If you feel like everything around you is getting worse, it’s not just you. Millions of Texans across the state are feeling the pressure too and wondering if things will ever get better. I’m here to tell you they will, even if it doesn’t seem like it yet.

To understand how we got here, we have to step back in time to 2003, when Texas Republicans consolidated control over all three branches of government in the state for the first time in history. They won by promising Texas real reform, to make the state better for working families and businesses alike, but history shows us this did not exactly pan out the way they promised.

After consolidating power, Texas Republicans worked to turn the state into a capitalist’s dream: lower taxes, fewer regulations, and hollowed-out social programs. They even deregulated college tuition which sent costs soaring for students and families. Texas Republicans did all this while promising prosperity for regular people, and, to nobody’s surprise, these reforms made life harder for everyday Texans.

In return for giving big businesses more power, Texans were rewarded with less income, less stability, and less upward mobility. And despite skyrocketing inflation, Texas Republicans have never once considered increasing the minimum wage, which currently sits at a depressing $7.25/hr.

Since 2004, the cost of housing in Texas metros has more than doubled in many areas, far outpacing wages, leaving families stretched extremely thin just to keep a roof over their heads. That’s not even mentioning groceries, utilities, and gas, which have all risen roughly 60–70% over the same period, making every month feel like an existential fight to make ends meet.

Social programs that were meant to catch families when they fall have been cut or left underfunded, and millions of dollars in federal Medicaid funds go unused because Texas Republicans refuse to expand the program. This leaves millions of impoverished Texas without reliable childcare, health care, or support in times of crisis.

While the future for working class Texans looks bleak now, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. While Texas Republicans may have the money, there are tens of millions of Texans who hold the real power, with their voices and votes. In the 2024 general election in Texas, turnout was about 49.65% of the voting‑age population, which means roughly half of Texans old enough to vote didn’t cast a ballot in that race. Texas Democrats could retake power with just a small uptick in turnout, but they must truly embrace populist, common-sense positions that actually speak to the concerns of working Texans.

That, it seems, might be the real challenge after all.

In this video, recorded back in 2014, Herrera is seen promoting the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group dedicated to whitewashing the real history of the Civil War. The group claims that the United States was the aggressor against the Confederacy and they also downplay the role that chattel slavery played in the war.

Throughout the duration of the footage, Herrera peddles talking points often used by Lost Causers. He called the Civil War a “war of northern aggression,” which contradicts recorded history. He also goes on to explain the purpose of the organization, which he said is open to “male descendants” of the Confederate terrorists.

The SCV, or the Sons of Confederate Veterans, is an historical honor society, dedicated to preserving Confederate heritage and learning more about our ancestors who fought and died in the War of Northern aggression. —Brandon Herrera

The group doesn’t just try to rewrite history, but they also maintain a burning hatred for the United States. At one point in the video, Herrera explains how this group shoots at targets of American soldiers. “Once a year we actually have what we call our annual Yankee shoot,” Herrera said in the video. “We go out back with black powder rifles … and we go out and we shoot up posters of our favorite Yankees.”

This latest controversy follows another unearthed video of Herrera, where he is showing off his copy of Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler’s personal manifesto that has been slammed by critics as the schizophrenic ravings of a meth-addicted man.

Herrera appears to have a tough fight on his hands and it will be interesting to see what other controversies arise before election day. Democrats see this as a prime opportunity to flip another red seat, but it remains to be seen how much they will invest in this race.

Despite sitting on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Corpus Christi faces a growing water crisis as city leaders warn summer demand could soon outpace supply. According to the city’s water supply dashboard, they currently have 346 days until they reach a Level 1 Water Emergency that would affect over a quarter of a million residents.

Corpus Christi has historically received much of its fresh water from Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir. Due to widespread industrial expansion in the region, these water sources have not been able to keep pace with the growing demand and water levels have noticeably declined. Earlier this month it was reported that Lake Corpus Christi water levels dropped below 10%, a stunning decline that critics say is the direct result of unchecked industrial demand.

