Tejano Talks

Texas is the world’s eighth-largest economy — and last in the nation in health insurance. Three Houston-area Democrats say that gap is exactly why they’re running.

All three of their Texas House districts are currently held by Republicans.

At the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi, Tejano Talks sits down with three Houston-area challengers — a Baytown mom and small-business owner, a trilingual transactional attorney, and a 26-year-old gun-safety advocate — on schools, health care, jobs, and why they signed up for the hardest cheap job in Texas.

MEET THE CANDIDATES (in order of appearance)

DESIREE KLAUS — House District 128, Baytown (0:20)
Mom, small-business owner, and community advocate from a four-generation refinery family — great-grandfather, grandfather, and mother all worked at Exxon. Running for the seat Briscoe Cain is leaving, in a district she calls a strong Latino community that built the industry around it.
Learn More: desireeklaustx.com

JOSH WALLENSTEIN — House District 133, west Houston (12:07)
A transactional attorney raised by a single mom after losing his dad at seven — "public schools saved my life." Trilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) in one of the most diverse districts in Texas, running on schools, health care, and what he calls bringing the adults back to Austin.
Campaign: josh4texas.com

TYLER SMITH — House District 138, Spring Branch (26:52)
A 26-year-old Texas Southern University graduate who worked in Washington for Kamala Harris and Jon Ossoff, now a gun-safety advocate at Everytown and an Obama Foundation fellow — and a dues-paying member of the Harris County Tejano Democrats.
Learn More: tylerfortx.com

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Why three very different Houstonians are challenging Republican-held seats
— Schools, from three angles: closures, takeovers, and the free-lunch math
— The health care question in the state with the most uninsured residents
— Child care bills that match the mortgage — the affordability stories behind the campaigns
— Winning back Latino voters: three different answers to the same hard question
— Generators in the energy capital, and the case each makes for change

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome from the Texas Democratic Convention
0:20 DESIREE KLAUS (HD128, Baytown): mom, business owner, advocate
1:32 Why now: redistricting, and a 10-hour wait to testify
2:31 The open seat, and who Baytown is
3:15 Four generations at Exxon
5:04 Day one: jobs, workforce training, small business
6:39 Child care math, and a 21-year-old barbecue joint closing
8:03 Her community network, and National Latina Day
10:40 How to find Desiree
12:07 JOSH WALLENSTEIN (HD133, west Houston): the transactional attorney
12:51 "Public schools saved my life"
14:18 Country before party: his answer on Latino voters
15:15 Knocking doors in one of Texas’s most diverse districts
16:26 The uninsured state: his health care answer
17:47 Losing his dad at seven, and the teachers who stepped in
18:43 HISD, Spring Branch, and the free-lunch math
20:04 One-party control: who he says is accountable
21:29 Unfunded mandates, and six math teachers in nine months
22:16 His case against vouchers
23:12 Reaching Houston’s Latino community — en español too
25:48 How to reach Josh
26:18 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
26:52 TYLER SMITH (HD138, Spring Branch): the 26-year-old
27:14 From TSU to Beto to Washington
28:26 Two parents at home — and the friends who had it harder
29:35 Immigration, and what he’d sponsor day one
30:33 Gun violence beyond the headlines
33:34 Winning back Latino voters, his way
35:20 A Black Tejano in Harris County
36:03 His closing pitch
37:40 Where to find Tyler (and where he eats)
38:26 Closing: subscribe

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DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. The show covers everything from Tejano culture and identity to current events, business, and career development. We’re here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

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Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We’re on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #Houston #TexasHouse #2026Elections

"The border crossed us again." His family has ranched the same stretch of Rio Grande river bottom since the early 1900s — and the planned Big Bend border wall would run through their land, between their house and the cemetery where their grandparents are buried.

Tejano Talks goes on location to Pilares, in Presidio County, West Texas — inside the Border Patrol sector that recorded the fewest crossings on the entire southwest border last year — to hear from landowners Octavio Alvarado and Yolanda Alvarado, whose families are in the path of a federally funded barrier project now planned across Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, and Presidio counties. As of late August, construction near Big Bend National Park is under a temporary CBP pause while the fight over the rest of the region continues.

