View Transcript
Episode Description
The Cook Political Report has updated its projections for the 2026 midterms, moving the Talarico/Paxton race to "toss up" from "lean republican", and the Hinojosa/Abbott race from "solid Republican" to "lean Republican". Ken Paxton is expected to receive some desperately-needing funding support from Elon Musk. Republicans are threading a narrative needle on the Big Bend as they attempt to avoid public backlash without crossing Donald Trump. And Republican Texas Railroad Commission nominee Bo French - a notorious anti-Semite - has invoked the century-old "Judeo-Bolshevism" trope in AI-generated images of his Democratic opponent Jon Rosenthal, the only Jewish member of the Texas House.
The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6041660-cook-political-report-texas-iowa-senate-races/
San Antonio Current on Cook Report: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/top-political-watcher-declares-the-talarico-paxton-race-a-toss-up/
San Antonio Current on Elon Musk: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/elon-musk-expected-to-give-paxton-much-needed-cash-injection/
Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/21/texas-big-bend-border-wall-barrier-republicans-paxton-trump/
The Forward: https://forward.com/news/724588/ten-commandments-jon-rosenthal/
This election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Join the Progress Texas family now at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.
Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexas
Progress Texas is now part of the lineups at KPFT-FM in Houston, Empower House Radio in San Antonio, and KZSM True Community Radio in San Marcos! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.