Enlarge Bob Daemmrich

State Sen.-Elect Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, who replaced Sen. Wendy Davis, at TTEvents on Dec. 11, 2014.

The Republican Party of Bell County did not receive well the news last week about a candidate forum being hosted in its county by state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville. 

The party said in a press release late last week that they received word of a Senate District 24 candidate forum hosted by “an outside source.” Bell County GOP chairwoman Nancy Boston said she did not know Burton, who represents Senate District 10 in Tarrant County, was the host of the forum when the release was published and that she received no information about the forum from Burton or her staff.

“No one even contacted me about the forum, so I don’t know anything about it," Boston said. "I know that this lady represents part of Tarrant County."

The Bell County GOP indicated that it plans to host its own SD-24 candidate forum in January. Burton’s forum was initially scheduled for Tuesday. The date was later moved about three weeks later to Oct. 15. The new date still falls nearly a full month before the start of the candidate filing period.

That drew criticism from Boston.

“But the thing about it is, not all of the candidates will have filed by that time, and so I don’t know why an outside person would be hosting a forum, if they don’t even have all the candidates yet,” Boston said.

Boston said she thinks Burton has the right to host a forum, but is confused about why she wouldn't notify the local party. According to the release from the Bell County GOP, Sen. Troy Fraser, the SD-24 incumbent who is not running for re-election, supports hosting the forum in January.

Boston asked if Burton was hosting similar forums for other senate districts.

“Is she doing that all over the state for all of the candidates that are running for senate?” said Boston. “I’m just curious. Why would she come to Bell County and do that?”

In response, the Burton camp said that she had subsequently invited the district’s county Republican Party chairs to her gathering.

After announcing the change in the forum's date, Burton said in a press release that the change was made to accommodate more candidates who wished to attend. Six candidates were invited to the forum and notified of the date change, but only Jon Cobb, CJ Grisham and Brian Mayes have confirmed their attendance thus far. Reed Williams confirmed he cannot attend the event, which is set to take place at the convention center in Temple.

“Our goal is to give ample time to each candidate to be able to attend and ensure the grassroots in Senate District 24 have the best opportunity to compare each candidate on their merits. I’m just as excited as the grassroots are to hear from each candidate and see the response the voters in the district have to each candidate’s answers," Burton said in the release.

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U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock

Congressman Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, has decided not to seek re-election next year, opening up a contest for the safely Republican Congressional District 19.

Neugebauer, who was first elected in June 2003, denied on Thursday that health concerns — he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 — were behind his decision to step down.

"I feel great and I am cancer free," he said. "The bottom line is that I really think this is the right time for my family and me to have more time together."

*****

With a new ad, Ted Cruz's campaign is paying homage to one of his political idols: Ronald Reagan. And the spot arrived just in time for the Republican presidential debate staged at the former president's namesake library.

The 30-second spot pays homage to a well-known ad run by Reagan in his 1984 campaign for the White House. Reagan's spot used a bear to represent threats from abroad, driving home the former president's message of peace through strength.

Cruz's rendition features a scorpion lurking in the desert as a sign of the threat of what the senator calls "radical Islamic terrorism." At the end of the ad, a person presumed to be Cruz approaches the scorpion, causing it to shy away. 

According to Cruz's campaign, the ad aired during the Wednesday night debate on CNN and post-debate coverage on Fox News in the first four early voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The ad buy cost $33,000 in total.

*****

Carly Fiorina, viewed as one of the big winners of the second GOP presidential debate Wednesday, has her sights set on Texas.

Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is planning a trip to the state from Sept. 27-29, according to her calendar. Her campaign said Thursday it is still working out the details of the swing.

Fiorina, who was born in Austin, last brought her 2016 campaign to Texas in July, when she had a day of public events in the Dallas area.

*****

Houston Mayor Annise Parker is hitting the campaign trail for Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Parker will headline a breakfast for the former secretary of state Saturday in Charleston, S.C., according to Clinton's campaign. Parker will talk about why "Clinton is the candidate who will fight for women, children and their families," the campaign said Thursday.