U.S. Senate Candidate James Talarico (D) released a statement slamming Texas Republicans for failing to reign in corporations for their ever-increasing water demand. Companies like Tesla and Exxon operate massive facilities in the region that have driven demand beyond a point that natural water fresh levels can reasonably supply. Exxon’s facility alone uses around 25 million gallons of water per day at full capacity.

“Giant corporations have guzzled water from Corpus Christ’s already limited supply for years — using more water than all residents combined. Now the city is facing an emergency water shortage, and politicians like John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Greg Abbott are protecting the interests of corporations and the billionaires who run them at the expense of the people of Corpus Christi.”
— James Talarico

The overall demand for fresh water in Corpus Christi is expected to explode with the opening of the new Harbor Bridge that now allows larger vessels and a higher volume of ships to pass through. This makes Corpus Christi’s ports a much more attractive business opportunity for a wide range of companies throughout the supply chain process. This growth will place significant pressure on the region’s declining water supplies, even as state leaders appear unconcerned about the broader statewide trend of dwindling freshwater sources.

City leaders attempted to tackle this issue by investing in a desalination plant, but ultimately decided against it after cost estimates ballooned from $160 million to over $1.2 billion. This forced the city council to scramble to find alternatives, which led to the approval of a $175 million brackish desalination plant alongside other scaled-down projects. Unfortunately, they aren’t expected to come online until later this year, long after the projected date for the water emergency declaration.

It’s unclear how the city plans on filling the gaps in demand before their new infrastructure comes online, but state leaders have threatened to takeover and micromanage the city if a solution is not found.

Texas’ 23rd congressional district has voted for Donald Trump in the last three presidential elections and he carried the district by 15 points in 2024, but today Democrats are now surging in new district polling. According to a new survey from Public Policy Polling, James Talarico beats both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton among TX-23 voters in the race for U.S. Senate. In the gubernatorial race, Gina Hinojosa is tied with current incumbent Greg Abbott, while Democrat Katy Padilla Stout trails Brandon Herrera in the race for U.S. House by just two points.

Republican Tony Gonzales currently holds this seat, but was forced to end his re-election campaign after pressure from national Republicans following an affair with a staffer that preceded her self-immolation. The GOP’s replacement for Gonzales is Brandon Herrera, a controversial social media figure who may prove to be too-polarizing for TX-23 voters.

Democrats believe these latest developments have opened a rare opportunity to flip this West Texas congressional district. This would be a stunning blow to Republicans, who spent weeks and large amounts of political capital on their mid-decade redistricting efforts that were designed to make sure places like TX-23 would elect a Republican. This latest poll is more evidence that Democrats are becoming more competitive in places once considered safe havens for Republicans.

While Democrats should feel confident with these numbers coming out of TX-23, the district comes with its own unique set of challenges that makes traditional campaigning very difficult. Still, Democrats do stand a real chance at flipping this U.S. House district if they seriously invest in the race and if Katy Padilla Stout can win over the trust of local voters. Padilla Stout is a former public school teacher and current attorney running on a progressive populist platform that includes universal Pre-K, Medicare for All, and reducing costs for working families.

This polling should be setting off alarm bells for national Republicans. If they lose this House seat, Democrats will almost certainly have the numbers to take back the House after the midterms. And over in the Senate, this poll shows James Talarico with a massive 5-6 point lead over both potential Republican opponents among TX-23 voters. If Talarico finishes in November with similar numbers in other rural districts, he will be the next U.S. Senator from Texas.

Whether the polling numbers hold or shift as the campaign unfolds, one thing is quite clear: this district is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races in the state and potentially one of the most consequential.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration moved forward with plans to begin construction on a border wall through Big Bend National Park. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem issued a determination to waive federal laws that protect environmentally and culturally sensitive areas, to pave the way for the construction of the border wall in Big Bend National Park. Now, Texas Democrats are ramping up their efforts to defend one of the state’s most treasured landmarks.

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico took to social media to express his strong opposition to these plans, telling Donald Trump to “come and take it,” a reference to a battle flag used during the Texas Revolution. Today, 47 members of the Texas House penned a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, urging him to use the power of his office to stop the project from moving forward. Abbott, for his part, reaffirmed his support for Trump administration priorities, telling Marfa Public Radio that he “fully supports using every tool and strategy to aid in the Trump administration’s deterrence of illegal immigrants.”

