Post Date: April 2013

Public Opinion Creates Rough Sailing for Water Policy

| By: Jim Henson, PhD

The rough seas that sank the Texas House's attempt to fund the state water plan on Monday night with a $2 billion draw on the Rainy Day Fund highlighted the limits of consensus on both how to pay for water development and whether it's a top priority. 

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Keywords: Budget and Taxes, Water

A Seat for the Tea Party

| By: Joshua Blank, PhD and Jim Henson, PhD

Sentiment for the Tea Party remains strong within the GOP, but what started as an insurgent group is becoming just another — albeit important — part of the Republican Party in Texas.

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Rubio, Rest of GOP Say No to Amnesty

| By: Joshua Blank, PhD

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio hit the Sunday talk shows to discuss an immigration reform plan that he said would not provide amnesty. In Texas, a strong majority of Texans oppose a comprehensive overhaul, with the "pathway to citizenship" a likely stumbling block.

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Cruz Registers Tea Party Embrace of Gun Rights

| By: Joshua Blank, PhD and Jim Henson, PhD

Attitudes about gun control proposals among Texas Republicans provide a foundation for understanding Sen. Ted Cruz’s resistance to the apparent compromise taking shape in the U.S. Senate.

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Texans Conservative on Concealed Carry

| By: Joshua Blank, PhD

It's no shock that Texans tend to be more conservative when it comes to federal gun control measures. But Texans are also conservative in another, more literal sense when it comes to proposals seeking to reduce the requirements to carry a concealed handgun.

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Public Opinion and the Budget

| By: Jim Henson, PhD

So far, the Legislature has been writing a budget for a state in a center-right position on the political spectrum. As debate opens in the House, can the leadership hold off challenges, particularly from the right?

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No Backlash to Education Cuts?

| By: Joshua Blank, PhD and Jim Henson, PhD

Polling over the last two years from the University of Texas/Texas Tribune suggests that education has not become more salient to Texas voters, nor have perceptions of school quality suffered significantly.

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