Cook Report Shows Big Gains For Dems In Texas, And More - Daily Dispatch 8/21/26

August 21
9 mins

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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/

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