Texas hits record high for early voting turnout
Forty-six percent of registered voters in Texas had cast their ballots through Monday. In 2016, the percentage was 43.5% for the entire early voting period. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line at a polling site at Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
In Lubbock, pandemic fatigue sets in as hospitalizations rise
Experts and officials say people are exhausted with coronavirus restrictions and have begged them to don face coverings, socially distance and take “personal responsibility” for keeping themselves and their neighbors safe. Full Story
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![A line forms outside of Mesquites Bar and Grill in Lubbock on Oct. 17.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Michael Bloomberg to spend $15 million on TV ads for Biden in Texas and Ohio after seeing tight polling
The move comes as some polls show the Biden-Harris ticket within striking distance — and, in some surveys, ahead — in the traditionally Republican state. Full Story
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![Democratic presidental candidate Michael Bloomberg at his rally at Central Machine Works in East Austin on Jan. 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Steve Matzker for The Texas Tribune -
Polls, late campaign activity suggest Republican dominance in Texas could be at risk
With a week to go until Election Day, the race for Texas' Electoral College votes appears closer than it has been in decades. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line to at Audelia Road Branch Library on the first day of early voting in Dallas on October 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to Supreme Court, with Texans Cornyn and Cruz in favor
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Republicans of Texas, both voted to confirm Barrett. Full Story
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![Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's Nominee for Supreme Court, posed for a photo on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on Oct. 21, 2020.]()
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As Ken Paxton battles scandal, Land Commissioner George P. Bush considering a 2022 run for attorney general
An aide said Bush has heard from “several donors” who want him to consider running. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, “is absolutely planning on running again,” a spokesman said. Full Story
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![George P. Bush at The Texas Tribune Festival in 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Trey Martinez Fischer becomes second Democrat to announce run for speaker of the Texas House
The announcement from the state representative from San Antonio comes after state Rep. Senfronia Thompson filed to run for the post Friday. Democrats are hoping to gain control of the House this November. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks at a press conference in reaction to a property tax reform proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The trio laid out their proposal earlier in the day. Jan. 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Michael Bloomberg gives $2.6 million to Texas Democrat running for railroad commissioner
The New York billionaire donated to Chrysta Castañeda in her bid to flip a seat on the all-GOP commission that regulates Texas' oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the Buffalo Soldier Museum in Houston on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Casey Jackson for The Texas Tribune -
In high-stakes Texas election, Republicans hope willingness to resume door-knocking gives them edge
Republicans say they have built a major advantage by resuming door-knocking more quickly and aggressively amid the coronavirus pandemic, while Democrats say they are being the more responsible party while reaching voters in other ways. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott joins state Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, for a block walk on Oct. 24 in Richardson.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
In Democrats' bid to flip Texas, maximizing the Latino vote is key
Joe Biden is not faring as well among Latino voters in the polls as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. But Democrats in Texas are working to shore up Latino support. Full Story
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![Day one of early voting in El Paso at the Sunland Park Mall indoor voting site on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Kamala Harris to make campaign stop in Texas
Harris will be the highest-profile representative from the Biden campaign to visit Texas in person during the general election. Full Story
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![Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and Sen. Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Texas Southern University on Saturday, March 23, 2019 in Houston.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Here's what early voting in Texas looks like during an election unlike any other
Extended by a week because of the pandemic, early voting has been marked by extraordinary turnout, long, socially distanced lines and masked voters. Our photographers have fanned out across the state to capture Texans as they cast their ballots. Full Story
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![Pinkie Powell shows off her "I Voted" sticker after casting her ballot at the Bayland Community Center during the first day of early voting in Houston on Oct. 13, 2020. Powell says she didnít mind the hour way in line because "it's time for my voice to be heard."]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Pointing to pandemic and election controversies, Democrats make their case for Texas Supreme Court
Democrats argue the high court's pandemic-related decisions show GOP incumbents should be unseated in November. Republicans say the virus is another argument for sticking with the status quo. Full Story
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![Candidate campaign materials at the Texas Justice Tour event in Cedar Park on Feb. 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic state Rep. Senfronia Thompson files to run for speaker of the Texas House
Thompson would be the first woman elected speaker. She filed less than two weeks before an election in which Democrats hope to gain control of the chamber. Full Story
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![State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, spoke on opening Day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Judge rules Ken Paxton's 5-year-old criminal case can be heard in his hometown of Collin County
The Harris County judge’s order reverses a decision that the state’s top lawyer should not face a jury in the North Texas region where he and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, are deeply connected in political circles. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference in front of the Supreme Court on June 9, 2016.]()
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Texas’ massive early voting numbers have persisted, leading to predictions of overall turnout unseen in years
Experts are predicting that as many as 12 million people could vote in Texas this year. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at the Sunland Park Mall in El Paso on the first day of early voting in Texas on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
The attorney general's office has sidelined four of the seven whistleblowers who reported Ken Paxton to law enforcement
Two were fired and two placed on leave — moves employment attorneys say will likely spark a whistleblower lawsuit. A spokesperson for Paxton said the personnel changes were not related to the whistleblower allegations. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses reporters on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court after the court took up a major abortion case focusing on whether a Texas law that imposes strict regulations on abortion doctors and clinic buildings interferes with the constitutional right of a woman to end her pregnancy in Washington March 2, 2016. At right is Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller.]()
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Should you trust political polls going into the 2020 election? That's the wrong question.
Watch The Texas Tribune's co-founder and executive editor, Ross Ramsey, break down what voters need to ask when considering a poll's results. Full Story
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![Voting signs at a polling site at the Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparred over Texas’ energy industry and global warming during final presidential debate
In debating a major Texas industry, Trump emphasized economic priorities while Biden advocated for alternate means of energy besides oil and gas. Full Story
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![U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participated in their second 2020 presidential campaign debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on Oct. 22, 2020.]()
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MJ Hegar raised nearly three times as much as John Cornyn in the first two weeks of October
Hegar also expanded her cash-on-hand advantage in the U.S. Senate race in Texas. Full Story
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![Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and challenger MJ Hegar face off in a Nexstar televised debate on Oct. 9, 2020, at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Hegar is slightly behind the long-time senator in the latest polls late in the campaign.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Courtesy of Nexstar Media Group