They talk about the emergency declaration they woke up to, what they told Border Patrol on their own ranch, the technology they say would actually work out here, and the coalition — from Fort Hancock to Lake Amistad — organizing under one message: no wall in the Big Bend.

Learn more about the coalition: nobigbendwall.org

🎙️ More Tejano Talks:
• Clayton Tucker on Saving the Texas Family Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Jf2o2rKwQ&t=14s
• Gina Hinojosa on the Fight to Flip Texas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo&t=63s

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IN THIS EPISODE

— A family on the same river bottomland for more than 120 years
— The wall line they say would separate their home from their family cemetery
— The emergency declaration — in the border’s least-active sector
— Their math on the project: "$14 million a mile" against a $4 million county budget
— Sensors, not steel: what the landowners say would actually work
— 600 miles of organized neighbors: the No Big Bend Wall Coalition

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CHAPTERS

00:00 On the border in Pilares, Texas
00:57 A family on this land since the early 1900s
01:43 "The border crossed us again": 1919 to 2026
01:56 The day they learned the wall would lock them in
02:27 The line between the house and the cemetery
02:49 The emergency declaration that made it possible
03:22 "Do you see any emergency here?"
03:54 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
04:10 The pause, and what they’ve told Border Patrol
05:19 Sensors, not steel: what they say would work
05:40 Their math: "$14 million a mile"
06:22 What you can do: the No Big Bend Wall Coalition
07:17 Closing: make your phone calls

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ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Octavio Alvarado and Yolanda Alvarado are West Texas landowners at Pilares, in Presidio County, where the Alvarado and Sanchez family has ranched the same stretch of Rio Grande river bottom since the early 1900s. They are organizing with the No Big Bend Wall Coalition, which represents landowners and communities along roughly 600 miles of the border, from Fort Hancock to Lake Amistad.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. The show covers everything from Tejano culture and identity to current events, business, and career development. We’re here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

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Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We’re on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and anywhere you enjoy your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #BigBend #BorderWall #WestTexas #TexasPolitics

Abel "El Zorro" Mendoza is 44-0 with 32 knockouts — six wins from matching Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 — and most fight fans still haven’t heard his name. That’s about to change.

A West Texas fighter who came up between Pecos and El Paso, he built boxing’s quietest perfect record the hard way: a 15-year-old who lied to his mom to get to a Vegas tournament, then years of pro bouts in small venues across Mexico with no promoter behind him — until Premier Boxing Champions came calling.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with him ahead of what he says is next — a fight night in Albuquerque on October 3 — to talk about staying calm when the perfect record was on the line, the math on Mayweather’s 50-0, and why, when the gloves come off for good, he plans to follow the Manny Pacquiao playbook: home to West Texas, and onto the ballot.

🎙️ More Texas politics:
• The full conversation with Abel, in Spanish:

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Why one of the best records in boxing belongs to a name most fans don’t know
— The lie he told his mom at 15 — and what he was willing to sleep on to fight
— The night his perfect record almost ended, and what it taught him about staying calm
— "A perfect record doesn’t mean a perfect journey"
— The math on Mayweather’s 50-0, in his own words
— Why he plans to trade the ring for a ballot in 2028

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome: Abel Mendoza, 44-0, 32 knockouts
0:51 October 3 in Albuquerque: the next fight
1:23 From Pecos to the pros: how it started
2:43 The lie that got a 15-year-old to Vegas
3:53 The hardest fight: an Argentine Olympian
4:35 Getting knocked down — in the ring and in life
5:24 A perfect record is not a perfect journey
6:14 The goal: Mayweather’s 50-0
6:39 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
6:53 The fighter he looks up to: Manny Pacquiao
7:28 After boxing: a run for office in 2028
8:12 Why politics — looking out for his community
8:44 Tickets, October 3, and the next GOAT
9:21 Signing with PBC: from bars in Mexico to the big stage
9:36 Closing: the fighting spirit

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Abel "El Zorro" Mendoza is an undefeated professional boxer — 44-0 with 32 knockouts. A West Texas fighter who came up between Pecos and El Paso, he turned pro in 2016 with almost no amateur pedigree and built his record the hard way, including early bouts fought in small venues across Mexico without a promoter behind him. He signed with Premier Boxing Champions in late 2025. In May 2026 he won the NABA lightweight title in Dallas. He says his goal is to match — and pass — Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0, and that in 2028 he plans to run for county commissioner back home in West Texas.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast that empowers Tejanos with the knowledge, mindset, and voice to build wealth, lead with purpose, and shape their future.


Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We’re on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok and wherever you enjoy your podcast.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #AbelMendoza #Boxing #Mayweather #WestTexas

He scored 67 episodes of Dragon Ball Z. Now he wants to be Texas’s top lawyer.

Before the law and before the Texas Senate, Nathan Johnson was a working composer — if you ever watched Dragon Ball Z in English, you’ve heard his work. Today he’s the Democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General, the Democrat who flipped a Senate district Republicans had held for three decades, running against Republican Mayes Middleton for the office Ken Paxton is leaving behind.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with Nathan at the Texas Democratic Convention to talk about the day his music career vanished overnight, what eight years in the Senate taught him about power, his answer to "aren’t you afraid of your opponent’s money?" — and the Paxton impeachment trial he sat through as a juror. He has thoughts.

Learn more about his campaign: nathanfortexas.com

🎙️ More Nathan Johnson & Texas politics:
• Gina Hinojosa on the Fight to Flip Texas:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo&t=56s
• Clayton Tucker on Saving the Texas Family Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Jf2o2rKwQ&t=14s

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome: Nathan Johnson in the house
0:33 The Dragon Ball Z résumé
1:26 Music, law, and the road into politics
2:00 The day the music income vanished
2:27 Deciding to take on Don Huffines
3:32 Flipping a 30-year Republican district
3:50 Eight years in the Senate: what changed
4:21 One-party control and how bills get passed now
5:23 Jane Nelson’s exit and election worries
6:19 "They declared me dead two months ago"
7:48 Running for attorney general
8:12 "The first thing we do is stop being corrupt"
8:20 The Paxton impeachment, from the jury box
9:14 The public servants waiting to come back
9:46 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
10:01 Sizing up Mayes Middleton
10:48 "Aren’t you afraid of the money?"
11:27 The delivery-guy campaign ad
13:12 Day one: changing the ethos of the office
13:19 Earning back trust from the communities he says were targeted
14:52 What his conversations with Republicans sound like
16:10 Child support: the AG job nobody talks about
17:54 The AG as a check on power
18:18 Clean air, sick kids, and school funding
18:55 No-bid contracts and AI data centers
19:32 Teaming up with Sarah Eckhardt
20:06 Why vote for Nathan — and where to find him
21:39 Final words: replacing an iconic name
22:27 "The attorney general is the people’s lawyer"
23:13 Closing: su voto vale

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Nathan Johnson is the Democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General in the 2026 election. A state senator representing District 16 in Dallas since 2019, he defeated Republican incumbent Don Huffines in 2018 by eight points, becoming the first Democrat to hold the seat in over three decades. A commercial litigation attorney with a physics degree from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Texas, he spent years between stints at law as a working composer — including scoring the Funimation English dub of Dragon Ball Z. He sat as a juror in the 2023 impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton. He faces Republican nominee Mayes Middleton on November 3, 2026.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. The show covers everything from Tejano culture and identity to current events, business, and career development. We’re here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We’re on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #NathanJohnson #TexasAG #KenPaxton #DragonBallZ

Nydia Cárdenas grew up in Fort Worth on the lesson her parents lived: when someone in the community was struggling, you did something — "let's do a lotia for them, make some food."

Today she is the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 4, and if she wins in November, she would be the first Latina ever to sit on the Commissioners Court — replacing the first Latino ever elected to it. 

Hiram and Domingo sit down with her to talk about the fight to flip the seat: why she left a national career to come home to Fort Worth's northside, the county's ICE partnership and the state takeover of her hometown schools, and what "ponte a hacer algo" means for the community that raised her. 

