While you were sleeping: The GOP candidates duking it out to replace Ken Paxton as Texas AG reported new fundraising numbers. One just got a late infusion of cash that could buoy him in the last week of the race. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u... #txlege

NEW: In his bid for Texas Attorney General, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has been chasing Sen. Mayes Middleton, his self-funded opponent. Tonight, Roy reported raising nearly $8M — $2.75M from one donor. Middleton raised $5.7M, most from himself. The race to the runoff is on. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u...

Teamed up with @lmcgaughy.bsky.social to write about Ken Paxton.

Huh?

Ken Paxton was charged with fraud. He was impeached by his own party. His wife is divorcing him for alleged infidelity. Through it all, how has Paxton stayed not only politically viable but highly popular with his base? Story w/ @michaelkruse.bsky.social @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/u...

tl;dr Of course, potato, egg and cheese is a proper breakfast taco order. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/u...

Last year, Bo French was such a headache for some GOP leaders that they asked him to resign as a county party chairman. Now he’s running an insurgent campaign for the state’s powerful oil and gas regulatory body, and challenging his party’s boundaries of decency. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/u...

NEW: More than half the U.S. is in drought. But few places are dealing with the kind of crisis facing Corpus Christi, Tex., which could see water demand outstrip supply w/in a year. One official told me: "This is actually the canary in the coal mine. 🎁: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

NEW: Ken Paxton said he needed $20M to take John Cornyn's Senate. But, less than a month to the primary runoff, he's fallen short. I analyzed Paxton's campaign money and found he's lost many of the big donors that backed his last re-election as attorney general. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...

John Cornyn holds a significant fund-raising edge over Ken Paxton, with four weeks to go before early voting begins in the U.S. Senate runoff. But both fell short of the campaign cash amassed this year by James Talarico. Gift link here: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/u...

ICYMI: At a meeting with #txlege in DC last week, Stephen Miller asked why the state hasn't passed a bill to stop paying for the education of undocumented children. He also asked whether Texas has a RINO problem. The room, according to attendees, went silent. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...

BREAKING: An investigation by the @nytimes.com reveals civil rights icon Cesar Chavez allegedly groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the labor rights movement for years. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/u...

ICYMI: The deadline to withdraw from the ballot in Texas has passed and both Ken Paxton and John Cornyn remain in the race for U.S. Senate. Either man can still withdraw, but they WILL remain on the ballot for the May 26 runoff even if they do. All eyes are on Trump. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/u...

UPDATE: Looks like Dallas voters will be able to vote at any polling place countywide. Dallas County GOP chair Allen West just said that sticking with precinct-only voting for the May runoff will exposed the party "to increased risk and voter confusion." #txlege

I just spoke with the head of Dallas Co elections. After widespread confusion on primary election day this month, he told me they are now considering returning to countywide voting for the May runoff. But doing that would require the OK of BOTH the county Dems and GOP. #txlege

ICYMI: 2A activist and YouTuber Brandon Herrera became the default nominee for a TX congressional seat after Tony Gonzales' decision to drop out. I asked Herrera about Dem hopes he is a more beatable opponent than Gonzales — and his copy of "Mein Kampf." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...

Greg Abbott is on the verge of a record fourth term as governor in Texas. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/u... #txlege

BREAKING: Dallas police detain man outside of Ken Paxton campaign event. Officers pulled what appeared to be ammunition for several types of weapons from a blue sedan that hotel workers said the man had been driving, according to our reporter on the scene. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u...

NEW: A Texas G.O.P. incumbent is facing a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant. We're watching this race. Read more here: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u... #txlege

Sure, everyone is watching the Senate primary election in Texas. But some of us also have our eye downballot — especially since two of the races pit the governor's pick against President Trump. Read more here: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u... #txlege

Anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas has been on the rise for months. On Sunday, the deadly shooting in Austin thrust Islam to the forefront of the political discussion just as voters are heading to the polls. Election Day in Texas is tomorrow. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/u... #txlege

Hey, y'all! 👋 I am officially on the job at @nytimes.com covering all things Texas politics and policy. That means I now have an email! You can reach me at [email protected] or on Signal at lmcgaughy.40. Chat soon. #txlege

Commuting to my first day at the new job was a bit different than usual. 🤠🥶 @nytimes.com

For all those reaching out: I start my new job at The New York Times at the end of the month. Taking a little break until then. For now, send tips via Signal at LMcGaughy.40 or on any social media platform. See y’all in March! 👋🏻

I know we're having a lot of fun with the whole penis doping thing, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't point out that this should be the scandal in ski jumping that everyone is screaming about apnews.com/article/olym...

