Former Empower Texans leader Michael Quinn Sullivan has challenged a $10,000 fine from the Texas Ethics Commission for failure to register as a lobbyist for more than 10 years at nearly every level of the state court system.

In 2014, and following a two-year investigation, the Texas Ethics Commission fined Sullivan $10,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist.

If Tuesday’s election needed yet another element of uncertainty, the end of a straight-ticket voting option in Texas has certainly provided it. And in the 2016 general election, straight-ticket voting accounted for almost 64% of total votes cast in the state’s 10 largest counties. In 2017, the Legislature voted to eliminate the straight-ticket voting option starting in 2020. The change comes at a time when the Legislature, specifically the Texas House, could see considerable change in its partisan makeup. “That’s my fear.”With straight-ticket voting no longer an option, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.

Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced he would not seek reelection a week after the release of an infamous recording of a conversation between him and a political activist. It's not the first time that secret recordings caused a stir in Texas politics.

Of the 17 House members who have called for Bonnen to step down, only four are Democrats.

A handful of Republicans and Democrats have said the GOP leader of the lower chamber should step aside. And so far, no one from Bonnen's own party has publicly come to his defense.

Bonnen has been eager to dismiss speculation that he did anything illegal during a June 12 meeting with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. But a probe into the event is ongoing.

In the hourlong conversation with Michael Quinn Sullivan, the leader of the Texas House is heard offering press credentials and asking for political support for challengers in the 2020 primaries.

The recording, released Tuesday, features the two prominent Republicans airing their concerns about how Texas Republicans will fare next election, particularly in state House races.

Bonnen also spoke disparagingly about multiple Democrats, calling one House member “vile” and suggesting that another’s “wife’s gonna be really pissed when she learns he’s gay.”

A Midland oilman has spent millions over the last decade financing groups focused on moving the Texas Legislature in a more conservative direction. While critics have decried his hardball tactics, Tim Dunn isn't backing down.