Hello, and welcome to the Texas Tribune trip cast for Tuesday May twelfth, twenty twenty six. My name is Matthew Watkins, editor in chief of the Texas Tribune, joined as usual by Law and politics reporter Eleanor clipping Off. Hello, Eleanor.
Hello. Feel like it's been a while since we've been together for one of these.
It has been a while, it has been a while. I don't know. People probably can't see this in the video, but I'm sweating right now. I'm living a as I often do an episode of Seinfeld where I exercise in the gym downstairs in our office, and I have not stopped sweating, and it's that's kind of killing me.
So yeah, yeah, about that time of the year, It's true.
Yeah, that's time of the year to get back to the gym.
That's right, Okay, I'm not going to dig into that.
I was talking about how hot it's getting.
It but summer bodies, guys.
I could see how that'd be taken as a dig.
That other voice you hear is politics editor Jasper Share. Hello, Jasper, Hello, having me the newly wedded Jasper Sharer. Congratulations, Thank you.
Yeah, it's an honor to make my first podcast appearance after the wedding on none other than the Trip Cast.
That's right, it's a married.
They say, you're not really married until you come on the Trip Cast and talk about it.
They do, say, I've heard that many time.
Yeah, yeah, well you I mean, for those who don't know you married. Texas Tribune reporter Taylor Goldenstein.
Uh, indeed, did you ask.
Matthew for his blessing before you? I guess you didn't work here when you proposed.
Yeah, no, I absolutely would have if we'd both been working here, but uh, you know, the all this just came together beforehand.
So but hopefully he approves.
Would you have given them.
I think so, you know, I would have maybe said, like, let's stagger the honeymoon. Yeah, but actually I have a funny story about this. Y'all are taking like a delayed honeymoon, is that right? But the Tribune we have like a Google staffing calendar where we keep track of, you know, like journalists taking time off so we can plan the
news and everything. And I remember, like right around y'all's wedding, like y'all both had like some days before the weekend and then after the weekend, I see that Taylor has two days off and Jasper only has one, and I'm looking at this and I'm like, huh, this is gonna be interesting to watch. And behold, on Monday, the message comes in Jasper needs to take one last day off.
Yeah. I was just you know, giving you guys a headfake, yeah, or a misch.
I feel like you also did this on the front end, where Rebecca Allen, our managing editor who manages you and Taylor, was like, Jasper, you have asked for two days off.
The week of the wedding, and Taylor's asked for a week?
Shall we shall we discuss.
Marriage, but don't do that.
We're already yeah, starting off on the right foot. Yeah yeah, but Taylor, Taylor, you know, got her way. I ended up taking more days.
So, you know, Taylor very anti work, never never works a day.
I've always said this.
Yeah, well, speaking of marriage drama, let's talk about the US smooth. We can cut that out. No, we are recording this less than a week until early voting starts in the primary runoffs this May, and there is a lot of talk about about where things sit and where we're going. Of course, the US Senate primary being the big one, but a bunch of other races as well. So that is why we have brought Jasper on to talk and so let's launch into that US Senate race.
We I think the last time we talked about this on the trip cast, we were all talking about, you know, when's that Donald Trump endorsement coming? And here we are less than a week out from early voting and we still have not seen that endorsement. Jasper, what's going on there?
Well, I, you know, I think what what happened was Trump. You know, he of course famously teased his impending endorsement right after the March third primary. You know, it seemed like that was going to be forthcoming. I think he used the word soon, and then he was going to be calling on whoever he didn't endorse to to drop out.
Seems like, you.
Know, the the folks who are supporting Paxton in the race kind of got got the sense that Trump was going to endorse Cornyn and sort of made made it a trial balloon in the sense that they leaked out
the you know this this impending endorsement. It ginned up this you know, backlash from folks in in kind of the the maga Bass, just like rank and file people on on Twitter all the way up to you know, I think there were some folks who were in the President's ear, some of Paxton's allies, just saying, look, this would be a mistake. So whatever the case, you know, Trump has decided to once again. You know, this was not the first time that he's teased the possibility of
an endorsement. So here we are early voting, less than a week away. Seems like we're not getting an endorsement, although you know, you never know. I was making the point that back in twenty eighteen, Beyonce endorsed Better Work
with like three hours to go on election day. So that's kind of our our benchmark, I guess for the But you know, now it's just the two candidates are, you know, having to make their case by themselves without this you know, other big factor that we thought was going to be the decider from the start.
