Proud to welcome back Lana Hansen, Executive Director of Texas Blue Action, to provide an update on the ongoing Two Million Texans relational organizing effort aimed at strengthening Democratic performance in what may shake out to be a very challenging mid-term election. Listen to learn about how the Reach app can provide an invaluable tool in your own personal organizing effort! Thanks as always for your support of Progress Texas - and get ready to VOTE!

We celebrate the birthday of resident pumpkin spice latte enthusiast and IPA Truther Brett Isaacs with an overview of the potentially disastrous impact looming with multiple on-record 2020 election deniers occupying GOP slots on 2022 midterm ballots - more of them in Texas than in any other state. Not only is it a despicable, desperate and underhanded tactic, but the undermining of confidence in our electoral system presents a threat to American democracy itself - thus, November wins by Republicans unscrupulous enough to take this treacherous path represent the eroding of our very way of life. You've gotten tired of hearing that "this is the most important election of our lifetime" - but that's never been more true than it is this fall. Thanks for listening, and for your support of Progress Texas.

Proud to welcome a guest episode from our friends Nichole Abshire and Claire Campos-O'Neal at the Go Behind The Ballot podcast, which is quite well-timed as the first of several 2022 midterm election deadlines - the registration deadline on October 11 - has now come and gone. You'll recognize our good friend Emily Eby of the Texas Civil Rights Project here, with details on how elections have evolved in Texas, and why it's gotten so damned treacherous and difficult to vote in this state. Thanks as always for your support of Progress Texas!

Gotta hand it to Governor Greg Abbott: insisting on a Friday night debate with no audience is a great way to hide from the Texas electorate. Lucky you, the Progress Texas staff DID watch it - and bring to you this week a recap of five of the primary topics that were covered. Listen as we pick apart immigrant busing (7:19), guns (13:12), abortion (18:20), teachers and education (25:41), and housing and revenue (33:36). Welcome for the first time our new Communications Associate Emily Clark to the pod, and THANK YOU for your support of Progress Texas!

Adding to his laundry list of career lows this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the news for literally running from a process server attempting to serve him with a subpoena at his North Texas home. The crew convenes this week to closely examine the years and years of outlandish, outlaw behavior that our state's top law enforcement official has (so far) gotten away with, and to also imagine a situation where a true standout legal hero - say, Rochelle Garza - might be able to bring honor back to the AG's office. Thanks for your support of Progress Texas - and don't forget to VOTE!

In this second part of our discussion of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sam Gonzalez again hosts Diana Gomez, Ed Espinoza and special guest Abel Prado of Cambio Texas in an exploration of the cornucopia of terms that American Hispanics use to describe themselves and each other - frequently leading to confusion, and sometimes conflict. Latino/Latino/Latinx? Chicano? Tejano? Each has a particular meaning, and we're here to shed some light on a subject that needs broader discussion and understanding. Thanks for listening, and for your support of Progress Texas!

September 15 thru October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and to celebrate we're embarking on a two-part conversation on the complex politics of that particular community here in the Lone Star State, in particular in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Sam Gonzalez hosts Diana Gomez and Ed Espinoza, plus special guest Abel Prado, Executive Director of Cambio Texas: a renowned org dedicated to activating and energizing Hispanic voters and candidates in the region.

Look for Part Two, a deep dive into the way we talk about this amazingly diverse community, including an exploration of ups and downs of the term "LatinX", later this week.

In what seemed to us - and likely many of you - as either a joke or a typo, South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed a federal ban on abortion past 15 weeks. And curiously, this comes right at a moment when Republicans across the country (especially in places like Texas) are doing all they can to avoid the subject. Chris Mosser hosts a roundtable discussion with Brett Isaacs, Diana Gomez and Glenn Smith: is this a rogue Graham temper tantrum designed to sabotage the GOP in the mid-terms? Is it simply the Republicans showing their true intent ahead of a chance to regain control in Congress? Is there some twelve-moves-deep chess strategy happening here - or has Graham just petulantly shot his party in the foot? Thanks for joining us, and for your support of Progress Texas.

Sam Gonzalez hosts a trio of powerhouse progressive Texas women this week: our own Diana Gomez and Brett Isaacs, alongside super special guest Ana Ramon, who has just been announced as the new Executive Director of Annie's List, the undisputed champion in the encouragement and support of female political candidates here in Texas. We get a close look at what Annie's List does, and also take a deep dive on Attorney General candidate Rochelle Garza, who is at present giving our indicted current AG Ken Paxton a much stronger run for his money (and likely, his political future, not to mention his freedom) than he likely expected. Thanks for your support of Progress Texas!

Chris Mosser hosts this week as Ed Espinoza extrapolates what would appear to be some pretty promising recent polling for Texas progressives - that is, if Texas progressives hadn't been burned by promising polling time and time again. Still - it does look pretty good at the moment, and should serve as inspiration to double down and work even harder to elect Democrats all the way down the ballot. And, we review what's been a crazy hot summer both literally and figuratively in Texas and national politics on a range of topics, including the FBI (Brett Isaacs is not a fan), Rochelle Garza (Sam Gonzales is a tremendous fan), Judge Maya Guerra Gamble (we're ALL giant fans), Beto's convention speech and penchant for pottymouth, Dark Brandon, 2 Million Texans, and tons more. A Happy Fall, y'all - and onward to November.