Behind closed doors, Greg Abbott’s office has pitched a plan to fix Texas school finance
The pitch includes capping increases in districts' property tax revenue and financial incentives to improve school performance. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a rally at the Capitol for school choice January 24, 2017. Both Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick spoke in favor of expanding school choice options. Students, educators, activists and parents marched on the south lawn to show their support for expanding school choice options during National School Choice Week.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz leads Beto O’Rourke by 6 in Texas Senate race, UT/TT poll finds
Republican incumbents lead their Democratic challengers in the top four races on the general election ballot, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News/POOL / Emily Albracht for the Texas Tribune -
Abbott going on 19-stop tour to campaign for other Republicans
Gov. Greg Abbott, the heavy favorite in his re-election race, is spending the early voting period traveling the state to help down-ballot Republicans. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a get out the vote rally in Houston on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, the first day of early voting for Republican and Democratic primaries in Texas.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Election Day in Texas isn’t even the half of it
Whether the 2018 election attracts more of the state's voters or not, more than half of the people who do vote will vote early — before Election Day dawns. Full Story
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![Voters lined up at the Austin Community College Highland Campus in Austin for the first day of early voting on Oct. 24, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick to speak at Donald Trump's rally with Ted Cruz
The rally will be held in Houston on Monday, the first day of early voting for the Nov. 6 election. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: When the Texas House and Senate fight, legislative agencies squirm
The head of the little-known Texas Legislative Budget Board retired this week, adding a coda to years of differences between the agency's two masters — the Texas House and the Texas Senate. Full Story
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![Legislative Budget Board Director Ursula Parks answers a question from the House Committee on General Investigating & Ethics during a public hearing July 12, 2016 as the committee examines the use of leave and settlement payments to departing state employees.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Abbott releases TV ad featuring family that survived Sutherland Springs shooting
The family describes Abbott's visit to the hospital after the shooting, and how the governor's success after being paralyzed gave the family hope. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announces plans for several veteran's initiatives during a campaign speech Nov. 11, 2017 at the Austin American Legion Hall on Lady Bird Lake.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott and challenger Lupe Valdez spar over arming teachers, Harvey recovery in debate
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and his Democratic challenger, Lupe Valdez, held their first and only debate Friday night in Austin. Full Story
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![An audience watches the only Texas gubernatorial debate between incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez, in Austin, Texas on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Republican Pete Flores upsets Democrat Pete Gallego in race for Uresti seat
Democrat Gallego has conceded to Flores in the race to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, in a Democratic-leaning district. Flores will become the first Hispanic Republican to serve in the state Senate. Full Story
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![Texas Senate candidate Pete Flores applauds early returns that show him ahead of Democrat Pete Gallego in SD-19 race to replace disgraced Sen. Carlos Uresti on Sept. 18, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
In ads, Gov. Greg Abbott boasts of expanding pre-K. Advocates say that's misleading.
Early childhood education advocates say the governor created an "unfunded mandate" for higher-quality pre-K that Texas schools are unable to meet. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
How excluding Canada in Trump’s new trade deal could hurt Texas
Texas sees more than $40 billion in total trade with Canada every year. Canada's potential exclusion from any new U.S. trade deal could result in the nation implementing costly tariffs that would hit Texas business, a trade expert says. Full Story
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Credit: iStock -
Valdez agrees to debate Abbott on Sept. 28 in Austin
Lupe Valdez, the Democratic nominee for governor, has agreed to debate Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 28 in Austin. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera: Abbott/Laura Buckman: Valdez -
Abbott taps Nebraska official to lead Health and Human Services Commission
Courtney Phillips currently leads the Department of Health and Human Services in Nebraska. Full Story
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![Courtney Phillips, Gov. Greg Abbott's newly named pick to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
Credit: Office of the Governor -
Ted Cruz leads Beto O’Rourke by 4 points, according to NBC/Marist Poll
A new poll showed the U.S. Senate race between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke is tight, just as the fall campaign is about to begin. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (left), D-El Paso, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.]()
Credit: Doug Young: O'Rourke/Michael Stravato: Cruz -
Analysis: What would Pa Ferguson do? What would Ma do?
Giving Texas governors the power to edit proposed regulations under a veil of secrecy — as Gov. Greg Abbott is vying to do — could provide new opportunities for campaign finance shenanigans. Full Story
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![Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, who served as the 29th and 32nd Governor of Texas, and her husband James "Pa" Ferguson, who was the 26th governor, his term cut short after he was impeached and removed from office.]()
Credit: Texas State Library and Archives Commission -
Dispute over resignation letter holds up special election to replace state Sen. Sylvia Garcia
Garcia, who is widely expected to be headed to Congress next year, is at odds with the governor's office over whether her resignation letter was worded properly to allow him to call a special election. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, speaks with Evan Smith at TT Events at the Austin Club on April 19, 2018. Garcia is favored in the November election for Congressional District 29 seat now being held by Gene Green.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/BDP, Inc. -
Retiring GOP state rep blasts Abbott's move to expand power over agencies
In a June 22 letter, Abbott's office directed agencies to run rules by him before publishing them. In a letter this week, state Rep. Byron Cook questioned the governor's authority to do that. Full Story
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![State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, during the first hearing of the House Select Committee on Economic Competitiveness on Nov. 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott sets runoff to replace state Sen. Carlos Uresti for Sept. 18
Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled a Sept. 18 special election runoff for Senate District 19. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego (left), a Democrat, and Republican Peter Flores are running for state Senate District 19.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich: Gallego/Campaign website -
Analysis: Can Texans handle this kind of tough love about schools?
The state is about to hand out report cards on Texas schools and school districts, raising anxiety levels among educators and — once the grades are out — with parents, businesses, politicians and taxpayers. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Benjamin Hasson -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott proposes bail reform after death of DPS trooper
Abbott said he wanted to fix a flawed system in Texas that allowed the man suspected of killing a trooper last year to get out of jail on bond despite having been previously accused of assaulting a deputy. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott. joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw (seated, left) and Kasey Allen, widow of Damon Allen, speaks at a press conference in Waco on August 7, 2018. Abbott announced a proposal to reform the bail system in Texas. The proposal is in honor of State Trooper Damon Allen, who was killed while on duty in 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune