Politics

The May 26 primary election runoffs will be delayed until July in response to the growing outbreak of the new coronavirus in Texas under an order signed Friday by Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Texas Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Friday aimed at increasing access to vote by mail as the coronavirus spreads in the state.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn drew criticism Wednesday for comments he made about the new coronavirus.

On a conference call with reporters, he said that it’s “no coincidence” that illnesses such as the novel coronavirus originate in China, putting the onus on “some of the cultural practices there.”

Updated at 2:30 p.m. ET

President Trump has proposed sending money directly to Americans to help blunt the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic, saying it's time to "go big" to boost the now-stalled economy.

Trump said he wants Congress to push through a major comprehensive package to help businesses and workers facing hardships — one of many abrupt shifts the administration has made this week as the scope of the pandemic has come into sharp focus.

As the coronavirus spreads in Texas, older people and people with underlying health issues are being asked to isolate themselves, which could make voting in upcoming elections tricky.

Updated at 9:30 p.m. ET

President Trump on Friday declared that the coronavirus pandemic is a national emergency, a designation that frees up as much as $50 billion in federal assistance to state and local governments overwhelmed by the spread of the virus, and makes it easier to surge medical resources to areas that need them most.

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt resigned from her position Tuesday ahead of a run for the open seat in the Democrat-leaning Texas Senate District 14.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, an Austin Democrat, announced Saturday that he is running for Texas Senate District 14.

On the heels of Super Tuesday voting that left Texans waiting for hours to cast their ballots, Democrats are suing the state to overturn Republicans’ decision to kill straight-ticket voting.

Updated at 1:15 p.m. ET

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ended her bid for the presidency on Thursday, acknowledging her place as the last major female candidate in the race "and all those little girls who are gonna have to wait four more years."

A man who has called President Donald Trump a “child rapist” is headed to a runoff in the race for a position that would help decide what millions of Texas public school children are taught.

He gained national attention through his tenacity at a local polling place, refusing to leave even after others might have: Hervis Rogers was the last man to vote at his Texas Southern University polling place early Wednesday morning, and possibly the last person to cast a ballot in the State of Texas when he did so around 1 a.m.

Portending a long night awaiting definitive election returns in Texas, voters across the state still faced lengthy lines and wait times to cast their Super Tuesday ballots hours after polls closed.

Air Force veteran Mary “MJ” Hegar, who led a crowded Democratic field to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for his seat in November, is heading to a runoff election with Dallas state Sen. Royce West.

We followed four key Travis County races on election night: district attorney, county attorney, county sheriff and county commissioner for Precinct 3. Of the four, only one avoided a runoff on May 26: the Travis County sheriff's race.

We're following a number of federal, state and local races throughout Central Texas as results are tallied on Super Tuesday.

A number of seats in Hays County are up for election this year, including district judges, county commissioners and county sheriff. 

A number of seats in Williamson County are up for election this year, including district judges, county commissioners and county sheriff.

Several seats in the Texas Legislature are up for election this year.

Texas Senate Districts 21 and 24— which include parts of Central Texas — are up for election, though the incumbent in each district is running unopposed in the primary.

RELATED | Political Reporting Needs Work. Help Us Set The Agenda For Our Reporting On the 2020 Election.

These are the statewide races we're watching as primary election results roll in Tuesday.

Texas Supreme Court | Railroad Commission | State Board of Education | Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

After a tight race with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to win the Democratic presidential primary in Texas. The win carries 228 delegates.

The U.S. Senate race in Texas is being closely watched after Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s near victory over Ted Cruz in 2018. The close race led many to believe the state, which hasn’t had a Democratic U.S. senator since 1993, could actually elect one.

It's Election Day in Texas for the March primaries.

Our reporters will be sharing updates on what they see and hear throughout the day here. Check back for updates.

If you're reading these words on an electronic device while in a voting location, it’s likely a poll worker will come up to you soon and tell you to cut it out.

Texas’ growing Latino vote remains relatively untapped ahead of the state's Democratic presidential primary.

Updated at 10 p.m. ET

Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old who rose from mayor of a midsize Indiana city to a serious presidential contender, officially suspended his campaign on Sunday evening.

"The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close," Buttigieg told a crowd in his hometown of South Bend, Ind., after an introduction by his husband, Chasten. "We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further."

Texas Republicans have swept statewide races for decades. So when Beto O’Rourke lost his bid for Senate against Ted Cruz by a margin of 2.6 percentage points in 2018, it was a wake-up call for Republicans, who had never had to try very hard to register voters. 

The Democrats debated for the 10th time Tuesday night and it was a bit of a mess. There was shouting. There was overtalk. There were lots of attacks.

So what to make of that muddle? Here are four takeaways that emerged as the dust settled.

1. Joe Biden was focused on the win in South Carolina

South Carolina is a must-win for the former vice president after disappointing finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. He came into the debate with a game plan and executed it the best he could.