“I don’t like to see the exploitation of people crossing the border. … It is not right for a man who is crossing this border with his family to see his daughter or wife raped at midnight by a coyote. It is not right to come to America on the back of an 18-wheeler.” 

— Dan Patrick, Republican lieutenant governor candidate, at a televised debate over immigration issues with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro on Wednesday

“You’ve been huffing and puffing on the campaign trail like the Big Bad Wolf and now you are tiptoeing around like Little Red Riding Hood. … Your numbers are wrong, your policies are wrong and you’re wrong for Texas.” 

— San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro confronting Dan Patrick, Republican lieutenant governor candidate, about immigration at a televised debate Wednesday

“The matter at hand pertains to the power of the governor to issue vetoes as allowed under the Texas Constitution. I have been retained to ensure that [the special prosecutor] receives all the facts, which will show that the governor’s veto was carried out in both the spirit and the letter of the law.” 

— Defense attorney David Botsford, retained by Gov. Rick Perry while he is under criminal investigation for withholding funding from Travis County district attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s office

“I’m excited to see our campaign add another tool to our cutting-edge digital outreach, which is allowing us to reach more Texans than any previous campaign in the state. … The spirit of bitcoin embodies the free market principles that make Texas a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. We welcome the bitcoin community to join our team.” 

— Greg Abbott, Texas attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate, on his campaign’s decision to accept bitcoin contributions

“We want to be fair and we want to be thorough because I know there will be discussions about this in years to come.” 

— State Rep. Dan Flynn, co-chair of the House Select Committee on State Agency Operations, on the committee’s investigation of UT System Regent Wallace Hall’s behavior and its possible implications for Hall’s impeachment

“The goal is to give some direction, with [the committee’s] support, to the state agencies on coming up with a very specific plan for West. … We will be looking at how to go forward and try to keep these situations from happening in the future.” 

— State Rep. Joe Pickett, chairman of the State House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, on plans to consider new regulations on ammonium nitrate storage