Free Republic

LUBBOCK, Texas—Dan Backer, the D.C. area attorney widely known for his work with TheTeaParty.net, has come forward as the one responsible for attacking Texas Attorney General candidate State Senator Ken Paxton in a massive half-million dollar Texas ad-buy. Ken Paxton is the Tea Party candidate who Senator Ted Cruz proudly honored. A media professional who works with TheTeaParty.net told Breitbart Texas that the group has no part in what their attorney is doing. Paxton’s opponent, the clear beneficiary of Backer’s ads, is Texas State Rep. Dan Branch. Branch is a former AFL-CIO union group lobbyist who previously introduced an amendment...

Twelve districts to benefit most under ed plan BY APRIL CASTRO Associated Press Writer AUSTIN - Twelve "super wealthy" school districts stand to gain the most from Gov. Rick Perry's school finance proposal to overhaul the current share-the-wealth school finance system. Perry's plan would attempt to equalize funding to all public schools by allowing each district to keep local residential property tax revenue, eliminating the so-called Robin Hood school finance system, while the state collects and redistributes commercial property tax revenue statewide. But, in an estimated 12 of Texas' 1,039 school districts, the residential property wealth is so high, those...

Candidates begin filing papers to run in 2004 primary election AUSTIN (AP) — Candidates for president, Congress, the Texas Legislature and other offices began filing papers for the 2004 primary election Wednesday, even as a dispute simmered over which congressional districts will be used. Democratic U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Arlington filed to run in the district he has represented for 25 years. Frost said he was confident a federal court will uphold existing congressional boundaries and toss out a GOP redistricting plan approved this fall. The Republican map, which Democrats claim violates minority voting rights, decimated Frost's heavily minority...

Legislators eye juggling primary date Negotiators sweat over map while clock keeps on ticking AUSTIN (AP) — Texas' Republican leaders seem to have no qualms about taking Texas out of the "Super Tuesday" primary next year in order to incorporate still-developing changes in congressional lines onto the ballot. But as options narrow with each tick of the clock, some Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature say they are not convinced that delaying the state's primary is in the best interest of Texas. As Republican House and Senate negotiators continue to toil over a district map that would put more GOP...