*****

Clinton, meanwhile, is scaling back a trip next week to Texas.

The former secretary of state is no longer holding a public event Sept. 22 in Dallas, her campaign said Tuesday, citing a scheduling conflict. She is still scheduled to visit the city that day for a fundraiser.

In any case, Clinton's swing through Dallas will mark her third trip to Texas as a 2016 candidate. She first came to the state in June for a two-day tour that included a speech in Houston on voting rights. She returned to Texas in August for a fundraiser in McAllen.

*****

And Cruz wasn’t Texas’ only tie to Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate. Southern Methodist University’s Rita Kirk, a professor of communication studies and director of the Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility, worked behind the scenes to gauge the reactions of undecided voters.

For every CNN-hosted primary debate, Kirk hosts a focus group made up of undecided voters to look at “intensity of opinion” on issues brought up in the debate.

Kirk was in Des Moines, Iowa, to study the reactions of 30 self-identified Republican and Republican-leaning, independent voters.

*****

Many who watched the GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night were left wondering how state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, scored that prime seat behind moderator Jake Tapper.

Huffines told Texas Weekly that he got his ticket from candidate Rand Paul, whom Huffines is supporting, and that he was sitting with Paul’s wife. He said, “It was very exciting. It was an honor to be there and be a part of history.”

Enlarge Callie Richmond

Jeremy Bird speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sep. 28, 2013

Battleground Texas, the Democratic voter mobilization effort launched in 2013, announced on Wednesday a wide-ranging reorganization.

When the effort is finished, the organization will have a new executive director serving alongside a handful of new staffers and a newly created advisory board.

That board is drawing most of the initial attention because of a couple of big names — former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio — who have agreed to serve.

Prominent Democratic fundraiser Amber Mostyn will also serve on the BGTX advisory board, joining Naomi Aberly, Eric Johnson, Austin Ligon, Jennifer Longoria, Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez, Eddy Morales, Carrin F. Patman, Carrin Mauritz Patman, Marvin Ragsdale, Kirk Rudy, and Lynda Tran.

BGTX founder Jeremy Bird will have a seat on the advisory board. Jenn Brown is stepping down as executive director and will serve as advisory board chairwoman.

Those new staff hires include Oscar Silva, political director; Luis Cázares, San Antonio coordinator; and Tyler Keen, Dallas coordinator. Priscila Martinez, currently the organization’s training director, will take over as field director.

The organization announced that it would begin a state and national search for a new executive director soon.

*****

Rep. J.D. Sheffield, R-Gatesville, isn’t conservative enough for Brent Graves, who is challenging the two-term HD-59 state representative in next year’s party primary.

Graves sent a letter to Sheffield last Thursday requesting that he run as a Democrat in the HD-59 race. Graves said Sheffield does not side with the Republican Party on issues like the “2nd Amendment, life, immigration, healthcare, taxes and overall liberty.”

*****

The State Board of Education on Friday approved a request for proposal seeking alternatives to the state’s current computer-based General Educational Development (GED) exam.

The vote came about two months after the 15-member body heard hours of emotional testimony from test-takers, teachers and education advocates who said the only high school equivalency test the state recognizes is too expensive and too difficult.

The cost of the test jumped more than 40 percent in 2014 after the nonprofit that previously administered it partnered with the London-based for-profit testing company Pearson to revamp the exam. Since then, the number of Texans taking the test has fallen almost 45 percent. The new exam is available only in a more expensive, computer-based format critics say discriminates against low-income residents and inmates.

Friday’s vote was unanimous with one board member, Marisa Perez of San Antonio, recusing herself.

Proposals are due in six weeks, according to information provided by the Texas Education Agency. And the earliest possible adoption of a new exam would be January 2016.

*****

The Campus Carry Policy Working Group at UT-Austin — assembled to determine best practices for implementing the new campus carry law on campus — will hold two public forums in the coming weeks to gather feedback from UT students, faculty and staff. The forums will be held at the San Jacinto Residence Hall on Sept. 30 from 7-9 p.m. and Oct. 5 from 3-5 p.m.

