On Monday, approximately 58 members of the Texas House of Representatives boarded private planes in Austin and flew to Washington, D.C. to avoid voting on an election integrity bill.  According to the statement released by Texas Democratic House Caucus Chair Chris Turner (HD 101, Arlington and Grand Prairie) and several other House leaders, “Today, Texas …

Over the course of the 2020 election cycle, more than $662.5 million dollars were reported as contributions to Texas state-level candidates and PACs. Of that total, an astounding $46.9 million in donations went to Governor Greg Abbott’s campaign account. To put that number in context, Abbott’s donations account for seven percent of all Texas campaign …

**Editor’s Note: Since this article went live, the Texas House formally elected Dade Phelan as Speaker of the House.** Texas House Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) is expected to be the next Texas Speaker of the House to replace outgoing Speaker Dennis Bonnen.  After announcing a list of 83 members supporting his bid in November, Phelan …

According to a recent study* by Ballotpedia, 97.3 percent of state legislators seeking reelection have advanced to the general election. This turnover rate isn’t unique. In fact, it’s in line with the percentage of incumbents advancing from the primary to the general elections in 2018 (97 percent) and 2016 (97.5 percent). The caricature of the …

Bribery and Racketeering Charges in the House The high-profile arrest of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others in July has brought state-level campaign finance — and the ways it can be misused on a grand scale — to national prominence. Householder’s arrest by federal officials in conjunction with a $60 million racketeering and …