It just never materialized.
I mean, we've talked about this.
I think back when we first talked about this, which is like, is possible Trump is not paying that much attention to the early voting dot deadline all these timelines. I was going to note, like, not only did he say he was going to endorse. He said the other person should drop out, which sounded so ludicrous, but this actually happened in Kentucky. He endorsed, you know, Andy Barr for that Senate seat and offered the other guy a seat in his administration ambassadorship. And the guy dropped out.
And there's still Daniel Cameron still in the race. But like President Trump does have the ability to sort of do this and has done this sort of puppeteering, and in this case he has chosen to not for reasons you mentioned.
Yeah, it does seem less likely at this point that someone would drop out. His quote this week earlier this week that he'll make a decision maybe relatively soon on the race. I don't know. I don't know. He did endorse some people in the primary, like deep in the early voting.
Period, right, yeah, so, and like I guess, you know, again, he I'm sure has people in both ears about Corn and impacts and Corn and Paxton. No one is talking about what if he pulls out at the last minute, waits and does the general election Tallarico nod.
He's talking about it. If not, Yeah, they're winding up on the gas tax.
Maybe Yeah, that's right. Maybe Mom, Donnie's in his ear, you know this, Yeah, I could see it. Well.
I think, you know, on a somewhat serious note here, like I think that one of the you know, big draws for Trump in terms of you know, what might have prompted him to make an endorsement was you know, just clearly, you know, he seemed to be thinking about holding the seat for Republicans in November. You know, it's not necessarily that he when he was leaning towards Cornyn, that he likes Cornyn so much more than Paxton that
you know, that was going to prompt an endorsement. It was more, you know, this idea that that Cornyan and his allies have been advancing from the start, that he's the more electable candidate, he would be a safer pick in the general election. You know, Paxton has some you know, fundraising issues that could require rescuing from from you know,
Republican groups outside the state. So, you know, and I think the evidence of you know, Cornyn being a stronger general election candidate has you know, kind of favored a little bit. There have been polls that you know, I think and we haven't seen a ton of polling in the runoff, but just kind of throughout, you know, throughout the race, there has not been a super clear picture of you know, Cornyn significantly outperforming Paxton in the general.
So I think that could also be contributing to some of Trump's you know, reluctance. You know, there's there's no clear benefit maybe in his eye, to supporting Cornying.
Yeah, I mean, we now get to the point of the podcast where I just read off poll numbers everyone's favorite part. A you gov poll taken in the field in mid April showed a tall Ico seven point lead and a over Cornyn, and the Tallerico eight point lead over Packson. That's with a high number of undecided voters. A sling Shot Strategies pull showing a tall Rico lead five point lead over Packson and a three point lead
over Cornyn. So you know there is and then and then another one Impact research showing tall Rico with a two point lead over Cornyn and a one point lead over Paxson. So a little bit mixed signals. I think it's hard to read too much into may poles, particularly when you don't know who one of the candidates are. But at the very least, I think not a lot
of evidence pointing to like a massive gap. I think the other question, which I will hint to already saying that I'm a bit skeptical too, is the fundraising question. Cornin has clearly been a more successful fundraiser during the runoff and during the primary, and that is leading some to say that this could be a big problem in the general election if Paxon is having trouble fundraising given the fact that taller Ico is raising massive amounts of money. What's your take on that angle.
You know, I mean, I think the money will always you know, if Paxton captures the nomination, the money will materialize in some way, shape or form.
You know, I think it.
I think, you know, the worst case scenario for Republicans would be that, you know, Paxton continues to have trouble, you know, fundraising on his own. He needs to kind of call in the cavalry, the sort of senate GOP leadership, you know, national packs might have to you know, potentially divert money away from states like Maine, Alaska that they'd
rather be be spending it on. But you know, there's also the possibility that some of the Texas based donors who've been supporting Cornyn could you know, pivot and you know, kind of plug their nose and you know, give to to Paxton because he's just you know, they prefer him over over tall Rico. I think, you know, there are also a bunch of donors who have been sitting out kind of sitting on you know, their their money, just waiting for you know, they think they'll get more bang
for their buck spending in the general. So, you know, I think it's clearly Corn's a safer bet to have the money needed to counter the you know, Tall Rico fundraising juggernaut. But I think it's you know, no sure thing that Paxton's going to be you know, a huge problem on that front.
