The Green Party needed nearly 50,000 signatures to make it onto the November ballot in Texas. It got about 500.
The Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians were the only three parties that secured statewide ballot access this year. Full Story
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![Primary election day at a polling place in South Austin on March 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Hispanic identity is already shaping the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke
In the high-profile Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz and challenger Beto O'Rourke, there are numerous ways in which their unique relationships with the Hispanic community have already intersected. 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 -
Chancellor Bill McRaven on higher education, his time at the UT System and what’s next
Bill McRaven's last day as chancellor of the University of Texas System is May 31. He spoke to The Texas Tribune in his last weeks about his time at the system, his aspirations for the future and higher education broadly. Full Story
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![Outgoing University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven at his office in downtown Austin on May 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court sides with short-term renters, likely bolstering state’s fight against Austin’s ordinance
Friday's ruling doesn't directly address regulations implemented by some Texas cities restricting homeowners' use of services like Airbnb. But it bolsters the case against the City of Austin's short-term rental ordinance in several major ways, lawyers said. Full Story
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![Homes on Garden Street in Austin on Feb. 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
We visualized how underrepresented Texas women are in government. This year, it could change — but not by much.
This year's surge in women candidates could result in a record high percentage of female representation in Texas’ congressional delegation and the state legislature. But regardless of the outcome in November, Texas women will still fall short of equal representation in their government. Full Story
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![Left to right: Veronica Escobar, Democratic nominee for U.S. Congressional District 16; state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, Democratic nominee for CD-6; Angela Paxton, Republican nominee for state Senate District 8; and Lupe Valdez, Democratic nominee for governor.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding: Escobar and Paxton/Bob Daemmrich: Garcia/Marjorie Kamys Cotera: Valdez -
With primary behind her, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher's bid against U.S. Rep. John Culberson emerging as major midterm fight for fall
Though her primary fight against fellow Democrat Laura Moser drew national attention, Lizzie Fletcher's general election race against U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, is poised to create plenty of buzz as well. Full Story
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![Democratic nominee Lizzie Panill Fletcher will face U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, in November.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang: Fletcher/Michael Stravato: Culberson -
Three Texas Democrats in Congress withhold support for debate of immigration legislation
U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Filemon Vela of Brownsville and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen are withholding their support for a bipartisan "discharge petition" that would bypass the committee process and force Congress to address the legal status of "Dreamers." Full Story
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![Left to right: U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo; Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen; and Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich: Cuellar/Doug Young: Gonzalez/Shelby Knowles: Vela -
A gay Texas teacher is on leave after she showed students a photo of her wife. She has few legal protections.
Texas law prohibits employment discrimination based on a host of factors, including sex, race, religion and disability. But there’s no express protection for LGBTQ employees. Full Story
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![Stacy Bailey, left, has sued Mansfield Independent School District alleging that it discriminated against her based on her sexual orientation.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Stacy Bailey -
Outside groups spent big backing either centrists or hard-line conservatives in GOP House runoffs. The centrists went 5 for 7.
Five of the seven Texas House GOP runoffs were won by candidates who had support from two groups aligned with retiring House Speaker Joe Straus and other establishment Republicans. Full Story
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![Top row, left to right: Republican runoff candidates Cody Harris and Thomas McNutt, HD-8. Bottom row, left to right: Steve Allison and Matt Beebe, HD-121.]()
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Dissecting Tuesday’s party primary runoffs in Texas
In this edition of the TribCast, the first one after the party primary runoffs, Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey sits down with Political Editor Aman Batheja and reporters Patrick Svitek and Emma Platoff. Full Story
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![In this edition of the TribCast, the first one after the party primary runoffs, Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey sits down with Political Editor Aman Batheja and reporters Patrick Svitek and Emma Platoff.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
In these four Texas counties, no one voted in the Democratic primary runoffs
Hall, King, Lynn and McMullen counties held Democratic runoff elections but no one voted. Each county only had one Democratic matchup on their ballots: the gubernatorial race between Lupe Valdez and Andrew White. Full Story
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![Vote sign outside of Austin City Hall, July 31, 2012.]()
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Texas reproductive rights groups worried about Trump proposal to strip funding from clinics affiliated with abortion providers
Anti-abortion advocates and state leaders, meanwhile, hope the rule will help the state power the right to distribute federal family planning dollars. Full Story
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Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds likely headed to jail after Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refuses to review his case
The Missouri City representative will still be able to keep his seat because it was a misdemeanor conviction. Full Story
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![Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, during a House Environmental Regulations Committee meeting on April 16, 2013.]()
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View full results from Tuesday's Texas primary runoffs
Texas hosted more than 30 primary runoff races on Tuesday. View full results from every contest here. Full Story
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![Lupe Valdez gives her victory speech after defeating Andrew White in the Democratic runoff for governor on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Voter turnout in a Texas Democratic gubernatorial runoff hasn’t been this low in nearly 100 years
Democrat Lupe Valdez will face off against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the fall. Two incumbents in the Texas House lost their runoffs. And Democrats had their worst runoff turnout in almost a century. Full Story
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![Voters at an early voting location in Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Hard-line conservatives lose big in Texas House runoffs
Most of the seven Texas House Republican primary runoffs fell along familiar ideological fault lines in the Republican Party. The more moderate candidates won in most cases. Full Story
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![9:50 p.m. Arguments break out on the House floor.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Crenshaw, Chip Roy, Michael Cloud among Republican congressional runoff winners
In Tuesday's primary runoff election, Texas voters cast ballots in six Republican congressional races across the state. Full Story
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![Left to right, Republican congressional runoff opponents (top row): Dan Crenshaw and state Rep. Kevin Roberts, R-Houston, vying for CD-2; (middle row) Matt McCall and Chip Roy, facing off in CD-21; and (bottom row) Bech Bruun and Michael Cloud, competing in CD-27.]()
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After DWI arrest, René Oliveira is one of two Texas House incumbents voted out
The veteran state representative and freshman state Rep. Scott Cosper were the only two incumbents in runoffs Tuesday night; both lost. Full Story
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![State Reps. Scott Cosper, R-Killeen and René Oliveira, D-Brownsville.]()
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Lizzie Pannill Fletcher defeats Laura Moser in Texas Democratic primary runoff; Gina Ortiz Jones seals nomination
Attorney Lizzie Pannill Fletcher defeated activist Laura Moser in a Democratic congressional primary that drew national attention. Meanwhile, former Air Force Intelligence Officer Gina Ortiz Jones easily won her runoff for the 23rd Congressional District. Full Story
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![Lizzie Fletcher (left) and Laura Moser are in the Democratic runoff for the Houston-area U.S. Congressional District 7. The winner will face incumbent U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, in the fall.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang: Fletcher/Michael Stravato: Moser -
In Texas, Democrats can vote in the Republican primary — and vice versa. How do party leaders feel about it?
“If you’re voting in a gubernatorial election ... it’s a drop in the bucket," says one Republican strategist. Full Story
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![A "vote" sign in a yard in west Austin on March 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune