Brian McManus

Brian McManus

Brian McManus

Brian McManus is Texas political editor at Courier Texas. A fourth-generation native Texan based in Houston, he covers the political and economic forces reshaping the state—including the data center boom, housing affordability, immigration enforcement, inequality, and the ways decisions made in Austin and Washington land on ordinary people across Texas.

A veteran journalist and editor, he has held senior roles at Vice and BuzzFeed, and served as music editor at the Village Voice. In past lives he has also been a touring musician and a professional chef—careers that, more than he expected, inform how he thinks about the people and communities he covers today. Contact: brian@couriernewsroom.com | Instagram: @brianmctx


Latest from Brian McManus

  • Politics

    Two Republicans, one Senate seat, no real political difference

    The Texas GOP is tearing itself apart over two men who would vote the exact same way. They’re both Texas Republicans who claim the mantle of Donald Trump. Both want the same Senate seat. They cannot stand each other. Ditto their voter bases. On May 26, four-term US Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General…


  • Politics

    Texas residential construction is breaking down under Trump administration

    Texas has long relied on rapid construction to keep housing relatively affordable and to absorb a fast-growing population. But beyond that, the construction sector in Texas is a critical economic engine, contributing $144 billion (5.1%) to the state’s total GDP in early 2025. A slowdown in residential construction has created a drag on overall state…


  • Politics

    Should Texas stop electing its judges?

    A Harris County judge’s viral courtroom meltdown is raising a question reformers have pushed for years: should it stay that way?