Yeah, it just seems like I have a hard time seeing a scenario where you know, this is a competitive race. People are concerned about Texas playing a role and flipping the Senate to the Democrats, and there's not just the
cavalry coming. Maybe they're not donating directly to Paxton's campaign, but I think they would love to spend a ton of money bashing Tallarico, this guy who you know, would be trying to flip Texas for the first time in a generation who people are already sort of like talking about I would say kind of prematurely, but talking about him as like a potential VP candidate in twenty twenty eight. I mean, why would you not want to like come in there and like knock that guy off his perch.
It might not have anything to do with Paxton. And you know, there's there's a history of donors in the Republican Party being willing to sort of set aside maybe their concerns about the personal lives or the you know, even legal troubles of a candidate and for the sake of maintaining power, particularly you know, to to have control of Supreme Court seats going forward. So I don't know, I just view that with a little bit of skepticism.
And while we're talking about you know, premature stuff, I mean, even thinking ahead to the importance of Texas on the the national map, looking ahead to the twenty thirty census, there's you know, all the the you know, we've been thinking about redistricting a lot over here, and you know, I've kind of seen these projections that that showed Texas is going to pick up probably more congressional seats after the next census, and you know, it probably will be
a tough It will only make things tougher for Democrats nationally with you know, Texas and some of the other red states like Florida probably gaining you know, apportionment, and so there's going to be a lot of you know, motivation for Republicans to establish you know, that Texas is more like the Trump plus fourteen state that we saw two years ago and not something that you know is a jump ball or you know, a purple state heading into this you know critical, you know, this outsized role,
it's going to play into the twenty thirties decades. So I know, just while we're talking, prematurely wanted to throw that out there.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think the like fundraising thing, I mean, there's been reported in several outlets and we've reported, we've heard it from people. But you know, there's a lot of I think Paxton donors who are like, well, you know, we'll wait and see.
Like I think there are people who don't feel as.
Strongly as Ken Paxton does that John Cornyn would be such a terrible outcome that they're like, all right, if Paxton is in it, then we'll throw in the money.
We're not gonna let Tallarico win.
Right right, Okay, So tell us desper a little bit about just like what's happening in this campaign? Are the what are the candidates doing? See right now? How is this kind of shaping up from an issue standpoint?
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the big turns that we've seen in the runoff as opposed to the first round is just the messaging has gotten a lot more negative. You know, you saw Cornyn you know, leading up to March third, focused a lot more and you know, I say, corn but it's really a lot of the the allied groups that have been spending tens of millions of dollars promoting him, and a lot of the messaging from his side in round one was about kind of
reintroducing him to voters, promoting his his conservative credentials. I think there is maybe a little bit of image repairing going on, you know, kind of countering the notion that he's,
you know, this this rhino anti Trump sellout. And so once they and you saw that, you know, work to a just based on the results of March third, Cornyn coming in with a you know, surprising if narrow lead, So you know, now it's it kind of stands to reason that the corn Inside is turning more towards driving up Paxton's negatives, going after him for just about everything that you know, you could think of, dredging up everything from his you know, alleged marriage and fidelities to you know,
alleged shortcomings of his office. Like there have been some ads lately from the corn Inside accusing Paxson of you know, in his office, of taking it easy on people charged with sex crimes. So it's you know, no holds barred at this point. And I think, I mean same thing
with with Paxton. I think that has been a little bit more of a steady you know, to the extent that Packs Inside has been running ads, they've they've continued to be really overmatched by the spending on on corn Inside, but you know they've continued to stay negative against Paxton. There was this this ad from the main pro Paxson super pack recently where they were you know, it sort of led with this this imagery from nineteen eighty four
talking about it was a Reagan landslide er. You know, Prince was in vogue and oh yeah, that's when John Cornyn was first elected to office, and by the way, he's been you know, a rhino ever since. And so that just hits all the notes, and everyone's just kind of emptying the tank, trying to get all their attacks out, you know, before May twenty sixth.
