Early voting for the Texas 2026 primaries begins Tuesday. Here’s what to know.

New: The family of Don Huffines, a former Republican Texas senator who is now campaigning to become the state’s comptroller, bought the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico after the child sex trafficker and molester died.

Mayes Middleton’s record of spearheading fringe conservative bills, pushing them until they reach the GOP mainstream and proudly courting the resultant outrage, is a cornerstone of his campaign to be Texas’ next attorney general. www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/m...

Jasmine Crockett has built enormous enthusiasm among Black voters based in part on her reputation as a fighter, while her opponent in the Texas primary, James Talarico, has struggled to win their support.

Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.

DHS rolled out a revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.

🔍 Reliable information about candidates gives Texans clarity before they head to the polls. Donate today to help sustain The Texas Tribune’s election resources.

Joan Huffman is running for Texas attorney general on her criminal prosecution experience and allegiance to the rule of law, cutting a contrast with her fellow GOP opponents who are emphasizing a continuation of Paxton’s culture war battles.

New: In a sweeping restructure, UT-Austin will consolidate four departments, including African and African Diaspora Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, college leaders told department heads Thursday. More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments.

State Rep. James Talarico raised over $7.4 million in the first six weeks of the year, already outpacing his fourth quarter figure and bringing his total for the cycle to over $20 million.

Former Elon Musk lawyer emerges as frontrunner in GOP primary for Michael McCaul’s congressional seat

🌟 Help us keep Texas voters informed. Donations help expand the reach of The Texas Tribune’s voter guides before early voting begins Feb. 17.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday sued the company that owns Snapchat, accusing the social media organization of failing to adequately warn parents about inappropriate material on the platform and downplaying its addictiveness.

The Trump administration is sending all pregnant unaccompanied minors apprehended by immigration enforcement to a single group shelter in South Texas. This is a sharp turn from longstanding federal practice, which placed them in shelters or foster homes equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies.

New: U.S. Rep. Chip Roy maintains a 10-percentage point lead over state Sen. Mayes Middleton in the Republican primary for Texas attorney general, according to the latest public polling released Wednesday.

✅ When voters have access to reliable information, participation is stronger. Support The Texas Tribune to help ensure our voter guides reach Texans statewide.

FAA closes El Paso airspace for 10 days. The El Paso city government issued an advisory early Wednesday that flights at El Paso International Airport are canceled.

🧭 Our voting hub has everything you need in once place, so you can vote with confidence and easily share voting resources with others. 👉 Start here:

The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has resulted in a historic high of more than 18,000 challenges in federal court from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal. Texas and California account for about 40% of cases this year. With @propublica.org:

📖 Clear, nonpartisan election information helps Texans make informed decisions. Donations support the reporting and reach of the Texas Tribune’s voter guides across the state.

Texas leads the U.S. in cattle production, making the parasitic screwworm fly an extraordinary risk to the industry. Ranchers and other agriculture advocates have sounded the alarm about screwworm for more than a year.

Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday against Darling Ingredients, Inc., arguing that its Bastrop plant smells like “boiling blood” and is making life miserable for people as far as 10 miles away.

Attorney general sues Bastrop factory after residents complain about noxious odors.

From statewide offices to Congress and the Texas Legislature, the 2026 Texas primaries will shape the state’s political future. Join @mwatkinstrib.bsky.social & @eleanorklib.bsky.social for a live TribCast recording as they preview the 2026 primaries, in Austin & online Feb. 24. RSVP: trib.it/lyUTsH

UPDATE: DHS denied TB cases in the troubled El Paso East Montana tent camp Sunday — although a congresswoman said medical staff told her last month in front of ICE & city officials confirmed Saturday. DHS did not respond to questions seeking clarity www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...

Two cases of tuberculosis detected at El Paso ICE facility. Eighteen cases of COVID-19 were also identified. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar on Friday visited the 5,000-bed tent facility on the Fort Bliss Army base and said she saw many "chronic issues."

If you have info about East Montana, Dilley and poor conditions at Texas’s two dozen ICE detention centers you can reach me anonymously + securely on Signal at 832-729-3421 or email me [email protected]

TB and Covid active in a troubled El Paso immigrant tent camp where 3 people have died over a 6 week period ( including one ruled a homicide) & following a measles outbreak at the Dilley family detention center. Reach out if you have info on Dilley/ East Montana www.texastribune.org/2026/02/07/i...

