Master of Discovery Will Hartnett (R-Dallas) ruled today that Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) won her District 48 seat in the Texas House fair and square. Hartnett declined to recommend a special election as requested by Republican challenger Dan Neil, ruling instead that Howard had won the heavily disputed contest by 4 votes. Hartnett's ruling is nonbinding, however: the Howard/Neil case will now be heard by a House committee and may eventually be voted on by the House itself. Members could still order a special election or choose which representative to seat. Howard continues to act as the current and legally elected representative of HD-48 (Austin). [The Statesman] more ›

The battle for House District 48 continues. Republican candidate Dan Neil filed papers with the Texas Secretary of State's office Monday, challenging the narrow 12-vote win by Austin Rep. Donna Howard in early November. more ›

Texas Congressman Allan Ritter (D-Nederland) announced Saturday that he will be crossing the aisle to join the Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives. Ritter's shift moves the GOP one seat away from a supermajority—and another Democrat is already considering his options. more ›

Texas Democrats had cause for celebration earlier this week. Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) was able to hold off her Republican challenger, Dan Neil, by a mere 16 votes in the final tally. more ›

Last night the renovated Arthouse at Jones Center hosted a diverse crowd of politicos, scenesters, and people just looking for a good time to commemorate the first birthday of the non-profit and non-partisan Texas Tribune. more ›

• Cell phone use + jaywalking on SMU campus = an accident with one person in the hospital.
• Election night traffic crashed the Texas Tribune servers!
• BBC story on San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.

Celebrate election night with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, a few surprise politicians and the Texas Tribune at Arthouse next Tuesday. We love the Texas Tribune for their incisive political reporting, but they really know how to throw a party. more ›

• Gubernatorial debate tonight, but Rick Perry won't be there.
• Early voting numbers in Texas looking promising (yesterday was the first day of early voting).
• 15 dead after attacks in Iraq.

• Appellate court orders halt to Willingham inquiry, after witnesses testified in hearing that his conviction was based on faulty science.
• People still talking about the Chile mine rescue...
• Couldn't they find a better courtroom artist for the Fort Hood hearing?

The Rick Perry campaign has announced that the governor will not be meeting with any newspaper editorial boards before the election. Perry's spokesperson Mark Miner announced that the campaign will continue to talk to reporters at scheduled stops and to focus on social media. It's not the first time Perry has chosen to pass over the papers--the question is whether they can come back to haunt him. more ›

Not only is the EPA cracking down on the TCEQ, but Congressman Lloyd Doggett is spearheading more restrictions on Texas use of federal education and stimulus funds. Doggett, a lifelong Austinite who represents Texas's 25th District, inserted an amendment into a supplemental appropriations bill in early July that would effectively exclude Texas officials from deciding how to spend federal aid for education. more ›

On Monday an Austin election-law expert called the move illegal. On Wednesday the Secretary of State gave it a thumbs-up. Today, the Democrats have decided to sue. Is it any surprise that in the biggest shakeup in the governor's race to date, the road leads back to Arizona? more ›

Gov. Rick Perry (R) has refused to debate his Democratic challenger Bill White until White releases his tax records for the years he's been in public office. Today White did just that. Is Perry ready to rumble? more ›

A question about Rick Perry on Wednesday brought out the political animal in former Secretary of State James Baker. In Austin for a public conversation with Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune, Baker offered a candid and largely positive view of recent foreign policy decisions by the current administration. When Smith asked him about the Texas elections, however, Baker turned coy. more ›

During the health care fight in Washington D.C. and SXSW here in Austin, there was a convention at the Palmer Events Center on Saturday to put the Travis County Democratic Party’s business in order. Mostly a pep rally for the upcoming general election—there's only one county Democratic runoff and several unopposed candidates in the general election—there was still much to talk about. more ›

In the least surprising political news of the week, Governor Rick Perry’s campaign has wasted no time going on the offensive against Democratic challenger Bill White, hitting him hard on his non-commitment on ruling out tax increases during his TribLive interview on Tuesday (video after the jump), and for his refusal (initially, at least) to release his income tax returns to the public. more ›

Inside a packed Austin Club yesterday, gubernatorial candidate Bill White offered a taste of the Democratic message we can expect to hear through November. White sat down with Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith for some probing questions and well-studied answers. The emphasis on conservatism in his replies showed that White is working hard to keep the independent voters that he claims came over to his campaign after last Tuesday's primary. more ›

