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Texas Politics Today, 20th Edition

Mark P. Jones, Ernest Crain, Christopher Wlezein

  • Copyright 2026
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Available 25 July 2025', '2025-07-25T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $169.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Texas Politics Today 20th Edition by Mark P. Jones/Ernest Crain/Christopher Wlezein
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Overview

Jones/Crain/Wlezien's "Texas Politics Today," 20th Edition, delivers coverage of Texas institutions, policies and politics, increasing student engagement and combining a comparative approach with integrated learning objectives and questions to address Texas GOVT 2306 Core Objectives. The 2025 Texas Legislative Session coverage is woven throughout all 12 chapters, stimulating critical thinking and civic participation. Students will explore issues like abortion access, LGBTQ rights, marijuana reform, Latino politics, political polarization, criminal justice reforms, state-imposed restrictions on city and county government autonomy, relations between the state of Texas and the federal government and more. Instructors have two digital options for teaching: MindTap, Cengage's fully online learning solution, and Infuse, Cengage's LMS-embedded online learning solution.

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Meet the Authors

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Mark P. Jones

Mark P. Jones, Ph.D., is the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's Fellow in Political Science, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies and a professor in the political science department at Rice University. He is also a senior research fellow at the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs. His articles have appeared in publications such as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Texas Monthly, The Hill and the Texas Tribune. Jones is among the most quoted commentators on Texas politics in state and national media, and his research on the Texas Legislature and on public opinion and elections in Texas is widely cited by media outlets and political campaigns. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and his doctoral degree from the University of Michigan.

Ernest Crain

Ernest Crain did his graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin, spent 35 years teaching Texas government at San Antonio College and now lives in Montgomery County, Texas. He has co-authored Understanding Texas Politics; Politics in Texas: An Introduction to Texas Politics; The Challenge of Texas Politics: Text with Readings and American Government; and Politics Today: Texas Edition. His special areas of interest include party competition, comparative state politics and Texas public policy.

Christopher Wlezein

Christopher Wlezien, Ph.D., is Hogg Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1989, he taught at Oxford University, the University of Houston and Temple University. Over the years, Wlezien has published widely on elections, public opinion and public policy. His books include Degrees of Democracy, The Timeline of Presidential Elections, and Who Gets Represented? In addition to founding a journal, he has served on numerous editorial boards, established different institutes, advised governments and other organizations, held visiting positions at many universities around the world, received various research grants and won a number of awards for his research and teaching.

Table of Contents

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Prologue: Texas's Political Roots.
1. Texas Political Culture and Diversity.
2. Texas in the Federal System.
3. The Texas Constitution in Perspective.
4. Voting and Elections.
5. Political Parties.
6. Interest Groups.
7. The Legislature.
8. The Executive.
9. The Judiciary.
10. Law, Due Process, and Criminal Justice Policy.
11. Local Government.
12. Public Policy in Texas.

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  • ISBN-10: 8214145775
  • ISBN-13: 9798214145778
  • RETAIL $169.95
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