Texas is an enormous state with enormous issues and our elected officials come together every other year for (typically) only five months to tackle those issues and pass a budget.
And right now we are in the thick of it as the 89th session is in full swing.
But you simply cannot watch from afar and truly grasp what’s going on under the pink dome.
And certainly reporters cannot either. Sitting behind a computer screen watching a committee hearing or floor debate may allow a reporter to relay some basic facts, but that’s about it. Little context. No behind the scenes knowledge that gives them perspective.
They’re not physically there to ask questions of the elected officials, get information that’s important to the issues at hand, get to know the players and groups involved on particular pieces of legislation.
I know. I was there. And I saw how badly the “reporting” was.
That’s why it was so important that The Texan’s home base be in Austin. We wanted our Capitol reporters to be smack dab in the middle of the legislative action while it’s happening, and that’s exactly where they’ve been for almost six years now!
Our team of Austin reporters are at press conferences, in committee hearings, and on the chamber floor as legislation that affects every Texan is hotly debated, passed, and killed.
They report facts, not rumors, nor rhetoric — out-hustling legacy media the whole way through.
And we couldn’t do that if we set up shop anywhere other than in the Texas capital.
We were in the room when House Democrats killed a “detransitioning” GOP bill at a midnight deadline, for Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2025 State of the State address, and for the most consequential election results.
There’s simply no replacement for seeing things unfold with your own two eyes. And I’m proud of our team for becoming a staple in Austin politics in such short a time.
Here’s a sneak peek!
In addition to their stellar reporting on all things legislative session, for real-time scoops, updates and breaking Capitol news, follow our Austin reporters on X (Twitter):
Mary Elise Cosgray, Cameron Abrams, and Brad Johnson.
And if you see them in the Capitol, don’t be afraid to say hi!
But we’re not just in Austin! We have reporters across the state reporting on local political news too! So if you haven’t subscribed to The Texan yet, do it today!