One out of three ain't bad? GOP lite guv runoff opponents David Dewhurst and Dan Patrick were on track to meet face-to-face three times this week. But Patrick withdrew from the first in Houston because the event was closed to the press. He then withdrew from the second in Arlington because he was already slated to appear with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee before supporters in Dallas. The two are confirmed, though, for a joint appearance in Kerrville on Friday.
The issue of equal pay between men and women drove the contest for governor this week with plenty of fodder supplied for both campaigns. By week's end, the Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis campaigns were trading salary figures intended to show the opponent had a worse record on fair pay.
State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro have finalized plans to face off over immigration policy and border security on April 15. They will debate before a small live audience at Univision's San Antonio studios. The encounter will be moderated by the Tribune's Evan Smith and will be livestreamed by the Tribune.
Lots of news coverage this week on the car maker Tesla, which named Texas one of four finalists to house its planned $5 billion lithium-ion battery factory. But the state's strict auto dealership laws could hurt its chances, company officials say.
Attorney General Greg Abbott's attempt to get the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider an October ruling that overturned a law intended to prevent sexting between adults and minors took an odd turn when the court instead threw out the notification law on which Abbott based his appeal.
The Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C.-based voting rights organization, warned the City of Jasper against annexing three white subdivisions. The voting rights group said such an action could harm minority voters and could run afoul of the Voting Rights Act.
Disclosure: At the time of publication, Univision was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. (See the full list of Tribune donors below $1,000 here.)