Texas Politics & News
The Daily Signal highlights Texas as a leader in conservative policy and governance, covering Lone Star State legislation, elections, border enforcement, and energy dominance.
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news
Muslim Texas Democrat Files Bills Promoting Muslim Heritage, Halal School Meals
Just a week after a blue wave hit the Lone Star State, a Muslim state representative has filed multiple bills ahead of the 90th legislative session that would implement Islamic practices and holidays. Democrat state Rep. Suleman Lalani, an immigrant from Pakistan who represents Texas House District 76, which encompasses Fort Bend and Harris counties, filed several bills… -
opinion
Texas Democrats Reveal Their Gun-Grabbing Agenda After Victory
After presenting themselves moderate, Texas’ new leaders have already shown their true colors with a slate of gun-grabbing bills. In a surprise victory, Democrats swept the state. Led by Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Sen.-elect James Talarico, Democrats also seized the state House. Their campaigns appealed to moderates, promising affordability for working families. But now, they… -
news
Chip Roy Is ‘Pissed Off’ at the Republican Establishment
Summary Rep. Chip Roy, who is leaving Congress in December, pointed to corruption as a cause of GOP losses in the 2026 midterm elections. “I’m pissed off at a Republican establishment that embraced corrupt people at the top of the ticket too often,” the Texas Republican said Wednesday at The Forum, a conference for conservatives… -
analysis
How DSA-Backed Candidates and Propositions Fared in Texas Elections
Summary On Election Day, the Democratic Socialists of America scored numerous victories in the Lone Star State involving local propositions and candidates. The DSA supported two major propositions that voters approved in Corpus Christi and Houston, and it opposed a Dallas proposition that voters rejected. Corpus Christi’s Proposition B, also known as the Fair Water Amendment, was approved… -
opinion
Did Houston’s Mayor Just Reveal Texas Democrats’ Immigration Plans?
Summary AUSTIN, Texas—When Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced last week that he would scale back police collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations, he seems to have inadvertently disclosed the approach the state’s newly elected Democrat leadership will be taking on immigration. Whitmire signaled that Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa, Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin, and Attorney General-elect… -
news
Texas Comptroller Calls on Trump to Send ICE Into Government Agencies After Uncovering Hiring Failures
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is calling on President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to audit every state and local government entity in Texas. According to Huffines, his agency uncovered “what appears to be decades of systemic failures in the agency’s employment eligibility verification practices and its… -
news
Supreme Court Hands Trump a Big Win on Border Wall
The Trump administration has the green light to continue building a border wall in the Big Bend region of Texas after a Supreme Court ruling Monday. Plaintiffs seeking to block construction of the wall argued that it threatened the landscape of Big Bend National Park, which historically did not have high rates of illegal immigration,… -
analysis
Questions Mount Over Texas Election Data as Republicans Call for Answers
Summary After Democrats took hold of Texas on Election Day, many Texans are raising questions of whether the election was fair and if fraud took place. Numerous irregularities in Texas’ voter totals are causing many across the state to wonder if illegal votes were cast in the Texas election. Election observers have noted some highly… -
exclusive
Judge Blocks DAR From Dissolving Texas Chapter That Opposed Transgender Policy
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A Texas judge blocked the national Daughters of the American Revolution from dissolving an 84-year-old chapter that helped lead an internal revolt against the society’s transgender policy. “The court’s order is an important victory for the Martha Laird Chapter and the women who stood up for the principle that a women’s… -
opinion
The Policies That Drew Millions to Texas Are Now Under Attack
Texas has built a reputation as a bastion of freedom. No state income tax, a low cost of living, and huge corporate growth have drawn millions of people, adding 2.6 million residents since 2020 alone. The Dallas area has even taken the moniker “Y’all Street,” championed as a capitalist refuge from socialism in New York… -
news
Texas Republican Urges Abbott to Rein in Governor’s Emergency Powers Before Hinojosa Takes Office
Summary Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to rein in executive emergency powers before Democrat Gina Hinojosa is sworn in. Harrison’s call came after Hinojosa was elected the next governor of Texas on Nov. 3. In Texas, the governor has broad authority to declare a state of… -
opinion
Is Texas America’s Next Sanctuary State?
Summary AUSTIN, Texas—Operation Linebacker. Operation Rio Grande. Operation Border Star. Operation River Watch. Operation Strong Safety. Operation Secure Texas. Those names cover more than 20 years of state-led operations along the 1,254-mile Texas-Mexico frontier. Successive Republican governors and Republican-majority legislatures in Texas ordered all these operations. They also ordered “Operation Lone Star,” which is in… -
analysis
PINK-AND-BLUE WAVE? The Role of Transgenderism in the Midterms
Transgender activist groups are getting out ahead of their skis when they interpret Democrat midterm victories as an endorsement of transgender ideology. The Human Rights Campaign touted its efforts boosting Democrats and portrayed the election results as vindication for candidates who resisted Republican attacks on transgender issues. The results, however, tell a more complicated story…. -
analysis
Texas Election: What Went Wrong for Republicans?
Texas Republicans suffered a series of historic election losses Tuesday, as Democrats flipped the governor’s office, won a U.S. Senate seat, and captured several other statewide offices in a major political shift for the traditionally Republican state. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, while state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken… -
news
Elon Musk’s Business Empire Braces for Democrat Wave as Texas Flips Blue
Nov. 4 (Reuters)—As Republicans suffered a landslide defeat and Texas elected its first Democrat governor in more than three decades, one of the biggest losers of the U.S. midterms was not on the ballot: billionaire Elon Musk. The world’s richest man spent nearly half a billion dollars to back Republican candidates and keep Texas red—a… -
opinion
Winners and Losers From the 2026 Midterms
There’s no sugar-coating it: Republicans lost badly in the 2026 midterms, suffering stunning defeats in states once considered reliably red and seeing Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress. President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to vote like he was on the ballot, and many may have done so. Democratic socialists and a resurgent religious… -
news
Gina Hinojosa Wins Texas Governor’s Race, Ending GOP’s Long Hold on Office
Democrat state Rep. Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the Nov. 3 general election. With 86% of votes counted, Hinojosa received 52.8% of the vote to Abbott’s 45.7%, according to Decision Desk HQ, which called the race at midnight. The victory makes Hinojosa the first Democrat elected… -
news
Democrat James Talarico Flips Texas Senate Seat Blue
Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Texas Senate seat, projects Decision Desk HQ. According to Decision Desk HQ, with 68% of votes counted, Talarico received 55.3% to Paxton’s 43%, marking the first time a Democrat has held the seat since 1988. Talarico, a Democrat state representative from Austin, won… -
news
Paxton Announces Arrests of Convicted Felons Accused of Illegally Voting in Texas
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced over the weekend that convicted felons accused of illegally casting ballots in Texas have been arrested. According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, a concerned citizen reported that convicted felons who were incarcerated, on parole, or on probation allegedly voted in Harris County. Soon after the report, the Office of the… -
opinion
Ghosts, Ghouls, and Garish Costumes: Midterm Edition
Today is Halloween, a time for ghosts, ghouls, and garish costumes. The same could be said for the midterms. Take costumes. Has there been any costume more garish this year than drag-loving, trans-pushing, scripture-defacing Texas Senate candidate James Talarico? All campaign long, he’s been wearing the costume of a beef-loving, border-closing, Bible-loving, truck-driving, prototypical Texas…