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.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Fred Greaves -
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.]()
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Texas could bear the brunt of expiring ACA tax credits. Is the GOP delegation willing to make a deal?
Democrats in Congress want to renew the Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government. Texas Republicans say the policy needs major reforms. Full Story
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![Brenda Patoine of Vermont joins over a thousand people at a march against efforts to dismantle and defund the healthcare system on March 12, 2025 in Washington.]()
Credit: Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via REUTERS -
The federal government has shut down. Here’s what it means for Texas
Many federal employees are required to continue working without pay, though furloughs — or the usual uptick in workers calling in sick — could disrupt some services. Full Story
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![A sign advertises a government shutdown relief loan program outside of the United States Senate Federal Credit Union branch office in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.]()
Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
About $675 million earmarked for Texas projects is in limbo as Congress careens toward shutdown
Texas’ congressional delegation obtained tentative funding for infrastructure improvements, university research and other initiatives, but the nearly 350 earmarks are all in jeopardy. Full Story
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![Urban sprawl along I-35 in Austin on Oct. 2, 2024.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar 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 -
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 -
TribCast: Texas’ changing congressional delegation
In this week’s episode, Texas Tribune Washington, D.C. correspondent Gabby Birenbaum explains how redistricting and retirements will reshape Texas’ representation on the Hill. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in January 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Rep. Michael McCaul, foreign policy hawk in an increasingly isolationist GOP, recounts 20 years in Congress
The longtime Austin Republican, who is retiring at the end of his term, said he is concerned about the direction of his party and Congress as a whole. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, speaks at a press conference in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
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.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Molly Skipper -
Texas GOP may be banking on low Hispanic turnout in new map
Republicans note that some of the districts they intend to flip were redrawn to become majority-Hispanic. Democrats say the GOP made sure to add Hispanic Texans who are unlikely to vote. Full Story
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![Presiding judge Dina Patel checks her watch as she waits for polls to open at Parker Elementary on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Longtime GOP Rep. Michael McCaul says he will not seek reelection to Congress
The Austin lawmaker, first elected in 2004, chaired the influential House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees. He is the second Texas Republican this week to bow out of Congress. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Waco’s public radio station faces uncertainty after 25 years on the air
The radio station launched a last-ditch fundraising campaign to save the station, after cuts from both Baylor University and Congress. Full Story
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![KWBU reporter Molly-Jo Tilton interviews Risher Smith-Gilbert (left) and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis (right) on Thursday at Art Center Waco for an upcoming show on KWBU.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel/The Waco Bridge/CatchLight Local/Report for America -
Texas solar program left in limbo after Trump administration pulls the plug on $250 million grant
Texas’ Solar for All program was intended to bring solar panels and batteries to low-income neighborhoods and create jobs by training workers to install the technology. Full Story
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![An Oberon solar project on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Notrees, Ector County. The farm, operated by 174 Power Global, produces 180 megawatts of power and according to Chariot Energy has an estimated lifespan of 25 to 30 years.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
“This is going to be hard”: Texas public radio stations fighting to stay on the air after budget cuts
Thirty stations must figure out how to make up for the loss of at least $17.7 million in federal funding that came at the direction of the president without wearing out supporters. Full Story
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![Brad Burt reporter for Lubbock NPR or KTTZ sits at his desk in the studio Sept. 2, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Jacob Lujan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters have mixed views on redistricting and Trump’s megabill, poll finds
The statewide survey found that more voters disapprove of the mid-decade redraw than support it, fueled by overwhelming opposition from independent and Democratic voters. Full Story
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![A map of Tarrnant County sits on State Rep. Chris Turner’s, D-Grand Prairie, desk in the house chamber in Austin on August 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for the Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune