Jefferson, Orange GOP Chairs Tout Phelan’s Conservative Accomplishments
The Chairmen of the Jefferson and Orange County Republican Parties have come out in support of Speaker Dade Phelan, citing a host of conservative measures that have passed under his leadership of the Texas House of Representatives. Jefferson and Orange counties are the two largest counties in Phelan’s district, House District 21, representing over 82% […]
Legislative Recap: New Courts Coming to Texas
Significant changes are coming to Texas courts, thanks to two pieces of legislation passed during the 88th Texas legislative session. Senate Bill 1045, by State Senator Joan Huffman and sponsored by State Representative Andrew Murr, establishes the new Fifteenth Court of Appeals. This new court is an intermediate appellate court with statewide jurisdiction that will have […]
Texas GOP Employee Co-Hosted Event Featuring Speakers Who Lauded Unabomber, Spread Conspiracy Theories
A recent event co-hosted by a Republican Party of Texas employee featured controversial speakers including a former Texas House candidate who has encouraged men not to get married and a former Republican Party of Texas employee who was fired after he posted video of himself accosting an employee of a Washington, DC restaurant at the […]
“Scammer,” “Lack of Being Trustworthy”: Legal, Ethical Issues Surround Phelan Opponent Platts
Running on a platform of “Real Texas Values,” a man who lived in Utah until fairly recently has launched a Republican primary challenge to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan in Texas House District 21. An investigation by The Texas Voice into the background of Phelan’s opponent, Shilo Platts, has uncovered several legal and ethical controversies involving Platts. […]
Legislative Recap: Election Integrity
This is the first in a series of articles recapping legislation and issues addressed during the recently completed 88th Texas legislative session. Coming off the passage of SB 1, the landmark election integrity bill passed during a special legislative session in 2021- and a quorum break by Democratic lawmakers who unsuccessfully sought to derail the bill- […]
Texas Political Consultant, Donor Tied to “Draft Tucker” “Scam PAC”
A Dallas-based political consultant and a donor who once ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a West Texas Congressional seat were responsible for a political action committee started under the guise of seeking Tucker Carlson to run for President that has been described as a “Scam PAC” by Carlson’s attorney. The committee quickly shut […]
Slaton’s Company Paid over $60k by Candidates, Officeholders
As reported previously by The Texas Voice, the Defend Texas Liberty PAC was one of the largest donors to disgraced former State Representative Bryan Slaton, having contributed $160,500 to his campaign over several years. It also appears that Slaton personally benefited from several other campaigns that were financially backed by Defend Texas Liberty or its biggest […]
Texas House Passes Priority Border Security Bills
Earlier this week, the Texas House of Representatives passed border security legislation prioritized by Speaker Dade Phelan. House Bill 7, by State Representative Ryan Guillen, recognizes that the “legislature, acting with the governor, has the solemn duty to protect and defend the citizens of this state and maintain sovereignty over this state’s borders.” Significant provisions of […]
The SREC Members That Didn’t Sign the Call for Slaton’s Resignation
After the release of the report of the Texas House General Investigating Committee that detailed the egregious misconduct of now-former State Representative Bryan Slaton, members of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) had a vigorous internal debate about what, if any, statement should be released calling for Slaton’s resignation and expulsion. According to screenshots of internal […]
Texas House Passes Legislation to Enhance Government Transparency
UPDATE 5/30/23: HB 3033 passed the House and the Senate, and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Abbott. The final version included an amendment to enhance transparency surrounding election records. The amendment, authored by Senator Paul Bettencourt, would exempt information related to an election from a provision of the Texas Public Information […]