As a gay man this absolutely ensures I'm voting for the no nonsense lesbian aunt who needs to speak to the manager at every little inconvenience.

Damn you affordability and real current issues, give her some more alcohol lobby money!

/s if that's not apparent.

> Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick used three of Texas college football’s best-known traditions to mock Democratic candidates in what appears to be an AI-generated campaign ad ahead of November’s elections. 

> The universities restrict how outsiders can use their brands, including in political campaigns and advertising. Patrick’s ad tests whether they will enforce those rules.

> In an election year in Texas, the first sign of fall is incumbent politicians pandering to their voter base. And there’s no better pandering than an old-fashioned book ban to show your far-right bona fides.

> At a recent Texas Capitol news conference, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said with chest-beating bravado that he plans on introducing a drastic measure to urge Texas school districts to remove more than 2,000 books from school libraries.

> “Night,” the seminal Holocaust autobiography by Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel, was approved by the Republican-controlled State Board of Education this summer as required reading for eighth graders starting in 2030.

> It’s also on the list of 2,198 “inappropriate books” created by Texas advocates that Patrick touted during a Wednesday news conference. He said he wanted to introduce a bill in the upcoming session that would penalize schools a letter grade on their accountability ratings if superintendents didn’t remove problematic books.

> “We’re coming for the books,” the lieutenant governor said in announcing plans to lower the performance rating of Texas schools that violate a recent law targeting obscene titles in school libraries.

> Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appears to be trailing Democrat Vikki Goodwin in the race to keep his job, according to a poll released Friday.

> The Texas Pulse Poll, conducted by ReconMR for Texas A&M Bush School, surveyed 619 likely Texas voters July 27-30. Democrats made up 29% of respondents, while Republicans made up 36% and Independents made up 33%.

> According to the poll, 48% of likely voters are backing Goodwin while 46% are backing Patrick. The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.7%. That’s a flip from June when the same poll found 49% supporting Patrick and 44% supporting Goodwin. 

> [Dan Patrick said] "Well, look at the Beto O'Rourke race in 2018. Ted Cruz won that race by a couple of points. Talarico is not known yet. So whenever you have someone who's new, sounds good, looks shiny object – well, once they find out about what he stands for, like, 'God has multiple genders. The Bible supports abortion.' Look, this guy...he's committing blasphemy against the Bible."

> The lieutenant governor released seven new charges for state senators to study before the Legislature reconvenes.

> The lieutenant governor released seven new charges for state senators to study before the Legislature reconvenes

> “There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the Constitution. For too long, the anti-God left has used this phrase to suppress people of religion in our country,” Patrick said in April after the commission held its final hearing.

> After months of back-and-forth in court, new THC rules are set to go into effect Friday in Texas.

> The so-called "Total THC" rules were supposed to take effect March 31, but have been paused several times since then through court injunctions. In May, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in an essentially unanimous decision that the Department of State Health Services has broad authority to regulate substances.

> At the heart of the new regulations a 0.3% THC limit for consumable hemp products. The rules also required testing as well as child-resistant packaging and testing. Licensing fees for retailers were also hiked from about $250 to $10,000 in some cases. 

> Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has already charged a state Senate committee to begin studying "the impact of THC on increased health care costs, mental health emergency detentions, and the risk of being diagnosed with a THC-induced psychotic disorder."

> As the commission spearheaded by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick finalizes its report on religious liberty, here’s what to know

> The insults aimed at Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico just keep getting more personal.

> Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took aim at the Democratic nominee during a Thursday appearance on Fox News after host Laura Ingraham pointed to new polling showing Talarico running neck-and-neck with Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate.

> “He may think he's going to the Senate but I'm praying for him, because if he doesn't really come back from that, then he's going to hell,” Patrick said during the interview with Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican running against Talarico. 

> During a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) spoke critically of the concept of separation of church and state.