And of course everyone's favorite the Ken Dolls. Of course, how can I forget this website that John Cornyn's campaign I believe has has put up, you know, jumping on our attorney general's first name and piecing together a bunch of what seemed to be AI generated images of Ken dolls, including Kentucky Derby Ken. That was my favorite mortgage fraud Ken. You're always going to go to.
The Kentucky I'm always going to go to the Kentucky one.
Oklahoma Ken showing him in a bathrobe and a cowboy hat, which I really enjoyed, Hawaii Can and Florida Can noting his vacation houses that he owns their clueless Can, soft on crime Can, Olive Art Can, and Commie Can. Which is your favorite? Jasper?
I mean, I just I love the effort to try to stake out some ground. I guess attacking Paxton from the right feels like a novel concept, but like I said, they're kind of emptying the tank and just you know, seeing what sticks.
Will it be enough for him to uh, for corner to pull it out?
That is the question.
Indeed, indeed, my favorite thing about this is the like the capabilities and shortcomings of AI. How some of these Ken dolls like look exactly like Ken Paxon, and like I would argue that Dave p Ken looks more like Austin mayor Kirk Watson.
Yeah, there was some discussion in our channel, but like some of them almost have like a.
Greg Abbott look to them.
That you're like, Okay, yeah, there's been some kind of sketchy Paxton a like stand ins for somebody who I guess is supposed to be Paxton and some of the advertising and you know you kind of just have to use context clues to figure out that's who that's supposed to be. Is there a favorite in this race right now? You know, I think anyone who says they they know what's how this is going to go is is lying to you. I mean, I think it's I've seen it
described as a jump ball. I mean to the point about the lack of public polling, you know, aside from just the the internals from you know, politically biased groups. I mean, I think the one data point we have was most recent poll with Paxton up by three percentage points, well within the margin of error. So you know, I think maybe you could you could make the case that Paxton is slightly favored just by virtue of you know,
he he. I mean, I don't I don't really even know what would support that point other than just that's sort of been the vibe from the start was that Cornin was kind of playing catch up, and you know, but then you look at the result of March third and you see Corning up by a hair you know, I think what it comes down to. It's kind of a cliche that, you know, it all comes down to turnout.
But if you're ever going to use that cliche, this is the race to do it, because you know, the voters are so one thing we have seen from these polls is that voters are pretty much locked in. You know, there aren't that many folks who are sitting on the fence after you know, one hundred plus million dollars of
ad spending. There aren't that many people who you know, voted for you know, one of the candidates who are thinking about switching their vote, although those people do exist, So I think it's just, you know, maybe the best way to get at that question whose favorite is what, you know, the if you look at the Texas Republican runoff electorate, like who would that? Who do you think
that would naturally fail? And it's you know, I guess the more conservative devoted folks do you tend to be overrepresented, So you know, that's a point in Paxton's favor potentially, But then you know it's it's also older folks who tend to more reliably show up. Those are voters who are breaking towards Corn and so it's kind of a mess trying to predict what's going to happen.
Is very hard to trust poles in the primaries, let alone.
Run offs, right, I mean we were I was saying someone yesterday, it's like one of the runoffs where like the runoff is getting as much attention as the you know, primary. Like, I am so curious to what turnout does look like, because I do think usually we see this really sharp fall off with runoffs, particularly if there's not like a headliner. But this, like the attention on this is as much attention as it got during the primary. I think and
it will be. I think we were joking the other day, like, you know, oh, is it a poll?
Does it show that it's neck and neck? Does it show that it's a dead heat? Does it show that one of them is up by one or two points? Fantastic? Yeah, give it to you know, give me a thousand more of those.
Yeah. Anybody want to guess what the prediction markets say.
Oh, I'm gonna say the prediction markets are favoring Packston.
Give me a number by four, I go, like, sixty five percent percent?
Sorry, Bry, I forgot that this is not not cool. Yeah, yes, it's not a full So there are sixty sixty five percent in favorite then, yes, yeah, I would say, I'll say fifty eight percent.
Okay, So are we playing actually does yeah? Are we playing prices? Right rules? Or no? No? No, I don't Okay, Jasper is the winner? Sixty two percent?
Pretty good?
Yeah, buying thoughts.
But in Bob Barker's world, I want all right, very good?
Okay, So let's talk a little bit about some of the other races. I'm you know, since since I get to be driving this podcast, I get to go to my favorite one next, which is the railroad commissioner race. Just to just like an incredibly fascinating race. You have Jim Wright, who was elected to office in a sort of surprise in his primary I guess four years ago
where no one really knew he was. He wasn't really spending any money, and some suspect because of his name, Jim Wright looking good on the ballot just sort of emerged onto the ticket.
That was true.
Aaron Wright's I think would have done much better in the AG primary than he did.
Well a little more visibility on that race. Y.
Yeah. Fast forward to twenty twenty six, He's now being primaried by Bo French, a former Terran County GOP chair in the sort of Tim Dunn empower Texans Orbit has run unsuccessfully for a few different seats, and now Jim Wright is fully the establishment candidate. Endorsements that have come
out in favor of him lately. Governor Craig gave it, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Land Commissioner Don Buckingham, Railroad commissioners Wayne Christian and christ Krattick, a handful of congressional leaders, the Texas Oil and Gas Association Texas Farm Bureau really just like a wave of endorsements coming down in his favor. Jasper, give me a read on this race.
Yeah, I mean we were sort of discussing the question of you know, is is bo French testing whether it's possible to run like too far to the right in an open GOP primary and or in a GOP primary.
And I think, you know, it's maybe the best way to look at that question is like he's testing whether you can run so far to the right that it brings all these these heavy hitters off the sidelines, who are you know, perhaps worried about general election appeal and and you know, we know that it was French's controversial commentary that that made him a target of Dan Patrick in the past. You know, specifically, it was French posting this this social media poll where he was asking whether
Jews or Muslims posed a bigger threat to America. So I think those sorts of things, we know that that is causing concern among folks like Patrick who are who are putting their you know, political capital on the line supporting this relatively unknown incumbent who's being opposed by all these groups that you were mentioning that are you know,
typically pretty aligned with with folks like Patrick. So, you know, I think it's and this is also one of those races that it's probably the most uncertain at this point just because so few it's on so few people's radar. I think the one pole that we've seen had right up by yeah, seven points, but this is from the University of Houston. But more than a third of voters
were unsure who they're going to vote for. So and there just isn't a whole lot of ad spending too, you know that you'd think might influence those third of voters in these closing weeks. So it's kind of a big shrug.
I something with French, like, yes, the question is is he running too far to the right, But also like do people just want, like is there an appetite for this sort of unabashed conservative culture war stuff in an office that doesn't actually have a ton to do with that, right, Like, you know, I think we've seen candidates for other offices who are saying, you know, well, this is how I would use this office to advance these issues that I'm talking about that have done, you know, versus I think,
you know, French is talking a lot about like Islamification and DEI and these really you know, these topics that are front and center for the GOP right now, but also that you don't have a ton to a ton of say in as you know, being on the Railroad Commission. And it's like, you know, is that appealing to voters or our voters like maybe a little like a little smarter than that and want to know like okay, but like what will.
You do well?
And one point on that is, you know, Jim Right has I think, after kind of ignoring this issue for a while, he did finally put out a statement recently where he was he was basically denouncing you know, French's focus on all these other issues that you know, in Jim Right's words, have you know that the Railroad Commission has no authority to affect? But you know, at the same time he's still acknowledging like in that same statement he said, you know, I too am concerned about the
quote unquote alarming is the loomification of Texas. You know, actually, I uh brought in a prop to U to our
trip cast. You know this this mailer from Jim Wright also you know, devotes a pretty healthy amount of space to some of those culture war issues that he's you know, separately going after French for you know, focusing on he's doing it here in this ad that's you know, he's saying he'll make sure that hostile foreign nations and radical militant Islamists never can never have any direct ownership over Texas energy.
So you.
Yeah, I think it's maybe the the answer is that it needs to at least be part of the conversation, you know, especially if your opponent is talking about it.