Locals and environmental activists are warning about the implications of constructing such a large wall through the environmentally sensitive region. And Democrats are seizing on this opportunity to save an important Texas landmark, which they believe is a winning issue even for rural voters in the Trans-Pecos region.

An interactive Customs and Border Protection (CBP) map shows the portions of the park where there are currently plans to construct a physical barrier, which experts say would severely disrupt local wildlife. In addition to the environmental costs, these plans also threaten to cutoff access to the river for park visitors, including areas near Rio Grande Village, a popular destination for tourists.

Big Bend National Park falls within Texas’ 23rd congressional district, represented by Republican Tony Gonzales. Gonzales is facing a difficult reelection campaign following a personal scandal involving an affair with a staffer that preceded her self-immolation. The race has since drawn heightened national attention. Democrats view the district as increasingly competitive territory in a region that has historically leaned Republican, and some are also using the moment to spotlight questions about Big Bend’s long-term future.

With federal waivers now in place, the future of border wall construction through Big Bend remains uncertain but increasingly likely. As political tensions rise in D.C. and Texas, the fight over the park’s landscape is quickly becoming both an environmental flashpoint and a campaign issue.

This story includes a reference to self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for support.

On a warm Sunday afternoon, over a thousand supporters of State Rep. James Talarico packed into the historic Stable Hall near downtown San Antonio to hear the lawmaker make his final pitch to South Texas voters.

Talarico was introduced by Uvalde’s State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who delivered a fiery speech in support of his friend. Gutierrez took the stage and told the crowd that he supports Talarico because he has “ganas,” a Spanish term for “desire” or “urge.”

Talarico took to the stage after Gutierrez riled up the crowd and immediately commanded the room’s attention. He began the rally by thanking his supporters and reminding folks that he started his professional career right here in San Antonio, teaching at Rhodes Middle School on the east side of town. The main message of the evening was focused on “love” and “unity,” with Talarico making them the central theme of each and every political issue he spoke about.

Talarico made a broad pitch to the room, telling the crowd that he believed there was a place for everyone in the movement he is trying to build here in Texas. He boldly proclaimed that even Trump supporters who are “sick and tired of the corruption,” have a place in the movement. His message sounded more like that of a candidate making a pitch for a general election crowd, rather than a primary election where the rhetoric is more confrontational. This approach may be a sign of confidence from Talarico and his campaign about their odds ahead of Tuesday’s election.

At the conclusion of Talarico’s speech, he thanked everybody for showing up and promised to take a photo with every person who wanted one. Volunteers helped coordinate the line and it wrapped around the inside of the venue out into the main plaza. With such a large number of people waiting, it took over an hour and a half for the line to end, yet Talarico maintained his positive energy and connected with each and every person that walked up to take a picture.

Texas will have one final opportunity to vote in the Democratic primary election on Tuesday, March 3.

Deep in North Texas, Sand Branch is a small unincorporated community of fewer than 100 residents on the outskirts of Dallas County. Founded by freed Black Texans after the Civil War, it remains the county’s poorest community. The community currently falls within Texas’s 5th Congressional District and is represented in Congress by Rep. Lance Gooden.

Sand Branch has long-been neglected by local, state, and federal leaders for decades and the community still has no access to running water or a modern sewage systems, which makes day-to-day life extremely difficult for the residents. James Talarico, who is currently running for U.S. Senate, saw what was happening and used his campaign infrastructure to setup a water drive to deliver clean water to the Sand Branch community.

Local organizers in Sand Branch took to social media to praise Talarico and everyone who assisted in bringing fresh water to the community. Organizers are still pleading with the public and government officials to bring decent infrastructure to the community so residents can safely access clean drinking water and safely dispose of waste.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett and other Texas Democrats have previously advocated for the Sand Branch community, however it remains neglected by the state’s Republican government.

For those interested in more information for how they can help Sand Branch, visit waterforsandbranch.org

Alfonso Salazar is running for the Democratic nomination for District Attorney in Hays County and has been endorsed by several organizations, including Vote Vets, the Texas Progressive Caucus, and Texas Young Democrats among many others. Salazar is a veteran, former member of law enforcement, and attorney who believes he can best serve the Hays County community as District Attorney.

