The state’s two blockbuster Senate primaries dominated the airwaves, and further down the ballot, chaos reigned. The lack of decisive outcomes promises an equally intense runoff season.
Longtime Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton are heading to a May runoff in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, while Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico are in a close race for the Democratic nomination.
This Tuesday, Tribune reporters are watching two blockbuster Senate primaries, an open attorney general seat, and more high-stakes, competitive races up and down the Texas ballot.
State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' closely watched Democratic Senate primary.
Texas voters head to the polls in one of the most expensive Senate primaries in state history — a race analysts say could impact control of the U.S. Senate.
A super PAC supporting James Talarico is running ads online warning that the GOP is “boosting” Jasmine Crockett. Her spokesperson said Republicans “who underestimate her do so at their own peril.”
Days out from the March primary, Republicans called for changes to immigration law. Democrats repeated their calls for stricter gun laws.
A heated U.S. Senate race in Texas is entering its final stretch before voters decide Tuesday who will be their party's nominee in November.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt are competing to be the Republican nominee come November, with stakes that will be felt across Texas and in Washington.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ Democratic Senate primary, giving Crockett a big boost as she faces concerns about electability.
The call gives Crockett a jolt of support from one of her party’s biggest stars in the home stretch of her Senate Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico.
Former President Bill Clinton has finished his testimony before members of Congress for their investigation over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
President Donald Trump says he's “pretty much” made his decision on whom to endorse in Texas’ heated Republican Senate primary, but he still refuses to name his pick publicly.
After Sen. John Cornyn began running an ad about Paxton’s alleged infidelity, he countered with a spot featuring his daughter, who also penned an op-ed citing her father’s “genuine love for his family.”
Texas U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt’s rivals are increasing their attacks on the two-term Republican ahead of Tuesday’s GOP primary for U.S. Senate.
Texas voters will head to the polls on March 3 to decide which Republican and Democratic candidates will advance in one of the state’s most closely watched races, the 2026 U.S. Senate.
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas is urging supporters to look at experience in a heated U.S. Senate primary with state Rep. James Talarico as he rides on wider attention thanks to late-night host Stephen Colbert.
The former Texas governor chairs the Lone Star Freedom Project, a group that has already spent almost $18 million boosting Cornyn against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Stephen Colbert says his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico was pulled from Monday's broadcast over fears it would violate “equal time” guidance from the Federal Communications Commission under the Trump administration.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is stepping up his race for the U.S. Senate with early voting about to begin for the March 3 GOP primary.
HUD is investigating whether the project that had been called the East Plano Islamic Center City discriminated based on race or national origin.
Both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton argue they’re best equipped to carry the torch for Republicans and fight off Democratic headwinds in local races.
A new statewide poll from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs shows key leaders emerging in both the Republican and Democratic races for the 2026 U.S. Senate primaries in Texas, just over a week before early voting begins.
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico are adept at creating digital media moments and collecting social media followers.
Despite dominating the airwaves, Texas’ senior senator has been neck and neck with Attorney General Ken Paxton in public polling, both falling well short of the support needed to avoid a runoff.
Democrats and the White House have struck a deal to avert a partial government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security as they negotiate new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.
As the GOP and its factions debate what constitutes American identity, opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some Texas Republicans in statewide races and beyond.
In a story published Jan. 24, 2026, about a debate for the U.S. Senate in Texas, The Associated Press erroneously reported the date that a man was fatally shot in Minneapolis by federal officers.
The spot, which describes the Austin Democrat’s work on education issues in the Legislature, will air this week in nearly a dozen of the state’s largest media markets.
The two Republicans are competing in a heated primary. Cornyn accused Paxton of abusing his office and legal experts said the AG’s legal opinion is not binding.
The four-way Republican primary drew millions in donations over the second half of 2025, outpacing the comparatively meager fundraising by Democrats led by Sen. Nathan Johnson.
Texas’ Senate Republican primary, meanwhile, looks headed for a runoff. The survey found U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a dead heat against Attorney General Ken Paxton, with neither eclipsing 30%.
The Republican U.S. senator praised Trump’s border initiatives and said fully securing the border should take priority over changing immigration law.
The Democratic Senate hopeful’s campaign said virtually all the donations, 98%, were for $100 or less. Candidates must file updates by the end of the month.
Court documents detailing the divorce of Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife have been made public following a judge's order.
Texas’ new law regulating AI is set to take effect Jan. 1, two months after Trump’s executive order threatening to cut off some federal money if states pass “onerous” AI laws.
Some Democrats dismissed the Dallas congresswoman as too polarizing to capture the swing voters needed to win. Others said her turnout-over-persuasion approach is the recipe to break through.
