Sweat drips from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke as he speaks at a rally for reproductive freedom at the Pan American Neighborhood Park in Austin on June 26, 2022.
Dolly Schultz, local GOP precinct chair, waves flags outside of the Willie DeLeon Civic Center Precinct 1 polling station in Uvalde on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022. Uvalde, which was the site of the state’s deadliest mass shooting in which a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school earlier that year, ultimately voted for incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott over Beto O’Rourke, by a large margin.
Supporters play cards while they wait for U.S Sen. Bernie Sanders to arrive at a voting rally in Austin on Feb. 23, 2020.
State Representatives and their families sit on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2022.
The Republican women state Representatives joke with Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, as they gather for a photo at the front of the House floor during session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2023.
A state Representative prepares to vote on a bill during session on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on April 25, 2023.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, calls for action on gun reform, while state representatives and senators listen during a press conference, at the state Capitol on May 8, 2023. Gutierrez invited the families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting to attend the Capitol every Tuesday during the session. However, their calls for common-sense gun laws were left unanswered by the end of the legislative session.
Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, presides over the House as votes light up the board behind him, at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2023.
Gov. Greg Abbott addresses the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2022.
Sharon Carter, the House parliamentarian, holds up papers with the names of the two submitted candidates for Speaker of the House before voting commences on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2022.
State Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, talks with Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Dallas, during budget discussions on the House floor at the state Capitol on April 6, 2023.
State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, walks down the House floor to present a bill during session at the state capitol on April 21, 2021.
Democrats gathered to speak with state Rep. Gary Van Deaver, R-New Boston, to try to convince him to remove a particular amendment from an anti-DEI bill on the House floor of the state Capitol in Austin on April 6, 2023. Ultimately no compromise was reached, and the amendment was likely to remain in the bill.
Protestors are forced to leave their signs outside the House gallery at the state Capitol in Austin on May 8, 2023. Supporters rallied to the capitol to call for a vote on HB 2744, which seeks to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.
Stephen Willeford, who shot and injured the shooter in the Sutherland Springs mass shooting in 2017, waits to testify to members of the Community Safety Committee against HB2744, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. HB2744, which ultimately passed the committee but failed to progress further, sought to raise the age requirement necessary to purchase AR-style rifles from 18 to 21, such as the one used during the Uvalde school shooting earlier that year.
The state Capitol in Austin on Feb. 9, 2023.
State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, speaks with Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, on the House floor during session at the state Capitol on April 11, 2023.
The Sergeant at Arms of the Texas House removes the name card for state Rep. Brian Slaton, R-Royse City, after the House voted to expel him at the state Capitol in Austin on May 9, 2023. The unanimous vote followed an investigation that determined the Royse City Republican had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with an aide.
A young trumpet player looks up at the rotunda of the state Capitol as his band sets up to perform in Austin on March 9, 2023.
State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, speaks with one of his colleagues during session on the House floor at the state capitol in Austin, Texas on May 12, 2021.
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas, rushes to the front of the House floor during budget discussions at the state Capitol on April 6, 2023.
People wait outside the House floor during session at the state Capitol in Austin on April 11, 2023.
People hold signs labeled with different bills that have been filed by Texas lawmakers that target transgender and LGBTQ communities during the "Fight for our Lives" rally at the outdoor rotunda in the state Capitol on March 27, 2023.
State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, plays Solitaire at his desk while House Democrats bring numerous amendments to SB 14, which seeks to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth, for its second reading on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on May 12, 2023. The debate lasted five hours and all the amendments brought forth failed.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels to mark the end of a vote on a bill during session on the House floor at the state Capitol on April 18, 2023.
State Rep. Tracy King, D-Batesville, speaks with reporters, after a Texas House committee voted in favor of his bill, House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, in the state Capitol extension in Austin on May 8, 2023. It was a rare victory for gun reform, but the bill would fail days later after it was not scheduled on the calendar in time to make a key deadline.
The state Capitol in Austin is seen behind parking garage lights on the evening of April 18, 2023. The 2023 legislative session started with a record $32.7 billion surplus, but was mired in Republican infighting and multiple scandals, including a last-minute vote that led to the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, before Sine Die in May.