U.S. Senate hopefuls Ken Paxton and Graham Platner are in Washington, D.C., to rally party support.

Senate Republicans are meeting to discuss next steps in a standoff with the White House.

A standoff between the White House and the Senate remains unresolved as Republicans return to Washington after defiantly leaving town 10 days ago without passing legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies.

The power struggle between old-school Bush Republicans and hardline conservatives predates President Donald Trump. But he has used his clout to help tip the scales.

Texas lawmakers proposed a bill to allow private-sector lithium mining companies to work on certain military bases.

Republicans' stumble on an immigration funding bill is raising questions about other parts of their legislative agenda.

Texas Democrat James Talarico has launched his general election campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Paxton’s blowout win on Tuesday compelled an alliance by necessity, if not natural synergy, between the attorney general and the Washington groups that spent months trying to elect John Cornyn.

President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet on Wednesday at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the Iran war, saying “things are going very well” days after insisting a settlement was “largely negotiated.”.

President Donald Trump has been showcasing his influence in Republican primaries, recently endorsing Ken Paxton in Texas.

President Donald Trump is congratulating Texas Sen. John Cornyn for having a “great career” while also congratulating the man who beat Cornyn in a primary with his endorsement.

Middleton, a conservative state senator and oil and gas executive, put more than $16 million of his own money into the race.

A former state Supreme Court justice, Texas attorney general and a four-term U.S. senator, Cornyn had held on in the Republican Party as it transformed from the party of Bush, to the Tea Party movement and eventually the dominion of Trump.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins Republican runoff for US Senate, defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn.

The attorney general’s victory is a crushing blow to the Texas GOP's old guard, which has faltered in recent years against the Paxton-led insurgent wing.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in a massively expensive, drawn-out U.S. Senate primary race.

President Donald Trump insists a peace deal is close on the 88th day of the Iran war.

John Cornyn is trying to fend off Ken Paxton. Both parties are picking attorney general nominees. And an oil and gas regulatory race has become uncharacteristically costly.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

Texas voters head to the polls Tuesday in several closely watched runoff elections, including a high-profile Democratic congressional matchup in Houston and the Republican U.S. Senate runoff drawing national attention.

Texas voters will pick a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in a primary runoff election on Tuesday.

Texas Republican Senate candidates Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are going to be scarcely visible in public on the last day of campaigning ahead of Tuesday's runoff.

Nearly 14 months and $135 million later, Texas’ blockbuster Republican Senate primary will finally be decided Tuesday.

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing back on delays by the Department of Defense in sending roughly $600 million in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe.

The lawsuit comes after a Galveston County family said their 13-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a person she interacted with on the platform.

President Donald Trump’s political revenge tour met its potential match this week as angry Republican senators finally said no, even if temporarily.

Ken Paxton is playing up President Donald Trump's endorsement as the Texas attorney general heads into the final days of U.S. Senate primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn.

The attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.

Legal and political challenges continue to threaten Austin’s multibillion-dollar light rail project that voters approved in 2020.

Senate Republicans have departed Washington for the Memorial Day recess without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies.

Republican senators are considering dropping a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after it has failed to win enough party support on Capitol Hill.

A small but growing group of Republican lawmakers is showing independence from President Donald Trump.

The GOP establishment has gone to bat for John Cornyn, touting the statesmanship and Washington know-how that make him a favorite of his colleagues and a pariah among Paxton’s base.

Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, has lost his primary bid for reelection.

A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and the president’s new ballroom is facing growing opposition from Republicans ahead of an expected vote this week.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, supercharging his effort to oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff.

The development, coming partway through early voting, is a searing blow for John Cornyn, who finished first in the March runoff but was unable to convince Trump to endorse him.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will be considered for payouts from a new $1.776 billion fund to compensate individuals who believe they were targeted politically.

Critics are pointing to two other serious felony cases that the attorney general’s prosecutors took to trial that ended in mistrials and, eventually, plea deals.

Roy is the only candidate who’s “able and prepared to do the job,” Fairly said. Roy’s opponent, Mayes Middleton, has been criticized for his lack of legal experience.

Early voting for Texas’ May 26 primary runoff election begins Monday, giving voters across the state another chance to decide key races ahead of the November general election.

A Kansas judge has protected access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors as the nation’s largest children’s hospital moved to restrict such care in Texa and buckled under pressure from the Trump administration.

The incumbent senator has dominated financially, thanks to an array of megadonors and dark money groups. The Tribune assembled a guide to the money behind the most expensive Senate primary ever.

The incumbent senator and his allies have massively outspent the pro-Paxton side, though polling points to a tight finish in the May 26 election.

As the Austin Democrat campaigns against big money in politics, he is being supported by a super PAC bankrolled by several billionaires, as well as nonprofits that do not have to disclose their funders.

Texas Senator John Cornyn is proposing a major highway change that would honor President Donald Trump while reshaping one of the nation’s longest roadways.

Senate Republicans have blocked Democrats' efforts to reverse Trump-era changes to consumer protection laws.

From U.S. Senate to Railroad Commission, the TribCast dives into the most contentious races we'll be watching on May 26

The former president greeted patrons while stopping for tacos near the University of Texas at Austin campus — a notable show of support for the Democrats atop the ticket this fall.

James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, has pushed to suspend the federal gas tax amid soaring fuel costs. Cornyn previously opposed the idea.

A new survey from the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs shows a tight Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas, with Attorney General Ken Paxton holding a slim lead over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn just weeks before voters head to the polls.

The University of Houston survey results were within the margin of error less than a month out from the May 26 election. State Sen. Mayes Middleton had a wider lead in the attorney general primary.

The Austin Democrat, who won his party’s nomination in March, led Cornyn and Paxton by margins of 3 and 5 percentage points, respectively. Both results were within the survey’s margin of error.

As Cornyn and Paxton head to the runoff, we updated our Q&A to reflect the two candidates. Both declined to participate, so we used their past statements and voting history to show where they stand on foreign policy, AI and other key issues.

Both Republican candidates lagged far behind Democratic candidate James Talarico.

The lieutenant governor’s remarks are the latest sign that Republicans are worried about the fall midterms. The GOP has controlled the state House since 2003 and currently has an 88-62 advantage.

The president could still weigh in over the next seven weeks. But his inaction before last month’s dropout deadline has only hardened the rivalry.

We’re committed to supporting Texans throughout the 2026 election. Share your thoughts by using the form below.

The attorney general’s office reallocated taxpayer-funded rooms to donors and other private citizens, some of whom initially failed to cover the cost of the stay.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has positioned himself as the grassroots favorite in the runoff election to determine the party's Senate nominee.

TSA agents in Houston are going without pay as the partial government shutdown continues. We reached out to local lawmakers to see what they’re doing to fund DHS and whether they’ll forgo their own pay.

For years members of Congress and their staff had special privileges at airports, allowing them to quickly skip TSA screening lines.

There are races in 30 states this year for attorney general, and groups that support those candidates prepared for the elections by raising record amounts in 2025.

As the dust settles for James Talarico following his victory over Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for U.S. senator from Texas, Republicans from his home state are digging up quotes they deem “anti-Texas.”

Voters will decide over 30 races, including a nationally watched battle between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. The registration deadline is April 27, and early voting is May 18–22.

President Donald Trump says he plans to endorse a candidate in the Texas Republican Senate runoff to end the painful primary.

The day after the March 3 primary, President Donald Trump pledged to endorse either John Cornyn or Ken Paxton “soon,” and call on the other to drop out. He has yet to make an endorsement.

More than half of the TSA agents scheduled to work at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) on Saturday didn’t show up for work.

Cornyn’s change of heart comes amid a grueling primary battle with Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said he'd consider dropping out if Republicans scrapped the filibuster to pass a voter ID law.

In this week's episode, we're joined by Dallas-Fort Worth radio host Mark Davis to discuss whether Donald Trump will pick a side in the GOP runoff for U.S. Senate and what impact that would have on the race.

After James Talarico won the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas, Republicans are racing to paint him as too progressive.

Sen. John Cornyn is going on offense against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as they fight for a Republican Senate runoff, and President Donald Trump’s endorsement hangs over it all.

President Donald Trump, who was neutral in the first round, said he would endorse “soon” in the runoff between Paxton and GOP incumbent John Cornyn and would expect the candidate he did not endorse to drop out.

The president could scramble the traditional assumptions about a runoff if he carries out his promise to make an endorsement “soon” and urge whoever he snubs to drop out.

The president also said he would call on whomever he does not endorse to drop out of the race — though he did not specify whether he would back Cornyn or Paxton.

Texas Democrats have picked James Talarico as their Senate nominee, and the state lawmaker now becomes a national voice against President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump says he'll soon endorse a Republican candidate in the Texas Senate race.

Two blockbuster Senate primaries dominated attention, chaos reigned in down-ballot races and an intense runoff season looms.

Photographers across the state covered this year’s primary election.

The two appear headed for a May runoff, with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt trailing in a distant third.

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.

Primary elections set up major Senate fights in Texas and North Carolina, and they also expose fresh tension over voting rules.

Primary elections set up major Senate fights in Texas and North Carolina, and they also expose fresh tension over voting rules.

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.

President Trump’s decision to strike Iran pulls him toward the kind of overseas conflict he once attacked.

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.

As Texas voters head into the 2026 primary, candidates are using artificial intelligence to mock opponents and sharpen attacks.