Border Patrol reports 2.4 million migrant arrests at southwest border this year, the most ever
The historic pace of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has fueled Republicansโ focus on the crisis, but despite the efforts of Gov. Greg Abbottโs Operation Lone Star, encounters in Texas have increased.
Fighting care for transgender kids shifts from a fringe issue to a litmus test for Texas Republicans
The issue is no longer contained to just the partyโs fringes โ and it is unlikely to go away any time soon as the national fervor grows, Gov. Greg Abbottโs directive faces legal challenges and it factors prominently into a slew of GOP primary runoffs.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez will run for a different House seat in 2022 after redistricting made his more competitive
Texas lawmakers made Gonzalezโs current 15th Congressional District more competitive for Republicans. The representative now plans to run in the 34th District, which is safer for Democrats.
Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas' hard right turn after the 2020 election
Texasโ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the stateโs political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election.
Social network Gab fuels latest conflict among Texas Republicans
A fight has broken out among Texas Republicans over Gab, the embattled social network favored by the far right. That sparked fierce criticism from the company โ and new questions from fellow some Republicans about Abbott's own commitment to fighting perceived censorship by social media giants. Gab promotes itself as a "free speech" alternative to social media behemoths like Facebook and Twitter. Earlier this year, Gab was among the alternative social media sites where Trump loyalists plotted the storming of the Capitol. "TexasGOP has no plan to deplatform from any of our social media accounts," the tweet said.
Texas voters have serious concerns about voting and the 2020 election, UT/TT Poll finds
Eighty percent of Republican voters chose โpeople voting multiple timesโ as a serious issue in this election. Like Texas Republicans, Texas Democrats have worries that arenโt shared by their counterparts. Only 5% of Republican voters said theyโll vote by mail; 61% said theyโll vote early, in person, and 33% plan to vote in person on Election Day. Roughly a third of Black voters (34%) in Texas plan to vote by mail, the choice of 7% of Hispanic voters and 11% of white voters. Texas voters on election rulesSupport for allowing all Texas voters to vote by mail falls just short of a majority, at 49%, while 41% of registered voters oppose the idea.
How down-ballot candidates could help Democrats flip Texas
And a question that often elicits eyerolls is now a point of serious debate: Can Democrats flip Texas? "We have been through hell and back in the past decade, but all the while focused on building the infrastructure at the Texas Democratic Party necessary to meet this very moment," said Manny Garcia, the executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. Some Democratic candidates are able to spend heavily on TV ads and own get-out-the-vote campaigns. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who's running for re-election against Democrat MJ Hegar, rang the alarm early about Democrats' Texas efforts ahead of 2020. Cornynโs bid for a fourth term remains the central source of confidence among most Texas Republicans.