BETO O'ROURKE

Democrats are hopeful that the looming threat of such a stunning political sea change could provide the strongest opportunity yet to energize their voters heading into an election year in which Republicans have been expected to dominate in Texas and beyond.

Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas, and state reproductive rights leaders held a press conference Thursday morning in Austin to address the reproductive rights for women in Texas following the leak of the Supreme Court opinion draft on Roe v. Wade.

O’Rourke said he is vaccinated and boosted and tests regularly while traveling the state. A campaign spokesperson said the candidate had no events scheduled for the week.

Beto O’Rourke has COVID-19, his campaign said Monday.

For Democrats, especially in Texas, tackling border issues is difficult on the campaign trail as the party is not in agreement about various policies. O’Rourke has had to distance himself from President Joe Biden’s border policies, while going after Gov. Greg Abbott’s.

Democratic nominee for governor Beto O’Rourke is scheduled to hold a news conference to address Gov. Greg Abbott’s response to the Texas-Mexico border.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will continue truck inspections that have gridlocked the U.S.-Mexico border for days.

In a press conference, O’Rourke said the president should have given border communities a plan before ending a pandemic-era immigration rule that will lead to an increase in migrants.

After months of being pummeled by Greg Abbott on Texas immigration, the long delays at the border give Beto O'Rourke an opportunity to play offense.

Texas hasn’t had a Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1995.

Abbott’s campaign has argued O’Rourke would “destroy the Texas miracle.” O’Rourke argues he’s the one who has run a business.

An attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was “both surprising and extremely troubling.”

Police believe the woman was trying to cross the street when she may have fallen into the roadway. CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reports.

AUSTIN (AP) — A Texas oil pipeline billionaire is suing Beto O'Rourke for defamation after the Democrat criticized his $1 million donation to Republican Gov.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

A Texas oil pipeline billionaire is suing Beto O'Rourke for defamation after the Democrat criticized his $1 million donation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign following last year's deadly winter blackout. O'Rourke, who won the Democratic nomination for governor last week, called the lawsuit frivolous during a news conference Monday. Court records show it was filed in February in rural West Texas.

Kelcy Warren, the Dallas pipeline tycoon and top donor to Gov. Greg Abbott, is suing O’Rourke over his criticism of the windfall profits that Warren’s company made after the 2021 winter storm.

What happened in Texas, fresh primary polls from swing states and the Ohio Democrat using a whiteboard to attack gerrymandering.

One House Democrat faces his toughest primary yet and the GOP governor faced far-right challengers.

Both easily won their party's nomination for governor on Tuesday.

Both easily won their party's nomination for governor on Tuesday.

Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke have had their eyes on November from the start, attacking and critiquing each other and, in the process, previewing some of the themes other candidates in their parties will probably adopt for the general election.

O'Rourke is likely to face incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, whose primary contest against several far-right opponents has not been decided.

After Texas, primaries in other states won't resume until May. The results could be viewed for months as a measure of the nation's political mood.

Flavorful bacon end strips are the secret weapon in this rich weeknight pasta.

Get The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2022 primary races for governor, attorney general, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will face Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke after voters in Texas opened what could be a lengthy, bruising primary season.

The 2022 midterm election season opens Tuesday in Texas.

The 2022 midterm election season opens Tuesday in Texas.

Former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has a book coming out in the middle of his run for Texas governor about voting rights.

A surge of Republican candidates in South Texas, how candidates are talking about Ukraine, and a TV ad that asks some questions about manhood.

The poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have a significant advantage over their primary opponents. Democratic respondents heavily support Beto O’Rourke for governor but don’t know enough about the party’s candidates in other races.

Early voting in the first primary of the 2022 midterm elections are underway in Texas.

Early voting in the first primary of the 2022 midterm elections is starting in Texas.

O’Rourke said despite the power staying on this week, Texans shouldn’t forget last year’s disaster. Abbott’s campaign said that was just talk from a struggling candidate.

Two months ago, Texas Gov. Abbott guaranteed that power will stay on during another deep freeze.

The two were neck and neck for the first 20 days of January, but Abbott has the advantage of a massive war chest that’s more than tenfold O’Rourke’s total cash on hand.

President Joe Biden has visited the bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed just hours before his previously scheduled trip to promote his infrastructure package — a new law that aims to prevent just such disasters.

President Joe Biden will appear in Pittsburgh on Friday as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House’s achievements in key states before the midterm elections.

Running for governor, Democrat Beto O'Rourke said in a November rally that 70% of Texas fourth graders cannot read at grade level. Is he right?