More from Tejano Talks:
This conversation was recorded at the Texas Democratic Convention — the same event where we sat down with other Texas voices:

Gina Hinojosa on the Fight to Flip Texas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzQWSZMkpo▶
Dolores Huerta on a Lifetime of Activism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_gdY2jWMI▶
Clayton Tucker on the Fight for Texas Farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Jf2o2rKwQ&t=5s▶
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IN THIS EPISODE

— Why she's poised to make history as the first Latina on the Commissioners Court
— How the county's partnership with ICE is affecting her community
— Fort Worth ISD under state takeover — and why parents should be worried
— Property taxes squeezing families out of a booming precinct
— Taking on Tim O'Hare and backing Alisa Simmons
— The 817 Gather: how she turned grassroots organizing into a run for office

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CHAPTERS

0:28 — Nydia introduces herself
0:39 — Running for County Commissioner Precinct 4
0:46 — Background: Fort Worth, North Side High School
1:08 — Stanford & UMich MBA / Why she's running
1:52 — Connecting with constituents / what she's hearing
2:09 — Replacing the first Latino / his ICE partnership vote
2:42 — Organizing background / Co-founded 817 Gather
3:08 — County government: a "black box"
3:21 — Fort Worth ISD under state takeover
3:38 — Property taxes & affordability
4:06 — Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm (EN)
4:22 — Tim O'Hare / Supporting Alisa Simmons
5:08 — Election dates & how to vote

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ABOUT NYDIA CÁRDENAS

Nydia Cárdenas is a first-generation Mexican-American from Fort Worth. She is valedictorian of North Side High School, earned her mechanical engineering degree from Stanford, and her MBA from the University of Michigan. She is a leadership coach, grassroots organizer, and co-founder of the 817 Gather. She won the Democratic primary for Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 4 on March 3, 2026, with 58.6% of the vote, and will face Republican incumbent Manny Ramirez on November 3, 2026.

Learn more about her campaign: https://www.vote4nydia.com/

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural
conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. The show covers everything from Tejano culture and identity to current events, business, and career development. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

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Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #NydiaCárdenas #TarrantCounty #FortWorth

Clayton Tucker says Texas is losing 70 farms a week — and he's running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner to stop it. 

In this Tejano Talks interview, he warns that AI data centers are swallowing rural land, draining local water, and driving family farms out of business, and lays out the "Hightower model" he believes can bring food processing back to Texas.

A goat-and-cattle rancher from Lampasas and a protégé of Jim Hightower — the last Democrat to hold the office — Tucker sits down with Hiram and Domingo at the Texas Democratic Convention with a populist message: only organized people beat organized money.

Learn more about his campaign: cllaytx.com

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Why he says AI data centers are draining rural Texas water, power, and land
— The corporate monopolies he blames for rising grocery prices
— The "Hightower model": micro-grants to rebuild local food processing
— A plan to require Texas schools to buy from Texas farmers
— Why he calls the fight to save the family farm a cross-partisan issue

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to Tejano Talks at the Texas Democratic Convention
0:30 Meet Clayton Tucker — and his goats
2:18 Why he's running for Agriculture Commissioner
2:46 Jim Hightower, and how he got recruited
4:12 The screwworm threat to Texas livestock
5:11 AI data centers: water, power, and land
6:34 Big tech, surveillance, and the jobs question
7:22 What data centers do to family farms
9:08 What an Ag Commissioner can actually do about it
11:39 Corporate monopolies and the family farm
12:18 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
12:36 Tyson, beef prices, and the grocery bill
13:00 The "Hightower model" and buying local
15:31 Bringing back the farmers market
16:18 Labeling food backwards, and transparency
17:41 Getting voters to go down the ballot
19:00 The most heartbreaking story from the road
20:00 "Don't get mad, get organized"
21:20 How to get involved with the campaign
23:38 A message to the next generation
24:32 Closing: vote for Texans, on all your platforms

