ABSTRACT
THE DIRTY THIRTY: FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE Most times in politics, the insiders win and they use their victories to solidify their control of institutions and offi ces and to reward their benefactors by crafting policies to serve their interests. Usually, the outsiders cannot do much about this because they lack the power to force the insiders out into the sunlight where their “pay-to-play” politics can be seen by all. But sometimes the insiders get both greedy and careless and this gives the outsiders an unexpected opportunity to force change. The most famous instance in Texas politics of the insiders being dragged out into the sunlight was the Sharpstown Scandal of 1969 to 1971. The outsiders that grabbed their opportunity to force change are known in Texas history as the “Dirty Thirty.”
