Texas politics

The Fort Worth Republican, one of the most hardline conservatives in the Texas House, had been floated for secretary of state in unconfirmed media reports ahead of his hire by the governor.

Texas GOP delegates took a formal stance against convicted felons in party leadership at their convention last week in Houston.

Texas Republicans spread message of unity ahead of November midterms.

Dan Cogdell, who represented Paxton for nearly a decade in two high-profile cases, said his former client "has lost sight of his core mission."

Paxton’s blowout win on Tuesday compelled an alliance by necessity, if not natural synergy, between the attorney general and the Washington groups that spent months trying to elect John Cornyn.

The battle for the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulator, is underway. Incumbent Commissioner Jim Wright is running for a second second term against Bo French, former chair of the Tarrant County GOP.

Both Republican candidates lagged far behind Democratic candidate James Talarico.

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, has wrapped in Grapevine, Texas. The event included speeches from Texas officials — including Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Mayes Middleton — all current candidates for statewide office.

Joseph Locke, author of "One State Under God: A History of Religion in Texas," discusses how politics and religion have long been intertwined in the Lone Star state, why Talarico's messaging was so effective in the primary, and how it could impact the general Election in November.

Neither John Cornyn nor Ken Paxton cleared the 50% threshold in the Texas GOP Senate primary, forcing a costly runoff while Democratic nominee James Talarico gains additional time to campaign ahead of November.