Government

Candidates don’t often miss the opportunity to deflect what another candidate might be saying, but Texas Senate District 25 candidate John Courage, a Democrat, has frequently had the chance to speak to voters by himself lately; even though his opponent, Republican Donna Campbell, has been invited to the same events.

Whether Mayor Julián Castro's Pre-K 4 SA early education initiative will pass or be voted down is too close to call at this point in early voting, but with all the debate over the issue, Castro doesn't seem surprised.

"I always assume that any election is going to be a close election," said Castro Monday at the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse. "I want folks to know Pre-K 4 SA is supported by our seven biggest Chambers of Commerce, by all seven living former mayors, by our biggest employers. There's a reason for that."

It’s the first day of early voting and Bexar County Residents are flocking to the polls. TPR's Joey Palacios talked to a few voters outside the Wonderland Mall polling place about which presidential candidate they support and Pre-K for SA.

Incumbent John Garza and challenger Philip Cortez are divided on the role and effectiveness of education in their district. Cortez says that quality public education is the key to getting the district's residents on the road to success, and Garza says that state programs do not work and a voucher system would be the best way to make education stronger.

Some of the scientists with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas have resigned, with one warning that the $3 billion taxpayer-funded agency is headed down a path of systematic abuse.

Texas is home to the country’s second largest cancer-research fund, which is the largest of any state. The only entity funded at a higher level is the federal National Institutes of Health. C-PRIT has awarded almost $700 million in grants in the past three years.

Following the primaries, Tea Party favorite Dr. Donna Campbell and Democrat John Courage emerged as the contenders for the Texas Senate District 25 seat.

The primary knocked longtime Senator Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, out of the running, along with challenger, former Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones.

Perhaps one of the only issues Campbell and Courage agree upon is opposition to toll roads, but they have vastly different views on health care, education, and energy.

So how does a physician plan to serve full time in the Senate?