Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Many of the state's officeholders running for re-election are breathing easy with their return trip to Austin or Washington, D.C., already guaranteed.

That's because they face no major party opposition in the fall after having secured their party nomination this spring. By our count, that accounts for 10 members of Congress, four members of the State Board of Education, 12 members of the Texas Senate and 97 (!) members of the Texas House.

For your reference, here's a handy table. Incumbents are indicated, and party ID is listed as well:

_{Source: Secretary of State, Tribune research}

Some officeholders, though, won't be coming back next year, either because they voluntarily retired, were retired by the voters in the primaries or unsuccessfully sought another office.

Here's a table summarizing those:

_{Source: Secretary of State, Tribune research}

Enlarge Shelby Tauber

Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in Dallas on February 27, 2015.

Even though Hillary Clinton has earned enough delegates to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders supporters in Texas want to use the Vermont senator’s progressive appeal and message to expand his political influence.

An aide to Sanders said on Tuesday in a joint presser with Clinton’s campaign that supporters will press local party officials at this week’s state Democratic convention for more influence over the party’s platform. He also urged the party to adopt some of the senator’s campaign policy proposals, including a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage and trade policies that do not ship American jobs overseas. 

“I urge you to open your hearts and your minds to the hundreds of thousands Bernie supporters who care the same personal ideas as you do. Ninety percent of the people who are involved in our campaign were taking part in their political future for the very first time,” said Jacob Limon, adding that the senator’s base will not take their “foot off the gas.”

The meeting occurred hours before Sanders was scheduled to meet privately with Clinton in Washington, D.C. The meeting is part of the senator’s effort to have the presumptive Democratic nominee embrace some of his core campaign policy proposals.

Former Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro, who served as Clinton’s state campaign director for Texas during the primary contest, said the party should embrace some of Sanders’ ideas. He also urged the senator’s supporters, which includes an overwhelmingly strong base of young voters — a core constituency for the Democrats— to rally behind the party’s eventual nominee.

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State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer is welcoming Donald Trump to San Antonio with a sarcastic YouTube video disparaging the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for his controversial rhetoric about Mexicans and immigrants.

The clip, titled "Bienvenido a San Antonio, Mr. Trump" and narrated by former State Sen. Joe Bernal, takes Trump's campaign slogan and flips it to declare support for Hillary Clinton.

"Enjoy your visit to San Antonio, Mr. Trump," Bernal concludes. "Mexican-Americans and all immigrants alike help make San Antonio great. We will continue to make America great by voting for the next Democratic president."

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The National Women's Political Caucus of Texas is calling for an investigation of Aaron Persky, the judge who handed down the jail sentence in a high-profile sexual assault case involving a former Stanford student.

After a jury found Brock Turner guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster when he was a freshman, Persky sentenced him to six months in jail, citing the "severe impact" prison would have on him. Critics have decried the sentence as too lenient.

“Judge Persky's decision is insupportably lenient to the point of signaling that rape is not the serious violent crime that it is," Texas Caucus President Sue Berkel said in a statement.

Enlarge Esteban Monclova

Over the objections of the state’s top lawyers, oil and gas industry officials are trying to convince the Texas Supreme Court that a mammoth tax exemption for producers would pour more money into state coffers — in the long-run, at least.

That’s the latest turn in Southwest Royalties v. Hegar, a tug-of-war between Texas and its iconic petroleum industry over billions of tax dollars.

And it comes three months after the justices heard oral arguments in the case.

For those new to the case, here’s a quick catch-up: The court is parsing the language of a sales tax exemption for goods and services used in the “actual manufacturing, processing, or fabrication of tangible personal property.”

Southwest Royalties — backed by the industry — says it should apply equipment to petroleum extraction. And in that event, the Midland-based driller argues, Texas owes it a $500,000 refund for purchases of metal pipes, tubing and other equipment purchases. 

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar disagrees, and he argues that a ruling for the industry could spur up to $4.4 billion in refund filings — enough to wipe out the state’s projected budget surplus.

“This one’s as big as they come,” the Republican told the Tribune in March.

Now, the industry is trying to counter that message.

In a filing Tuesday, the Texas Oil and Gas Association attached a study — conducted by the Perryman Group and sponsored by the Texas Association of Business (TAB) — that says a ruling for industry would cost the state just $2.4 billion in immediate refunds.

Moreover, the study argued, the refund would stimulate for production in the struggling industry, carrying millions of dollars of economic benefit.

On Wednesday, the state’s legal team asked the justices to disregard the study.

Assistant Attorney General Michael Murphy called the study too late, biased and outside of the justices’ purview.

“The study is not an unbiased economic assessment,” he wrote. “It is advocacy.” 

Dallas-based Ryan LLC, a high-powered tax firm, is representing Southwest Royalties in the case.

