Karl Rove speaks at the 2026 Texas Tribune Festival, focusing on the comments made by Bo French and the U.S. Senate race.

President Donald Trump has vowed to campaign in 35 of the most competitive battleground races in the final sprint to November’s midterm elections.

Republicans are growing increasingly grim about their election chances in November.

Angela Paxton accused Ken Paxton of adultery in divorce filings but has been publicly silent about her view of his race. On Friday, she spoke to a group of Republican women in a speech called the “Elephant in the room.”

The grant program was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which became law in July 2025.

The Railroad Commission candidate is under fire from fellow Republicans for a post that said a picture of college students celebrating a football victory shows “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”

One of the state’s largest oil and gas industry groups condemned French’s comments about South Asian students. They have not pulled their endorsement.

The outgoing U.S. senator called the Texas Railroad Commission candidate “an embarrassment to the Republican Party.”

Democrat James Talarico is consistently leading in the polls over Ken Paxton, which is unheard of in recent decades. National forecasters are calling Texas a tie, or else giving the advantage to the Democrat.

President Donald Trump has nominated the wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

On a conservative radio show, Bo French suggested the politicians who criticized him were "less-conservative people."

French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans.

President Donald Trump repeatedly mocked Ken Paxton at the Republicans’ midterm convention.

The president used his winding, nearly two-hour keynote address to try to boost Republicans around the country, telling his supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” this fall.

U.S. Central Command says the military has destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following attacks on a U.S. warship by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The two-day gathering, informally dubbed “Trumpapalooza,” will put Texas at the center of the political world as it hits the homestretch of its most competitive election cycle in years.

Republicans will descend on Dallas this week for a two-day convention dreamed up by President Donald Trump to rally his party ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

President Donald Trump may try to channel the role of cowboy as he heads to the first-ever off-year Republican convention in Dallas beginning Wednesday.

Control of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs with less than two months until Election Day.

President Donald Trump's political group is spending $10 million on ads in the Texas Senate race.

The attorney general won a lawsuit against the feds for withholding a Medicaid funding stream three years ago. Texas faces the same cut, but Paxton has stayed quiet.

The six-week wait for approval fits a pattern: On average, the Trump White House is taking longer than previous administrations to approve major disaster assistance, research shows.

The GOP senator said he plans to use his considerable fundraising prowess to help colleagues in New Hampshire, Michigan, Alaska and elsewhere.

The president’s trip, which includes a GOP event and a NASA ceremony, comes as the Texas attorney general trails his U.S. Senate challenger James Talarico in the polls and fundraising.

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, wants to reveal depositions involving his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.

The state — which spent over $11 billion on Operation Lone Star — could receive more through a separate $3.5 billion reimbursement fund administered by the Department of Justice.

With early voting about two months away, the Democrat has had TV nearly to himself, outspending his Republican rival more than 200-to-1 on advertising as GOP groups weigh when — or whether — to get involved.

It was not immediately clear how long CBP plans to implement the pause. The Trump administration had announced plans to build an access road and vehicle barriers in the park.

A tribal nonprofit and an outdoor recreation company filed the federal lawsuit, arguing the work threatens archeological sites and sacred grounds.

The attorney general’s campaign said he wants strong border security that considers Big Bend’s “unique characteristics” — but did not say whether he supports building a wall there.

Federal contractors are clearing areas at Big Bend National Park as crews prepare to survey land for a border security project.

The Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has cleared a critical hurdle in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.

Cornyn said he will vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination after the acting attorney general formally rescinded the fund and clarified the scope of a tax audit shield for President Trump and his circle.

President Donald Trump says newly planned talks between the U.S. and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of U.S. strikes.

Two Republican senators who threatened to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s bid to lead the Justice Department say they will vote to advance his nomination.

President Donald Trump is threatening to push forward with a fund to compensate his allies if two Republican holdouts won’t support his nominee for attorney general.

President Donald Trump says his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is “dead” while also continuing to defend it.

Hamas says it has reached an agreement to disarm.

The president suggested Cornyn was holding up Todd Blanche’s nomination because he endorsed Ken Paxton over the senior senator. Cornyn said it has nothing to do with their political history.

President Donald Trump says he may withdraw and delay Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general until Republican senators who are seeking concessions from the top prosecutor leave office.

President Donald Trump says he may pull Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office.

Texas’ outgoing senator has insisted on written assurance that President Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” is dead as a condition for voting to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination.

Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general has stalled as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote.

Texas lawmakers accuse the state broadband office of favoritism and sweetheart deals after satellite internet providers received most of the funding.

As midterm campaigning heats up, both major political parties face unexpected challenges.

For years, the state has been the leading exporter of semiconductor chips. After the Legislature invested more than $1.5 billion into incentives since 2023, the industry has been booming.

Paxton's campaign said he plans to debate after Talarico challenged him to do so, though it did not commit to a specific host.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is confronting questions about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is confronting skeptical questioning at a Senate confirmation hearing about the creation of a fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump and a tax immunity deal for the president.

Lawmakers in the Senate have unveiled a bipartisan proposal to address Social Security's looming insolvency.

As attorney general, Paxton threw unprecedented resources into stopping Biden’s agenda. That record is his sword and shield as he runs for U.S. Senate.

