Is Joe Straus Prepping For Future Showdowns At The Capitol?

This week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

By Rhonda FanningOctober 13, 2017 1:58 pm,

It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Emily Ramshaw, editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune.

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is pulling together an economic development committee made up of moderate state legislators. Ramshaw says,

“What we believe that means is preventing legislation like the bathroom bill that they believe would have been really detrimental to bringing more business to Texas,” she says

Rep. Beto O’Rourke is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz’s race for reelection, but will O’Rourke be able to build up enough money to compete? Cruz has a lot of money in the bank, but Ramshaw says, “O’Rourke has been quite a fundraising machine so far.” In the last quarter, he brought in $1.7 million, compared to Cruz’s $2 million. In the previous quarter, O’Rourke raised even more money than Cruz.

Unlike the Cruz and O’Rourke race, Gov. Greg Abbott does not have a serious challenger right now. Ramshaw says, “It’s an opportunity for him to stretch his legs and say ‘I’m going to make in-roads with a brand new community.’ For him, Latinos.”

Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.