U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says she will join U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in calling for a ban on all Congressional earmark spending. In the past, both used the controversial budget maneuver to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars back to Texas. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
2010 elections
Posted in
State Government
2010: One Election, Ten Candidates
Ten candidates signed up to run for Edmund Kuempel’s seat in the Texas House, a group that includes seven Republicans, two Democrats and a Libertarian.
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State Government
The Most Unpopular Fraction
Whatever the size of their majority in the Texas House, Republicans in the Texas Senate have to contend with the rule requiring two-thirds of members to agree to bring a bill up for vote. That’s 21 out of 31 — and there are only 19 Republicans in the upper chamber. As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some in the GOP want the rule changed.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Rick Perry on Jon Stewart
In case you missed it, here’s the complete, unedited appearance Monday night by Gov. Rick Perry on The Daily Show.
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State Government
2010: Donna Howard Wins in a Squeaker
It appears state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, will keep her seat in the Texas House. After overseas ballots were counted Monday, the final vote tally gave Howard a 16-vote victory over Republican challenger Dan Neil.
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State Government
Guest Column: Over Before It Started
On April 15, 2009, Rick Perry positioned himself for the first time as the defender of Texas against Washington oppression — and the 2010 race for governor was decided.
Posted inState Government
Libertarians and Greens Win, Sort Of
The 2010 elections will be remembered for Republican victories and Democratic defeats, but as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, it was a notable year for two other political parties on the ballot.
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State Government
What 99 Means
When a party wins everything, as the GOP has in Texas this year, it gets almost everything its way. It also has everything to lose.
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Demographics
MALC’s Makeover
The addition of five Hispanic Republicans to the Texas House means the Mexican American Legislative Caucus will now include at least a few dissenting voices on issues like immigration. “It does Latinos a huge disservice to say we all think alike,” says state Rep.-elect Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock.
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Politics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Our wall-to-wall Election Day coverage — complete results up and down the ballot and county by county, the all-hands-on-deck Trib team on the Republican tsunami, my conversation with George W. Bush’s media adviser and Rick Perry’s pollster about what happened on Tuesday, Stiles and Ramsey on what 194 candidates spent per vote this election cycle, Hu on how the GOP rout will affect the substance of the next legislative session, Hamilton on the Texas Democratic Trust’s unhappy end, Ramshaw and Stiles profile the new arrivals at the Capitol in January, M. Smith on what’s next for Chet Edwards and Ramsey and me on six matters of politics and policy we’re thinking about going forward — plus Thevenot and Butrymowicz on a possible solution to the high school dropout problem: The best of our best from Nov. 1 to 5, 2010.