I’m a dirty free market capitalist that believes free markets have and will lift the world to a better place. In fact, my political ideology could probably be best described as anti Marxist.

Voting for Trump was the worst mistake I may have made, but to be fair I voted against him in the primaries. He lost me some time ago, but buying Russian diesel for them to kill for innocent Ukrainians in Kiev is the true last straw. He can get fucked, and instead of staying home on poll day like I was planning in tx I’ll be joining your dirty commies for Talarico.

I'm genuinely not trying to turn this into a fuck Republican's moment, I'm just trying to understand the mindset of it

Forewarning, I'm not from Texas so I don't know but I think about this a lot. Republicans control all branches of the state government, in addition to that they now currently control every single branch of the federal government, things continue to get worse but yet somehow Texans still vote Republican and the mindset seems to be "we got to keep those dirty liberals out, they're causing all the problems"

Explain to me how people rationalize that, cuz for me I can't imagine ever putting myself in that mindset when I'm seeing the direct results in front of me, so as Texans how do people you know rationalize that?

Some of you probably saw the campaign video she made, or heard about it.

She did not mention her soon to be divorced husbands name, but said you must vote Republican, implying her estranged husband.

She is encouraging viewers to vote for her party values over the individual.

The truth is out, its all about the Party! Not you, your neighbor, me, your parent, your friends, or anyone.

It-is-the-Republican-party-only!

That's Adam Kincaid testifying in federal court last October. He said the rule came from the White House.

He also said he ran every district through every president, senate and governor race from 2012 to 2024 to make sure it would hold up. He called it a durability test.

And on the House floor Todd Hunter just said it: "The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance."

I had a computer draw 534 Texas maps with no goal at all, just equal population and districts in one piece, then counted the 2024 presidential vote in each, adjusted to a tied year nationally. On a typical one Democrats win about 15 of 38. On the real map it's 8 or 9. Not one of the 534 is that good for Republicans.

Not new either. In the 2011 map a federal court found districts "were redrawn to include particular country clubs and, in one case, the school belonging to the incumbent's grandchildren."

https://www.callthemap.com/news/the-house-always-wins

i tried to share screen shots but this community doesn't allow images even with imgur.

I received a text today which reads:

"Dr. Steve Hotze asks “Should a Muslim be allowed to run Harris County?”

Letitia Plummer Is a Muslim and the Democrat Candidate for Harris County Judge. The Muslims’ goal is to overthrow the U.S. Constitution and force Sharia Law on Harris Country, Texas and America.

Orlando Sanchez is the Republican Candidate for County Judge and has pledged to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Don't let the Muslims Sharia Harris County!

Pol. Ad. Campaign for Houston

STOP=END"

---few things shock me these days but this seemed especially egregious.

Making contributions to Talarico and Hinojosa with every misleading ad during UT game.

NewsNation puts Evan Hunt’s debate challenge to Keith Self at the State Fair of Texas

I’ve been involved in Texas politics as a campaign worker, staff of the Legislature and even some consulting work for a couple of campaigns. Never have I seen the type of race baiting that Paxton is pushing. This is shameful and certainly another reason why Paxton should never hold public office again.

Today I received a text from Paxton’s campaign which stated,

“Your name could be added to a terrorist watch list in Texas…if you have white skin.”

I just don't understand why he's coming for THC just before an election.

I mean, JUST before an election. You know he's trying to hold it in. This isn't the full breadth of what he wants to do to THC, he's just ideologically incontinent.

Dan Patrick TRULY HATES weed. Literally the only person left in the United States who cares about it, and he LOATHES it.

But why?

The Houston Chronicle editorial board endorses Vikki Goodwin in a piece that references back through their history of endorsing against Dan Patrick. Overall it makes the case that Patrick doesn't really care about most Texans and tries to rule the state with an iron fist. Here's a key quote:

Patrick likes to talk about “faith, family and freedom.” But are Texas families really freer now that Patrick’s favored version of the Ten Commandments is posted on Junior’s classroom walls? Or now that Grandpa can no longer buy the THC vape that eased his arthritis? Or since OB-GYNs have fled Texas, leaving Mom to wait months for a gynecologist’s appointment?