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Clayton Tucker is the Democratic nominee for Texas Agriculture Commissioner in the 2026 election. A rancher from Lampasas, Texas, raising goats and cattle on his family land, he is a fair-trade organizer and former state director of Our Revolution Texas. A longtime admirer and protégé of Jim Hightower — the last Democrat elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner — Tucker runs on a populist platform centered on family farms, water, and food. He faces Republican nominee Nate Sheets on November 3, 2026.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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MORE FROM TEJANO TALKS

This conversation was recorded at the Texas Democratic Convention — the same event where we sat down with three other Texas voices:
▶ Gina Hinojosa: https://youtu.be/4KzQWSZMkpo
▶ Dolores Huerta: https://youtu.be/Hv_gdY2jWMI
▶ Bernie Sanders: https://youtu.be/ZjsDGTws1tU

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. The show covers everything from Tejano culture and identity to current events, business, and career development. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

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Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #ClaytonTucker #TexasAgriculture #DataCenters

Dr. OJ brought that message to her own party at the Texas Democratic State Convention — and she didn't whisper it. In this episode of Tejano Talks, the Nigerian immigrant, Ellis County Commissioner candidate, and founder of the Honey Drops Foundation sits down for an unflinching conversation about what real leadership looks like when the cameras are off.

Learn more about her campaign: https://www.drojspeaks4texas.com/

Dr. Oyinkansola Jinadu — known as Dr. OJ — is the Democratic nominee for Ellis County Commissioner, Precinct 4. She joined us at the convention to explain what a county commissioner actually controls, why so few voters can name theirs, and why she says the top of the ticket is failing the candidates below it.

🔗 Follow Dr. OJ & Honey Drops Foundation:
https://honeydropsfoundation.org

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SUPPORT

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Her challenge to the top of the Democratic ticket: resource the local candidates or stop calling it a strategy

— What a county commissioner actually does: roads, bridges, drainage, school crossings, and the county budget

— Why bad county roads show up in your insurance bill and your repair bill

— How road and construction contracts get awarded, and what accountability is supposed to look like

— Data centers moving into Ellis County, and the questions she says nobody is asking

— Founding the Honeydrops Foundation and a decade of domestic violence advocacy

— The culture of silence, and why so many men who are abused never say it

— Coming from Nigeria and starting from ground zero

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to Tejano Talks at the Texas Democratic Convention
0:43 Nigeria to Texas: twenty years and three kids later
1:33 Why Ellis County Commissioner, Precinct 4
2:21 The Honeydrops Foundation and the gap in advocacy for men
4:30 Challenging an entrenched seat
5:24 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
5:39 What a county commissioner actually controls
8:26 Roads, growth, and infrastructure falling behind
9:51 How bad roads reach your wallet
10:37 Who gets the contracts?
13:01 Domestic violence and the culture of silence
14:07 Why leaving takes more than one attempt
15:14 The stages that come before physical abuse
16:18 The men who can't say it out loud
17:36 Starting from ground zero
19:45 Servant leadership vs. celebrity candidacy
21:34 A message to the top of the ticket
25:47 How to support the campaign
27:30 Vote all the way down the ballot

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Oyinkansola Jinadu — known as Dr. OJ — is the Democratic nominee for Ellis County Commissioner, Precinct 4. Born and raised in Nigeria, she has lived in Texas for more than twenty years and is raising three children in Ellis County. She is the founder of the Honeydrops Foundation, a domestic violence organization working in both the United States and Africa, and a member of the Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force. She holds a bachelor's degree in microbiology from the University of Lagos and a master's in psychology. Her campaign runs on integrity, accountability, and transparency, under the slogan "We Shine the Light."

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DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks brings you unfiltered conversations with the leaders, activists, and storytellers shaping Texas politics and culture. We are committed to a simple idea: men with real strength don't abuse their power. Their strength comes from what they give. Real men honor the women who build us up and refuse to write them out of our stories.

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📲 Follow Tejano Talks:
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Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

#TejanoTalks #EllisCounty #TexasPolitics

Welcome to Tejano Talks.