But maybe there is an appetite for I mean, the polls that we've seen and the results from March third do show maybe some appetite for like serious talk about you know, the stuff that Jim Wright's been focusing on, like plugging you know, orphaned orphaned wells and speeding up you know, permitting I mean, but I'd say, you know, it's not a whole lot of folks are familiar with
the nitty gritty of what the Railroad Commission does. Maybe they don't even know that it doesn't have anything to do with railroads.
So unless you really could look at it the other way, right, which is like a couple of years ago, both French was so persona on Grada and now.
He's in a runoff for a major seat.
Yeah yeah, I mean I think you know, other primary races this cycle have shown that, you know, in some of these races where they're pretty low profile, it's hard to even really understand what they do. I'm thinking about like the comptrollers race, i mean railroad commissioner. Right, It's we always talk about this. It's the name like suggests something completely different than what they do, and it has
been an effective strategy. And I think easily understandable why in that kind of climate where if you're saying things that get attention, you're probably gonna have to say things
that like aren't that related to the actual race. And then like people like us write stories about like oh they're talking about you know, like Islam, when like it's their job to like estimate how much revenue the you know, legislature has, and that like you know, among the most devoted, most passionate Republican primary voters is like a feature, not a bug, right of like oh they're you know, look at them getting a rise out of that, like whiny like egghead media or whatever.
Right, Yeah, I mean the reality is that, you know, ninety something percent of folks who turn out and vote in these elections are people who don't have any reason to be you know, dealing with the Railroad Commission on a daily basis or doesn't you know it affects them, but they have no you know, day to day interaction with like the comptroller's revenue estimates. So you know, there's got to be some way of reaching those voters where they are.
But the thing is is, and this is where I think it's like the interesting test going back to like can you go too far to the right even for the Republican primary, is like, boy French has like really said some stuff, you know, and like you mentioned, like you know, targeting Muslims. The things he's you know, said that have been accused of being anti Semitic. You know, he's talked about deporting Native Americans.
He's he's talked about departing one hundred million people, which is a third of the country, right.
And I have to think no one has said this this is speculation, but I have to think that some of those things he said are what's driving this like cascade of statewide officials to come out and say like, Okay, we got to like let's let's let's elect Jim right here, and and I don't know whether that's how much of that is, you know, just their conscience and saying like this guy's going too far? How much of that is like when you have said this much stuff, like maybe
you're more vulnerable in the general election. I think there are a lot of people in the industry who would really not like to have Democrats run the Railroad Commission when they're regular lading oil and gas. But I think, you know, the way that the establishment, and I'm not talking about the like George W. Bush establishment, I'm talking about the establishment in twenty twenty six has come out against him has been really interesting and fascinating to watch it.
I'm really curious to see whether that will, you know, move the needle in this race.
I think there are some in the GOP who feel like this is a bad look for us, Like we don't want to be associated with this, Like we have, like, you know, our sort of cultural issues that we care strongly about, but like we don't necessarily want to be associated with someone who is saying, like who's a bigger threat Jews or Muslims? Right, I think that's a line, I could see some of our elected officials drawing right.
You also might see a be seeing a bigger list of folks, you know, coming off the sidelines due to the fact that it's a you know, Trump midterm year. The kind of the national climate is not you know, you might not see this paradive top officials coming out if Bo French was in a runoff, you know, under a Biden presidency for example.
Yeah, And we saw like I think, like a mini version of this in the Agriculture commissioner race right where you know, I mean, I guess Trump endorsed sib Miller. So he's the ultimate establishment right now, but you had Greg Abbott going out against him, and that was obviously successful for him, and so and.
They get to your points the last minute nature of that Trump endorsement well forever, but as an open question of would it have made more of a difference?
But okay, eleanor attorney general's race.
Go, finally my time to talk. Yeah, put on the clock. We have a very exciting attorney general's race.
