Texas Take

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace examines a major voter registration backlog with Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt and what it could mean with Election Day approaching. The glitch has affected at least tens of thousands of voters in an election cycle that could be one of the closest in Texas history. Later, Austin American-Statesman reporter John Moritz joins Jeremy to break down the flood of money pouring into the U.S. Senate race, while Houston Chronicle reporter Ben Wermund explains Gov. Greg Abbott’s rapidly changing stance on data centers. Plus, Jeremy looks across the border in Texarkana at the backlash surrounding Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ controversial welfare ad and how it ties into the backlash against Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French and his criticism that the University of Texas has too many non-white students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace looks at Gov. Greg Abbott’s toughest reelection fight yet, as Democrat Gina Hinojosa puts the blame on him for affordability issues, high property taxes and the proliferation of data centers. Reporter Benjamin Wermund joins the show to break down the race and what makes it more competitive than any Texas gubernatorial race since the 1990s. Plus, Jeremy digs into Ken Paxton’s ties to donors connected to Chinese investment in Texas and Elon Musk’s multimillion-dollar effort to influence the Senate race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As if the GOP needed another hurdle to overcome this cycle, a statewide GOP candidate turned the Longhorns magical comeback into a litmus test for every party candidate by saying non-white University of Texas students are “the problem.” Host Jeremy Wallace and Austin American-Statesman political reporter John Moritz dig into the backlash against Railroad Commission candidate Bo French and how he’s hijacked Republican messaging at a critical juncture when they need to focus on saving Ken Paxton. Plus, they catch up with Democrat James Talarico in Houston to show how he’s still working on winning over Black Texans. And are national Democrats going to help him now that over $80 million in attack ads are being dropped in Texas by super PACs tied to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and others? Finally, Harris County Judge candidate Orlando Sanchez sits down for an exclusive interview with Jeremy to explain why he thinks he can flip Texas's largest blue county back to Republicans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace and reporter Casey Murray break down what they saw firsthand at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, an event that felt more like a two-day Trump rally than a traditional convention. They look at Trump’s push to energize Republicans ahead of the midterms, the jockeying among potential 2028 contenders and what the gathering meant for candidates like Ken Paxton. Plus, they discuss the issues Republicans avoided, the party figures who gained attention and Trump’s controversial proposal for a $5,000 dividend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz partially responsible for the midterm cycle turning into a potential disaster for Republicans? In this special edition of the Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace sits down with Cruz to discuss how his push for President Donald Trump to launch strikes on Iran in February has set the stage for high gas prices and an ongoing conflict looming over the November elections. Cruz also talks about his push to reshape college sports and his new book on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He explains what drew him to Thomas’s story and why, despite his own deep ties to the court, he has no interest in becoming a justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices