It was a decade ago that then-Gov. Rick Perry stood on the banks of the Rio Grande in his Carhartt jacket, promising in a TV commercial that “If Washington won’t protect our border, Texas will.” At that time, Texas Republicans were treating President George W. Bush as an apostate who was weak on the issue […]
Trump Victory Could Pressure Gov. Abbott to Lay Out an Agenda
by Scott on November 17, 2016 in Border Security, Immigration, Joe Straus, Politics, Rick Perry
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 […]
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: […]
Cruz Hoping He Doesn’t Get Chopped
by Scott on August 6, 2015 in Politics, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, needs to find some way to differentiate himself from Donald Trump. He’s got to look tough without angering Trump fans, as I recently observed: Sen. Cruz is now faced with the same conundrum he’s created for other candidates in his own party: Figure out a way to differentiate himself from Trump […]
Trump intensifies proxy war between Cruz and Perry
by Scott on July 26, 2015 in Border Security, Immigration, Politics, Rick Perry, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized
Following Donald Trump’s visit to the Texas-Mexico border and after his comments that Sen. John McCain was not a real war hero because he was captured in Vietnam, it is worth taking the time to think through what his campaign might mean for the presidential contenders from the Great State. What Trump said about Sen. McCain […]
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Scott Braddock is a journalist and political analyst based in Austin.
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