When Minneapolis teachers settled a 14-day strike earlier this year, they celebrated a groundbreaking provision in their new contract that was meant to shield teachers of color from traditional seniority-based layoffs.

Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas TribuneIncoming Texas GOP Chairman Allen West is fairly new to Texas, but he is not new to national politics. But if prior phases of his career are any guide, he is likely to bring strong fundraising and controversy to the state GOP. "We need a warrior at the top of the helm of the Texas GOP going into this election cycle and to help lead Republicans." His career has taken many twists on the way to leading the Texas GOP. West launched his bid for Texas GOP chair last August, aiming to unseat Dickey, who has served as state Republican chair since 2017.

Congressman and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West was elected Texas GOP chairman. Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas TribuneAllen West, the firebrand former Florida congressman, has defeated Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey to lead the country's largest state Republican Party. "It's time to make sure that the Republican Party of Texas is relevant again, that our message is out, that our message is being heard." The State Republican Executive Committee first elected Dickey to the post in 2017, after the resignation of his predecessor, Tom Mechler. Before chairing the state party, Dickey led the GOP in Travis County, home to Austin.

Many key votes were either still incomplete early Monday or were delayed to a second convention. As a result, delegates voted to adjourn the convention's general session and meet in Senate district caucuses to deliberate over the races for state party leadership. Five hours after a second general session was set to start Saturday afternoon, Dickey announced the convention would adjourn until the next day. Most importantly, they finalized their national convention delegates and presidential electors ahead of a Monday deadline. A delegate offered the motion to postpone any remaining business to a second convention, and delegates voted to amend it by a wide margin to exempt the state party leadership races.

Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey is being challenged by former Florida congressman James Dickey. In addition to his high profile, West has brought to the chair race a massive financial advantage. Dickey, the former chair of the Travis County GOP, was first elected state party chair in 2017 by the State Republican Executive Committee after Tom Mechler stepped down from the post. Dickey won by a margin of one vote on the State Republican Executive Committee. We are Texans, and the all hat and no cattle types don't fool us.On top of the chair race, delegates will also decide on the partys next vice chair.

The entrance to the 2016 Republican Party of Texas convention in Dallas. The 2020 in-person party convention in Houston was canceled due to the coronavirus, spurring legal battles. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneA Houston federal judge ruled Friday that the Republican Party of Texas may proceed with its in-person convention, according to lawyers involved in the litigation, a striking last-minute development as party officials have struggled to get a virtual gathering underway. The partys virtual convention was set to begin Thursday, though technical difficulties prompted hourslong delays and, eventually, the postponement of the event until Saturday. Before Friday's ruling, Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said the party was still working toward resuming the virtual convention Saturday.

Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey speaks at the GOP state convention in San Antonio on June 14, 2018. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneThe Texas Republican Party has postponed its state convention by a day to give itself more time to figure out technical issues that plagued the virtual gathering Thursday. After a nearly four-hour meeting that ended after midnight on Friday, the State Republican Executive Committee voted 51-5 to resume convention business Saturday instead of later Friday. Dickey abruptly announced Thursday evening that the convention would reconvene at noon Friday, citing "extenuating circumstances and technical issues." Now, with the SREC vote, convention business will not begin again until Saturday morning, likely about 8 a.m., Dickey said.

HOUSTON The Texas Supreme Court on Monday upheld Houston's refusal to allow the state Republican convention to hold in-person events in the city due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court dismissed an appeal of a state district judges denial of a temporary restraining order sought by the state Republican Party. The state GOP convention had been scheduled to begin Thursday at Houstons downtown convention center and was expected to draw thousands of participants. The Texas Medical Association withdrew its sponsorship of the state GOP convention and asked organizers to cancel in-person gatherings. But state Republican chair James Dickey has insisted that organizers can hold the event safely.

HOUSTON Houston officials on Wednesday canceled the Texas Republican Partys in-person convention, saying the spread of the coronavirus made it impossible to hold the event as scheduled. Greg Abbott, the states top Republican, had publicly deferred to state party leaders who last week voted by a 2-to-1 margin to go forward with an in-person event. But even Patrick, who is chairman of Trumps reelection campaign in Texas, expressed misgivings about his party pressing forward with the convention. The Texas Medical Center, a consortium of Houston hospitals, has moved into surge capacity for its intensive-care beds. Texas Democrats held an online convention in June, and national Democrats plan to hold an almost entirely virtual convention in August.

