Texas Senators John Carona and Dan Patrick have had confrontations in the past, but none quite as entertaining as this one. Grab the popcorn, friends. more ›

New polling among women and Latino voters could spell trouble for Republicans in Texas this November. Democrats need only 425,000 votes to swing their way to color the state blue, and while the odds are still very much in favor of another electoral college win for the GOP in Texas this year, it's no longer a state Republicans can take for granted. more ›

Monday's mayoral debate seemed to be a non-clash of the titans, clichéd Kabuki theatre with a nearly foregone conclusion. Austinist writer Terry Sawyer has this take. more ›

Daily Show writers, start saving up those jokes. Still-Governor Rick Perry has promised to give a second run for the Presidency a "good examination." more ›

Strange developments in the race for Harris County Democratic Party Chair appear to be pitting Houston's black and gay communities against each other. An email of odd provenance warns that “If the gays take over we are poised to lose everything we have worked for during President Obamas [sic] historic win.” more ›

On last night's Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert kicked off an update on Super PACs with a quote from the Houston Chronicle, which recently reported that Colbert's Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, had more donors with a Texas address than Mitt Romney's (Restore Our Future). “Apparently, more Texans respond to my message, ‘corporations are people,’ than Romney’s message, ‘Mitt is a person,’ Colbert joked. more ›

In a rather salty commentary piece, Austin American-Statesman writer Ken Herman lambastes the American public for not taking the hint: still-Governor Rick Perry isn't trying to be the president anymore. Ironically, the man who slipped countless political gaffes into a brief campaign has pulled in more votes since he left the campaign trail than when he was actively pursuing the presidency. more ›

Monday's federal court-dictated deadline for compromise on redrawn Congressional maps has come and gone with no agreement in sight. Among those still treading water is state Senator Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who must be seriously questioning the power of prayer right now. more ›

Everyone’s favorite perennial Republican dark horse, Ron Paul, may have made some odd friends on the road to marginal relevance. more ›

Susan G. Komen for the Cure argues that the reason for cutting ties with Planned Parenthood is in response to a new rule that does not allow them to provide grants to associations under investigation... If this is true, then when will Komen part ways with Bank of America? more ›

Republicans controlling the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment ordered the arrest this morning of Academy Award-nominated director Josh Fox who was attempting to film a public hearing on natural gas fracturing techniques, or "Fracking" as the practice has come to be known. more ›

Abortion opponents marked the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade this past Saturday with a march on the Capitol. Many of the attendees had something to celebrate: namely, the recent decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that Texas’ controversial mandatory sonogram law must be enforced even as it continues to be appealed. more ›

It was 83 years ago yesterday when Martin Luther King, Jr. was born into a nation where simply his skin color alone was enough to designate him a second class citizen and prevent him and his family from enjoying such basic human dignities as living, eating, or travelling where they want, or voting for elected representatives without encumbrance or limitation. It can be difficult sometimes for modern Americans who weren't born or didn't live during the civil rights era to comprehend the gross inequalities and devastating economic and social racism that was encoded into our very laws throughout America just 50 years ago. more ›

The Rick Perry campaign may be running on fumes at the moment, but at least he's still got his sense of humor. more ›

A reporting error may mean that Rick Santorum, not Mitt Romney, topped the Iowa caucuses. But will it matter? more ›

The Republican Establishment has desperately tried to wrap up the nominating process as quickly as possible with the least amount of damage to their anointed candidate heading into the general election. But that's not going to happen now. more ›

Just because you can continue a political campaign, does that mean you should? Here are several reasons why Rick Perry probably should end his run for the Republican presidential nomination--and a few reasons why he's not going to. more ›

Oh, what a year 2011 has been. Birth certificates, Congressional gridlock, Occupy, and Herman Cain, oh my! Austinist political writer Greg Haley busts out his crystal ball for a prognosticatory look at 2012. more ›

Does Mitt Romney really want to be President? We wonder. more ›

Political observers eagerly awaiting a Democratic face-off between Texas liberal lion Lloyd Doggett and his challenger State Rep. Joaquin Castro can put their popcorn down. more ›

Sick pleasure alert! Those goony GOPers are at it again, and Austinist is in the thick of it with a enough snark to choke…well…an elephant. This time around, we're camped out on the back patio at The Dog and Duck Pub, so if you wanna come out and pound a few pints, we'd be happy to see ya.
The fun starts at 6:30PM. If you make it out to the D'n'D, just look for our laptops and hunker down. The secret password is "GINGRICH/PAUL 2012!!!"
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UT student and College Republican representative Lauren Pierce's 129 characters on assassinating (or not assassinating) the president literally traveled around the world before coming home to roost. more ›

On Tuesday, a three judge panel of the Federal Court in Washington ruled that Texas Republican lawmakers used an "improper standard" in determining how the electoral map in Texas will be drawn for the 2012 election cycle. more ›

The day began like every other day. The dawn rose and with it Rick Perry. He woke up, kicked off his down comforter and un-rolled the curls from his hair. But as he sat at his vanity, brushing his hair and thinking of breakfast, he caught a chill, a chill he wasn't able to shake. It was like someone walked across his grave. more ›

At last night's Republican debate, our governor attempted to tell the world something big about his philosophy, something so critical to his economic policy, he had distilled it down to three points. These three points, he seemed eager to share, were pieces of the U.S. government that would be eliminated when he took office. "I will tell you: It's three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone: Commerce, Education and the -- what's the third one there? Let's see. ... OK. So Commerce, Education and the -- ... The third agency of government I would -- I would do away with the Education, the ... Commerce and -- let's see -- I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." more ›

Hey, didja hear the one about the Texas state legislator who let slip an ethnic slur during a legislative hearing on insurance? more ›