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Texas Democrats have put up a bumper crop of quality statewide candidates in the 2026 midterm, and among them, Houston's Savant Moore stands out - Army veteran, Howard graduate, Houston ISD trustee (and classroom teacher!) - this is a guy who has contributed to his country and community at a truly exemplary level, and seeks to continue that service as Texas Comptroller.
Learn more about Savant Moore and his campaign at https://www.savantmoore.com/.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and our continuing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:
Almost a year ago, a 23 year old U.S. citizen from San Antonio was killed by ICE agent in south Texas - and it took investigative work from Newsweek to uncover that federal involvement: https://www.newsweek.com/ice-agent-fatally-shot-us-citizen-texas-dhs-records-11544225
The Trump administration is set to sidestep 28 federal regulations in order to build over 100 miles of "smart wall" along the border areas in Big Bend National Park: https://www.thetravel.com/us-customs-and-border-protection-break-laws-in-big-bend-national-park-to-build-massive-border-wall/
...Democratic Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar appear to have been less than effective in fighting for that state treasure: https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-new-wall-rio-grande-valley-protected-sites/
Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, embroiled in an adultery scandal involving a staffer who later committed suicide, is accusing the staffer' s husband of blackmail: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/rep-tony-gonzales-now-claims-hes-being-blackmailed-by-husband-of-alleged-mistress/
...The co-worker who blew the whistle to journalists says he raised concerns about Regina Santos-Aviles' mental health to his supervisor before her death, but was not consulted by investigators looking into her suicide: https://www.statesman.com/news/article/texas-congressman-tony-gonzales-allegations-21367439.php
UT Austin regents, on the heels of consolidating several gender and ethnic studies departments, have issued rules allowing students to bypass "unnecessary controversial subjects": https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/19/texas-university-ut-regents-unnecessarily-controversial-subjects/
Dozens upon dozens of Texas ISD's are passing on the dedicated prayer time that Senate Bill 11 offers them to implement: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/central-texas-school-districts-weigh-adopt-voluntary-prayer-policy/269-80f7ee10-e9f2-48d7-9be4-29afd20e0016
Early voting in the March primary is underway! Research your ballot here: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84
All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org.
Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Chris managed not to get kicked out of the Senate Gallery at the Texas State Capitol long enough to see Taylor Rehmet become the first Democrat sworn in to represent Tarrant County's 9th Senate district since shoulder pads were hot. Early voting has shown Democratic voters in Texas fired up to hit the polls - but it's still gonna be an uphill battle. Lots more to talk about, and we do, on this week's weekly weekend roundup.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
As early voting in the primary gets underway, another Texas candidate running for the Texas State House, in this case for the seat representing HD 50 - the space made by James Talarico as he runs for the U.S. Senate. Samantha Lopez Resendez is an RGV native and longtime staffer at the Capitol, notably in the office of State Rep. Donna Howard.
Learn more about Samantha Lopez Resendez at https://www.samanthafortexas.com/.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:
The first two days of early voting have seen a near-doubling of the 2022 pace of Democratic primary voter turnout in Texas - but, with only a 20% jump, Republicans still lead in total ballots cast: https://votehub.com/early-vote-tracker-tx-primary-26?state=tx-sen-26-dem
Keeping it real and local appears to have been the secret sauce for "normie" Tarrant County candidate Taylor Rehmet, providing a potential winning strategy statewide for Democrats: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opinion/texas-election-rehmet-politics.html
Democratic enthusiasm shouldn't be taken as an endorsement by established Democratic leadership - voters are partly fired up out of disappointment in their resistance to Trump 2.0: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-the-texas-primaries-could-reveal-about-the-midterms
Republicans in Gillespie County have given up on hand-counting early primary votes, though they still insist they'll hand-count on Election Day: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/18/gillespie-county-republicans-scale-back-hand-count-amid-staffing-shortage/
...Dallas County GOP Chair Allen West, after months of efforts to make voting party-specific and thus more difficult, ended up voting himself at a joint polling location in Garland: https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-02-18/a-dallas-county-republican-leader-wanted-voting-locations-separated-by-party-but-when-he-voted
...Important reminder that if you live in either Dallas or Williamson County, if you wait until Election Day (March 3) to vote, you will have to do so at your specific precinct location: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-252-dallas-and-williamson-county-primary/id1552998795?i=1000746930358
The suicide-by-fire of a staffer of Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, as has been theorized for months, appears to have been connected to an affair she had with the married lawmaker: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/us/politics/texas-gonzales-suicide-affair.html
...There are four Democrats running for the nomination in CD 23, and Progress Texas associate Reagan Stone conducted a panel with them recently: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-live-pod-the-democrats-running-for-cd-23/id1552998795?i=1000749334936
Early voting in the March primary is underway! Research your ballot here: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84
All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org.
Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
On Presidents’ Day in Dallas, Next Generation Action Network kicked off Social Justice Week 2026 with with a powerful conversation on what democracy truly means and who it is supposed to serve, at the John Lewis Social Justice Academy. In a time when rights are under attack, truth is being distorted, and power is being challenged, the community came together to have a real conversation about reclaiming power and democracy.
This is a great panel featuring Progress Texas Institute Board Chair and Attorney Louis Bedford IV, Dallas area community organizer Tiara Cooper, and Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman, moderated by Black Women On A Mission founder Camille McCallum. Find the full video of the discussion at https://www.youtube.com/live/8efaOhdcJ5s.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:
Last night's debate between Republicans seeking to replace Ken Paxton as attorney general was an unbridled hate-fest, targeting Muslim Texans, Black Texans, and liberal Texans: https://republicanags.com/news/texas-attorney-general-the-2026-republican-primary-debate/
Right-leaning fear and hate have risen in Frisco, where Indian immigrants have become a popular target for conservatives: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/17/texas-attorney-general-republican-debate-huffman-middleton-reitz-roy/
The horror for children imprisoned at Dilley's ICE detention facility has continued beyond the release of Liam Conejo Ramos: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/lisa-falkenberg/article/dilley-detention-ice-kids-crisis-21344477.php
...A minor victory in Hutchins, as the company that owns the warehouse where a massive detention center had been planned is no longer interested: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/hutchins-texas-ice-facility-warehouse/287-11ce4a39-65f4-41c5-bb8c-cf5afca83168
The trial in Fort Worth of a group of accused "Antifa" members on terrorism charges has been delayed by a mistrial declared by the Trump-appointed judge over a defense attorney's shirt featuring depictions of civil rights leaders: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/17/judge-texas-mistrial-antifa-ice
Early voting in the March primary is underway! Research your ballot here: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84
All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org.
Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:
TV host Stephen Colbert defies CBS orders not to discuss their orders to pull an interview with James Talarico, citing the Trump FCC's modification of "equal time" rules for talk shows: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/02/17/colbert-says-cbs-refused-to-air-his-interview-with-democrat-candidate-fearing-fcc-blowback/
...The Talarico interview has been posted to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ7Pz_59A
Over the weekend, investigative reporting revealed that Republican candidate for Texas Comptroller Don Huffines' family are the new owners of Jeffery Epstein's notorious Zorro Ranch in New Mexico: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-ranch-new-mexico-don-huffines-b2921162.html
...Huffines has rushed to announce that the property is to be converted into a "Christian retreat": https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/texas-gop-politician-don-huffines-plans-christian-retreat-at-zorro-ranch/article_2418e5c4-b30f-499d-a1c6-e2c81995f829.html
...The New Mexico legislature has unanimously authorized an investigation: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/new-mexicos-bipartisan-epstein-truth-commission-passes-kicking-off-investigation/article_a111d177-9460-4af9-bc83-38ec1b9b44f1.html
A Dallas County JP is being scrutinized for leaning towards landlords in eviction cases - and may have falsified a case in which paperwork was not properly filed: https://lonestarproject.net/2026/02/11/the-eviction-judge/
Today is the first day of early voting - and Fat Tuesday! Progress Texas will be celebrating both on Tuesday evening from 5 to 7 in Austin, and Sustaining monthly supporters who show up and find us will have their first drink on PT! Become a sustaining monthly supporter NOW at https://progresstexas.org/donate and come see us.
Research your primary ballot here: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84
All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org.
Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
We're taking Presidents' Day off this Monday, but we take a moment to remind you to think about the importance of ALL our hard work this midterm election year in doing all we can to put a stop to the daily insanity from the current occupant of the White House.
We also remind you that your support is huge to us - so instead of picking up a new mattress, pick up the merch to match your progressive values! Use the code word RESIST at https://store.progresstexas.org/ for a 10% discount this week!
AND - don't forget our first day of early voting and Fat Tuesday hang on Tuesday night in Austin! Sustaining monthly supporters who show up and find Chris will have their first drink on us - become a sustaining monthly supporter NOW at https://progresstexas.org/donate and come see us.
The time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84
All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org.
Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.
Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Sara McGee is running unopposed as a Democrat in the swingy 132nd Texas House District, inspired by a rude experience with incumbent Republican Mike Schofield, one of our most do-nothing and boot-licking lawmakers. A former school librarian and community advocate, Sara is focused on protecting Texans' reproductive rights, increasing public education funding, and expanding healthcare access.
Learn more about Sara McGee and her campaign at https://mcgeefortx.com/.
Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
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