It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Alex Samuels, political reporter for The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. Rick Miller, a Republican from Sugar Land, announced he would not run for reelection in 2020. Miller received swift backlash from his own party members after making disparaging comments in the Houston Chronicle about two Asian-American candidates running for his seat.
Meanwhile, Democratic Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg is rising in political polls. One of his big champions in Texas is Austin Mayor Steve Adler.
“[They] go back way before the 2020 elections,” Samuels says. “The two of them have known each other now for about five years. Just that bond of being mayors of sizable towns,” Samuels says.
In more news related to Austin, there’s been more student protests at the University of Texas. Student’s say that the university has mishandled sexual misconduct cases involving two professors who were recently reinstated after being punished for sexual misconduct.
“One big thing that really upset the students is that they were finding out about these misconduct cases often through Twitter or through friends, rather than the university,” Samuels says.
Written by Kristen Cabrera.