G. Brint Ryan, the firm’s CEO, is on the Executive Committee of TAB’s Board of Directors, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Disclosure: The Texas Oil and Gas Association and the Texas Association of Business have been financial sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Enlarge

For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about that upcoming convention for Texas Democrats in San Antonio.

A little more than a month after Texas Republicans met in Dallas, Democrats are prepping for this weekend's gathering, which will prominently feature native sons Julián and Joaquin Castro.

The general election, meanwhile, is some 20-odd weeks away. A polarizing presidential election is on tap, which raises the question about what this all means for Texas, which hasn't seen meaningful two-party competition at the top of the ticket in more than 20 years.

The insiders predicted more of the same for Texas Democrats, with nearly three in five predicting the Democrats will remain stuck in neutral for the general election. Another 31 percent predicted that Democrats would flip a few seats in the Texas House while 10 percent had them losing further ground to the Republicans.

We then asked about the effect of presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton on turnout among Texas Democrats. On this one, a plurality of 36 percent predicted that Clinton would not have an effect on turnout while 28 percent predicted a positive effect on turnout with benefits for down ballot candidates.

Another 14 percent thought Clinton would drive down turnout. Eleven percent thought Clinton would raise turnout but would not produce a "coattail effect" and 7 percent believed her presence at the top of the ticket would hurt candidates down ballot.

We followed by asking which voters Democrats should be targeting right now. The insiders were in broad agreement on this one with 71 percent saying Democrats should reach out to moderates and independents over Democrats (17 percent) and liberal Republicans (8 percent).

Finally, we asked how the Democrats' statewide candidates would do this year, relative to past performance. The insiders were of one mind on this one, too, with 70 percent saying Democrats would do the same. Nineteen percent thought Democrats would do better than usual while 11 percent thought they would do worse than usual.

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

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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The Texas Democratic Party is holding its state convention this week. Based on the primaries and the runoffs, are Democrats making electoral progress?

• "They will flip a few seats because of Trump. But I'm not sure I'd call that progress, because it's not their doing — it's his."

• "Are they meeting in the old GOP phone booth from the 1980s?"

• "They've been stuck in neutral the last 3 cycles. And, really, actually losing ground since they are losing seats at the local level. 80-plus Texas counties with no Democrats on the ballot — that's not good. Although with Trump on the ballot, they could get lucky and knock off some Republicans who are in tighter ORVS districts."

• "It has nothing to do with the Democratic Party, and more to do with changing demographics in 'limited' Districts. If the Party was actually '... making electoral progress...,' the question wouldn't be limited to flipping 'a few seats.'"

• "They are considering anti-oil and gas language in platform driven by liberal elites while Hispanics are laid off, what? I remember a Democratic Party that fought for jobs."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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Hillary Clinton is now the Democrats’ presumptive nominee. What is her effect on Texas Democratic general election voters?

• "She is assuming she gets the Bill Clinton supporters of the past. Many of them hate her. They still love him but cannot stand her. Bubba connects with voters; she uses them and that is how they see her."

• "I still see more Bernie bumper stickers than Hillary stickers around town... are those people fired up to vote for her come November?"

• "I would hope she would have a coattail effect, but that will probably only happen in the metropolitan areas."

• "Hillary is a drag on the ticket in Texas. The Democrats' only hope is that Trump can ignite the passion of the left in a way that Hillary never will."

• "Pete Gallego can start drafting his 'thank you' note to President-elect Clinton."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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What voters should Texas Democrats be trying to attract right now?

• "Trump appeals to many working class; Democrats and Clinton does not. She appears, and is, aloof, elite and corrupted in their eyes. They vote Trump. The Dems need to shore up their own base. Are you kidding, try to attract Republicans and moderates/independents? Ha!"

• "As the Rs shift to a 'tea party' mentality, they are leaving the business community behind. This is the perfect time for the Ds to embrace the chamber of commerce types, and if they do, it could be a generational shift."

• "Independents are sick of the GOP social hoopla. But Hillary is getting pulled hard to the left by the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party. If Texas Ds were smart, they would steal the 'small government' mantra from the Rs and own that message."

• "They need to build a conservative Democrat bench."

• "If they don't stop losing straight ticket voting, which is over half the vote, they will never elect anyone statewide again."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

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How will the Democrats’ statewide candidates do this year?

• "Democrats will bleed Hispanic voters at the Supreme Court level."

• "Statewide... who??? That's the problem."

• "Unless Democrats can convince about 1.4 million more voters to suddenly show up, the result will be the same for them. Texas Democrats haven't been able to elect statewide since 1994, and hold the longest losing streak in nation (20 years). 2016 will add 2 more years to the total!"

• "Trump will be the Ds' greatest gift in a long time."

