Free Republic

Two Texas officials are calling on Tarrant County Republicans to defeat an effort by some in their party to remove a Muslim from local GOP leadership. At issue is a controversial effort that began months ago when a small group of local Republicans began pushing to remove Shahid Shafi, a Muslim, from the post of vice chairman. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who lived in Fort Worth before being elected to statewide office, was the first to weigh in on Friday. “I urge the Tarrant County GOP to stop this attempt to remove a hardworking county party official based...

Tom Hicks, Kay Bailey Hutchison among those who helped underqualified students get in to UT-Austin, records show. Dozens of highly influential Texans – including lawmakers, millionaire donors and university regents – helped under-qualified students get into the University of Texas at Austin, often by writing to UT officials, records show. Among those who wrote directly to then-President Bill Powers and then-Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, bypassing the admissions office, were famed golfer and UT grad Ben Crenshaw, former UT regent Scott Craven, Austin lawyer Roy Minton and Sens. Kevin Eltife and Carlos Uresti, records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show. Dozens...

The Texas Senate passed an open carry bill on Tuesday, 17 March, 2015.  The bill removes restrictions on the open carry of weapons that dates back to reconstruction, when radical Republicans changed the Texas Constitution to disarm former confederates, and which Democrats kept in place to disarm freed slaves and Hispanics.   The bill passed on partisan lines, with 20 Republicans voting for it and 11 Democrats voting against it.  A minimum of 19 votes was required for the bill to make it out of the Senate.  From woai.com: The vote was 20-11, right along party lines, for a measure...

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) offers our warmest congratulations to the Jewish Republicans who won their races yesterday in the important election of 2014. We are especially delighted that Lee Zeldin won his congressional race in New York’s first district, making him the Jewish Republican in the 114th U.S. Congress. We are also pleased that the Jewish Republicans in state offices around the country won their reelections. Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, South Dakota State Senator Dan Lederman, Texas State Representative and House Speaker Joe Straus and Texas State Representative Craig Goldman all won reelection....

HOUSTON — Some of the least-qualified graduates of the University of Texas School of Law in recent years have high-level connections in the Legislature, which may explain how they got into the prestigious law school in the first place. A months-long Watchdog.org analysis of political influence on the admissions process at UT Law found there’s some truth, after all, to the old line about who you know mattering more than what you know. We found dozens of Longhorns who don’t know enough to be lawyers but know somebody important in the Legislature. Two of those mediocre students are legislators themselves....

The Texas Legislature’s point man [Drew Darby] on transportation funding says Texas motorists need to understand that a higher gas tax would be a more 'open and transparent' way of dealing head on with the state's transportation crisis than the 'congestion tax' that motorists are currently paying every day. "I think we need to revert to pay as your go," State Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) told the San Antonio Mobility Coalition."Nine times members of the Legislature have raised the gasoline tax to pay for our transportation infrastructure, but that hasn't happened since 1991. Lawmakers over the past several years...

Facing overwhelming enemy numbers and with no hope for help Colonel William Barret Travis took out his sword and drew a line in the sand before his battle-weary men. In a voice trembling with emotion he described the hopelessness of their plight and said, “those prepared to give their lives in freedom’s cause, come over to me.” Without hesitation, all but one man crossed the line. Even Colonel James Bowie, stricken with pneumonia, asked that his cot be carried over. It is time that we do the same to our Texas Representatives. We must demand that they quit kowtowing...

From the Senate Race to the Speaker’s Race Posted on August 2, 2012 by Dustin Matocha If anything can be taken from Tuesday night’s victory for Ted Cruz and others around the state, it’s that the Tea Party is as powerful of a force as it ever was. The passion and determination of the movement was something remarkable to witness.It safe to assume our next U.S. Senator will be a Republican, and a re-focused Tea Party can have just as significant of an impact on the 2013 State Legislature.There’s no doubt about it. Ted Cruz’ victory last night was in...

Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus was deleted from the list of delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention by a woman on the Nominations Committee who put herself on the list in his place.

Texas State Representative Mike Hamilton's 8th day before election Campaign Finance Reports show that State Rep. Allan Ritter have given State Rep. Mike Hamilton at least $10,000. Click Here to see Mike Hamilton's Finance Report After Redistricting, State Rep Mike Hamilton and State Rep Allan Ritter (both are moderate Straus Chairmen) were put in the same district together. Mike Hamilton packed up and moved to Hardin County after redistricting but right before the election to run against Super Conservative State Rep. James White (White voted against Straus). The question is, did Rep. Ritter bribe or pay off Mike Hamilton to...

Joe Straus, a Republican with poor conservative credentials, connived with 65 Democrats and 11 “moderate” Republicans to take over the speaker of the house for the 81st session in 2009, a betrayal of the other Republican members and the voters who elected them. It is a well known story in political circles how Democrats were allegedly rewarded for their votes with prominent committee positions. As a result, the Democrats were able to substantially block the conservative Republican agenda in the 81st legislature in Texas. Texas Tea Party activism in the 2010 elections helped elect a conservative Republican super majority to...

AUSTIN — When Texas House Speaker Joe Straus recently invited a group of Gillespie County Republicans to ask him anything they'd like, the most passionate questions didn't focus on a huge, looming budget shortfall, worries over education or high insurance rates. Instead, fired-up “patriots” wanted action on an Arizona-style, get-tough immigration law in Texas. The Alamo Heights Republican's answer was less than satisfying for the conservatives. “We have to be realistic about legal immigration,” Straus said, noting that it's good to have a supply of young, willing workers. Grass-roots activists, angry about illegal immigration, are unlikely to settle for such...

Straus captures District 121 Web Posted: 02/06/2005 12:00 AM CST Rebeca Rodriguez Express-News Political Writer Republican businessman Joe Straus III handily won the Texas House District 121 race Saturday over his closest challenger, Democrat Rose Spector. "It was a very strong signal that the voters in District 121 want consistent and conservative leadership," he said from his victory party at the Barn Door restaurant. Spector, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, said she had hoped to appeal to a broad swath of voters, but was unable to break through party politics in the conservative district. "He's a Republican, and that's...

Republican businessman Joe Straus III handily won the Texas House District 121 race Saturday over his closest challenger, Democrat Rose Spector. "It was a very strong signal that the voters in District 121 want consistent and conservative leadership," he said from his victory party at the Barn Door restaurant. Spector, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, said she had hoped to appeal to a broad swath of voters, but was unable to break through party politics in the conservative district. "He's a Republican, and that's a regret I have, that people just vote by label," she said. "I hate to...