Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit.

The gang discusses a legislator’s lash out, a lottery scandal, and some big news from one of our own.

Mo Jenkins is one of only a few openly transgender staffers working in the Capitol as lawmakers are making headway in restricting rights for LGBTQ+ Texans.

Several of Texas’ top Republicans are defending Gov. Greg Abbott’s pick to head the state’s water agency following pointed questions from a GOP lawmaker over the agency’s diversity hiring policies.

The topic was a budget request from a state agency. The exchange grew emotional when a lawmaker pressed for answers about a strategic plan that praises diversity.

Conservative lawmakers claimed credit for Dr. Robert Bredt’s retirement after it came out he also worked at a Planned Parenthood-affiliated lab.

Emboldened by the recent election, some Texas lawmakers are already filing bills that would dictate bathroom use, limit gender identity markers on documents and restrict funding for surgeries.

The censured members said they had been punished for campaigning against “liberal incumbents” alongside statewide elected officials like Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Republican lawmakers may try to force Texas cities to allow greater housing density as the state faces a housing crunch.

Violations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The bill’s sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation.

The bill, recently signed by Gov. Greg Abbott and set to take effect Sept. 1, does not restrict pandemic rules by private entities.

These rankings across the ideological spectrum are based on roll-call votes in the Texas House and Senate during this year’s regular and special sessions.

Harrison is the former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump. He will replace Waxahachie Republican Jake Ellzey, who was elected to Congress in July.

The two Republicans are fighting to replace former state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, who is now a congressman.

The two Republicans are vying to replace former state Rep. Jake Ellzey, who is now in Congress.

The election is to replace former state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, who was elevated to Congress last month.

Wray is among eight candidates, including five Republicans, on the ballot Tuesday to fill a vacancy in his old House District 10.

Five Republicans, one Democrat, an Independent and a Libertarian are vying to fill Ellzey's seat after he won a promotion to Congress last month. The filing deadline was 5 p.m. Thursday.

Ad"We need fighters in Texas, and that’s what I’m coming here for," Rodimer told The Texas Tribune. Some of the other candidates had already announced their campaigns, most notably including Wright's widow, longtime GOP activist Susan Wright. On Tuesday evening, one potential major GOP candidate, former Trump campaign adviser Katrina Pierson, announced she was not running. The district has been getting increasingly competitive in statewide results, with Trump carrying it by only 3 percentage points last year. However, Ron Wright won it by more healthy margins when he was first elected in 2018 and then reelected in 2020.

Early voting in the special election to replace the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, will begin April 19. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas TribuneGov. Greg Abbott has selected May 1 as the date for the special election to succeed late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington. The candidate filing deadline for the special election is March 3, and early voting starts April 19. The special election for the Republican-leaning seat is set to draw a large crowd, and several candidates have already announced or filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. AdTwo Democrats have declared their candidacies: Jana Lynne Sanchez, the 2018 Democratic nominee for the seat, and Lydia Bean, last year's Democratic nominee for state House District 93.