Perry's election night speech sounded like more of a pitch to be the next U.S. President than a request to ask Texas voters for an additional four year term. White took Perry on in a direct manner. Who do you think will win in November? more ›

• No runoffs as Perry, White claim their parties' nominations for governor
• Ethics probe forces Rangel to temporarily quit key tax post
• FAA not happy after child in air traffic control tower talks to pilots

The polls are now closed and all the votes are in. Over the course of the next few hours, precincts from across the state will be counting and reporting vote totals, candidates will be preparing victory and concession speeches (and possibly runoff strategies), and campaign staffers will be likely be drinking. As for us, we'll be patiently watching the numbers trickle in. Travis County's early returns are already available, and although its early, some of the sizable margins in the local races may prove indicative of the final tallies. In addition to a liveblog, our friends at the Texas Tribune have a nifty county-by-county map with live updates for all statewide races. For updates on the local races, go here for Democratic primary results, and here for Republican primary results. more ›

What could have been an easy race for an incumbent may become a day of reckoning. From the Quorum Report: if Rick Perry sees Kay Bailey Hutchison's shadow today, we're in for another 6 weeks of negative campaigning. From the start of the year until February 20, Hutchison and Perry each spent more than Bill White, Farouk Shami, and Debra Medina . Pulling votes from Perry is Debra Medina, who has already generated interest as far away as the UK--one of the most popular stories in the Guardian right now covers her potential effect on the race. more ›

Before the election returns come in tonight, why not take a crack at predicting the winners? Both The Washington Post and Burnt Orange Report are hosting competitions to see whose percentages come closest to the final numbers. The Burnt Orange Report contest has two separate contests going, one for Central Texas (Austinites take note!) and one statewide. The Washington Post is awarding a T-shirt to the finest wonk. If you need a hint, check with the panel of experts on Politico this morning. more ›

Starting at noon today, you can send your election experiences to The Texas Tribune to be included in a crowdsourced live blog. The TT is taking a Web 2.0 approach to this year's primaries, with live updates featuring photos and videos from readers statewide. Represent for your candidate, or just tell them how long the lines are, at media@texastribune.org. more ›

Today's the last day to pick your party and have your say in the Texas primaries. You'll find more on your ballot than just the candidates for governor: a slew of statewide offices is up for grabs this year, and there are five "propositions" on the Republican ballot to test voter sentiment for November. We'll be posting periodic election updates throughout the day, so after you find your polling place, check back here to see how the various smackdowns are shaping up. more ›

Remember Operation Chaos in 2008? That's when Rush Limbaugh urged Republican voters to take advantage of the open primary rules in Texas and several other swing states and vote for Hillary Clinton in order to prolong Democratic infighting. Fast-forward two years and the shoe is on the other foot: White looks like a lock for the Texas Dems, while Palin pick Rick Perry could still end up in a runoff with old-guard conservative Kay Bailey Hutchison if Debra Medina can peel off enough Tea Party votes. more ›

Early voting has only just begun, but the exit of five aides from the Farouk Shami campaign signal the Democratic primary for Texas governor has pretty much ended. The Shami campaign implosion was triggered by leaked emails that portrayed a campaign in disarray and out of control of its message. more ›

Common knowledge says that the race should be close: a popular Republican Senator running against a Republican Governor who only received 39% of the vote in 2006. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is running against Governor Perry after all, the guy who brought on the TransTexas Corridor, the mandatory HPV vaccine order, and anything TxDOT. But federal decisions from the last decade had put the federal government, economy, and foreign relations in a free-for-all, and Senator Hutchison supported most of them. more ›

• Newsweek predicts that Democrat Bill White will beat Perry in the governor's race in 2010.


• Thom Yorke at Copenhagen climate summit: "The Americans...don't seem to be coming in offering anything new."


• US border agents who work for drug traffickers.

Businessman Farouk Shami and former Houston mayor Bill White are now alone (as of now) in their race for the Democratic nomination for governor; Kinky Friedman has chosen to instead focus on the race for State Agriculture Commissioner. He will face off on the Democratic ticket with Hank Gilbert (who was also considering a run for governor). Friedman hasn't endorsed any gubernatorial candidate, but said, "There is a clear alternative for the people of Texas, and today I'm changing courses with a happy heart." [Texas Tribune] more ›

• The explains what Saturday’s Longhorn Game really meant in the grand scheme of things.
• Dell Children’s Medical Center has so many flu patients that they are setting up outside tents to deal with the overflow!
• Political Smackdown: Governor Goodhair vs. Senator Goodhair.