The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is renewing focus on the country’s aging lawmakers.

The Tribune spoke with nine people who voted for the senior senator in the primary, offering a window into how that key voting bloc is thinking about the general election.

Senate Republicans are returning to Washington with an uncertain agenda after the sudden death of prominent Republican Lindsey Graham, a committee chairman and key player who served as a crucial ally of President Donald Trump.

Almost none of the state’s major Republican officials have weighed in on the killing of a Houston man by federal agents, and U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston said she had not spoken with Gov. Greg Abbott.

President Donald Trump has reshaped the U.S. Senate map by sidelining some Republican incumbents and promoting loyalists.

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow has won Louisiana’s Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran have reversed course, holding a late-night vote to try to appease him.

President Donald Trump's visit to Capitol Hill is rekindling a feud with one Republican senator.

President Donald Trump is on Washington’s National Mall on Wednesday for a campaign-style rally that he hopes gets Americans excited about his presidency and the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump on Wednesday over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote to try to appease him, voting down a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

The vast majority of Republicans indicated they had moved on from the bitter GOP primary and now support Paxton. Talarico had commanding leads among independents and moderates.

The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans seems to be nearing a breaking point.

In the closing stretch of Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate runoff, Rep. Mike Collins is celebrating his 11th-hour endorsement from Donald Trump.

The decision by Senate Democrats to let a key surveillance authority lapse comes as they're increasingly emboldened in their legislative fights against President Donald Trump.

Randall’s supporters were animated by a mix of factors, including the perception that George was too friendly to establishment Republicans.

Gov. Greg Abbott is a top sponsor and Speaker Dustin Burrows will be the first sitting speaker to address the gathering, as Republicans close ranks ahead of a tough midterm.

Maine's Susan Collins often boosts her popularity by keeping her distance from President Donald Trump.

An attorney who defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial has endorsed Paxton's Democratic opponent in the U.S. Senate race.

The Texas senator’s defeat to Ken Paxton sparked talk he’d join the “YOLO Caucus” of Republicans defecting from Donald Trump. This week, he sided with Senate GOP leadership on every key vote.

The Senate has passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, sending it to the House.

President Donald Trump says his acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, will not be in the role permanently.

Businessman Zach Lahn's win in Iowa’s Republican gubernatorial primary over President Donald Trump's pick is a rare electoral setback for Trump.

Paxton is banking on his recent lawsuits against tech and social media companies like Meta, WhatsApp and Discord to win a Senate seat, building on notable victories in years past.

U.S. Senate hopefuls Ken Paxton and Graham Platner are in Washington, D.C., to rally party support.

Senate Republicans are weighing their next steps after the Trump administration's announcement that it is scrapping a $1.8 billion settlement fund for the president's allies who claim to have been politically prosecuted.

A standoff between the White House and the Senate remains unresolved as Republicans return to Washington after defiantly leaving town 10 days ago without passing legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies.

The power struggle between old-school Bush Republicans and hardline conservatives predates President Donald Trump. But he has used his clout to help tip the scales.

Texas lawmakers proposed a bill to allow private-sector lithium mining companies to work on certain military bases.

Republicans' stumble on an immigration funding bill is raising questions about other parts of their legislative agenda.

Texas Democrat James Talarico has launched his general election campaign for the U.S. Senate.

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.

President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet on Wednesday at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the Iran war, saying “things are going very well” days after insisting a settlement was “largely negotiated.”.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night, easily defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn. Here’s a look at how people across the Lone Star State voted.

President Donald Trump has been showcasing his influence in Republican primaries, recently endorsing Ken Paxton in Texas.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn tried for more than a year to show Donald Trump and Texas Republicans that he and the president were on the same team.

Middleton, a conservative state senator and oil and gas executive, put more than $16 million of his own money into the race.

A former state Supreme Court justice, Texas attorney general and a four-term U.S. senator, Cornyn had held on in the Republican Party as it transformed from the party of Bush, to the Tea Party movement and eventually the dominion of Trump.

The attorney general’s victory is a crushing blow to the Texas GOP's old guard, which has faltered in recent years against the Paxton-led insurgent wing.

Find race results for the Republican U.S. Senate showdown between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, the Congressional District 35 contests and the Bexar County district attorney race.

Find race results for the Republican U.S. Senate showdown between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, the Congressional District 35 contests and the Bexar County district attorney race.

Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night.

Voters in Texas made some big decisions in some closely watched races in the May 26 runoff election, deciding who will be the Republican nominee to face Democrat James Talarico for the United States Senate. They also determined who the nominees are in both parties, battling it out for a newly drawn United States congressional district.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in a massively expensive, drawn-out U.S. Senate primary race.

President Donald Trump insists a peace deal is close on the 88th day of the Iran war.

John Cornyn is trying to fend off Ken Paxton. Both parties are picking attorney general nominees. And an oil and gas regulatory race has become uncharacteristically costly.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

KSAT will be live on election night, covering key primary races, including for U.S. Senate, Texas Congressional District 35, Bexar County Judge and District Attorney.

Bexar County voters will head to the polls Tuesday for the Texas primary runoff election, with several high-profile races on the ballot — including the Republican showdown for U.S. Senate between incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.