Different looks at new entrant in GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Texas Wesley Hunt's favorability ratings (and name recognition) in Texas via August 2025 UT/@TxPolProject Poll. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/wesley-h... #txlege #tx2026 #TxSen2026

New Second Reading Podcast: Joshua Blank & I look at the Texas public opinion context of the shutdown, including attitudes about the national debt, federal deficit, & healthcare. Via YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, & the Texas Politics Project website. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDF7...

Trend in Texas job approval of the U.S. Congress, overall & by party identification, from our Texas Politics Project poll data archive. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/us-congr... #govtshutdown2025

New Second Reading pod: Joshua Blank & I talk abt the intersection of economic concerns & Trump ratings in Texas + public polling strategies early in the election cycle. On Spotify Apple Podcasts, YouTube & the Texas Politics Project website: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-... #tx2026 #txlege

New Second Reading podcast,: Joshua Blank & I look at the arc of views of Trump in Texas & how his numbers intersect persistent economic concerns among TX voters. And: we consider different approaches to (very) early polling in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. On YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGGY...

Americans don't think college is worth it. It is. Via Emily Peck for @axios.com www.axios.com/newsletters/... #axiosam

New Second Reading podcast: Joshua Blank & I look at Texas Politics Project polling on redistricting, marijuana, property taxes, & other priorities in the special #txlege sessions, as well as Tx job approvals. Plus: some data on Texans’ view of political violence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-yM...

President’s approval rating in Texas. From @jhenson.bsky.social and UT/Texas Politics Project. #txlege

New UT/Texas Politics Project Poll: Texas redistricting: 34% approve/41% disapprove Donald Trump job approval: 43% approve/50% disapprove James Talarico fav/unfav among Tx Dem: 31%/9% TX direction: 38% right direction/53% wrong track Much more: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/texas-v... [fixed link]

Moderated a panel on the #Txlege yesterday w/ Gromer Jeffers, Brad Johnson, Harvey Kronberg & Mark Jones for the Professional Advocacy Association of Texas, who let us use it for a Second Reading podcast. Plus: a preview of new Texas Politics Project polling. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-...

Do you think vaccines are safe? Texas responses from Dec. 2024 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/general-... Entirely/mostly safe: All 70%; D 86%; R 58%; I 63% Entirely/mostly unsafe: All 12%; D 3%; R 19%; I12% Neither/DK: D 11%; R 23%; I 25% #txlege

.@AlanGreenblatt lands an interview with @GregAbbott_TX for @GOVERNING www.governing.com/politics/how... #txlege

Texas support for giving individuals additional rights to sue people or entities that helped someone obtain abortion pills in violation of state law (April '25 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll) R: 40% support/37% oppose D: 15% / 75% I: 22%/56% More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/support-... #txlege

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #txlege have handled #abortion policy, by age More tabs: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #txlege have handled #abortion policy, among men & women Men: 33% approve / 39% disapproves / 28% neither/dk Women: 23% approve / 51% disapprove / 25% neither/dk More tabs: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

New Second Reading podcast: @TexasTribune co-founder @rossramsey joins me & Joshua Blank to mull the sense of changes in practices & politics at the #txlege that pervades the Texas Capitol. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-...

“The investigation into President Trump’s former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, began to pick up momentum during the Biden administration…” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/u...

Should gun laws in Texas be more or less strict? Different looks at results from the April '25 UT/@TxPolProject Poll below. Much more on gun attitudes in Texas: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/polling/sear... #Txlege

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., fav/unfav in Texas, via June 2025 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. Rs: 71% fav / 10% unfav / 20% neither/dk Ds: 9% fav / 81% unfav / 9% neither/dk Ind: 28% fav / 54% unfav / 19% neither/dk More tabs below and at TxPP website: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/robert-f...

TX support for #txlege "giving individuals additional rights to sue people or entities that they believe helped someone obtain abortion pills in violation of state law" (April '25 Texas Politics Project Poll) R: 40% support/37% oppose D: 15%/75% I: 22%/56% texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/support-...

Among those who said endorsements were at least somewhat important to their vote in the 2024 Texas primaries, about 1% said Taylor Swift (best wishes) was the endorsement most important to them. #txlege (More from Feb 2024 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/files/202402...)

