Join The Texas Tribune at 8 a.m. Central time July 22 for a discussion with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, moderated by Tribune executive editor Ross Ramsey.

Hegar will be answering questions about his recently revised revenue estimate for the state and the economic outlook and budget implications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hegar, who was elected comptroller in 2014, serves as Texas’ treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. Previously, he served as a member of the Texas Senate and House.

This conversation will be livestreamed starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, here and on our social media channels. What do you want us to ask Hegar? Send your questions to [email protected] or tweet us using the hashtag #AskTrib.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, joined Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith on Wednesday to discuss the recent surge of coronavirus cases in Texas, the federal and state response to the growing outbreak, and what it means for Texans and for the Texas economy.

Joaquin Castro serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Education and Labor Committee. He is chair of the Texas Democratic Caucus. Previously, he served for 10 years in the Texas Legislature.

Julián Castro served as U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017 and as mayor of San Antonio from 2009 to 2014. He was a Democratic candidate for U.S. president in 2020 and recently endorsed his former opponent Joe Biden.

With just days left to campaign for Tuesday's U.S. Senate Democratic primary runoff, State Sen. Royce West said Friday during a Texas Tribune event that he is confident that he will win and become a unifying force during such a divisive time in the state and the country.

West, of Dallas, who became Texas’ first Black chief felony prosecutor when he worked at the Dallas County District Attorney’s office, is competing against MJ Hegar, a retired Air Force pilot.

Although Hegar's campaign has greatly outpaced West’s in terms of spending, West says he's leaning on other tools, like social media, and is getting support from Democratic elected officials in Texas. He has represented Senate District 23 since 1993. In the 2019 legislative session, he served as vice chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee and sat on the Education, Finance and Transportation committees. He announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in July 2019.

The two are vying to take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a three-term Republican, in November.

In March, West narrowly grabbed the second-highest vote total in the 12-way primary election, sending him to a runoff election against Hegar. She has the backing of national Democrats, while West has been endorsed by the majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature.

Patrick Svitek, the Tribune’s senior political reporter, sat down Friday for a virtual conversation with West on his campaign, the way it has been affected by current national events, and how he plans to secure Republican voters.

MJ Hegar, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is already envisioning how she’d work with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — confident that she will win both the Democratic nomination and the election in November.

Hegar is competing in the July 14 runoff election against state Sen. Royce West. The winner will face off against Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in November. Backed by national Democrats, Hegar led by 7% in the 12-way primary in March.

Hegar is a retired Air Force officer, helicopter pilot and recipient of the Purple Heart. She announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in April 2019 after a high-profile but unsuccessful campaign to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. John Carter.

In 2012, she successfully sued the Department of Defense to repeal the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which prohibited women from serving in ground combat units.

She sat down for a virtual conversation Thursday morning with The Texas Tribune’s Washington bureau chief, Abby Livingston, to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, her strategy to beat Cornyn and policy.

Join The Texas Tribune at noon CT/11 a.m. MT June 22 for an interview with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, conducted by the Tribune’s Washington bureau chief, Abby Livingston.

Escobar will be answering questions about how the federal government is responding to the coronavirus outbreak across the nation. We’ll be discussing what ongoing support Texas residents and businesses can expect from the U.S. government, how her home city of El Paso is faring, her view of Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to reopen the Texas economy and more.

Join The Texas Tribune at 8 a.m. CT June 18 for a discussion with Tom Luce, Texas 2036’s founder and chair, and Margaret Spellings, the organization’s president and CEO, moderated by Tribune CEO Evan Smith.

Luce and Spellings will be answering questions about their organization’s latest research and data analysis on what the state needs to do between now and its bicentennial year to be the best place to live and work for the next generation of Texans. Texas 2036 is a public policy nonprofit that conducts research for policymakers to make informed decisions about the state’s future ahead of the year 2036 — Texas' bicentennial — when the state is expected to have 10 million more people.

Texas Tribune state politics reporter Cassi Pollock sat down with former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat, for a discussion on her bid for state Senate, the response to the coronavirus outbreak and how the pandemic has reshaped her campaign. In March, she declared her candidacy for Senate District 14, left vacant by former Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who retired. She is one of six candidates running in a special election for the seat.

Watch our interview with state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, conducted by Tribune state political reporter Cassi Pollock.

Rodriguez has represented House District 51, covering much of southeast Travis County, since 2003. In March, he declared his candidacy for Senate District 14, left vacant by retiring state Sen. Kirk Watson, who was named the first dean of the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs.

The special election to fill the seat was originally scheduled for early May, but Gov. Greg Abbott postponed the election due to the coronavirus pandemic. Watson was set to face reelection in 2022

Rodriguez faces a challenge for the seat from Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who also declared her candidacy in March and announced her resignation as county judge. However, Eckhardt delayed her resignation to mid-May to help local officials handle the coronavirus pandemic.

Rodriguez sits on the House Calendars, State Affairs, and Ways and Means committees. He also serves as co-founder and chair of the Texas House Farm-to-Table Caucus and policy chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

This conversation was livestreamed at noon May 14, here and on our social media channels.

Join The Texas Tribune at noon Central time Tuesday for an interview with Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, conducted by the Tribune’s energy and economy reporter Mitchell Ferman.

Craddick will be answering questions about the effects the coronavirus outbreak is having on Texas’ energy economy. We’ll also be discussing the recent historic drop in oil prices globally, what Texas energy producers are saying and the anticipated impact on the state’s budget for the upcoming legislative session.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a firebrand freshman Republican, on Wednesday called for a return to economic normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to secure an “overall net positive outcome” for Americans.

“The goal here is for the least amount of human harm, right?” the Austin conservative said in a Wednesday interview with The Texas Tribune’s Evan Smith. “And so the virus is one piece of a much larger puzzle. So should we reopen our society? I believe yes.”

“I think it is important for us to engage as human beings together, to worship together, to work together. Can we do it in a way that protects the most vulnerable?...It’s important that we do that, and we can do that.”