Top Ten Stories from a Long Texas Summer

Summer is ending, school is starting, and new state laws are already in effect.

As we move from blistering 100-degree days to semi-blistering 95-degree days, we wanted to take a look back at some of the biggest Texas political stories from the summer.

So sit back, eat some Blue Bell (or don't!), and enjoy our top ten stories from a long Texas summer.

10. The Incredibly Shrinking Rick Perry campaign

    While he sees if it’s possible to poll below 0%, our longest serving governor barely even made this top 10 list.

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9. Greg Abbott and Jade Helm

   To demonstrated that he will continue Rick Perry's tradition of embarrassing us nationally, Greg Abbott thought the federal government was going to run a secret martial law mission in broad daylight.

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8. Ted Cruz Drags His Feet on Federal Court Nominations

   A full year off from doing his job has hardly helped the 12,000 case backlog.

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7. The Drought Is Over…For Now

   Supposed to be a banner year for Texas wine!
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6. Texas Republicans attacked abortion AGAIN

   It’s still a lie – the videos were heavily edited.

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5. Whataburger Won’t Allow Open Carry

   The real Texas has spoken.
   

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4. Sandra Bland, a Pool Party and #BlackLivesMatter

   First a pool party resulted in excessive force against teenagers. Then an unnecessary traffic stop led to a tragic death, prompting a thorough review of Texas' jail standards. The two events bookended a summer filled with questions and conversations about criminal justice in our communities.

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3. Health Care Wins Again

   Over a million Texans can keep their affordable health insurance.

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2. Attorney General Ken Paxton Indicted on Three Felonies

   THREE FELONIES. Oh and FYI he is the state's top law enforcement official.
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1. Marriage Equality Wins in the Supreme Court

   Love wins, y’all[[{"fid":"2005","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","attributes":{"height":"1192","width":"1500","style":"width: 500px; height: 397px; display: block;","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]