Joshua Blank, PhD

Everybody is nervous about privacy, and most voters don't have a high level of confidence in many public and private institutions. But their level of trust has a lot to do with their political alignment, too.

Democratic and Republican voters favor many provisions of proposed immigration law reforms and of the Affordable Care Act. But the rhetorical emphasis on unpopular provisions of those policies has made them nonstarters with those same voters.

Republican candidates in Texas have figured out how to talk about immigration without stepping on political land mines: They talk about border security instead.

As a group, women have neither followed the March Hare to the Tea Party nor signed up for Wendy Davis’ trip to Wonderland, leaving the campaigns to ponder their place on the electoral chessboard.

The state's senior U.S. senator, up for re-election in 2014, steers warily around the state's junior U.S. senator, who has been on a roll for the last several months. 

The latest UT/TT Poll showing a single-digit lead for Greg Abbott over Wendy Davis in the gubernatorial race raised some eyebrows. Adding some context to a survey taken more than a year before Election Day helps provide some clarity on the results.

Political chatter about a grassroots uprising against the water funding measure on the November ballot appears to be overblown. Polling indicates a fair amount of Tea Party support for that constitutional amendment.

Uncomfortable questions about in-state tuition might prompt candidates like Greg Abbott to reach into Rick Perry's bag of tricks for an issue that addresses immigration issues without inflaming the wrong voters.

Texas voter turnout is low, but for constitutional amendments like the one next month, turnout is often very, very low. So how do you figure out which poll respondents deserve your attention?

Sages in both political parties say they are the natural ideological allies of the rising Hispanic population in Texas. But while the demographic trends are undeniable, the political meaning behind them is cloudy.