I sat down with Salazar to learn more about his background and vision for the future of Hays County’s DA’s office.

The following interview has been edited for brevity.

Salinas: Thanks Alfonso for joining me, I appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions. I think it’d be great to learn a little bit more about your background and kind of what’s led to this part of your journey.

Salazar: Yeah, so about myself. I’m originally from San Antonio. I was raised by a single mom and my entire life, it seems like, has been pushing me to this election. When I turned 14 years old, my older sister was murdered in a gun violence incident; a guy opened a shotgun up into a crowd and my sister pushed her best friend out of the way and ended up taking a shotgun shell to the back. Um, so that changed my life. It changed my mom’s life. My sister was her best friend, so that left me kind of alone. She was already working 2 or 3 jobs and then having to try and mourn my older sister. It left me angry, alone, lost.

Salinas: Wow — yeah, that can really change somebody, for sure.

Salazar: Yeah, and so for a little bit there, I didn’t know what I was going to do. And it really does take a village of people to raise a kid. So, five women in my area that were friends of my buddy’s parents dragged me along. They took me everywhere that they took their own sons and told me that I would never be a stereotype because I would end up in jail or dead. And there was enough of that.

Salinas: Mhmm, yeah, absolutely.

Salazar: So they got me all the way through high school. But being from a working class family, poor, there was no options for college. I got my first job at 14 years old and I’ve been working ever since. And I didn’t know what I was gonna do. Well, 2 of those buddies of mine had joined the military and they came back and asked me, “well, are you going to try to do something? You should join the military. whether you want to or not.” So I did, and I became a military police officer for the Air Force. And the reason that’s important is because, I’m a little brown boy, I look the way I look, I dress the way I dress, I talk the way I talk. So from 14 until I left for the military, I was always harassed by law enforcement. I was detained for no reason, I saw what bad cops look like and the responsibility of the job.

Salinas: Yeah, having that both-sides perspective can really help in a position like this.

Salazar: Right, and so then I was a military police officer for 12 years to the Air Force. And during that process, I went to UT and got my undergrad degree in government and European studies with a minor in history. After that, I was in the Texas National Air National Guard, I went to Baylor Law School. And since I was a military police officer for so long at that point, I got the opportunity to go to the Williamson County felony division and work on felony cases, I had my 3 year bar card, so they allowed me to practice law even before I graduated. And I sat 2nd chair on a murder trial. And so that was my 1st experience as a lawyer was dealing with that. So, I went from putting people in prison because they gave me no choice to McClennan County where I set up or helped set up their first DWI and drug court. And this afforded us the opportunity to give people a second chance instead of ruining their lives.

Salinas: Right — yeah, restorative.

Salazar: Yeah, I went full circle, right? I had no choice in Williamson County, but to put these people away because the crimes were so bad. So, I eventually deployed again, and then finally, I separated from the Air Force in 2020. After that, I opened my own practice and I was focusing on criminal defense and civil rights. Civil rights cases extend out of my criminal cases for the majority of the time. It’s just officers that are doing their job incorrectly, violently or not following the law.

Salinas: Sorry to interject, but, you know, a lot of what I’ve noticed is there’s a fine line that a lot of defense attorneys draw between the civil rights aspect and the criminal aspect, but it’s interesting that you care about both.

Salazar: So I tell everybody, my clients, people that I’m suing, anybody. Two things can be accurate and two things can be true at the same time, right? Is my guy guilty or my gal guilty of breaking the law? Maybe. Did that officer violate a bunch of rights that are constitutionally protected and they hurt my person in the process? Sure, they both need to be held accountable.

Salinas: Mhmm, yeah, that makes sense.