Gina Hinojosa grew up in the Rio Grande Valley on a phrase her grandmother gave her: no te dejes — know your worth and fight for it. 

Today she is the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, and if she wins in November, she would be the first Latina ever to hold the office.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with her to talk about the fight to flip Texas: why she left a comfortable seat in the statehouse to take on one of the most well-funded incumbents in the country, what she calls the "Greg Abbott corruption tax," and what "no te dejes" means for the women who built her up.

More Tejano Talks:

Bernie Sanders on Why Billionaires Are Destroying Democracy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjsDGTws1tU

Dolores Huerta on a Lifetime of Activism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_gdY2jWMI

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IN THIS EPISODE

— How saving her son's elementary school pulled her into politics
— Why she says the system is rigged, and who she says it is rigged for
— Public schools, vouchers, and the fight over where Texas tax dollars go
— Immigration, detention centers, and Operation Lone Star
— "No te dejes": the phrase her grandmother gave her, and what it means
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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome, and introducing Gina Hinojosa
00:30 No Mexican-American governor of Texas since 1835
01:14 From the Valley to the Texas House
02:02 Saving her son's school, and how she got into politics
03:11 The "Greg Abbott corruption tax" and school vouchers
05:20 Why she decided to run for governor
06:58 Is the system rigged against working families?
09:35 What she would do differently as governor
10:39 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
10:54 Why she thinks many Latinos voted for Trump
12:01 "No te dejes": her grandmother's lesson
13:18 Women taking the lead, and passing strength down
14:05 Working with James Talarico, and the gas tax
15:00 Middle-class Texans giving plasma to make ends meet
16:22 Immigration, Dilley, and private detention centers
19:18 Child care and the cost of raising a family
20:19 Texas and the uninsured: covering every child
21:39 The challenges of being a woman in power
23:34 Term limits, and how power changes people
25:29 Rapid fire: tortillas, Whataburger, and the inaugural ball

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GUEST

GINA HINOJOSA is the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas in the 2026 election. A civil rights and labor attorney born in the Rio Grande Valley, she served as president of the Austin ISD school board before winning election to the Texas House of Representatives, where she has represented central Austin for five terms and become the Legislature's leading critic of school vouchers. She won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in March 2026 and faces incumbent Greg Abbott on November 3, 2026.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act — which guarantees in-state tuition to any graduate of a Texas high school. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT

Tejano Talks brings you unfiltered conversations with the leaders, activists, and storytellers shaping Texas politics and culture. We are committed to a simple idea: men with real strength don't abuse their power. Their strength comes from what they give. Real men honor the women who build us up and refuse to write them out of our stories.

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Subscribe. We're on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Spotify.

#TejanoTalks #GinaHinojosa #Texas #NoTeDejes #TexasGovernor

Dolores Huerta is still organizing, still fighting, and still challenging the next generation to create lasting change. In this Tejano Talks interview, Domingo and Hiram sit down with UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta to discuss voting, ICE enforcement, farmworker rights, women’s leadership, and the real story behind “sí se puede.”

Huerta explains why protest alone does not change power, why voting and organizing matter, and what today’s activists can learn from the farmworker movement. She also delivers a direct challenge to men: reject violence against women and sign a pledge not to abuse them.

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IN THIS EPISODE

— Huerta on the parallels, and the differences, between ICE enforcement today and the law enforcement she faced in the farmworker movement
— Why she believes marching alone does not work, and voting does
— A direct challenge to men, and a pledge she is asking them to sign
— The real story behind "sí se puede," told by the woman who said it first
— Why Huerta says the farmworker movement is remembered for its struggles, but not for the schools, clinics, and careers it built

