Posted on · It's easy to forget that redistricting and the Voting Rights Act are about voters. But sometimes, the voters jump up and remind you. Texans in Hispanic districts have been voting pretty consistently for Democrats, but not necessarily for Hispanic Democrats.
Posted on · Conventions might not be absolutely necessary to conduct the state's political business, but they're important to the partisans who, just like other kinds of enthusiasts, find strength in numbers.
Posted on · An excerpt on U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, from Robert Draper's new book on Congress — Do Not Ask What Good We Do — from a chapter titled "Woman of a Certain Rage."
Posted on · Viability is a standard question in politics. Why is she running? What about that guy? Don't they know they're going to lose? The Libertarians and the Greens don't think that's the right question.
Posted on · The Connecticut Leather Company started out in the shoe business and remade itself as a toy company. You know it as Coleco. Amazon.com was originally just an online bookstore. Your bank was probably operating under a different neon sign a couple of years ago. Adaptation is crucial to survival. Businesses chase customers. Animals go wherever the water is. Politicians chase voters.
Posted on · With redistricting fights pushing the primaries closer to summertime — and further from the possibility of giving the state’s Republican voters any say in who should be their presidential nominee — turnout could be even lower than normal.
Posted on · What's next for Rick Perry? He still has nearly three years in his current term as governor. But he also trumpets a message of federalism that's still relevant in national politics and probably useful to the Republicans once their presidential nomination battle is over.
Posted on · The attorney general is in the happy position of defending redistricting maps that benefit his allies and punish his foes — all in the name of official state business.
Posted on · Federal judges proposed new political maps for the state late Thursday and hope to have new congressional and legislative maps in place for Texas on the Monday after Thanksgiving
Posted on · Super PACs are a dream for the sort of person who likes being a political worker but hates the candidates: it will soon be possible to run a campaign without dealing with an actual contender.
Posted on · The easiest way to win an election is to have the votes. The next easiest way is to change the rules of the election. Some political folks, inside and outside the Texas Senate, are looking at the rules.
Posted on · Why do Texas colleges hire former lawmakers to run the show? It's because the key trait for a new chancellor is the ability to attract money, both from donors and from the Legislature.