Fact-checking Texas politics | PolitiFact Texas

Footage isn't from U.S. Mexico border; it's from Morocco

Donald Trump

A Trump television ad shows Mexicans swarming over "our southern border."

— PolitiFact National

Loose correlation, not causation

Dan Patrick

"Everywhere that we have more citizens carrying guns, crime is less. There's a study showing that where states have open carry or concealed carry, but particularly open carry, the crime is down 25 percent."

— PolitiFact National

"Vast" is an overstatement

Rand Paul

"Both Cruz and Rubio are missing the vast majority of their votes."

— PolitiFact National

It's hard to be less popular than Congress

Cecile Richards

"More than 60 percent of people in America support Planned Parenthood and only 11 percent approve of Congress."

A broad estimate

Ted Cruz

Forty percent of illegal immigrants are "people coming legally on visas and overstaying their visas."

— PolitiFact Virginia

You've disappointed your constitutional law professor, Ted

Ted Cruz

"The Democrats in the Senate last year introduced a constitutional amendment to repeal the free speech protections of the First Amendment."

— PolitiFact Iowa

Material support could mean giving soup

Greg Abbott

Says President Barack Obama "himself has granted waivers allowing into the United States refugees who provided material support to terrorists."

UPDATED: Smith continues to spar with EPA over policies

Lamar Smith

"The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has estimated that the Obama administration’s Power Plan will cause energy costs in Texas to rise as much as 16 percent per year."

Timeframes matter

Uber

"Recent news reports indicate DWI crashes in Austin dropped 23 percent since ridesharing entered the market."

Actually, that's the opposite of carpet bombing

Ted Cruz

Says carpet bombing means bombing "not a city, but the location of the troops," with "embedded special forces to direct the air power."

— PolitiFact National

Expert: Claim is 'completely nonsensical'

Ted Cruz

"Mike Morell testified and told Congress that the reason Obama has not bombed ISIS' oil fields is they're concerned about global warming."

— PolitiFact National

No such vote

Bryan Hughes

"David Simpson actually voted for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants."

Voted for applicants to document legal residency

David Simpson

"I have always opposed driver's licenses for illegal aliens."

One clear-cut incident

Greg Abbott

In Texas, "we've had three ISIS-related incidents already."

Song of Lime Juice and Despair

Kevin Russell

"In almost every other country in the world, artists and musicians are paid when their music is played on the radio. In fact, the only countries besides the U.S. who do not have a radio-performance right are China, Iran and North Korea."

Transgender girls aren't boys

Ted Cruz

The "federal government is going after school districts, trying to force them to let boys shower with little girls."

Expand Teach for America in Texas

Update: Lawmakers decline to hike Teach for America spending

An overly broad Democratic charge resurfaces

Hillary Clinton

"Ted Cruz tried to ban contraception" five times.

— PolitiFact National

Rate school campuses on A through F scale; require publication of campus report cards

Update: Abbott won approval of letter grades for individual school campuses

Not even close

Donald Trump

President Barack Obama "wants to take in 250,000 (people) from Syria."

Donald Trump, Mexico--and Morocco

The Latest from PolitiFact Texas

Expand Teach for America in Texas

Rate school campuses on A through F scale; require publication of campus report cards