The voter ID legislation passed by the Texas Senate on Wednesday night may be controversial, but it’s a familiar debate, as is the issue of “sanctuary cities.” Less well known but no less controversial are many of the provisions found in more than three dozen immigration-related bills filed so far. Some Hispanic Republicans in the Texas House say they are not going to support bills they believe are too extreme.
Van Taylor
Posted in
Economy
Green House
The biggest caucus in the Texas House is the Republicans’, now with 101 members. Next? The Democrats’, at 49. And then there’s the freshman class — one of the biggest in years — with 38 members. All but six are Republicans, and many of them replaced Democrats. They face some challenges.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: All Politics is Local
Freshman state Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano, says he’s supporting Ken Paxton’s challenge to incumbent House Speaker Joe Straus.
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State Government
2010: Jackson Beats Taylor [updated]
Mabrie Jackson, who pulled out of the race for state Rep. Brian McCall’s unexpired term, beat Van Taylor in Saturday’s special election, winning 56 percent of the vote to his 44 percent, according to Collin County’s election results.
Posted inState Government
The Middle-Finger Vote
It’s embodied in the Tea Party movement, in this week’s runoff election results from Lubbock and Plano, in last month’s primaries, in Gov. Rick Perry’s embrace of states’ rights and the 10th Amendment, even in Barack Obama’s campaign against the status quo in 2008. Voters are furious, and politicians are listening.
Posted inState Government
2010: Taylor Made
Plano’s Van Taylor easily won his runoff for the Texas House, beating former Plano City Councilwoman Mabrie Griffith Jackson in the contest to succeed former Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano.
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Criminal Justice
Runoff Day: A Spectator’s Guide
Today’s elections in 18 Texas primary races, all but two involving Republicans, probably won’t change the overall temperature of the statehouse or our delegation to Congress. The partisan makeup of those places isn’t at stake until November. But for three House incumbents and challengers in two other races — for the State Board of Education and the Texas Supreme Court — how the vote turns out is a big deal.
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State Government
2010: What’s on the Special?
Voters in Central Texas, Dallas and Plano will get to vote for the third month in a row in May, in special elections for the Texas House and Senate. Three officeholders — Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, and Reps. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, and Brian McCall, R-Plano — resigned before their terms were up. Today was the deadline for candidate filing.
Posted inState Government
2010: HD-66 Special Election Set
State Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, the soon-to-be Chancellor of the Texas State University System, resigned his seat at the end of last week. That means the voters of House District 66 have a special election coming their way .
Posted inState Government
The Runoffs: HD-66
She says he’s a carpetbagger. He says she’s a moderate. We’ll know what voters in this North Texas district say on April 13, when they decide whether former city councilwoman Mabrie Jackson or businessman Van Taylor will succeed state Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano.