After catching up on the federal shutdown, James Henson and Joshua Blank look at the political dynamics around Gov. Greg Abbott’s fast deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois at the order of President Trump, including a look at Texas attitudes toward Abbott’s response to Operation Jade Helm a decade ago.

James Henson and Joshua Blank dig into what Texas polling can tell us about the public opinion context for the government shutdown.

James Henson and Joshua Blank look at the arc of the President’s standing in Texas and how his ratings intersect persistent economic concerns in the state. Plus, they consider approaches to (very) early polling in the 2026 U.S. Senate race.

James Henson and Joshua Blank look at latest Texas Politics Project poll results on redistricting, marijuana, property taxes, and other priorities in the recently-concluded special legislative sessions – and share some historical data on Texans’ view of political violence.

Gromer Jeffers, Jr., Brad Johnson, Mark Jones, and Harvey Kronberg joined James Henson for a roundtable hosted by the Professional Advocacy Association of Texas on the second special session of the Texas Legislature – plus a sneak peak at new Texas Politics Project polling data on the same subject.

Ross Ramsey joins James Henson and Joshua Blank to assess to consider the nature and durability of changes in Texas politics and institutions evident during the 89th Texas Legislature, including the partisan hostility recently on display in the lege, the strengthening of the governor’s office, and the influence of national politics on Texas politics.

In the wake of Texas House Democrats return to the legislature and the passage of the hotly contested new Congressional map by the reconvened House, James Henson and Joshua Blank talk over some of the political and institutional implications of the mid-decade redistricting in Texas.

James Henson and Joshua Blank discuss the uncertainty around Texas House Democrats’ quorum break over mid-decade redistricting, and what the ensuing politics reveal about Texas politics. While the podcast was being recorded, Democrats announced their intention to return to Texas “to take this fight to the courts.” So it goes. Note: in a rushed update, […]

With adopting the new Congressional maps ordered by Donald Trump and response to the July 4 floods at the top of the agenda, James Henson and Joshua Blank talk about the politics of agenda management as the Texas Legislature prepares to return to the Capitol next week for a politically-fraught special session.

In a webinar hosted June 26 by the Professional Advocacy Association of Texas, James Henson and Johsua Blank look at attitudes on issues and actors in the regular session of the 89th Texas Legislature in a special video edition of the podcast.