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PolitiFact Texas Writer

Madlin Mekelburg writes for PolitiFact Texas and the Austin American-Statesman. Previously, Madlin covered state and national politics for the El Paso Times from the USA Today Network's bureau in Austin, Texas.

Featured Statements

Michael Burgess
stated on September 19, 2020 in a tweet:

“In the last 10 years less than half of adults in the U.S. received a flu shot.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • September 25, 2020
Greg Abbott
stated on August 18, 2020 in a press conference:

Says crime is on the rise in Austin and a new study showed that it “is the No. 1 city in America in the year-to-year percentage increase in murders, with a percentage increase of more than 64% for the first half of this year.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • August 31, 2020
George P. Bush
stated on August 13, 2020 in a tweet:

Says a video shared to his social media shows vehicles with broken windows in a parking garage used by state agencies in Texas on “the same night the City of Austin voted to cut $150 million” from the police department.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • August 24, 2020
Gene Wu
stated on August 7, 2020 in an interview:

Says in Texas the “average age of the Republican voter is like 20 years older than the average Democrat.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • August 14, 2020
M.J. Hegar
stated on July 22, 2020 in a speech:

Says 1 in 5 Texans did not have health insurance coverage before the pandemic, and now “nearly 1 in 3 Texans under the age of 65 don’t have access to health care insurance.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • July 30, 2020
John Cornyn
stated on July 9, 2020 in an interview:

Says “no one under the age of 20 has died of the coronavirus. We still don’t know whether children can get it and transmit it to others.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • July 10, 2020
Lloyd Doggett
stated on June 22, 2020 in a tweet:

Hays County in Central Texas has seen an “incredible 845% increase in (COVID-19) cases since June 7.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • June 26, 2020
Dan Patrick
stated on May 24, 2020 in an interview:

Says a new law adopted in Texas means property tax bills “are no longer really dependent on your values, it is on (local government) revenue growth.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • June 8, 2020
X posts
stated on May 31, 2020 in a tweet:

Says police officers in Austin, Texas, have been “authorized to use LIVE ROUNDS, and lethal force” against protesters.

By Madlin Mekelburg • June 5, 2020
Chip Roy
stated on May 6, 2020 in an interview:

Says Wisconsin has not had a spike in coronavirus cases that was “statistically significant related to the fact that they had voting.”

By Madlin Mekelburg • May 18, 2020

Fact-checking three coronavirus claims from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

By Madlin Mekelburg • June 19, 2020
What we know about Dallas incident from Trump’s speech on protests

By Madlin Mekelburg • June 2, 2020
Examining projected COVID-19 deaths in Texas

By Madlin Mekelburg • May 1, 2020
Fact-checking the Democratic U.S. Senate debate in Texas

By Madlin Mekelburg • February 19, 2020
Putting Al Green’s comments on impeachment in context

By Madlin Mekelburg • October 25, 2019
Fact-checking figures about gun violence in Texas

By Madlin Mekelburg • September 6, 2019
Fact-checking claims about the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton

By Bill McCarthy • August 9, 2019
Fact-checking Club for Growth's attack ad about Beto O'Rourke

By Madlin Mekelburg • March 14, 2019