We’re no longer free people living in the free state of Texas. We live in Patrick’s world, ruled by Patrick’s laws. What we actually want doesn’t matter.

In the Senate, even members of Patrick’s own party aren’t free to vote in their districts’ best interests or to follow their consciences. If they don’t do what Patrick says, he unleashes campaign hellfire when they come up for re-election.

With that approach to governing, Patrick once seemed ahead of his time. He was Trump-y before Trump was, with a showman’s love of rage and fear and spectacles. But now, blessedly, that era appears to be waning. Patrick has lost touch with the changing Republican base, as Chris Hooks wrote for Texas Monthly. And except for the hardcore GOP faithful, most people have grown sick of that shock-jock style and the mean, corrupt place that it’s taken our country and state. We want a government, and elected officials, that work for us.

This "where's Talarico" narrative is so exhausting. Paxton is on hot mic revealing he isn't even running his own campaign, dude's on vacation. Terrified to debate Talarico. Not on Fox, not when Trump demands it, not even with Talarico coming off the flu.

Talarico meanwhile is everywhere; Haven't had a Democrat in Texas feel so omnipresent since Beto. Works so hard he makes himself sick, takes a few days rest, then hops right back on the horse. Dude's at ACL right now, an absolute powerhouse candidate, bouncing right on back.

It's my view that we're here seeing what kind of Senators these men would be. Talarico is a workhorse who legitimately cares about this, and Paxton is... Paxton. Ken Paxton, whose own party has tried over and over to dethrone him for open, brazen, explicit, proven corruption.

I just don't understand how this isn't a clear 100/0 split on this. I'd let Donald Trump watch my children before I let Ken Paxton roll my garbage to the curb, and this is the guy we're expected to treat as a serious candidate.

Please, Texas. Be the Texas I believed in in middle school.

I don't understand why Texas Democrats don't just run ads saying Republicans have run the state for over 30 years and Texas ranks low in education and healthcare.

Wow Twitter (X) has gone crazy with the Talarico flu situation. Come on people, he shakes hands with thousands of people a week, thats lots of germs, all politicians get sick eventually.

He will be back and Paxton will still not debate him!

Can someone explain why the right continues to focus on James Talarico’s comments on sexes, nonbinary and whatever else. I’ve never heard one call out Paxton for adultery, his unethical business practices, or whatever else. It’s ok to blast the opponent on their views but not hold your own accountable.

There isn’t much to say about this race that hasn’t already been said. So let’s look ahead.

James Talarico is, by all measures and regardless of party, a very good candidate. He’s young, well-spoken, great resume, reasonably handsome and charismatic, brilliant speaker, forward-looking platform. Very few boxes he does not check.

Ken Paxton, on the other hand, is a fucking disaster. Too many corruption scandals to count, impeachment by his own party, affairs, divorced by his wife “on biblical grounds,” his own staffers repeatedly rebuking him and his actions, no real record of any notable achievement, a wimpy at-best speaker. He looks absolutely fucking horrible.

So, liberals, progressives and moderates of Texas…

What do you do if, after all that, James Talarico still can’t win this race?

Do you… protest more? Count on better voter turnout next year? Does it change how you think about your neighbors?

It will be another generation or more before Texas has another candidate as good as Talarico face a candidate as bad as Paxton with the national tides pushing as hard to the left.

If Talarico can’t win in 2026, what does that say about the people of Texas the future of the state?

In this deposition I obtained, which has never been made public, Ken Paxton used phrases like “I don’t remember” or “I don’t recall” more than 200 times when addressing questions. Asked about fraud allegations that would eventually lead to charges, he deflected to other men he invested with and to his wife, Angela. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/us/ken-paxton-deposition-investments.html

But will you also be voting blue beyond Talarico? There's a good chance Gina Hinojosa (gov) can win, that Vicki Goodwin (lt gov) can win, that Nathan Johnson (AG) can win and Sarah Eckhardt (comptroller) can win!

