With a self-funded ad surge, Middleton overcame Roy’s initial frontrunner status, taking a commanding lead but falling short of the majority needed to win outright.
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.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that says that a 2023 law that bans gender-transitioning medical care to minors also applies to mental health care.
The federal lawsuit argues Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money.
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.”
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.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took a dig at Grammy-winning rapper and songwriter Cardi B after she announced her endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
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.
On the Republican side, Ken Paxton and John Cornyn were neck-and-neck and in position for a runoff, according to the poll from the University of Texas’ Texas Politics Project.
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.
A Texas court will hear an appeal this week in a case challenging an injunction that closed three Houston-area maternal health clinics run by a midwife accused under the state’s abortion law.
All four candidates are vying to prove they are the heir apparent to Paxton, who has solidified the office as a juggernaut in the conservative legal movement.
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.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has broken with his party, and called out President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton. He says his loyalty is to Texas and to the Constitution.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Double R Municipal Utility District No. 2A of Hunt and Collin Counties, alleging the district and its purported officers took steps to evade state oversight and support the controversial EPIC City development.
Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into three Texas school districts—Northeast ISD, Dallas ISD, and Manor ISD—alleging they failed to manage student safety and accountability during immigration enforcement protests.
Paxton said his office is examining claims that administrators and faculty helped organize the demonstrations.
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.
Reitz believes the nation is at war with liberals, and the best bulwark against them is a fully empowered Texas attorney general’s office — with him at the helm.
Voters statewide elect three justices to the new 15th Court of Appeals, created in 2023. Gov. Greg Abbott’s GOP appointees face their first election for six-year terms.
HUD is investigating whether the project that had been called the East Plano Islamic Center City discriminated based on race or national origin.
In a new lawsuit, Paxton accused city officials of under-calculating how much money should go to law enforcement under a voter-backed provision.
Middleton has the money and the endorsements. But his primary opponents say he lacks key legal experience to be Texas’ top lawyer.
The criminal court decides death penalty case appeals and rules on petitions for those who believe they’ve been wrongfully detained. Here’s a look at who’s running for the court’s three seats on the 2026 ballot.
Huffman is running on her criminal prosecution experience and allegiance to the rule of law, cutting a contrast with her opponents who are emphasizing a continuation of Paxton’s culture war battles.
The lawsuit against the multimedia messaging app's company is just one in a series of actions that the state has taken against social media companies.
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.
The 3-2 vote from Hood County commissioners Tuesday came after they received a letter from a state senator saying they did not have the power to issue a moratorium.
The agreement seeks to remedy a variety of concerns raised by government officials, who accused the development’s owners of targeting Latino homebuyers with predatory loans and false promises.
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.
The state’s environmental regulator has issued multiple environmental violations and the lawsuit states the company has failed to fix the problems.
Lindsey Vonn's quest for an Olympic gold at age 41 came after years of building her legacy on a combination of perseverance, risk and staying true to herself.
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico are adept at creating digital media moments and collecting social media followers.
A judge ruled Senate Bill 13, passed in 2021, violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The law prevented state investments in firms it deemed as boycotting oil and gas companies.
The state education agency issued guidance to districts after Gov. Greg Abbott directed its commissioner to investigate the student protests of killings by federal agents.
Paxton's suit follows another by a Galveston County man against the same doctor. Both cite House Bill 7, passed in September, that allows lawsuits over abortion pill access.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into the Austin Independent School District after alleging district officials knew students planned to leave campus to participate in protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
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.
In 2024, Texas also sued a New York provider accused of prescribing abortion pills, but her state’s law has shielded her from prosecution.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Delaware nurse practitioner accused of illegally shipping abortion-inducing drugs into the state.
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.
A CAIR official blasted the Texas AG’s opinion, saying the law does not permit the comptroller to scrutinize Muslim schools because of their religious identity.
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.
Gov. Greg Abbott is pressuring Cy-Fair ISD to cut ties with the 2026 Houston Islamic Games, while the district says it has not agreed to host the event and must follow anti-discrimination laws.
With Texas’ hardline conservative megadonors largely staying on the sidelines, a handful of House primaries have become battlegrounds for the state’s civil justice debate.
A federal appeals court heard arguments in lawsuits seeking to block Texas and Louisiana from requiring classroom displays of the Ten Commandments.
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.
The State of Texas settled a lawsuit with Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. and Wharton County Foods, LLC, requiring them to donate 37,000 dozen eggs to food banks in the Houston and Southeast Texas region. The lawsuit accused the companies of price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic, though they admitted no wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, the companies must comply with a 10-year injunction against excessive pricing during declared disasters.
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%.
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office recovered $125 million and made 123 arrests in 2025 cracking down on healthcare fraud.
Texas has launched an investigation into major grocery chains accused of spraying pesticides on fruits and vegetables in-store without disclosing the practice to consumers.
The Republican U.S. senator praised Trump’s border initiatives and said fully securing the border should take priority over changing immigration law.
Texas AG Ken Paxton says Crest maker Procter & Gamble will update kids toothpaste packaging to better show the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste.
Salem Abraham claims Minnesota-based Xcel Energy has not lived up to its promise of protecting the region from wildfires. The company vehemently disagrees.
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the state has stopped Samsung’s use of technology that allowed it to spy on Texans in their own homes, according to a release.
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.
The Texas Tribune’s politics team has compiled five of the top stories we're watching this year, when voters will have their first chance to make their opinions known on the events of 2025.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pushing back against a lawsuit filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), arguing the group’s legal challenge over being labeled a terrorist organization is built on speculation and political disagreement, not law.
Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock suggested schools that hosted events for the Council on American-Islamic Relations or are linked to China could be disqualified from the new program.
Texans will elect a new attorney general next year for the first time in over a decade. The office handles legal matters impacting everyday life and, currently, plays a leading role in the conservative movement.
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.
The agreement comes after a judge put the Paxtons’ records under seal, prompting The Texas Tribune and other outlets to challenge the order.
The attorney general's complaint form is the latest effort to enforce new state restrictions on which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against five major television manufacturers, accusing them of secretly spying on Texans by tracking what they watch inside their homes.
The lawsuit alleges Minnesota-based Xcel Energy failed to maintain utility poles that started the 2024 Panhandle fire that killed three people and thousands of livestock.
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.
While Ken Paxton did not allege any wrongdoing, his move is intended to enforce a new law that prevents cities from raising property taxes if they fail to follow transparency requirements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a sweeping review into the financial practices of nearly 1,000 cities across the state, including major metros such as Houston, Galveston, Dallas and San Antonio, to determine whether local governments are complying with state audit and transparency laws.
Courts have said that the attorney general can use a 100-year-old law to demand entities’ internal records and sue to shut them down if he believes they’re violating the law.
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 began investigating the East Plano Islamic Center in March for potential violations of consumer protection laws.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into global fast-fashion giant Shein, examining whether the company violated state laws involving labor practices, product safety and consumer privacy.