Across Senate District 9, VoteHub estimated that Taylor Rehmet captured about 79% of the Hispanic vote — a 26-point improvement on the 53% that went for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller is effectively the underdog in the primary race for his own seat. His Republican opponent has raised three times Miller’s haul since the start of 2025. Trump — his most powerful ally — has been silent. And other GOP officeholders are publicly attacking him.

The near-constant stream of takes from content creators has come to frame the Senate primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico as a referendum on identity politics in the Democratic Party.

New local leaders and an expanding major employer are fueling hopes of an economic revival in Pineland, though a lack of housing could hold it back.

New: Texas’ unusual mid-decade redistricting and problems with the state’s new voter registration system have delayed the mailing of voter registration certificates, state and local officials say.

New: In a lawsuit filed Thursday, AG Ken Paxton asked a judge to declare CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization and transnational criminal organization, and prohibit them from operating in Texas. This is the latest in a deluge of investigations and litigation against Muslim groups in Texas.

GOP Senate candidates John Cornyn, Wesley Hunt and Ken Paxton refused to participate in our candidate Q&A. We used their past statements and voting history to show where they differ on major issues, ranging from foreign policy to artificial intelligence.

GOP operatives expect a close race between state Rep. Briscoe Cain and former Harris County judge candidate Alex Mealer, who have consolidated much of the fundraising and endorsements among the crowded Republican primary for Texas' 9th Congressional District.

A federal district judge on Wednesday declared Senate Bill 13 — a 2021 law restricting state investments in companies boycotting the fossil fuel industry — unconstitutional, calling it “facially overbroad” and citing First and Fourteenth Amendment concerns.

A Travis County judge on Wednesday rejected a challenge from two voters to a new $3 billion dementia research fund, which still can’t take effect despite voter approval last November. An appeal could keep the program tied up in court.

With new business-friendly laws and the launch of the Texas Stock Exchange, state leaders aim to remake Texas into a corporate and financial hub. We’ll look at the politics, promises and real-world impacts of that effort. In Dallas & online, March 24. RSVP: trib.it/9czcZb

New: Former Texas A&M lecturer Melissa McCoul is suing the university months after Texas A&M fired her over a gender identity lesson. McCoul alleges that administrators knowingly violated her free speech and due process rights to appease political critics.

When Texas Tech faculty sought clarification on new restrictions limiting how race, gender and sexuality can be discussed in classrooms, administrators said they could offer little guidance, according to two internal emails reviewed by The Texas Tribune.

We asked Democratic Senate candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico where they fall on major issues, ranging from international policy to taxes. Here's where they stand, and how they differ.

Texans have until March 17 to apply for the state's voucher program, which allows families to receive taxpayer dollars to send children to private school or educate them at home. Here’s what to know about the applications.

Two weeks ago, the El Paso Medical Examiner ruled the death of a 55yo Cuban detainee at an immigration center in El Paso was a homicide. ICE bypassed the county ME w/ the latest death, sending the body to an Army hospital instead. www.texastribune.org/2026/02/03/t...

The body of a migrant who died at an El Paso immigration detention center was sent to a military hospital rather than the county medical examiner who investigated two previous deaths at the facility — and concluded that one of them was a homicide rather than a suicide.

Matt Boms joins this week's episode of TribCast to discuss the Texas electrical grid's strong performance during the recent winter storm.

As a part of a yearlong study, Texas county jails are collecting data about pregnant inmates’ prenatal care, mental health indicators, pregnancy outcomes and more.

Concerned about Texas’ social studies overhaul, Democrats on the State Board of Education used a recent meeting to push for the inclusion of more Black and Indigenous perspectives and for young children to learn about the horrific nature of slavery.

A reminder that if you are a lawyer representing people in ICE detention, including the Dilley family facility, who have had issues with medical care while detained or have information about deaths in custody, please reach out to me: [email protected] and 832-729-3421 on Signal/ Whatsapp.

The General Land Office oversees investments that earn billions of dollars for public education, manages state lands, operates the Alamo and distributes benefits to Texas veterans. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.