Category: Texas State Politics
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Texas Primaries Mark Beginning of 2022 Midterms
Democrats and Republicans in Texas turned out on March 1st to select nominees for office in primary elections. As expected, both Republican incumbent governor Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke won their respective contests outright. The primaries in Texas provided few surprises as many candidates were running in safely-drawn seats. The only statewide, high-profile […]
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Abbott Escalates Battle with Federal Government
Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning any entity in Texas from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine mandates became even more contentious when the Biden administration issued its own order that would require most employers to inoculate their workers. Abbott’s order was met defiantly by some Texas-based companies who are already mandating vaccines and […]
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Third Special Session Begins in Texas
Lawmakers convened in the Texas capital for what is certain to be another contentious special session. This will be the third special session called by Governor Greg Abbott in 2021 after an intensely partisan regular legislative session. Republicans were able to successfully shepherd through one of the most conservative agendas in state history only two […]
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Political Showdown in Texas as Early Voting Gets Underway
After months of partisan wrangling over how best to conduct the election during the pandemic, early voting is underway in Texas. Throughout the state, Texans stood in long lines as counties reported record-shattering turnout. High turnout was especially pronounced in the large, urban counties of Texas. The early voting numbers overshadowed the governor’s controversial decision […]
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Texas Responds to COVID-19
On March 31, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott announced that Texans must limit their contact with people outside their homes to essential services only. Shortly thereafter, the total number of confirmed cased in Texas rose to 6,812 with 127 Coronavirus-related deaths. The governor’s public health directives have looked slightly different than other states. Gov. Abbott has […]
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Explosions Rock Texas Chemical Plant
On November 27, the day before Thanksgiving, Port Neches, TX was rocked by two major explosions at a chemical/petroleum refinery. The explosions injured three people, blew out windows in the surrounding neighborhoods, and prompted officials to evacuate nearly 60,000 local residents amid air quality concerns. Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture […]
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Black Woman Killed in Home by Texas Police
On October 12, police responded to a non-emergency call from a neighbor about an open door to a home in their neighborhood. Without declaring their identities, the police officers circled the property and fired a single shot into the home through a window, killing 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson as she played video games with her nephew. Instructors, click the link below to download this […]
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A Mayoral Election in Dallas
Dallas holds an election for mayor on May 4. The city is the third largest in Texas and the eighteenth largest in the United States. The ballot will feature nine candidates running in a blanket primary. If no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote, there will be a runoff election in June. Instructors, […]