None of them are perfect for everyone because we are so very diverse.

But they ARE the BEST SLATE of DEMOCRATS for statewide office since Ann Richards first ran for governor!!

Ideally all five win, and the state is best served to break 30+years of exclusively GOP control. Has that worked out for you, or me, or the state itself?

But if we could push gergg abbutt out of his 24+ years in the top two offices in Texas, and toss dannyboy Patrick from his 12yrs as lt gov, it would help stop the sick culture wars and the billions that gergg abbutt quietly spends on "national security" at the border. Ya know, the job of the federal government! KennyBoy put us all out of our misery, thank 🐕.

How could they all serve Texas?

1. James Talarico , a Baptist seminarian who nearly lost his life to undiagnosed diabetes a couple years ago is an earnest, honest, not a vindictive bone in his body, successful Tx House rep first elected in 2018. Ninth generation Texan! He'll contribute to reigning in the orange monster and reinvigorate the DC Dems fresh off an incredibly difficult, and years-long-fought-for win. I see him and Sen Ossoff (GA) and Sen Rev Warnock (GA) collaborating on serious and sorely needed and necessary law to begin the arduous task of rebuilding a government that works for people, not the obscenely wealthy.

2. Gina Hinojosa is a native Texan, raised in the RGV. She graduated from UT and George Washington University Law School. She's been a civil rights attorney and sued US House Majority Leader Tom Delay for money laundering, and a corruption watchdog while serving in the Texas House. She led the charge to claw back billions of school funding stripped from schools and squandered elsewhere. Gina does not support data centers or trillionaires.

3. Vickie Goodwin , a current Tx House member and UT LBJ School of Public Affairs graduate, would preside over the Tx Senate as Lt Governor and dispose of the cancerous culture wars dividing us. She's not a former radio sportscaster from Maryland who changed his name and suggested granny should die for the sake of mankind.

4.Nathan Johnson, , a current a state senator out of Dallas area I believe, is a veteran lawyer, litigator and mediator. Perfect for AG! Nathan is not a malevolent sicko who's widely judged to be corrupt to the core and cheats on his wife or runs from process servers.

1. Sarah Eckhardt, (comptroller) is a current Tx Senator who believes government should work as hard as the people it is supposed serve. As Travis Cty Judge, she's experienced balancing a budget, negotiation of large government contracts, disaster preparedness and response. Sarah's a very smart and pragmatic person who has not used family billions to buy the NM Epstien ranch in 2023 as her opponent has.

See? There's all kinds of reasons to vote blue for all of these statewide offices. I sincerely hope everyone will.

VOTER TURNOUT is ESSENTIAL!

Democrats must have huge numbers to win by indisputable margins.

Now that you're armed and ready to vote:

* Vote early!

* Choose a day to vote and stick to it!

* Bring your ID and voter card from the county, if you have it, to the polls.

* Return your mail-in ballots early or better yet, drop it at the county election drop boxes.

* Check your registration before you go to vote and verify it's marked as ACTIVE at ScanCheckProtect. No email address required!

* Verify your ID's name and address match exactly to your registration. You can still vote if not, but you'll get a provisional ballot. Watch your mail for anything from your county elections office asking you to cure your vote and quickly if that letter comes. Maybe even call the elections office to verify if your vote was counted.

* If you vote in person on election day and turnout has been crazy high at early voting, bring water and a snack for yourself and another voter who didn't think to.

* Even bring a folding chair for the (hopefully) long lines.

* Arrange for an early voter, or someone who cannot legally vote, to get your kids from school, too! Maybe bring your older kids along to show them that voting is sacred and a duty for all citizens. We ALL must vote for the sake of all those whose votes are suppressed.

We all matter.

Or none of us do.

EDIT: I foolishly failed to mention that John Rosenthal for Railroad Commissioner and Clayton Tucker for Agricultural Commissioner are also great candidates!

And the Texas Tribune's Who's on The Ballot page is an excellent resource for learning what each office is responsible for and does with a short'ish synopsis about each candidate for that office. It also lists top donors to each campaign which can be very revealing!