• "Honestly, how could they do worse? They've already lost ALL statewide races. You can't do worse than that."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Clyde Alexander, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Elna Christopher, Harold Cook, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Curtis Culwell, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Holly DeShields, Glenn Deshields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, Deborah Ingersoll, Jason Johnson, Mark Jones, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Dale Laine, Pete Laney, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Ruben Longoria, Matt Mackowiak, Bryan Mayes, Jason McElvaney, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Todd Olsen, Gardner Pate, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Richard Pineda, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Ted Melina Raab, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Jeff Rotkoff, Grant Ruckel, Andy Sansom, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Steve Scurlock, Ben Sebree, Ed Small, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Sara Tays, Jay Thompson, Trey Trainor, Corbin Van Arsdale, Ware Wendell, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, June 17

• Texas Democratic Party state convention; Alamodome, 100 Montana St., San Antonio (June 17-19)
• Texas Senate Democratic Caucus fundraising breakfast; Grand Hyatt San Antonio, 600 E. Market St., San Antonio (7:30-9 a.m.)
• Workforce, education and industry forum presented by Gov. Greg Abbott’s Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 1200 E. Anderson Lane, Room 1.170, Austin (June 17)

Sunday, June 19

• Father's Day

Monday, June 20

• Dallas County Democratic Party 10th Annual Johnson Jordan Dinner; Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Blvd., Dallas (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, June 23

• Symposium commemorating the fifth anniversary of the anti-SLAPP statute, presented by Haynes and Boone, the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Press Association, the Texas Association of Broadcasters, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Institute for Justice; Austin American-Statesman, 305 S. Congress Ave., Austin (4-7 p.m.)
• State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, fundraiser; Austin Club, 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4:30-5:30 p.m.)

As Donald Trump hosts rallies Thursday and Friday in Dallas and Houston, as many as 10,000 staunch anti-Trump Democrats are expected to gather in San Antonio for the state party's three-day convention.

Donald Trump is coming to Texas. And unlike most Republican presidential nominees, Trump is not dropping in simply to collect campaign cash, with rallies planned in Houston and Dallas.

Three days after the state had to scrap scores from this year's standardized testing of school kids, a special panel studying testing says it won't recommend getting rid of STAAR tests.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick drew outrage Sunday morning for pre-scheduled social media posts that said "man reaps what he sows" hours after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The posts had both been removed as of 11 a.m. Sunday. 

A group of Democratic state lawmakers from along the Texas-Mexico border is applying pressure to a bank whose CEO is helping raise money for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 

Republican state Rep. Jason Isaac has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Austin's rules for ride-hailing companies, raising concerns that the city's "burdensome regulations" are anti-competitive.

Texas on Thursday lost its fight against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, ending a monthslong battle during which refugees from the war-torn country continued to arrive. Since the state went to court, 229 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Texas — 21 arrived in December 2015 and the rest arrived this year. In a short statement, Paxton said on Thursday his office was "considering our options moving forward."

Former Baylor University head football coach Art Briles is fighting back against his sudden dismissal, arguing that he was wrongfully terminated and is being used as a scapegoat for the sexual assault scandal that has shamed the school.

Gov. Greg Abbott has named seven people to the Texas Radiation Advisory Board: Mark Harvey, Neal Leavell, Gerald Powell, Missy Shorey, Simon Trubek, Karen Newton and Kenneth Krieger. Krieger already serves on the board.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has appointed four state senators to Texas advisory groups. State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, will join the Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council, while state Sens. Charles Perry, Craig Estes and Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa are new members of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee, which works with the Texas Water Development Board.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has tapped state Medicaid director Gary Jessee to lead its new Medical and Social Services division. The new division of the Health and Human Services system, set to open Sept. 1, will oversee programs run by the Office of Social Services—including food stamps and TANF cash assistance—as well as Medicaid and community services.

Crystal Ford, the chief of staff for state Rep. Carol Alvarado, is moving to the lobbying arm of the law firm Locke Lord on July 1. Ford will work as a public policy adviser in Locke Lord's Public Law Practice Group. Yuniedth Midence Steen, a government affairs consultant at Locke Lord, also retired on May 31, according to a firm press release.

The Texas Association of Business' political action committee has awarded U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, with its Bob Bolen Champion of Free Enterprise lifetime achievement award.

Judge John J. Specia is joining the lobbying firm the Texas Star Alliance. Specia most recently served as the commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services after he was appointed by former Gov. Rick Perry in 2012.

Common Cause Texas has hired Anthony Gutierrez as its new executive director. The Democratic political consultant has worked on campaigns for state Rep. Joe Heflin and U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez and has also worked for U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey and Pete Gallego. He’s also worked on a Latino advocacy program for the nonpartisan Southwest Voter Registration Education Project.

Disclosure: The Texas Association of Business has been a financial sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.