Cook, Craddick, Foster & Ahumada, and Coleman

Two new polls — one done on the Internet and the other on behalf of Democratic bloggers — say the Texas race for U.S. Senate is closer than you thought. Both have U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, only four percentage points ahead of Democrat Rick Noriega.

It's the kind of Special Deals for Politicians saga that can taint the whole institution: Texas lawmakers are accused of lying about their employees to obtain benefits to which those workers would not otherwise be entitled.

State Sen. Florence Shapiro is getting ready to set up an exploratory committee to run for the U.S. Senate in anticipation of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's resignation or retirement, sources said this afternoon.

With Indiana and North Carolina out of the way, and Florida and Michigan still in political purgatory, the Democratic presidential candidates have nearly as many delegates at stake among the uncommitted superdelegates as in the remaining primaries

This email really got sent by a legislative liaison at the University of North Texas, and we have been assured — emphatically — that the lieutenant governor's office didn't have anything to do with it, although it's a charity tournament for legislators and lobbyists that's headlined by David Dewhurst.

Budgeting starts with a twist this year, with officials telling agencies to begin with current spending and to add in a two percent pay raise for state employees. Then? Show how they'd cut ten percent from that.

Former Rep. Robert Puente will take over as interim head of the San Antonio Water System.

Bloggers haven't tired of typing about the Presidential race yet. They're also interested in news from the court system, Gov. Rick Perry's latest road appointments and a few campaign contests. And at the end, unsorted entries.