The race to fill Texas’ long-vacant 18th Congressional District seat is headed to a runoff, just before the start of a new election cycle.

While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.

While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.

Political experts say court order for new election could spur more challenges to narrow wins.

About 3.2 million Texans voted in the state’s primary election, down from 4.1 million during the 2020 presidential primary. Democratic turnout accounted for the entirety of the decline.

Tim Dunn has used his wealth to establish a network of organizations that push his ultraconservative views across Texas. The deal comes amid a time of consolidation in the Permian Basin.

We're talking about the latest on former President Donald Trump and back to school, all coming up on Newsmakers.

Experts said the plan, announced at the state GOP convention on Saturday, is not realistic and possibly not legal.

Houston Newsmakers: Is last week’s election a forecast of trend to come?

The state’s highest civil court has been asked to decide if Gov. Greg Abbott has the power to cut off funding for legislative staff, a move Abbott hoped would keep Democratic lawmakers from leaving the state and shutting down a special legislative session.

Houston Newsmakers: Texas Dems stymie GOP voting bill…for now

Investigating the Texas power gridThe forecast was for record breaking cold for Texas, including Houston. KPRC Investigates reporter Robert Arnold takes a deep dive into what went wrong and is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. After his second impeachment acquittal, former president Trump may have a renewed ability to play a pivotal role in the future of the Republican Party but to what end? “He has the ability to make life very difficult for the Republican party, particularly in seats that are competitive seats where they want some moderate or centrist moderate candidates,” Jones said. “I think that he’s going to be the butt of national jokes for a while,” Professor Rottinghaus said.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump break into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. “I will say rather bluntly if Donald Trump remains the face of the Republican Party in Texas, Texas will go Democrat.”More Information:

HOUSTON – Democrats had hoped to flip Texas from red to blue on election night. From the presidential race to the Senate, and a push to net a majority in Texas' Republican-dominated state legislature, Democrats conceded Wednesday they underperformed in some races. “In Texas, we declared to be the biggest battleground, not the biggest blue state," Hinojosa said. “I don’t view this as a failure for the Democrats," Rottinghaus said. “I think Democrats were looking for successes in these suburban districts where they had made major gains in 2018," Rottinghaus said.

HOUSTON – The University of Houston is taking a deep dive into Harris County’s record-setting early voting turnout numbers that made history and headlines around the nation. The Center for Mexican American Studies and the UH Election Lab tracked data from the first five days of early voting in Harris County. “We use data from the County Clerk’s office to look to see where people are voting number one, where the hotspots are, but also number two, look at trends with respect to partisanship and ethnicity and race, so we can get a really good picture of where Houstonians and where Harris County residents were voting,” said political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus who developed the project with Jeronimo Cortina. University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus is part of a team that tracked the first five days of early voting in Harris County. “We definitely see enthusiasm," Rottinghaus said.

NOT SO FAST says Brandon Rottinghaus, Ph.D. and professor of political science at the University of Houston. He says there is a certain element about polling regarding President Trump that can’t be trusted. When asked what the biggest surprise will be on November 3rd, he said it could be a landslide against President Trump. They were given proper legal advice.”Watch this week’s Houston Newsmakers Sunday morning at 10:30amMore Information:Mark Jones, Ph.D., Fellow in Political Science, Baker Institute, Rice University· Website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/mark-p-jones/· Twitter: @MarkPJonesTXBrandon Rottinghaus, Ph.D. Political Science Professor, University of Houston· Website: https://uh.edu/class/political-science/faculty-and-staff/professors/rottinghaus/index· Twitter: @bjrottingjausConstable Alan Rosen, Author: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out· Website: https://pct1constable.net/· Twitter: Pct1Constable

Beto O'Rourke surged to a 15-point edge over Ted Cruz in Hays County during last week's election, even though the Central Texas county hadn't voted for a Democrat at the top of the ticket since 1992.

After more than a year of campaigning and the circus that has become the 2016 presidential election cycle, it now all comes down to swaying those coveted undecided voters.