*****

State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, formally requested on Thursday an interim study on school bus safety following a crash in Houston on Tuesday that killed two students and restarted a policy debate on whether seat belts should be required on school buses.

*****

The Latino Center for Leadership Development announced on Tuesday a strategic partnership with the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University.

According to a statement, the Latino CLD will provide $900,000 in funding over five years to support a think tank at the Tower Center with a focus on issues important to the Latino community, including economic opportunity, voting rights and immigration reform.

Disclosure: Naomi Aberly and Austin Ligon are major donors to The Texas Tribune. Carrin Patman is a donor to The Texas Tribune. The University of Texas at Austin is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

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For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about what a defiant mood among the Republican electorate might portend for 2016.

No clear consensus emerged from the insiders with 37 percent agreeing that the defiant mood, as exemplified by the strong support being shown outsider candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson, would spur a wave election next year. But 37 percent thought it's still too early to tell whether a large number of incumbents will be washed out in a wave.

Another 23 percent disagreed that a wave is coming in 2016.

We then asked where the support for Carson would end up maxing out in next year's Texas primary. Carson is already a well-known personality among the grassroots Republican voters, as witnessed by his second-place showing in the straw poll at last year's state party convention.

Nearly half of the insiders, however, thought he would prove unable to crack 20 percent support and another quarter thought he wouldn't surpass 10 percent.

A fifth of the insiders thought he could win as much as 30 percent of the vote.

We then shifted to a couple of questions about some newsmakers on the state political scene. After a news report over the weekend on the time spent this summer by Land Commissioner George P. Bush on his father's presidential campaign, we asked the insiders if they thought he was spending too much time on the trail.

A total of 44 percent said yes with 36 percent saying no.

And on the prospects of finding a long-term funding solution for the Texas Racing Commission, a majority of the insiders thought lawmakers would kick the can down the road instead of finding a long-term solution. Another 28 percent thought the agency would cave in its confrontation with Republican lawmakers who are upset about the decision to authorize a new form of gambling on historical races.

Only 7 percent thought the lawmakers would be the ones to throw in the towel while 12 percent thought the agency would end up being shuttered.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

An increasingly defiant mood among the GOP primary electorate leads to a wave election in 2016. Agree or disagree?

• "Democrats have nothing to worry about. However, there's a civil war brewing in the Republican Primary. Incumbents are warned; come out swinging like there is no tomorrow or you'll be joining the same lobbyverse you detest."

• "Defiant is such a great descriptor and replacement for 'angry.'"

• "It's difficult at this stage to tell the difference between saying you want to throw the bums out and actually following through once you enter the ballot box."

• "2016 will present a stronger anti-establishment sentiment in the GOP primary but, unlike 2010, this wave will not play out among a general electorate. The 2010 general election wave was in a non-presidential year and grew out of more broadly shared anti-establishment sentiment, whereas 2016 is demonstrating more partisan and racial overtones."

• "Republicans are where Democrats were when they nominated President Obama. They are rebelling against their party's expectations."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

What’s the ceiling for Dr. Ben Carson in the Texas presidential primary?

• "Dr. Carson's luck runs out in Texas. This is Cruz Country."

• "I reject the premise that Carson makes it to Texas."

• "He is a good and honorable man. He believes strongly in America compared to the current WH occupant. But, once the base finds out he is weak on the Second Amendment, he will drop like a rock."

• "Depends on whether Trump is still flying high. Lot of competition from Cruz, who'll have an organization."

• "The first debate closing statement has taken Carson to No. 2, but as voters get a closer look, they'll see his lack of experience as a weakness. Foreign policy is too messed up to elect another novice."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Is George P. Bush spending too much time on the campaign trail stumping for his father?

• "No one in Texas cares what the Texas Land Commissioner does with his time. Hell, no one knows what the Commissioner actually does for the state. Mijito (little-son) is doing good by helping his dad. Voters don't like mal-hijos (mall - eee - hoes)."

• "Yes, but... It's not like the job is that difficult. Remember, Jerry Patterson was able to do it without disastrous consequences."

• "Probably, but ask this question again early next year, and my answer will be a definitive 'yes.' Ask again if his father gets the Republican nomination, and my answer will be 'can we withhold his paycheck?'"

• "He's coming across as in a big hurry, too ambitious, and thin-skinned to boot."

• "This is a resume filler stop on the way to Governor race, and I am OK with that."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Will lawmakers find a long-term solution to the Racing Commission funding conundrum before a three-month temporary reprieve expires?

• "Remember that time you had a temper tantrum and your mom gave you the eye? Similar situation... Senators Nelson and Huffman just gave them the eye. Oh, and dad is holding the belt."

• "Nothing I've seen from either side indicates a willingness to back down, even if just a little to make nice."

• "Of course not. This now gives folks an issue to campaign on and raise money. What a windfall for the pols and the fundraisers and our crowd."

• "Gov. Abbott needs to replace members in order to rein in the rogue agency. Eliminating a government agency would be a welcome miracle."

• "Next session the Lottery Commission or TDLR will have horse racing duties."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, Clyde Alexander, George Allen, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Dave Beckwith, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Marc Campos, Snapper Carr, Janis Carter, Corbin Casteel, Elna Christopher, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Nora Del Bosque, Glenn Deshields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, John Esparza, Tom Forbes, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Bill Hammond, Susan Hays, Ken Hodges, Steve Holzheauser, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Leslie Lemon, Ruben Longoria, Vilma Luna, Matt Mackowiak, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Nelson Nease, Keats Norfleet, Todd Olsen, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Jerod Patterson, Robert Peeler, Bill Pewitt, Jerry Philips, Wayne Pierce, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Propes, Ted Melina Raab, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Chuck Rice, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Grant Ruckel, Jason Sabo, Jim Sartwelle, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Bruce Scott, Ben Sebree, Christopher Shields, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Larry Soward, Dennis Speight, Colin Strother, Sherry Sylvester, Sara Tays, Trey Trainor, Vicki Truitt, Corbin Van Arsdale, Ware Wendell, David White, Christopher Williston, Seth Winick, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, Sept. 18

• Latino CLD Leadership Academy forum on Latino demographic trends, featuring former U.S. Census Bureau Director Steve Murdock; 2727 North Harwood Street, Dallas (1-2:30 p.m.)
  

Saturday, Sept. 19

• Latino CLD Leadership Academy forum on U.S.-Mexico relations, featuring state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, Jose Octavio Tripp Villanueva, Dallas-based consul general of Mexico, and Pia Orrenius, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; 2727 North Harwood Street, Dallas (12-1:30 p.m.)
• DREAMer Symposium: The plight of the DREAMer from a State, National and Bi-national Perspective; 2600 Live Oak St., Dallas (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• DREAMer sculpture dedication ceremony, with remarks by former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, state Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, and former state Rep. Rick Noriega; 2600 Live Oak St., Dallas (6-8 p.m.)
• Tarrant County Democratic Party Family Fun Day; 2812 Race St., Fort Worth (11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Second Annual Harris County Republican Party Election Kick-Off BBQ; 5930 Southwest Freeway, Houston (4-6 p.m.)
• Anne McAfee Trio of Stars Brunch 2015, honoring Sheryl Cole, Lulu Flores and Mary Patrick; 11301 Domain Drive, Austin (11 a.m.)

Sunday, Sept. 20

• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Annual National Convention, featuring guest speakers Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, U.S. HUD Secretary Julián Castro and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; 1600 Lamar St., Houston (Sept. 20-22)
  

Monday, Sept. 21

• State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, fundraiser; 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4-6 p.m.)
• Williamson County Republican Leaders meeting, with speaker Attorney General Ken Paxton; 1723 S. Interstate 35, Round Rock (6:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, Sept. 23

• Women’s Health Advisory Committee meeting; 4900 N. Lamar Blvd., Rooms 1420 and 1430, Austin (10 a.m.)
  