Money is pouring fast into the Texas governor’s race headlined by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

AUSTIN (AP) — Money is pouring fast into the Texas governor's race headlined by Republican Gov.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Money is pouring fast into the Texas governor’s race headlined by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

The latest fundraising figures in the governor’s race confirm what’s long been seen as the state of play: O’Rourke is a strong fundraiser, but Abbott, with over $65 million saved up, is on another level.

The Democratic challenger, branded as too liberal for Texas by the Abbott campaign, seeks to shift the issues to COVID response and a reliable grid.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s openness to marijuana decriminalization shows that the state, while conservative, isn’t immune to larger trends.

Abbott said the suicides are being investigated and thinks it will come out that not all “actually occurred during Operation Lone Star.”

The two-term Republican governor likely faces off against a Democratic challenger. Watch as we go behind the scenes.

Medicaid expansion would insure many more Texans and bring billions of federal dollars. But, the effect to the state's economy would be even greater.

The Republican governor officially announced his reelection campaign Saturday in McAllen, while likely Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke campaigned in El Paso.

Republicans including former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and former Texas GOP chair Allen West are challenging Abbott for the Republican nomination.

What the candidates in 2022 can learn, and what should they avoid, as they enter yet another campaign cycle under the shadow of COVID.

Next year, every state official and every member of the Texas Legislature and Congress are up for election. That makes for a big year in Texas politics.

Abbott vetoed legislation in June that would have helped shore up the Universal Service Fund, which supports telecommunications in rural Texas. He said it would have “imposed a new fee on millions of Texans.”

Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter.

After months of speculation, Oscar-winning actor calls bid for governorship a "humbling and inspiring path to ponder," but one he's "choosing not to take at this moment."

After months of speculation, Oscar-winning actor calls bid for governorship a "humbling and inspiring path to ponder," but one he's "choosing not to take at this moment."

The actor said in a video Sunday that “political leadership” is a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.”

O’Rourke has ground to make up after his own underwhelming performance with voters there in 2018 when he ran for U.S. Senate — and turning out more Latino voters has long been key to Democratic hopes statewide.

In this week's episode, Matthew talks with Cassie, James and Patrick about the early days of the Beto O'Rourke campaign and how the rest of the 2022 ballot is shaping up.

Legal experts also join to unpack the Kyle Rittenhouse case hours after the verdict of not guilty on all counts was announced.

Texas Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Beto O’Rourke joined Friday's episode of Town Square to discuss his motivation to run and his want to bridge the gap between Texans.

The 2022 race for Texas governor is under way. But the contours of the contest between Beto O'Rourke and Greg Abbott have been months in the making.

The GOP slate for statewide office includes two high-profile Latinos and two Black candidates who have previously held state or federal office. Republicans are making a play to be more competitive with voters of color as the state’s electorate grows more diverse.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke says he raised more than $2 million after announcing this week that he is running for Texas governor.

O'Rourke faces an even more formidable fundraiser in Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He had $55 million cash on hand at the end of June.

Sneaking up on a bruised Ted Cruz and almost winning the 2018 U.S. Senate race made Beto O’Rourke a big political name. But after that loss and a poor showing in the 2020 Democratic primary for president, the El Pasoan’s challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott is a different kind of contest.

O’Rourke hit the campaign trail with a pitch narrowly focused on several issues that are largely popular with voters, leaving behind the more incendiary rhetoric from his presidential campaign.

El Pasoans who have followed O’Rourke’s political career are excited about his run for governor. But his critics still remember his support of a development plan that could have displaced Mexican American residents from one of the city’s oldest barrios.

O'Rourke's announcement kicks off a third run for office in as many election cycles.

The El Paso Democrat and gubernatorial candidate plans several campaign stops that include Corpus Christi, Abilene, Houston and San Antonio.

Here are things to know for Monday, Nov. 15:

O'Rourke is the first major Democratic candidate to enter the race.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke is running for governor of Texas.

O’Rourke joins the 2022 gubernatorial race as Texas’ best-known Democrat, but he carries considerably more baggage after a series of political failures, including his bids for U.S. Senate and president. This time, instead of riding a blue wave nationally, he’ll be fighting a red one.

O’Rourke’s decision to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott ends months of speculation and gives Democrats a formidable campaigner at the top of the ticket — someone who transformed Texas politics with his blockbuster campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.

Until recently, the conversion about the Texas' 2022 statewide slate appeared limited to White men.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Patrick, Reese and Neelam about Tuesday’s special election results, poll numbers in the governor’s race and oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court over Texas’ abortion law.

