Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday announced he is asking Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in with an official opinion on whether the Fort Worth ISD’s policy on protections for transgender students is legal under Texas law. My fellow former radio talk show host acknowledged that he is “not a lawyer,” so he’s asking […]
Texas Lt. Gov. asks schools to risk funding while laying groundwork to redirect their funds to vouchers
by Scott on June 2, 2016 in Dan Patrick, Politics, Schools, Tea Party
The Trump Effect in Texas
by Scott on May 30, 2016 in Dallas, Fort Worth, Politics, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas
During an election cycle in which it’s been repeatedly proven the political chattering class has the capacity to be quite wrong, it is no shock the ascendancy of Donald Trump has some prognosticators once again raising the question of whether Texas will be any color other than deep Republican red when voters make their choice […]
A Welcome Home for Ted Cruz in the Party of John Cornyn
by Scott on May 23, 2016 in Politics, Tea Party, Ted Cruz
Two years ago in a packed hotel ballroom in Houston during the Harris County Republican Party’s Reagan Day fundraising dinner, Sen. John Cornyn stood on the stage and made the case to the party’s faithful that they must do a better job of reaching beyond their usual base if the organization is going to be […]
Activists rail against gays and Texas House leadership as Woodfill announces for RPT Chair
by Scott on February 1, 2016 in Abortion, Dan Patrick, God, Houston, Joe Straus, Politics, Religion, Tea Party, Texas
HOUSTON – A day after once again stepping onto the national political stage by inserting himself into the Planned Parenthood video fight, former Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill last week formally announced he is running to lead the Republican Party of Texas. He is running alongside Texas Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams, who has […]
AUDIO: Former undocumented Collin Street Bakery worker calls McNutt a hypocrite
by Scott on January 12, 2016 in Audio, Border Security, Politics, Tea Party, Texas
The hardline immigration rhetoric of Thomas McNutt, GOP challenger to Rep. Byron Cook, is coming under intense scrutiny now that the Dallas Morning News has revealed that McNutt’s company has a history of hiring undocumented immigrants. McNutt told the newspaper he will look into how undocumented workers could have been employed by his family’s Collin […]
Following rape comments, Stickland and key allies are sharply attacked for votes
by Scott on January 12, 2016 in Politics, Tea Party, Texas
Following revelations that Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, said publicly in 2008 that “Rape is non existent in marriage,” some of the votes that he and his closest allies have taken in the Texas House about sexual assault are under fresh scrutiny. A full-court press by Republicans against Tea Party incumbents began in the Metroplex on […]
Defeat of HERO signals a campaign cycle of social conservatism ahead for Texas GOP
by Scott on November 6, 2015 in Dan Patrick, Houston, Politics, Tea Party, Texas
The defeat of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Tuesday night came as a surprise only to those who had paid exactly zero attention to the politics on the ground – and for most of the campaign, the clueless seemed to include much of city leadership. Prior to and after the vote, many HERO supporters had […]
Perry took a shot at appearing as the elder statesman from Texas at exactly the wrong time
by Scott on September 12, 2015 in Politics, Rick Perry, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas
While still fighting a criminal indictment in Travis County and – as a direct result – unable to make inroads in fundraising or the polls, former Gov. Rick Perry on Friday became the first in the crowded Republican presidential field to suspend his campaign. Unlike his first run for the presidency Perry tried something new: […]
Texas is officially sending mixed signals to business
by Scott on August 30, 2015 in Politics, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas
Note: This story originally appeared on The Quorum Report. Join us there for daily coverage of Texas politics and government. General Electric delivered a blow to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s economic development efforts on Friday as Bloomberg let us know that GE “dropped the Dallas area as a site for a possible headquarters move because […]
Trump leads in Texas but does not likely have the staying power of Patrick or Cruz
by Scott on August 21, 2015 in Dan Patrick, Politics, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas
Some were surprised this week to find out that a poll of likely Republican Texas voters puts real estate magnate and provocateur Donald Trump ahead of Sen. Ted Cruz in the Junior Senator’s home state by a significant margin. In the poll, Trump is the choice of 24% of likely GOP voters here. Cruz is […]
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Scott Braddock is a journalist and political analyst based in Austin.
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