Crockett, a second-term congresswoman, has skyrocketed to fame through viral spats with Republicans, becoming one of her party’s most prolific fundraisers.
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas.
The U.S. Supreme Court seems likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members.
Paxton, who is running to unseat fellow Republican John Cornyn in the U.S. Senate, has vowed to strike down Texas laws that “undermine religious liberty.”
Rural leaders who have worked years to improve broadband access said they were disappointed by the sharp decrease in federal dollars.
According to Politico, federal officials could relocate the agency here and tap Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd to lead it.
At the Texas Tribune Festival, Republican and Democratic candidates made their case for why they should be the state’s top lawyer.
Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign launched a parody dating site, “Sinr,” mocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s scandals and recent divorce with a Tinder-style game called FindPaxtonsMatch.com.
If approved by the House, the agreement would fund the government through the end of January, with certain agencies funded through September, including those that provide food assistance.
The bill is the latest effort from the Texas delegation that demands the U.S. get tougher with Mexico for failing to honor a 1944 treaty that in part governs Rio Grande water.
The president has sharpened his calls for Senate Republicans to kill the longstanding legislative maneuver, saying the GOP’s electoral success could hinge on it.
President Donald Trump on Day 36 of the federal government shutdown pressed Republican senators to eliminate the Senate filibuster, arguing it is the only way to reopen the government and pass legislation.
Critics accuse Cornyn of capitulating to Democrats’ gun control demands — even though the bill largely did not restrict gun owner’s existing rights.
The state’s citrus industry is at risk, farmers say, after Mexico failed to deliver water it owes Texas as part of a 1944 treaty.
Wall Street closed the week with record highs on Friday as the S&P 500 topped 6,800 for the first time in history.
Nearly 900,000 residents across ten Houston-area counties could lose their essential food assistance if the government shutdown extends beyond October 27th, creating what local advocates are calling an unprecedented hunger crisis.
Matthew and Eleanor are joined by Tribune D.C. reporter Gabby Birenbaum and radio host Chad Hasty to unpack the three candidates vying to be the Republican nominee for Senate in 2026.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt are finding ways onto stages in front of young conservatives galvanized by Charlie Kirk's killing.
Republican congressman Wesley Hunt is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, defying Senate GOP leadership and adding a new element to an already contentious primary campaign.
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.
There’s bipartisan support in Congress for extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
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.
The push to redraw congressional maps in Texas is shifting the dynamics of the state’s 2026 Senate campaign.
The annual summer break is a critical window for Texas’ senior senator, whose allies are blitzing the airwaves with ads courting primary voters — and President Donald Trump.
"We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities," U.S. Senator John Cornyn said in a statement.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove from office a top state lawmaker he called the “ringleader” of Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a new congressional voting map pushed by President Donald Trump.
Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump's administration to step up its role in addressing suffering and starvation in Gaza.
President Donald Trump is urging House members in competitive seats to stay put and not run in other races.
Republicans are encountering some early headaches in Senate races viewed as pivotal to maintaining the party’s majority next year.
President Donald Trump is pushing Republicans in Texas to redraw the state's congressional maps to help ensure the party keeps its majority in the U.S. House in next year's midterm elections.
FBI Houston agents arrested Andrew David Sikes in Montgomery County for allegedly making a death threat to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, intending to impede and intimidate him in his official duties.
Cornyn will need to use his deep coffers to overcome an early polling deficit to Paxton, who is looking to deny the GOP incumbent’s bid for a fifth term.
President Donald Trump toured the devastation from catastrophic flooding in Texas and lauded local officials amid mounting criticism that they failed to warn residents quickly enough that a deadly wall of water was coming their way.
A stark disagreement over regulating AI in Republicans’ tax cut and spending bill is the latest tension among conservatives about whether to let states continue to put guardrails on emerging technologies or minimize such interference.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska convinced Senate leaders to change their massive tax and spending cuts package to benefit her state and eventually voted for the legislation, ensuring its passage.
The package includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states for border spending. It is expected to meet resistance in the House from some Texas Republicans.
Abbott ordered two Texas agencies to begin working together and with residents and business leaders to stop the spread of the invasive fly before it even starts.
Terry Virts, a former astronaut known for his travels in space, officially announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas as a Democrat.
The retired Air Force colonel launched his campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in June, but he struggled to gain traction over other candidates.
The massive tax and spending cuts package that President Donald Trump wants on his desk by July 4 would loosen regulations on gun silencers and certain types of rifles and shotguns.
Texas senators are voicing their support following the recent U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a decisive action confirmed by former President Donald Trump.
The U.S. House approved the budget reconciliation bill, which also includes preservation of 2017 tax cuts and changes to Medicaid and SNAP.