Democratic Chairmen
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a candidate for lieutenant governor, revealed how he'd dole out the chairmanships of Senate committees. Full Story
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TribLive: Patrick on the Two-Thirds Rule
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a candidate for lieutenant governor, explained his ongoing opposition to the Senate's two-thirds rule. Full Story
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Perry Calls Third Special Session, Focuses on Transportation Funding
UPDATED: Just over an hour after lawmakers ended their second 30-day special session of the year, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday called lawmakers back for a third one, with transportation funding the only issue on the agenda. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Some Democrats' Political Accounts See Boost in Donations After Filibuster
State Sen. Wendy Davis' filibuster against abortion legislation gave Democrats across the country a rare red-state rallying point, and some of them responded by opening their checkbooks. Full Story
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Dewhurst Discusses What He Saw at DPS Screening Spot
UPDATED: A week after saying that he saw bottles of urine and bags of feces at a DPS screening station ahead of a Senate debate on an abortion bill, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Thursday that he wasn’t close enough to see what was in the containers but was told what was in them, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday. Full Story
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Guest Column: A (Texas) Liberal in a Red State
State Sen. Wendy Davis raised her public profile with a filibuster on an omnibus abortion bill, but the Fort Worth Democrat didn't necessarily make herself more electable — at least in 2014. Full Story
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Credit: Tommy LaVergne of Rice University -
Guest Column: When Mob Rule Overwhelmed Democracy
The "gallery filibuster" last Tuesday — when loud demonstrations made it impossible for senators to vote on anti-abortion legislation — wasn't democracy in action. It was mob rule. Full Story
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How Activists Yelled an Abortion Bill to Death
When efforts by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and other Senate Democrats to run out the clock on an abortion bill fell short, protesters made enough noise to grind the Senate chamber to a halt. Full Story
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![Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, cheering with activists to disrupt the last minutes of the vote on Senate Bill 5.]()
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For Dewhurst, a Critical Failure With a Large Audience
The state's lieutenant governor was hoping the special session would revive his support among conservatives. It might have done exactly the opposite. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst ends the 83rd regular session an announces a special session to begin at 6:00PM on May 27, 2013.]()
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Guest Column: What Really Happened With the State Budget
When a fellow senator voted against the state budget because certain programs weren't funded, he forgot to mention that he was directly responsible for those funding decisions. Full Story
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TribLive: How'd the Senate Do?
Here's full video of my May 30 TribLive conversation debriefing the 83rd Legislature with state Sens. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin. Full Story
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