Texas GOP lawyer and former FEC chair Trey Trainor announces run for Chip Roy’s seat in Congress
The longtime GOP operative has spent decades as a lawyer for Texas Republicans and conservative causes. Full Story
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![Rep. Jonathan Stickland's attorney, Trey Trainor waits for House Committee on General Investigating & Ethics to resume on Sep 15, 2015. Stickland has been accused of breaking the law by listing witnesses who were not in Austin as supporters of his legislation during a House Transportation Committee in late April.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt announces run for U.S. Senate, joining Cornyn, Paxton in primary
The Houston congressman is giving up his safe seat after just two terms, scrambling the contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, speaks at a Trump campaign rally for then-Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 11, 2024 in Reno, Nevada.]()
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Republican Carlos De La Cruz announces run for redrawn 35th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz's brother is the latest to enter a GOP primary field vying for the San Antonio-area district newly gerrymandered to favor Republicans. Full Story
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![Carlos de la Cruz, brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, has announced he's running for the newly-redrawn, Republican-leaning 35th congressional district.]()
Credit: Campaign handout
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Talarico outraises Allred with massive fundraising haul to kick off Senate Democratic primary
The Austin state lawmaker took in $6.2 million in the three weeks since he launched his bid, outpacing the $4.1 million Allred raised over the last three months. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and state Rep. James Talarico are Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent John Cornyn.]()
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Democratic Rep. Jon Rosenthal will run for Texas Railroad Commission
The day after the four-term Houston lawmaker launched his statewide bid, his former chief of staff, Odus Evbagharu, announced he was running to succeed his former boss in the Texas House. Full Story
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![Texas Democrats Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston and Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, l, get off a charter bus from the Austin airport outside the State Archives building on the east side of the Texas Capitol upon their return to Austin following a two-week quorum break. Man at right is unidentified.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Can Texas use its new congressional map for 2026? A trio of judges will decide.
The same plaintiffs who are challenging the state’s 2021 maps have asked the court to block the new GOP-approved districts from being used in the fast-approaching midterms. Full Story
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![A newly released redistricting map of Texas is visible on a laptop during a Senate session on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democratic Party’s move to Dallas prompts top staff exodus, roils organization ahead of 2026
Party insiders said the way the move was handled undercuts Chair Kendall Scudder’s rhetoric about winning back working class voters, who lurched to the right in 2024. Full Story
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![Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder addresses attendees at an event in Brownsville on April 12, 2025.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Houston businessman Andrew White launches Democratic challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott
The son of the late former Gov. Mark White vowed to run as an independent in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Full Story
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![Then-Democratic candidate for governor Andrew White is interviewed in his home in Houston on Friday, April 20, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Cornyn nabs endorsements from 15 former GOP members of Congress in primary vs. Paxton
It’s a further sign of how the Washington establishment has consolidated behind the senior Texas senator, who is being backed by the Senate GOP’s campaign arm in his primary. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn takes part in a tour of a well site in Midland on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Tejano star Bobby Pulido launches South Texas congressional run
The musician and Democrat is looking to flip Texas’ 15th Congressional District, which voted for President Donald Trump by 18% in 2024. Full Story
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![Tejano singer Bobby Pulido of Edinburg, Texas holds his award backstage at the Premio lo Nuestro latin music awards show in Miami February 22, 2007.]()
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Lina Hidalgo, Harris County chief executive, won’t seek reelection
The progressive Democrat’s upset win at the age of 27 established her as a rising star. But her ascent was stunted in recent years amid clashes with fellow Democrats and unwavering GOP scrutiny. Full Story
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![Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks at the first general session at the Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso on June 7, 2024.]()
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James Talarico’s progressive take on Christianity made him an online sensation. Will it translate to his Texas Senate bid?
The Austin lawmaker says his faith fuels his vision of a Democratic Party that “fights back” against billionaires. Republican critics say his stances are at odds with Scripture. Full Story
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![State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, sits for a portrait in his office on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.]()
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Democratic voters favor undeclared candidates O’Rourke and Crockett in hypothetical Senate primary, poll finds
The survey found many Texas voters are either undecided or would support candidates who haven’t actually entered the race. It also showed GOP Sen. John Cornyn leading Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, January 6, 2025. Right: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn speaks with press after taking a tour of Camp East Montana, a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility that will be housing migrants, at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas on Monday, August 11, 2025.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell will not seek third term in Congress
The Houston-area Republican’s departure continues the drain of tenure from Texas’ GOP delegation, which was already poised to add several freshmen in the midterms. Full Story
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![Retiring U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
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In U.S. Senate bid, Rep. James Talarico promises to take on GOP billionaires and bridge political divides
A former public school teacher, Talarico has emerged as one of Texas Democrats’ strongest communicators. He joins Colin Allred and Terry Virts in the primary. Full Story
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![Texas Rep. James Talarico D-Austin speaks during a redistricting rally at Delco Activity Center Friday, July 25, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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How Democrats pressured U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett to step aside for the next generation
Doggett’s shocking decision to retire signals U.S. Rep. Greg Casar’s growing strength among Democrats in Austin politics and in Congress. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps Lloyd Doggett and Rep. Greg Casar, both of Austin, at a press conference with Texas Democratic leaders at the state Capitol on July 31, 2025.]()
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Texas Rep. James Talarico to launch Democratic primary bid for U.S. Senate
The Austin Democrat has made a name for himself with his viral social media presence. His entry to the race pits him against former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred in the increasingly crowded primary. Full Story
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![Texas Rep. James Talarico D-Austin speaks during a redistricting rally at Delco Activity Center Friday, July 25, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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Powerful GOP fundraising group calls Rep. Wesley Hunt’s speculative Senate bid a wasteful “vanity project”
In a memo, the National Republican Senate Committee asked Hunt’s donors to tell him to stop wasting resources and endorse Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection. Full Story
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![UNITED STATES - APRIL 10: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, walks up the House steps for the vote on the budget resolution in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA)]()
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Texas Republicans in Congress scaled back town halls during summer recess amid criticism over Trump megabill
Some who did host public events were interrupted by protesters and heckled for their support of President Donald Trump and his signature legislation. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud gives remarks at a Port of Corpus Christi event celebrating the completion of the ship channel improvement project on June 2, 2025.]()
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Rep. Alma Allen, longtime Houston Democratic lawmaker, to retire from Texas House
Allen, known for her focus on public education issues, announced her retirement after 20 years in the House. She endorsed her son, Lawrence Allen Jr., to succeed her. Full Story
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![State Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, at a press conference with fellow Texas Legislature Black Caucus members urging the passage of the CROWN act, prohibiting discrimination against hairstyles, in the state Capitol on Apr. 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune