Texas Take

Disaster for Texas Republicans

What looked like Gov. Greg Abbott’s gift to President Donald Trump may turn out to be a nightmare for the White House. A court this week put Abbott's plan to eke out five new GOP congressional seats in jeopardy, thanks largely to one big misstep by the governor himself. San Antonio Express-News reporter Bayliss Wagner joins host Jeremy Wallace to explain the problem and show how, instead of boosting Republicans' chances in next year's midterms, the redistricting push could wind up making it easier for Democrats to regain the House majority. Plus, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, joins the program to give her take on what just happened and why the federal judges who stopped the redistricting plan were right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Two Governors, One Big Texas City

California Gov. Gavin Newsom took a victory lap in Houston, trolling Gov. Greg Abbott who the very next day kicked off his re-election campaign. But Abbott wasn’t phased in the least. Reporter Benjamin Wermund joins host Jeremy Wallace to break down how Abbott responded and what his next big priority will be if he wins a record-shattering 4th term. Finally, you’ll hear how a Texas Congressional seat could play a big role in the fight over the Jeffrey Epstein files and why it matters to the whole state that a Lubbock Congressman is calling it quits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Gavin Newsom Answers Greg Abbott

Nine weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave President Donald Trump the redistricting map he wanted in Texas, California Gov. Gavin Newsom roared back with an improbable victory on Election Day that will allow the Golden State to negate everything Abbott and Trump thought they were gaining in Texas. California political reporter Monica Madden and Texas House Democratic Leader Gene Wu both join host Jeremy Wallace to explain how much harder of a lift for Newsom this really was — with a lot of help from Texans, at least financially. It partly explains why Newsom is taking a victory lap in Houston [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/gavin-newsom-houston-rally-21144366.php] to celebrate his victory. Plus, reporter Taylor Goldenstein joins the program to help make sense of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's somewhat awkward speech to college students, where he focused heavily on his own legal troubles and the attempt by fellow Republicans to oust him from office two years ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

A Battle That Never Ends

Even after 189 years, the tale of the Alamo remains one of the most debated pieces of Texas history. And it continues to produce casualties to this day. Just this week, the person at the center of the reconstruction around the Alamo was forced out after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick objected to something she wrote for her college dissertation. Columnist Chris Tomlinson joins the show to talk about the latest drama around the iconic mission. Plus, reporter Ryan Nickerson digs into who might be the next member of Congress from Texas. And finally, Houston Democrat Andrew White stops by the show to explain why he is running for governor again and what lessons from his father’s winning 1982 campaign have been incorporated into his bid to defeat Greg Abbott next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

An Exclusive with Wesley Hunt

One of the rarest things to do in Texas politics is to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator in a primary. It has only happened once since World War II, yet Houston Republican Wesley Hunt is jumping headfirst into the 2026 GOP primary convinced he can beat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. In this special episode of the Texas Take, Hunt explains why he’s running, talks about the role President Donald Trump has played in the campaign so far and defends his voting record after having a higher missed vote percentage than most members of Congress from Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]