Obviously, the runoff between May's Middleton State Center from Galveston chip Roy US representative getting really you know, I think it's been pretty quiet up till now. Chip Roy has said just last week he was saying, you know, the gloves are coming off. We're going to start really swinging at Middleton. I think Middleton has been portraying himself as
Maga Maze. Now chip Roy is trying to make Mecca Maze happen over this extremely nuanced bill that he was in favor of that potentially could have allowed you know, you know, mosques to be built. It's a very complicated issue that he's trying to hammer Middleton with, but you know, it's a hugely important office that I think Republicans nationally
are like, we got to hold on to it. And I think there's a sense I've heard this from some people that you know, as long as it's being held by a Republican, they're like sort of okay between Roy and Middleton. But certainly they are going to be trying to draw distinctions between each other. We should say May's Middleton independently wealthy has put you know, I think close to at this point, well over fifteen million dollars into his campaign. You know, open question of whether the money
is going to come through for chip Roy. And then we also have a runoff for Democrat a g Jojo Worski Nathan Johnson. That will be interesting as well.
Right. Johnson, of course was a leader in the original vote. We also have the for the Democrats, we have Vicky Goodwin, who was very close to getting fifty percent in the lieutenant governor primary as well. That race will also be on the ballot. Okay, give me each of you as we wrap up one other race that you're watching, paying attention to jasper I since you might even want to go more than one.
But well the okay you told me.
How about we let Eleanor go first to talk about so you are.
No, it is a really fascinating race.
The Court of Criminal Appeals a court that people are.
Not even typically a where exists. It is.
Texas is one of only two states that has two top courts. The Supreme Court handles civil cases. The Court of Criminal Apeeals handles criminal cases, and it has been pretty sleepy.
The main thing that they get.
In trouble or sort of in the spotlight for, and like you know, in people's mind, is death penalty cases.
But recently we have seen particularly Ken Paxton other Republicans sort of exerting influence on that bench to try to reshape it after a controversial voting rights or election law ruling, and so in that for one of those seats, we have a runoff which doesn't have up and often for the Republican nominee between Thomas Smith, who used to work at the AG's office and sort of more Packston aligned and Alison Fox, who was you know, a staff attorney
for the court. It's gotten a little bit nasty and pretty contentious, and I think, yeah, it's one to watch just for this remaking of that court. That again, whether it'll change much on death penalty, maybe not, but it probably this remaking will change a lot on some of these other cases about like what the Attorney General's office can do for sure.
Yeah, I mean I was gonna bring up, yes, I suppose this is two races. The Texas's thirty fifth congressional district is kind of you know, there are definitely some more I guess flashy congressional runoffs going on. You've got you know, Texas eighteen with two Democratic incumbents, Christian Menafie and al Green going at each other. But thirty five is interesting. You know, first of all, it's one of the five seats that Republicans are targeting after they readrew the map last summer.
It's it's an open seat.
You know.
The incumbent, I guess in number only is Greg Kasar, but he's running up in Lloyd Dogget's districts because thirty five was totally redrawn. It's you know, partially in San Antonio, kind of goes out to those red counties to the east.
And you've got.
You know, one dynamic that has made this really interesting down the home stretch is that, first of all, Democrats, you know, see this opportunity to win this district because it's it's just barel Lely, a Hispanic majority district. So the thought is that, you know, it's a Trump plus ten seat, but if Hispanic voters swing back to Democrats,
then it could absolutely be in play. And you're it seems like there's this this pack that's you know, there's signs that it's being propped up by Republicans that are spending in favor of kind of the farther left candidate in the Democratic runoff. You know, the candidate they're supporting. She has this history of making pretty i think, openly
anti Semitic remarks. So First of all, that's just you know, a sign that you know, Republicans see this is potentially competitive too, that they're going out of their way to try to kind of meddle with the Democratic side. And then on the Republican side, you've got John Luhan, State Rep. Who you know, was involved in redrawing the lines to create this district, going up against Carlos Dilacruz, the brother
of Monica Delacruz, in a in a neighboring district. So it will be just you know, folks in DC will be closely watching who comes out of both of those primaries to you know, see who their champions are for November.
I feel like, you know, both parties fall into this trap of like, let's try to get the more problematic Canada up, and then all of a sudden you get that Canada, you know, and.
They win exact and then you're.
Like, what what did we do here?
Okay, yes, it's almost like this is how we end up with a deeply polarized exactly almost.
Yes, All right, well, I think we'll end it there. Thank you to both of you for this conversation, and everyone get out and vote next week as the early voting period starts. A big thank you to Robin Chris our producers as well, and we will be back next week