Beto O'Rourke
Beto O'Rourke speaks to Texas Organizing Project volunteers preparing to canvass a neighborhood in West Dallas Wednesday, June 9, 2021. The former congressman and senatorial candidate is driving an effort to gather voter support to stop Texas' SB7 voting legislation. As politicians from Austin to Washington battle over how to run elections, many voters are disconnected from the fight. While both sides have a passionate base of voters intensely dialed in on the issue, a disengaged middle is baffled at the attention. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Voting debate roils Washington but leaves many voters cold

By Nicholas Riccardi Jun. 19, 2021 12:14 AM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2015 file photo, then-Texas Sen. Don Huffines speaks during a news conference in Austin, Texas. Huffines, a former state senator from Dallas who has sharply criticized Texas' handling of the pandemic, said Monday, May 10, 2021 he will challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022.  (Deborah Cannon/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
Former Texas GOP senator Don Huffines running for govenor

May. 10, 2021 11:10 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2018, photo, Democratic U.S. congressional candidate Diane Mitsch Bush speaks at the United Steelworkers of America Local #2102, in Pueblo, Colo. Mitsch Bush is facing Republican Lauren Boebert for the seat that covers southern and western Colorado. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post via AP, File)
Republican Lauren Boebert wins bitter Colorado House race

By James Anderson And Thomas Peipert Nov. 03, 2020 10:37 AM EST

Akilah Bacy, a Houston lawyer and candidate for Texas state house district 138, speaks with the Associated Press outside of a voting center in the Spring Branch neighborhood, Friday Oct. 16, 2020 in Houston. Bacy, a Democrat, is vying for an open seat in what could be a closely contested district. Texas Democrats hope to regain control of the state house after decades out of power. (AP Photo/John L. Mone)
State legislative elections key to redistricting power

By Paul J. Weber And David A. Lieb Oct. 31, 2020 12:53 PM EDT

MJ Hegar, of Round Rock, speaks during a debate with Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, in Austin, Texas. (Bob Daemmrich/Nexstar/KXAN via AP, Pool)
Senate Democrats' fundraising success puts GOP on defensive

By Brian Slodysko Oct. 12, 2020 07:54 PM EDT

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham faces off in the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate with challenger Jaime Harrison at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP)
Graham's last stand? Senator leads Barrett court hearings

By Laurie Kellman Oct. 12, 2020 09:26 AM EDT

FILE - In this July 26, 2016, file photo, delegates cheer as Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton appears on the screen during the second day session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice Presiden JoBiden’s presidential nominating convention will highlight the U.S. political spectrum from the left flank of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the Republican old guard of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich. But that doesn’t mean there’s room for every prominent Democrat who would get a share of the spotlight at a routine convention taking place without the backdrop of a pandemic. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Democratic convention speakers span spectrum of US politics

By Bill Barrow Aug. 11, 2020 12:48 AM EDT

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Biden's Texas ad signals opportunity in GOP stronghold

By Steve Peoples Jul. 15, 2020 12:13 AM EDT

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Biden's Texas ad signals opportunity in GOP stronghold

By Steve Peoples Jul. 14, 2020 05:25 PM EDT

This image taken from the Room Rater Twitter account shows Beto O'Rourke appearing on MSNBC. Ever since the coronavirus forced public figures to speak to the masses from their dens, living rooms and kitchens, television has given us a glimpse into their lives that we never got when they were in the studio. (Twitter page of Room Rater via AP)
What's that behind you? On virus-era TV, home backdrops star

By Don Babwin May. 08, 2020 01:51 PM EDT