Rick Perry and Bill White are starting to engage on a daily basis. The shape of their election fight is starting to solidify, ads are in the works on both sides and if you count third parties on the Democratic side, already running.

The action in the state's SD-22 is all in a Dallas court now, with Democrats suing to knock Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, off the ballot, and Birdwell responding (in court filings) that the challenge itself is flawed and that he's eligible anyhow.

The Texas Ethics Commission has July cash on hand numbers for 2,694 political committees and campaigns that together held $167 million last month.

The difference between news and news lite, in one announcement from U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

Riddle, Fuentes, Muñoz, Kirk, Burton, and Perry

John Cullar, the Democrat nominated yesterday to challenge Sen. Brian Birdwell in the November elections, went to court this morning to question whether Birdwell meets the residency requirements to serve in the state Senate.