• Locals for Life Rally, with speakers state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, and state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; 4616 Stanley Ave., Fort Worth (6-9 p.m.)

Thursday, Sept. 24

• State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, fundraiser; 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4-6 p.m.)

A group of super PACs backing former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s now-defunct presidential bid has refunded to donors most of the millions of dollars collected, the groups’ finance chairman said. It’s unusual for a super PAC to find itself flush with cash after a candidate drops out. But Perry’s exit — the first this year among major presidential candidates — was abrupt.

The number of people killed on the job in Texas increased in 2014, and the state retained its grim spot as the county’s leader in workplace deaths, according to preliminary federal data released Thursday. Texas saw 524 fatal workplace injuries last year, compared with 508 a year earlier. The next highest death toll behind Texas was in more populous California, where 334 workers died last year. Texas has led the nation in total workplace deaths in 11 of the past 14 years.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is finding a new pressure point in his proxy war with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: the decision by Bush's brother to nominate John Roberts, a growing target of conservative scorn, to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Experts and insiders are predicting the Texas Supreme Court will rule in the latest school finance appeal early next year, with some predicting a summertime special legislative session. A more important date than when the court rules is what deadline it might give the Legislature to come up with a fix. Past school finance rulings indicate the court is “usually concerned” not with elections but with giving the Legislature time to implement a fix before the next school year or until the end of the next regular legislative session.

While Texas' rate of uninsured people has fallen below 20 percent for the first time in more than a decade, new U.S. Census data released Thursday shows disparities in access to health insurance. Texas still claims the highest percentage of people without health insurance. The Lone Star State has also edged out California with the largest raw number of uninsured people in the country. About 5 million Texans were uninsured in 2014, or 19 percent, compared with 5.75 million, or 22 percent, the year before.

Estimates from the 2014 American Community Survey show that the percentage of poor Texas residents declined in 2014 — dropping to 17.2 percent from 17.5 percent in 2013 — as part of a gradual drop in poverty in the state in recent years. But the share of poor Texans in 11 of the state’s 25 metropolitan areas surpassed the state’s overall share of poor residents.

Much like his posture in the previous August debate, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz avoided the verbal combat that took place among Republican candidates on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library debate stage on Wednesday night. When Cruz did take center stage, he spoke directly into the camera and seemed to draw from his stump speeches, addressing the Iran deal and his efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. At one point, though, he praised Donald Trump and knocked retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on immigration.

A Waller County judge who helped choose grand jurors to consider the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland is not happy about the state's new grand jury selection process, saying it unfairly puts too much of the selection process on judges.

Saying he was making good on a promise he made to the supporters who helped usher him into office, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday launched a nine-city tour of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Abbott made 17 visits to the area during his campaign for governor but still lost Hidalgo County to challenger Wendy Davis by more than 22,000 votes. Still, Abbott was credited with making inroads within the Hispanic community, which has traditionally lent its support to Texas’ Democrats.

An Irving teenager who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school said Wednesday that "it's really sad" that a teacher got the wrong impression about the clock. He added that he would probably transfer schools. News of Ahmed Mohamed's arrest prompted a significant wave of support on Twitter, under the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed. Those who have offered support include President Barack Obama and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Monday dismissed the idea of a federal government shutdown, saying instead that elected officials had a duty to serve despite disagreements within Congress.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign has launched a business partnership with a street artist with a history of controversial statements on social media, including using racial epithets and rooting for President Barack Obama's assassination.

Rick Perry blamed his criminal indictment and exclusion from the Republican debate main stage for his failed presidential bid in his first interview since suspending his presidential campaign on Friday.

Donald Trump's raucous presidential bid turned out thousands Monday night in Dallas for a rambling rally that easily qualified as the biggest 2016 campaign event so far in Texas. At the rally, he came with a message that Texas Republicans are beginning to take seriously: "I'm not going anywhere."