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome, and introducing Dolores Huerta
00:47 "Our democracy is in peril" — organizing under fascism
01:22 Then and now: batons and tear gas vs. ICE in the fields
02:47 Her message to young people facing discrimination
03:50 A history of poll taxes and voter suppression in Texas
04:20 Are young people less motivated today? Huerta's answer
06:00 Why she says voting, not just protest, is what changes power
07:26 The energy at the Texas Democratic Convention
07:46 Two Latino governors? Hinojosa in Texas, Becerra in California
08:04 "Real men don't hit women" — a challenge, and a pledge
09:07 Her own story: stopping her father, at age 10
10:31 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
10:45 The farmworker movement's overlooked legacy
13:06 Hiram: "we should be listening to women"
14:22 The origin story of "sí se puede," told firsthand
16:11 "They've always done the impossible" — a call to organize
18:06 Closing: "you embody everything Tejano Talks is about"
18:59 Closing: go vote, give Texas a birthday present

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GUEST:

DOLORES HUERTA co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, later the United Farm Workers, in 1962 and served as UFW vice president until 1999. She coined the phrase "sí se puede" during a 1972 fast in Arizona. Arrested more than 25 times for nonviolent civil disobedience, she survived a near-fatal police beating in 1988 while protesting outside a campaign event. President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. At 96, she continues to organize as president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

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Tejano Talks brings you unfiltered conversations with the leaders, activists, and storytellers shaping Texas politics and culture. We are committed to a simple idea: men with real strength don't abuse their power. Their strength comes from what they give. Real men honor the women who built us up and refuse to write them out of our stories.

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HOSTS:

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act — which guarantees in-state tuition to any graduate of a Texas high school. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.
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Subscribe, and comment below to tell us which political figures and Tejanos you want to see next.

#TejanoTalks #DoloresHuerta #UFW #CivilRights #TexasDemocraticConvention

#TejanoTalks #BobbyPulido #tejanomusicplaylist 

Welcome to Tejano Talks.

Bobby Pulido — Tejano music icon and two-time Latin Grammy winner — sits down with Hiram Garcia and Domingo Garcia to discuss his 2026 run for Congress in South Texas. 
From growing up as Roberto Pulido's son to one of the genre's biggest hits with "Desvelado," Bobby explains why he traded the stage for the campaign trail.

Bobby pulls no punches on healthcare affordability, immigration reform, and why the Democratic Party has neglected the Hispanic vote. He also issues a direct debate challenge to incumbent Monica De La Cruz — in both English and Spanish.

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IN THIS EPISODE
— How a phone call on election night 2022 put him on the path to Congress
— The story behind "Desvelado," and the studio accident that made it a hit
— Running in a district Trump carried by 18 points — against an incumbent
— Healthcare, immigration, and the issues driving his campaign
— A challenge to his opponent: a debate, in English and in Spanish

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome, and introducing Bobby Pulido
00:44 Gritos and Tejano music talk
01:33 How the congressional campaign is going
02:19 His music career, and his father Roberto Pulido
03:44 Wanting to be a lawyer, and choosing music instead
05:02 The story behind "Desvelado"
06:46 The 2022 election night that changed his path
10:04 Running in a district Trump carried by 18 points
10:29 "I don't see numbers. I see people."
11:03 Migrant-farmworker roots, and economic opportunity
12:56 "Loyalty to the people, not the party"
14:03 The national party's neglect of Hispanic voters
16:11 Healthcare, affordability, and crossing into Mexico for care
18:51 Immigration enforcement and ICE funding
20:07 The war in Iran, and Congressional war powers
21:15 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
21:41 His opponent's record, and a challenge to a bilingual debate
24:01 How to help the campaign, and the billionaire funding gap
26:53 Closing: "we belong to the people"

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GUEST:

BOBBY PULIDO is a Tejano music icon and the Democratic candidate for Texas's 15th Congressional District in the 2026 election. Born and raised in Edinburg, Texas, the son of Tejano legend Roberto Pulido, he studied political science at St. Mary's University before launching a three-decade music career, becoming a two-time Latin Grammy winner and eight-time Tejano Music Award winner. Known for hits including "Desvelado" and "Se Murió de Amor," he announced his retirement from music in
2024 to run for Congress, challenging incumbent Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a district Donald Trump carried by 18 points in 2024.

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HOSTS: 

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act — which guarantees in-state tuition to any graduate of a Texas high school. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.
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#BobbyPulido #TejanoTalks #TexasPolitics #RioGrandeValley #Congress2026