The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor will face councilman Ron Nirenberg in a runoff in her reeelection bid. In El Paso, former state Rep. Dee Margo came up short and will face David Saucedo in a mayoral runoff. Full Story
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House Bill 25, approved by the House on Saturday, could drastically change Texas politics considering straight-ticket ballots accounted for almost 64 percent of total votes cast in the state’s 10 largest counties in 2016. Full Story
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Ivy Taylor was appointed mayor after promising she wouldn't run to keep the job. She did anyway, beat a state senator in 2015 and now faces 13 challengers in Saturday's election — including current and former city council members. Full Story
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Trial lawyers and consumer groups say the proposed legislation would tip the balance of power heavily towards already powerful insurance companies. But tort reform advocates say it's needed to crack down on weather-related lawsuit "abuse." Full Story
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A group of faith leaders gathered outside the House chamber on Wednesday to protest legislation they see as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans. Full Story
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A brief guide to the legislative dark arts as the scramble to pass — and kill — bills reaches its height. Full Story
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Texas' efforts to enact and enforce the strictest voter ID law in the nation were so plagued by delays, revisions, court interventions and inadequate education that the casting of ballots in the 2016 election was inevitably troubled. Full Story
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After having its city council districts declared discriminatory, the city of Pasadena is preparing for May elections that could have statewide implications. Full Story
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A federal panel has ordered a five-day trial starting on July 10 over Texas House and congressional political maps. This follows a pair of rulings that found Texas lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minority voters with maps drawn in 2011. Full Story
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City officials on Monday testified against a bill that would limit the ability of Texas cities to ban residents from cutting down trees on their properties. Republican lawmakers have filed several such bills this year. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has decided not to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018. Full Story
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Former President George H.W. Bush, who was admitted to the hospital in mid-April for a consistent cough, was discharged Friday. Full Story
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The early days of the Trump presidency have exhausted, exasperated and enthralled members and staffers in Texas' congressional delegation. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, joins Ted Poe of Humble in publicly ending his ties to the arch conservative group in Congress, the Freedom Caucus. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke reported payments to outside political firms on his latest campaign finance report, after initially announcing his campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wouldn't hire consultants. Full Story
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A three-judge panel will start mulling big redistricting questions in San Antonio on Thursday, including how rulings finding discrimination in Texas' political maps might affect the 2018 election cycle. Full Story
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Listen to what a 7-year-old transgender girl had planned to say last week during a Texas House State Affairs Committee hearing on a bill that would regulate bathroom use for transgender Texans. Full Story
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Conservative activists are pushing back against the so-called “Buffett Bill,” which would let billionaire Warren Buffett hang onto his car dealerships in Texas but keep the market closed to Tesla and other manufacturers. Full Story
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The state of Texas has been on a losing streak when it comes to redistricting and voter ID laws, with federal judges repeatedly finding that the state intentionally discriminated against minorities. Whose legal advice were they following? Full Story
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Texas members will face a pressing government funding deadline when they return to Congress on Tuesday, as well as a possible second attempt by Republican leaders to pass a sweeping health care bill. Full Story
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