Trend in Gov. Greg Abbott job approval in Texas, via Texas Politics Project data archive. More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/greg-abb... #txlege

Trend in Dan Patrick job approval in Texas, via @TxPolProject data archive. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/dan-patr... #txlege

A few looks at Texas job approval of Speaker Dustin Burrows from the June 2025 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/dustin-b... #txlege

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #Txlege have handled K-12 public ed, from June 2025. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

" MAGA's utopia looks a lot like America in the 1950s — before the sexual revolution, mass immigration, the Civil Rights Act and expanded LGBTQ rights reshaped the country's culture and demographics." Via Tal Axelrod & Zachary Basu www.axios.com/2025/08/24/t...

”…said Enrique Tarrio, the chairman of the Proud Boys, who took part in many of those early far-right rallies. “Honestly, what do we have to complain about these days?” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/u...

Trend in Donald Trump favorability ratings among Texas Republicans, via @TxPolProject archive. Good night. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/donald-t... #txlege

Texas agreement/disagreement with the statement: "Generally speaking, the way state government runs in Texas serves as a good model for other states to follow?" texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/texas-mo... #txlege

Trends in Texans' view of the direction of the country, via Texas Politics Project polling data. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/directio... #txlege

Callback to Texas views of how the #Txlege handled redistricting, from October 2021 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

Judge Orders That ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center Be Shut Down for Now www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/u...

On this week's Second Reading podcast, a look at some of the implications of the Texas House Democrats' return to the Texas Capitol and mid-decade redistricting in Texas. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnWq... #txlege

Classes start soon at colleges & universities across the state. Use our open-access #internship bulletin board to post your openings for internships in govt, politics, law, political communication. It's easy to use & will get a lot of views: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/internship #txlege

The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/u...

Some cross-currents: Texas support for/opposition to prohibiting by-mail voting for voters over the age of 65 unless they have a medical condition (April 2023 UT/ @TxPolProject Poll). texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/support-... #txlege

ICYMI, the eye-popper in today's PPI: a 39% rise in wholesale fresh vegetable prices. It's the largest month-on-month increase ever recorded in the summer (data to 1947), and one of the ten largest ever, regardless of season. With the estimable @alexjamesfitz.com www.axios.com/2025/08/14/i...

You'll see what I mean. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj_d... #txlege

Two things can be true: 1) The President has legal authority over the D.C. police and the D.C. National Guard that he doesn't have *anywhere else* in the country; & 2) Even if this doesn't set a legal precedent, it sets an ominous *political* precedent for pretextually overriding local government.

A few looks at Texas approval/diapproval of how state leaders and the #Txlege have handled #abortion policy. Overall: 28% approve/45% disapprove/26% neither/dk Women: 23% approve/51% disapprove/25% neither/dk Men: 33% approve/39% disapprove/28%neither/dk texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #txlege handled #redistricting on the first try - results from October 2021 UT/Texas Politics Project Polling. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval... #txlege

Some context for the Democratic quorum break in Texas, via the Texas Politics Project polling archive: Trend in favorability ratings of the Democratic Party among Texas self-identified Democrats, broken down by intensity of party ID. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/democrat... #txlege

Texas attitudes & expectations related to U.S. #tariff policies from the June 2025 UT/@TxPolProject Poll. Shares that expect tariffs will result in higher prices for everyday goods: All: 71% R: 51% D: 92% I: 82% Results to many more items & complete tabs: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/polling/sear...

Should voting rules in Texas should be made more strict, less strict, or left as they are? From April 2025 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/should-t... All: 37% more strict, 23% less, 34% left alone Rs: 61% more, 6% less, 30% left Ds: 11% more, 44% less, 38% less #Txlege

“It is free in the sense that a used car handed over by a neighbor looking to get it out of his driveway is free.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/u...

John Cornyn calls for special counsel look at Obama’s handling of 2016 Russia probe @texastribune.org www.texastribune.org/2025/07/25/c... Context: Trend in Cornyn job approval among conservatives in Texas, via Texas Politics Project: More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/john-cor... #TX2026 #txlege

All 11 Texas Senate Democrats have joined together to propose a constitutional amendment that would ban mid-decade redistricting, except as ordered by a court. #txlege capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/T...

A Public Opinion Cheat Sheet for the (First) Special Session of the 89th #TxLege texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/a-publi...

Trends in Texas views of marijuana regulation in Texas, overall & for partisans, via Texas Politics Project polling data archive. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/marijuan... #txlege