Quorum Report Radio

The final edition of the show before election day has arrived. We’ll break down the final push by the campaigns to turn out their voters, and my friend Brad Johnson with The Texas Bullpen will drop by for a drink as we do our best to read the tea leaves ahead of Tuesday. Oh, and our listener Matt Foster in DFW is raising money for his fellow veterans through the PGA Hope campaign. Please join me in making a donation:

https://give.pgareach.org/matt

Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

It seems some of the biggest names in Texas GOP politics didn't get the "One Party, One Mission" memo: Sen. John Cornyn, Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, and former Speaker Dade Phelan were all on national broadcast TV this week saying something very different. Plus a history lesson from Karl Rove. Then WFAA Senior Investigative Journalist Tanya Eiserer joins us to talk about the search for the origin of those mysterious transgender pamphlets mailed to kids all over Texas. And finally: A reality check on just how many more Republicans there are in Texas than Democrats. Will they get out to vote? Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

With Gov. Abbott going full bore against Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa – accusing her of supporting a state income tax – you’ve got to hear Harvey Kronberg's explanation of the real history of that third rail issue in Texas politics. Meantime top Texas Democrats are debating random strangers because their Republican opponents won't show up and Tony Ortiz at Current Revolt joins us for the story under the story of these fake rumors about Rep. Talarico in a mental health facility in Ohio. Plus, our friend Chris Tritico is about to debut a documentary on the dismantling of Texas public schools. "The Long Game" premieres at 7 p.m. Monday, October 19, at MATCH in Houston, with additional screenings planned across Texas. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

So much cover: This week, Harvey has the lowdown on how some GOP women got up and walked out when Sen. Angela Paxton told them to vote for her estranged husband. Before that, Evan and I called the Ken Paxton "tip line" to let him know what we've heard about the whereabouts of James Talarico. Defending the Texas House GOP majority, Speaker Dustin Burrows is now working right alongside the rightwing megadonors who his original supporters feared would take over the Texas House last year. Then, after AG Paxton said in leaked audio that he's not fully in control of his campaign, Sarah Rumpf with Mediaite joined the show to talk about who's really been running Paxton's campaigns all along. Hint: It was those same megadonors now helping Speaker Burrows' efforts to save his majority. And after one of Gov. Greg Abbott's endorsed candidates went on a racist rant during a DWI arrest in the Houston area, it's worth asking what ever happened to Abbott's plan to turn Harris County "deep red." Evan Mintz with the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board checks in about that. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

The ads are absolutely out of control. We'll have some fun with that but the truth is that the candidates are absolutely feeling the pressure to respond to some of what's in the nonstop barrage of political commercials blanketing Texas right now. We'll go out to East Texas on the campaign trail with Rep. Gina Hinojosa in her spirited campaign to unseat the strongest Republican in Texas. And what would Texas government look like if she was successful? It's a conversation being had more and more in Austin. Our Publisher Harvey Kronberg explains how that unfolded the last time there was a divided government in Texas, which of course was more than three decades ago. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Gov. Abbott must be listening to the show because he's completely shifted his message on property taxes from blaming local governments - run mostly by Republicans - to slamming his Democratic opponent Gina Hinojosa. He says she voted to raise your taxes but what did the legislation he's talking about actually do? You'll hear from conservative Republicans about it but first you have to hear what Abbott said about gas prices. Is he against President Trump's war in Iran now? Plus Harvey weighs in on the ICE shooting in Austin and a tribute to the late Chairman Garnet Coleman, who passed away this week. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

We already knew that Gov. Abbott thinks all Democrats are socialists and can't be trusted. But why is one of his major campaign themes now slamming local Republican leaders around Texas about property taxes? And oh yes, we will get into the Bo French debacle when Harvey weighs in with his weekly commentary. Plus, Suzanne Bellsnyder joins us from Texas Rural Reporter to talk about whether Abbott's campaign consultant Dave Carney is right to argue the anger over data centers is tapering off now. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

On the anniversary of 9/11, one thing that's perfectly clear is that the politics of government surveillance have completely flipped upside down since that fateful day. Right after the terror attack a quarter century ago, Republicans and Democrats alike joined together to support the global War on Terror including stepped up surveillance within the United States. Flash forward to today and Gov. Greg Abbott is being forced to flip-flop on his past support of surveillance cameras all over Texas after his opponent Gina Hinojosa pressed him on the issue. Plus, we're reporting from Dallas this week where the 2026 RNC Midterm "Convention" just wrapped up. Harvey checks in with his thoughts on it while Tony Ortiz of Current Revolt tells us about the protesters outside the American Airlines Center. Seems like Paxton's performance in Dallas made national Republicans realize he needs some serious financial help in his bid for US Senate. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

With Texas Republicans still divided following a nasty and expensive US Senate primary, Sen. Ted Cruz has this message for those in the GOP unhappy with their nominee Ken Paxton: "Stop yer bitchin.'" In this semi-special episode, we explore all facets of a question Republicans in Texas are dealing with - how to win when their standard bearer in this state is described even by President Trump as lackluster on the campaign trail? And why haven't the West Texas billionaires who always previously bankrolled Paxton now closing their wallets? It's the perfect primer heading into next week's Midterm RNC Convention in Dallas. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Gov. Abbott was searching for any kind of message during an ABC News interview this week in which he was pressed about data centers, the price of gas, and whether he would give President Trump a letter grade on the economy. Hint: He didn't. And as Harvey has pointed out, President Trump and Speaker Johnson are campaigning in Texas where top GOP candidates including Abbott and Ken Paxton are flailing at the moment. HK also checks in about Paxton's data center plan while President Trump calls James Talarico "a little freaky." But first: Do we really believe Gov. Abbott has ever even heard some of the artists on his summer playlist like BigXthaPlug? Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

With Texans furious about a THC ban, rising costs for everything, data centers, transmission lines, and Big Bend border wall construction of course Little Gov. Dan Patrick is spending his time railing about "filthy books" in school libraries. But it's not just a distraction. He's also trying to make it easier for the state to take over local school districts. Plus, Harvey and James get into the way data centers are reshaping the political landscape and Speaker Burrows is asked whether he understands why conservatives don't like the way he was elected with support from Democrats. We'll also travel to Far West Texas and check in with Travis Bubenik at Marfa Public Radio for the real scoop on what's happening in Big Bend. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

In a 180 for the ages, Texas House Judiciary Chairman Jeff Leach is back to fully embracing his old political mentor, Ken Paxton, after previously helping lead the charge to impeach him back in 2023. The truth is they'll rise and sink together politically with Paxton now at the top of the Texas GOP's statewide ticket. Then Harvey weighs in on Sen. Cornyn's pushback to the Trump Administration, Susan Hays helps us try to make sense of Texas' new THC crackdown, and Jen Rice at Democracy Docket explains how a plan to slash the number of voting locations around Fort Worth quickly became a political hot potato. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

While a Fox News poll shows Democrats neck and neck with Republicans statewide, the Texas GOP is forgiving all their internal bad blood from top to bottom and starting a push to do almost anything rural voters want even if it's potentially bad for almost everyone else. In that spirit, we'll take you to an old school tent revival fused with a professional wrestling pay-per-view event. And in that vein, Republican leaders pull back on plans for electricity transmission followed by some advice for Uncle Paul Bettencourt about his Trump impersonation. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

This week, either the Texas heat is making people do stupid things or the heat from voters is making candidates stake out positions on issues that have the potential to turn this state's politics upside down. Prime example: James Talarico wasn't saying anything on data centers. Now he sort of is while Gov. Greg Abbott celebrates the cancellation of a data center project. Why? Isn't he the one bragging about Texas being the "epicenter" of the industry? Meantime Harvey weighs in after Talarico was confronted at a town hall for Black voters. And: Paxton serves as the "hand grenade" who blew up the sports betting controversy at Texas Tech even worse than it already was. Jeff Ward will check in about that. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Houston was rocked this week by ICE agents gunning down a grandfather who's lived in the city for 35 years. Houston Chronicle Opinion Editor Evan Mintz joins the show with the latest on the investigation. Meantime, Little Gov. Dan Patrick says Black people won't vote for James Talarico, arguing the Democrat is “a 90-pound weakling” who “couldn’t lift a ten-pound weight in a gym if he helped it," whatever that means. But speaking of black outreach, Talarico's favorite rap song is Country Grammar by Nelly? Really? Yes, and he said this in H-Town. We'll be off next week, and the show will return on July 24th. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

In the 2026 campaign, it's the women in the Texas Democratic Party who are addressing the nitty-gritty, eye-level issues that voters of all stripes really seem angry about this year: School closures and data centers. And that merits a substantive discussion of the governor's race in which Gina Hinojosa is going right at Abbott on both. Plus: An election denier gets an elections job with Gov. Abbott and Texas House Democrats are coming under increased pressure to dump Speaker Dustin Burrows when he runs for reelection to hold the gavel next year. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Yes, Lt. Gov. Patrick got a lot of attention for saying James Talarico is "going to hell, for sure." But in understanding what may happen in this election, what's maybe more significant is that senior Texas Republicans including Patrick and Sen. John Cornyn are still feuding following some of the nastiest high-profile GOP primaries in this state's history. Plus, take a trip with us to South Texas as we look for the "Mexican tune" and try to figure out if the GOP can hold their recent gains there despite serious national headwinds. We'll also take you inside the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston with Tony Ortiz at http://currentrevolt.com/ - he and his team created a virtual simulation of the convention that you can play on your phone. Yes, really. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Scott is at the Texas GOP Convention in Houston and Evan is on the beach. So, for the show this week we're featuring Harvey's conversation with Joe Trippi on his national podcast: On The Ground. Republicans feel entitled to keeping Texas. After all, they've been in power for nearly 30 years. But could Democrats flip the script? Harvey and Joe talked at length about the potential Dems have in the midterms. Our regular Quorum Report Radio show will return next week.

Texas House Republicans and Democrats alike are getting really frustrated over the fact that they voted for billions in additional funding for public schools but the ISDs aren't getting what they were promised. Well, there was a shady process for passing that school funding bill last year and it deserves an explanation. Also: "Rural Texas is on fire" politically. That's the way one GOP legislator described backlash to data centers, failing farms, screwworm concerns, and more. And President Trump's Freedom 250 celebration may come down to just one musical act from Texas: Vanilla Ice. There's a problem and he'll try to solve it, apparently. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Republicans are scrambling now to scrub their social media and deleting nasty comments about more than one of their GOP nominees in Texas: Bo French and Ken Paxton are at the top of the list, with the former being too extreme for Lt. Gov. Patrick and Gov. Abbott while the latter's been blasted by US Senate Republicans as a scandal-ridden albatross. Plus, Talarico hits back on all the nicknames, talks about his girlfriend, and starts to figure out how to recalibrate after the GOP highlighted his extremely liberal previous comments which Talarico now admits were "missing the mark" and even "cringey." Also, here's the link to donate to families affected after the tragic explosion this week in Dallas: https://www.missionoakcliff.org/donate

Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music for the show is by Checkmayne in Houston.