Today I published my last story for The Texas Newsroom @KUTNews. We analyzed years of data from Texas prisons w/o AC and found — more often than not — temps would violate standards for county jails. Jails must keep temps between 65-85°. State prisons don’t. www.kut.org/crime-justic... #txlege

Every journalist has that feeling of waking up in the middle of the night to recheck a fact in a story set to publish the next morning. Last night, mine was, “what k-pop generation did BTS debut in??” (Spoiler: I got it right) A fun story, for once! one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5693...

Burkina Faso’s military junta has dissolved all the political parties in the country and scrapped the laws governing them.

Recording a radio feature about K-Pop on the same day I finish editing a yearlong data story on prison conditions? Yeah… that seems about right for my last day @kutnews.bsky.social @npr.org! I’ve learned a ton at public radio. I hope they have me back to talk about future stories! #txlege

📰 After two years in public radio, next week will be my last with @kutnews.bsky.social @npr.org. I'll soon join @nytimes.com as their first Texas politics correspondent. I'm staying in #ATX, and am excited to jump back into daily coverage. Here I come, y'all! www.nytco.com/press/nation... #txlege

"Grind your coffee beans tonight," Jennifer Stayton @kutnews.bsky.social reminds us ahead of winter weather this weekend. ERCOT does not expect widespread outages like five years ago, but, understandably, Texans are still wary! More info here: www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Y’ALL. It’s happening!

Update on Austin police’s ICE cooperation: At a protest outside city hall this week, council members told @mosebuchele.bsky.social they could not guarantee APD officers wouldn’t call ICE on undocumented people they encounter. APD to release new guidelines soon. kutkutx.studio/austin-signa...

NEW: Austin City Council members have strong thoughts on when APD should cooperate with ICE. (tl;dr they say rarely/never) But the city/police chief say state law hampers their ability to bar all contact. Story by @mosebuchele.bsky.social. www.kut.org/crime-justic... #ATX #ICE

Updated: This story now includes comments from Councilman Chito Vela and a city memo about APD's new ICE policy. Vela told us he does not believe APD will freely cooperate with ICE under the dept’s new policy because superior officers will be involved in when to alert federal officers.

#Breaking: Last week, Austin police called ICE on a mother and her five-year-old kid. Now, @mosebuchele.bsky.social reports APD will update its policies to explicitly state that local police can cooperate with ICE. www.kut.org/crime-justic... #txlege #ICE

NEW: We got hundreds of never-before-released text messages between county leaders sent during deadly July 4 Texas floods. They show confusion among those in charge with how to respond to the devastating event. We published with @texastribune.org. www.kut.org/energy-envir... #txlege

Here is my #FOIA wrapped for 2025! 🔍 This year, I filed 215 records requests with local, state and federal agencies. I had records released (without major redactions or an OAG opinion being requested) in about 40% of cases and partial releases in 10%. #txlege #TPIA

🚨We just got the unsealed records in Texas AG Ken Paxton's divorce case and published pertinent documents in the story here. They show the couple has entered mediation and set aside $20K each from their blind trust to pay for lawyers. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

UPDATED: Records in Texas AG Ken Paxton’s divorce case will be unsealed. His lawyers say he wants "full transparency." www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

ICYMI: Last night, we broke the news that Ken Paxton and his wife have agreed to unseal the records in their divorce case. A hearing will be held this morning in Collin County. I will be there. Follow for live updates. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

BREAKING: The Paxtons have agreed to unseal the records in their divorce case. Their lawyers just signed an agreement allowing for the full case record to be made public. Eight media orgs had asked the court to force the unsealing. The judge still needs to sign off. www.kut.org/politics/202...

ICYMI: A year after the state of Texas blocked #transgender drivers from update the sex listed on their licenses, it has put together a list of more than 100 people who have tried. Officials won’t say why they're collecting the information. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege #LGBT #LGBTQ #trans

The State of Texas continues to make a list of transgender Texans, per @lmcgaughy.bsky.social: www.kut.org/politics/202...

UPDATE: I re-requested a bunch of records about the Hays County multi-agency raid, since the only criminal charges were dropped in October. DPS declined to release more records, citing an ongoing FBI investigation. www.texasobserver.org/prosecutors-...

NEW: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues divorce records should remain private, accuses press of invading his personal life. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege [h/t to @dallasnews.com for beating me to posting about this]

NEW: In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant. She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency. Then she died. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

NEW: Remember that story we broke a few months ago with @propublica.org @texastribune.org? We reported Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not want to release his office's emails with #Elon #Musk. Well, we have an update. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege #FOIA #transparency #Texas