Texas Take

On this week’s Texas Take, the soon-to-be speaker of the Texas House, Senfronia Thompson, sits down with host Jeremy Wallace for her one and only full interview since locking down the position. She vows to create a bipartisan atmosphere but has strong views on school vouchers, property taxes, gambling and abortion. Democrats expecting to run wild in Austin after a blue tidal wave better rethink their plans. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, joins the program to make clear there are enough Republicans in the Texas Senate to hem in the Democratic agenda. The Austin American Statesman’s John Moritz stops by to talk about the new dynamics in the Legislature after a historic election that turned almost every office in Texas to Democrats.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In one night, voters changed everything in Texas. On this episode of the Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace teams up with the Austin American-Statesman’s John Moritz and The Dallas Morning News’ Gromer Jeffers to unpack a historic election that transforms the Lone Star State’s politics for years to come. They dig into how Democrat Gina Hinojosa became the first Latina governor in state history and James Talarico the first Democratic U.S. senator in more than 30 years. The trio examines how Republican missteps, surging Black and Latino turnout, and a failed redistricting gamble ended decades of Republican dominance—and what comes next.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace digs into how Gov. Greg Abbott’s political future is in question as he faces the toughest reelection of his 30-year political career. Gromer Jeffers Jr. of The Dallas Morning News and Benjamin Wermund of the Houston Chronicle team up with Wallace to examine how the powerful political apparatus Abbott built over the last decade in Texas has been damaged in part by the man who benefits so much from the work: Donald Trump. They show how Democratic turnout in Houston and the Rio Grande Valley is vastly better than experts thought and is improving Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s chances of becoming the first Latina governor in Texas history. They have an exclusive interview with Hinojosa in the Valley, plus take you inside a rally with Abbott in his hometown.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Talarico couldn’t have asked for a better week as the battle for the U.S. Senate hits the homestretch. On this episode of Texas Take, reporters Casey Murray and John Moritz join host Jeremy Wallace to dig into why Republicans are even closer to losing a statewide seat in Texas for the first time in more than 30 years than they were a week ago. They break down the historic turnout at the start of early voting and dig into why Talarico sounds like he’s running against both Ken Paxton and Elon Musk these days. Plus, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett stops by for an exclusive interview to answer whether she’s really in Talarico’s camp or not. And finally, why was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis partying with Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace examines the desperation gripping Texas Republicans as Election Day approaches. Houston Chronicle opinion editor Evan Mintz joins the show to discuss the bizarre conspiracy theory targeting James Talarico, while Jeremy breaks down the one county in South Texas that could still save Ken Paxton’s political career. Plus, Jeremy catches up with House Speaker Mike Johnson who made a mad dash into the Rio Grande Valley where he says his job - and Donald Trump’s final two years in office - hinges on protecting the most endangered Republican member of Congress in the Lone Star State. Finally, they’ll get into why Vice President JD Vance’s stop in Tyler is a giant flashing red warning sign for the GOP faithful.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace is joined by Gromer Jeffers Jr. of The Dallas Morning News as the state enters the final stretch before early voting. They break down Donald Trump’s fourth Texas visit in six weeks, what it means for Ken Paxton, and the unusual campaign ad featuring Paxton’s estranged wife, Angela. They also look at whether Democrats can finally break through statewide, and what the polls might be getting wrong. Plus, Paxton gets the Saturday Night Live treatment, and Eagles legend Don Henley puts serious money behind Democrats trying to flip Texas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace examines a major voter registration backlog with Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt and what it could mean with Election Day approaching. The glitch has affected at least tens of thousands of voters in an election cycle that could be one of the closest in Texas history. Later, Austin American-Statesman reporter John Moritz joins Jeremy to break down the flood of money pouring into the U.S. Senate race, while Houston Chronicle reporter Ben Wermund explains Gov. Greg Abbott’s rapidly changing stance on data centers. Plus, Jeremy looks across the border in Texarkana at the backlash surrounding Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ controversial welfare ad and how it ties into the backlash against Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French and his criticism that the University of Texas has too many non-white students.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace looks at Gov. Greg Abbott’s toughest reelection fight yet, as Democrat Gina Hinojosa puts the blame on him for affordability issues, high property taxes and the proliferation of data centers. Reporter Benjamin Wermund joins the show to break down the race and what makes it more competitive than any Texas gubernatorial race since the 1990s. Plus, Jeremy digs into Ken Paxton’s ties to donors connected to Chinese investment in Texas and Elon Musk’s multimillion-dollar effort to influence the Senate race.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As if the GOP needed another hurdle to overcome this cycle, a statewide GOP candidate turned the Longhorns magical comeback into a litmus test for every party candidate by saying non-white University of Texas students are “the problem.” Host Jeremy Wallace and Austin American-Statesman political reporter John Moritz dig into the backlash against Railroad Commission candidate Bo French and how he’s hijacked Republican messaging at a critical juncture when they need to focus on saving Ken Paxton. Plus, they catch up with Democrat James Talarico in Houston to show how he’s still working on winning over Black Texans. And are national Democrats going to help him now that over $80 million in attack ads are being dropped in Texas by super PACs tied to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and others? Finally, Harris County Judge candidate Orlando Sanchez sits down for an exclusive interview with Jeremy to explain why he thinks he can flip Texas's largest blue county back to Republicans.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Texas Take, host Jeremy Wallace and reporter Casey Murray break down what they saw firsthand at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, an event that felt more like a two-day Trump rally than a traditional convention. They look at Trump’s push to energize Republicans ahead of the midterms, the jockeying among potential 2028 contenders and what the gathering meant for candidates like Ken Paxton. Plus, they discuss the issues Republicans avoided, the party figures who gained attention and Trump’s controversial proposal for a $5,000 dividend.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices