Where There's Woke

It's election night recap time, and Thomas and Lydia fly state to state checking in on the anti-woke villains WTW has covered in the past: Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick in Texas, Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio's Governor, Susan Collins's Senate streak in Maine, voter ID measures across the country, James Lindsay's smug "Woke 2.0" prediction, and even Oklahoma. Not everything went the right way...but overall? A very, very good night to be woke. Sources: James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race Media Matters analysis of Fox News coverage of James Talarico Vikki Goodwin defeats Dan Patrick for Texas Lieutenant Governor Gina Hinojosa elected Texas Governor over Greg Abbott Amy Acton defeats Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor's race Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in the Maine Senate race California's voter ID ballot measure results Nevada's voter ID constitutional amendment results James Lindsay on "Woke 2.0" Robert Franklin elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction If you enjoy our work, please consider leaving a 5-star review! You can always email questions, comments, and leads to [email protected]. Please pretty please consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/wherethereswoke! You get ad-free episodes and patron-only bonus episodes.

A Texas school board got so spooked by a girl playing the male lead in Little Shop of Horrors that they canceled the whole show and tried to swap it for Frozen. Their legal justification shifted citations mid-scandal, from the 2023 drag ban to a 2025 parental-rights bill, and somehow neither one actually says what they claim it says. Now the 17-year-old they benched is suing in federal court, and Lydia walks through the complaint line by line. Spoiler: Title IX did not get the memo that musical theater is supposed to be scary this year. If you enjoy our work, please consider leaving a 5-star review! You can always email questions, comments, and leads to [email protected]. Please pretty please consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/wherethereswoke! You get ad-free episodes and patron-only bonus episodes.

Elon Musk told Joe Rogan that California made it illegal to show ID to vote. Rogan ran with it, Rand Paul repeated it, and now it's a ballot fight. Lydia walks through what California's 2024 law, SB 1174, actually does: it stops cities and counties from adding their own voter ID rules, and that's it. Then she digs into the voter ID initiative headed for California's ballot, the conservative activist and podcaster Carl DeMaio behind it, the big-money donors on the "yes" side, and what the measure would really require. Thomas and Lydia also check governor candidate Steve Hilton's version of the story. Patrons: our bonus with Noah Lugeons on the Ben Shapiro review takedown is up now. Sources: California Senate Bill 1174 (2024), signed September 29, 2024 The proposed California voter ID ballot initiative led by Carl DeMaio The Joe Rogan Experience episodes with Elon Musk and Rand Paul If you enjoy our work, please consider leaving a 5-star review! You can always email questions, comments, and leads to [email protected]. Correction: An earlier version had Thomas saying George Santos was a Democrat. Thomas was able to recognize his mistake after only a fact check. Also, he must have been thinking of Bob Menendez or something. Please pretty please consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/wherethereswoke! You get ad-free episodes and patron-only bonus episodes.

Remember Public Square, the self-declared "anti-woke Amazon" that promised conservatives shopping without funding a rainbow flag? Yeah that didn't work. But not for lack of trying! Lydia has the history and also the business that DID work out: infinite grift and corruption. Please pretty please consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/wherethereswoke! You get ad-free episodes and patron-only bonus episodes.

WTW150 and we're celebrating with Bari Weiss's baby, the University of Austin (UATX), which wants you to know it's a "Renegade Academy" with FREEDOM, rigor, and merit. You sure about that? Lydia brings the receipts on the money, the exits, and one very questionable man with a million dollars and a fondness for wiring it places. Also, look closely at the chessboard in their ad. Just look. Sources: Politico: UATX exposé on the April 2025 all-hands meeting, faculty departures, and the student expulsion ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: University of Austin IRS Form 990s 60 Minutes: segment on the University of Austin Steven Pinker's statements on resigning from the UATX advisory board Coverage of the John Robison fraud conviction If you enjoy our work, please consider leaving a 5-star review! You can always email questions, comments, and leads to [email protected]. Please pretty please consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/wherethereswoke! You get ad-free episodes and patron-only bonus episodes.