The Republican Party of Texas is moving forward with its controversial in-person convention during the coronavirus pandemic — but elected officials including Gov. “All the elected officials are switching from a live, in-person speech to videos,” Kyle Whatley, the party’s executive director, said during a town hall live streamed Tuesday night. As the state has seen a surge in coronavirus cases, calls have been growing over the past week for the party to cancel its event. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday asked the State Republican Executive Committee to cancel the gathering and warning that health inspectors would have the authority to shut down the event if certain guidelines are not followed. Shortly before Whatley made the announcement, Abbott was noncommittal in a TV interview when asked if he'd attend the convention in person.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday encouraged the Republican Party of Texas to cancel its in-person convention in Houston next week and warned that should the event continue, health inspectors would have the authority to shut down the gathering if certain guidelines are not followed. “I am asking them to have a virtual event.”A spokesperson for the state party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, the SREC voted 40-20 to proceed with the in-person convention July 16 to 18 at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center. According to the Houston Chronicle, Turner recently removed language from an executive order and effectively took away his own authority to cancel the convention. Last week, the Texas Girls Coaches Association also canceled its in-person convention scheduled for this Monday through Thursday in Arlington.

The trade show floor at the 2018 Texas Republican Convention in San Antonio. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneThe Texas GOP's executive committee voted Thursday night to proceed with plans to hold the partys in-person convention in Houston later this month. The State Republican Executive Committee, a 64-member body that serves as the governing board of the state party, voted 40-20 to approve the resolution supporting the in-person gathering. The convention, scheduled for July 16-18, will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where roughly 6,000 people are expected to attend. Over the past week, demands have mounted for the party to cancel plans for an in-person convention, with some Republicans stating they would not attend such an event due to safety concerns.

A committee hearing at the second day of the the 2018 Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio. I think its a horrible idea to proceed with holding the in-person convention, Davis told The Tribune on Tuesday. The Texas Democratic Party, which held a virtual convention earlier this month, has criticized its Republican counterpart repeatedly over moving ahead with plans to host an in-person event. Dickey said Tuesday that party officials have been working on ensuring encrypted secret ballot voting and credentialed verification could happen, should the convention move to an online setting. West told The Tribune on Tuesday that he did not plan to weigh in on whether an in-person convention should happen until after party officials decide next steps.

The request came as Texas set a new record high for COVID-19 cases Tuesday. The state's GOP leaders have maintained that the three-day convention, which typically draws thousands of attendees, will go forward and that face coverings will not be mandated, even as Republican Gov. In Florida, doctors have also called for pushing back the Republican National Convention that is scheduled for August, when President Donald Trump is expected to accept the GOP nomination. The organization is also a sponsor of the convention, which is scheduled to begin July 16. We are taking all input from those involved with our Convention, including that from our Party leadership and our delegates, very seriously, Dickey said.

With no statewide limit on indoor gatherings, the Texas GOP is moving forward with plans to hold their convention in Houston. Greg Abbott has left the door open for massive indoor gatherings. And organizers are moving forward with some big ones, including the Texas Republican partys upcoming convention in Houston. On Tuesday, Abbott granted local officials the power to restrict outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people, but made no mention of indoor gatherings. The Texas Democratic party convention took place entirely online in early June.

The state Democratic Party is holding an exclusively virtual convention that kicks off Monday, while the Texas GOP is pressing forward with an in-person convention in mid-July in Houston. The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has said it is moving "full steam ahead" toward an in-person convention a week later in Charlotte, North Carolina. "The Republican Party of Texas is planning on having our convention this summer in July and the Republican Party convention of Texas, numerically, is larger than the national convention, and so we will show that we would physically and logistically be able to host a convention like that in Texas. No state party has held a virtual convention of the scale of the Texas one yet, Rahman said, and other state parties have reached out to see how it is working for the Texas party. The event will "show how invested everybody is in flipping Texas," Rahman added.

For Brandon Birmingham, a state district judge in Dallas, the 2020 race for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals started on election night 2018. Within weeks, he’d reached out to the state Democratic Party. This year, with a controversial Republican president on the ballot and sky-high stakes for Texas Democrats, candidates are hoping the races look more like heroes’ journeys. Democrats have not run a contested primary for the state’s high courts since 2008. As recently as last year, Democrats failed to even field a candidate in one race for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.