The poll also found that potential candidate Matthew McConaughey is not universally beloved by Texans. About a quarter of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of the movie star who has flirted with running for governor.

Dowd said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has focused on “culture war” issues to divide and hurt Texans.

Will Beto rebrand his stance on assault weapons? Can he repeat his 2018 fundraising prowess? Here are issues likely to shape the 2022 campaign.

McConaughey leads Abbott in Texas poll as O'Rourke inches closer

Democrats haven't won statewide in Texas since 1994. Their troubles won't end until they break that losing streak.

Nelson helped close out the rally with a short set, which included the 88-year-old's 2018 song, "Vote 'Em Out."

If Teas Democrats lose the short-term fight over the GOP-backed elections bill, look for them to prepare the ground for more political battles in the future.

Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives are planning to fly to Washington, D.C. Monday in an attempt to halt the state Legislature from advancing controversial Republican-backed election bills during the ongoing special legislative session, sources close to state Democrats confirmed to NBC News and...

The possibility of Texas Democrats staging a second walkout to again stop one of America's most restrictive new voting measures grew louder Saturday, as hundreds of people waited hours to rail against the GOP's plan in the largest turnout this year at the state Capitol. As Republicans made clear they intended this weekend to advance a new election bill — which would prohibit 24-hour polling places, ban drop boxes and stop drive-thru voting — some Democrats who broke quorum in May are now describing it as their best, if not only, option again. Texas is among several states with GOP-controlled statehouses where Republicans have rushed to enact strict voting laws in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

The one-time presidential candidate from El Paso said he would support more quorum-busting efforts by Texas Democrats to block a GOP elections bill.

The eye-popping fundraising numbers sends a message that the Republican governor is taking no chances in his bid for a third term next year.

Gov. Abbott's plans to build a border wall gets generally favorable reviews, a new poll shows.

Matthew McConaughey has the best favorability numbers of any potential Texas gubernatorial challenger

"Why should we have to be cornered? Why should we have to feel guilty, like we have to prove we are innocent? America is bigger than that"

They have delayed the passage of a GOP-sponsored voting bill.

Rep. Travis Clardy claimed on NPR that the line in Senate Bill 7 limiting Sunday voting after 1 pm was meant to say 11 am instead.

Democrats pulled an unprecedented move to defeat the bill for now, but Texas Republicans are likely to bring it back up in a special session.

Buddy was found injured and burned last week.

“Nothing’s changed and nothing I said would preclude me from considering a run in the...

Some Texans wondering if Beto O'Rourke is eyeing 2022 run for Texas governor Some Texas leaders are facing criticism after a major winter storm left millions of Texans without power, water, or heat. Meanwhile, former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was raising money for storm victims and delivering water to hard hit areas, leaving some to wonder if he's eyeing a run for governor in 2022. Abby Livingston, the Washington bureau chief for The Texas Tribune, joins CBSN to discuss the chances that O'Rourke runs and the challenges he might face.

"Team AOC is launching relief efforts for Texas starting today," Ocasio-Cortez tweet on Thursday, linking to the fundraising page. "Our first effort is a partnership w/ 5 Texas orgs getting on-the-ground relief to Texans ASAP. Our Texas relief mobilization has already raised $325k for food, housing, elder care & direct relief straight to vulnerable Texans. The congresswoman then gave donors an incentive to give: "I feel like I should do something if we hit $1M in Texas relief. Castro did his own fundraising, surpassing $100,000 for Feeding Texas food banks, he tweeted.

The Texas grid failure that's left millions struggling without power in freezing conditions has ignited a feud between Democrats and the GOP over Republicans' decades-long oversight of the energy industry and prompted calls for a system more resilient to extreme weather conditions. Texas has avoided federal regulation by establishing its own power grid that's nearly cut off from the rest of the country — an isolated system that conservatives in power have long praised. "Going back to the deregulation of our electricity grid in Texas, which has created an incentive to actually not weatherize or protect against these events." "The energy capital of North America cannot provide enough energy to warm and power people's homes," O'Rourke continued. "We are nearing a failed state in Texas.

A campaign sign for Biden Harris is displayed outside an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential elections in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. Callaghan O'Hare | Bloomberg | Getty Images"Texas is a state that Biden doesn't need to win, but it is clear that it's more competitive than ever," Cook's Amy Walter wrote. The Lone Star State has voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential race since 1976. Democrats have long had their eye on Texas. Former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, for instance, raised jaw-dropping sums of money in his 2018 Senate race against incumbent GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.