This episode first aired on August 25, 2021.

On this week’s episode of The Brief, hosts Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld unpacked the current state of COVID-19, voting rights, and electoral politics in Texas with special guest Julián Castro—as well as whether Castro himself is preparing for a run against Gov. Greg Abbott next year.

Castro, a Democrat from Texas, served as the mayor of San Antonio and was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. He has offered critiques of the Texas governor's lack of leadership throughout the pandemic and shared his thoughts with Moulitsas and Eleveld on how Abbott’s failure to adequately respond to the COVID-19 crisis and protect Texans’ lives is one of many reasons why the Texas Republican Party is experiencing rapid losses from their ranks.