Note: This analysis was first published on The Quorum Report on October 19. Four days later, Chair Senfronia Thompson became the first declared candidate for Speaker for the 2021 session, followed by Representatives Trey Martinez Fischer, Oscar Longoria, Geanie Morrison, Trent Ashby, Chris Paddie, and John Cyrier, who dropped out within 24 hours and threw […]
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Straus retirement may set the stage for a responsible redistricting cycle
During the 2007 session of the Legislature, Rep. Byron Cook took to the front mic of the Texas House to rally the troops against then-Speaker Tom Craddick. Longtime observers will remember Cook’s words included a call to arms from Shakespeare, quoting from the Saint Crispin’s Day speech in Henry V: “We few, we happy few, […]
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Patrick meets Straus on the Speaker’s preferred battlefield
Throughout his ascendancy at the Texas Capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has proven time and again the ability to adapt to the political environment. Unlike many in the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party from which he derives his support, Patrick comes to government to govern, not to protest. As Patrick rolled out his […]
Hotze’s Bathroom Bill Campaign Just Latest Episode in Long-Running Anti-Gay Crusade
As the Texas Senate was getting down to work on the “bathroom bill,” Dr. Steve Hotze, an anti-gay activist and longtime business partner of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, began running television ads against Speaker Joe Straus in his district demanding the measure receive a vote in the House. After Senate Bill 6 passed the full […]
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Trump Victory Could Pressure Gov. Abbott to Lay Out an Agenda
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 […]
Group of TPPF board members spent heavily against Texas House GOP leadership
The Texas Public Policy Foundation promotes itself – and has been promoted in various media outlets – as merely a conservative free market think tank. The group, founded by “school choice” advocate James Leininger of San Antonio, says its “mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the […]
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Flashback: TPPF revised estimate in Texas budget growth down to 9% from nearly 30%
Note: This story originally appeared in The Quorum Report in 2014 after the Texas Public Policy Foundation dramatically revised its analysis of the budget passed by the Legislature in 2013. The information here is worth considering after TPPF this week released its “Conservative Texas Budget.” Bottom line: Once the GOP primaries were concluded in 2014, […]
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Activists rail against gays and Texas House leadership as Woodfill announces for RPT Chair
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 […]
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One Would Think the Tea Party Would be Outraged by What the Texas AG is Said to Have Done
The three-count felony indictment handed up by a grand jury in very-Republican Collin County against Attorney General Ken Paxton has sparked some wild conspiracy theories but yielded little, if any, consistency from some of Paxton’s fellow Tea Party patriots. Employees of Tim Dunn’s Empower Texans, a self-proclaimed conservative group, have tried to make the case […]
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Those who voted against Straus had a rough time representing their communities
At this point, it is abundantly clear that this was one of the least productive sessions of the Texas Legislature in years – at least if you count how many bills were passed. There is, naturally, a legitimate debate about whether it is positive or negative for fewer bills than usual to be passed into […]
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About Scott
Scott Braddock is a journalist and political analyst based in Austin.