The CIA on Wednesday unveiled roughly eight years of presidential daily briefings from the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson — the largest-ever release of such material. The briefings touch on everything from the construction of the Berlin Wall to the space race and fit neatly in line with LBJ’s goal for his library — to tell the story of the 1960s “with the bark off.”

Gov. Greg Abbott named 13 officials to serve on a task force on improving outcomes for juveniles adjudicated of sexual offenses. Those officials are: Devon Anderson, Chris Bratton, James Castro, Robert Ellis, Billy Fletcher, Lisa Jarrett, Kameron Johnson, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Moore, Allison Palmer, Dean Rucker, Frank Salazar and Donna Vandiver.

Abbott has named Oliver Bell of Houston to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2017.

Abbott appointed AT&T tech architect Aaron Bangor to serve as chairman of the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, a group that recommends disability policy changes and offers to support to various committees of disabled persons in Texas. In addition, six committee members were also named — Elizabeth Dickey, Archer Hadley, Dylan Rafaty, Diane Rose, Marilou Fowler and Linda Millstone.

Abbott reappointed Joe Ward of Telephone to the State Soil and Water Conservation Board for a term to expire on Feb. 1, 2017.

Ted Cruz named two new state directors for his expanding presidential campaign on Tuesday. Constantin Querard, founder and president of Grassroots Partners, LLC, was appointed Arizona state director while Jason Scalese, a managing partner of Fusion Strategies, was named California State director. The latter will work with Ron Nehring, Cruz’s California state chairman.

Salado lawyer Ryan Downton, a former House Redistricting Committee counsel, officially entered the open Senate District 24 Republican primary race on Thursday afternoon.

Former State Rep. George Lavender announced Wednesday he is running for the House District 1 seat he held during the 82nd and 83rd legislative sessions. State Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, who beat out Lavender for the seat in 2014, has already announced his re-election plans, thus setting up a rematch between the men.

Fort Worth attorney Andrew Piel announced on Thursday that he plans to challenge House District 94 state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, in next year’s party primary. Piel also rolled out a list of endorsements that included former state lawmakers Chris Harris, Kim Brimer and Toby Goodman and former Arlington Mayors Richard Greene and Robert Cluck.

State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, announced on Tuesday that he will run for re-election in House District 100, which he’s represented for four terms. Johnson’s name had surfaced as a possible successor for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who said this week that she is opting for another run for office.

State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, announced Wednesday he was endorsing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for president.

State Rep. John Frullo, R-Lubbock, announced on Monday that he is endorsing Ted Cruz for president.

Barry Smitherman, who vied against Ken Paxton, Cruz's favored candidate last year for attorney general, is now throwing his support behind Cruz's presidential campaign.

State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, confirmed on Wednesday his endorsement for “conservative fighter” state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, in the Senate District 1 GOP primary.

House District 150 GOP challenger Terri Leo received endorsements on Monday from two former colleagues from the State Board of Education. Ken Mercer and David Bradley both threw their support Leo’s way with Mercer calling her a “a rock solid conservative.”

Conservative Republicans of Texas announced on Thursday its endorsement of retired radiologist Brent Mayes in the open Senate District 24 Republican primary.

State Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, is endorsing businessman Bill King for Houston mayor. In doing so, Fletcher commended King's plans to aid Houston’s budget, including his strategy for pension reform.

State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, announced Wednesday that he has appointed Desireé Castro as a senior policy adviser in his office. A longtime Hinojosa staffer, she has worked as a policy analyst, focusing on issues related to criminal justice, border security, insurance and business.

Susan Turner Nold, former general counsel to state Sen. Kirk Watson, has been named the new director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the UT Moody College of Communication. She begins her new position on Monday.

The Houston Realty Business Coalition endorsed Bill King in the Houston mayoral race Thursday, praising his plans to add jobs to the city and make changes to the public pension program.

Pledging respect and trust between faith leaders, law enforcement officials and communities, Houston mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner announced endorsements from 135 Houston ministers on Thursday.

Disclosure: AT&T and the University of Texas at Austin are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.