Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has talked openly about targeting states like Texas that have open primaries to get a boost over Trump.
Patrick Svitek
Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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Politics
Democrats Colin Allred, Roland Gutierrez show contrasts during U.S. Senate primary debate
During potentially their only primary debate, Gutierrez suggested Allred was pandering to Republicans, while Allred defended his bipartisanship as necessary to winning in GOP-dominated Texas.
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Politics
Texas GOP vice chair challenges Matt Rinaldi for party leadership
Dana Myers has been critical of the party’s ties to Defend Texas Liberty PAC, a hard-right group that’s been tied to white supremacists.
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2024 Texas Elections
Colin Allred looks to protect advantages in crowded race to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who is trailing Allred in money and polls, is positioning himself as the chief progressive in the race.
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Politics
Republican senator who voted to acquit Paxton wants Senate to consider reopening impeachment proceedings
The bombshell request by retiring state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, comes after Paxton decided to stop fighting a whistleblower lawsuit whose claims factored into his impeachment trial.
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Politics
Texas high court won’t force Collin County to pay prosecutors in Paxton securities fraud case
Paxton’s securities fraud trial has been delayed for years by a number of pretrial disputes, including how much the special prosecutors should be paid.
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2024 Texas Elections
After Fuentes scandal, Texas billionaires fund new PAC to support conservative candidates
In the wake of a scandal tying them to white supremacists, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks started a new PAC to support far-right candidates
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2024 Texas Elections
Two House Republicans repent for voting to impeach Ken Paxton
While most GOP state reps stand by their votes, Reps. JM Lozano of Kingsville and Gary Gates of Richmond have publicly distanced themselves since the September impeachment trial in the state Senate.
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Politics
Judge lets Texas Senate contender campaign amid residency doubts
At the same time, the judge denied a motion by Brent Hagenbuch to dismiss the case challenging his eligibility, letting it move forward ahead of the March primary.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
Ken Paxton says he’ll accept judgment, won’t contest facts in whistleblower case
Whistleblowers sued for being fired after accusing Paxton of abuses in office. Paxton says he wants to end the lawsuit.