Salazar: So from 2020 to about 2022, I shared an office with the current elected DA. And he came into my office one day and he’s like, hey, you know about politics and stuff, run my campaign. I’m going to be the DA. And I laughed and I was like, “no, you’re not, you’re not gonna do this.” And he’s like, “no, I’m serious.” And so I told him, “come back in 2 months when you file your treasury paperwork and then I’ll be ready.” And he did—he came back and told me he was running and filed the paperwork. And so we came up with a vision for the county, we put on a hell of a campaign, and we won by a landslide. Now, he’s stepping down now because of medical issues, but more importantly, he fell short.

Salinas: Oh really, in what ways?

Salazar: We created a vision for the county that we both wanted and he wasn’t able to deliver. And so I feel like the best person for the job would be me. I helped create that vision. I can finish it.

Salinas: That’s very interesting, it helps to know how your past has brought you to this present moment. Now, I wanted to ask you specifically, what does success in Hays County look like for you if you win this nomination and go on to win the general election?

Salazar: So the first thing I want to do as the DA is fix our intake division, right? What that means is, there’s a three step process. Police officers or law enforcement do their job, make an arrest, see a crime, stop a crime. Then what they do is they put a packet of information together and deliver that to the DA’s intake office. That intake office that decides what crime was broken or what crime happened, what should be charged if it should be charged. That office is wasted all across the United States and specifically here in Hays. We find that the intake division only utilizes what’s called a probable cause affidavit. Basically, it’s the story that police officers have written up. Well, when you file cases based on that, sometimes you don’t have all of the information.

Salinas: Right.

Salazar: So then when the videos and the rest of the reports show up, That report doesn’t reflect what happened and now you have a case that’s been filed, it shouldn’t have been. I wanna end that. I want to make sure that we’re filing cases that should be filed. And that we can prove up. The other thing is, I want to fix the gaps between regular everyday citizens and law enforcement. It’s not fair at all, but what happens in the United States. What happens in Texas, and what happens in all the other departments in Hayes County, affect every law enforcement officer here. What we need in our county is somebody who can stand in the dead center alone on an island. And say, these officers are doing a great job over here, highlight the ones that are doing their job, highlight the ones that are making our community safer. But then when one of them does step out of line, point that out. And say, no, this one is this is the problem. You are doing your job in one of a couple of fashions. One, it’s not illegal. But your demeanor or your actions are eroding the trust of our community. Two. It’s not illegal, but you should definitely not do your job like that. It breaks protocol or or, um, The training you received. Or lastly, it is illegal and we need to handle you because you’re one, you’re making a community unsafe.

Salinas: Yeah, okay, that makes a lot of sense actually.

Salazar: And what we need to do is be proactive in the steps. Because we have individuals here that suffer from being unhoused. Suffer from poverty, suffer from mental health issues, suffer from drug and alcohol addictions, utilizing those things of self medication, jail is not gonna stop those people from committing crimes in the future. Addressing the root of whatever’s happening there is how you stop recidivism rates. And so we can get those people help right up front. We can lower the amount of crime in the county, and we can also just, for pragmatic approaches for people like hardcore Republicans or people that don’t care about second chances, we can save money and we can prevent crime.

Salinas: Yeah, I think that that nuance is so important. Now, I did want to ask a couple of questions about, criminal justice related issues, but kind of like a lightning round, if you will. I mean, feel free to expand on an answer if you really feel like you need it. But yeah, so first, what is your stance on marijuana reform?

Salazar: Look, I tell everybody this, because this is get this is what gets asked at the door all the time when I’m knocking, right? But the government was never meant to be your mommy or your daddy, right? We’re not your parents, but we are is a buffer zone between your rights and my rights, so if you’re at home smoking marijuana or doing something that’s not bothering anybody else, the police shouldn’t even know about it. I shouldn’t even know about it. It’s the problems we get when people are driving high causing accidents. Well, now you have made that my problem. I didn’t go looking for it. You brought it to me. And the one thing that I tell everybody is, do not sell drugs in my county. From where I grew up. I understand what comes with that. It turns into this thing where now you are endangering everyday citizens that didn’t want anything to do with your drug use. That’s where I draw the line in this thing. Will you start making my county more and more unsafe? Now we have problems. If you are a responsible adult, you are doing what you need to be doing and you’re enjoying your things safely wherever you are doing those things. I’m not gonna come looking for you if that makes sense.

Salinas: Yeah, and I think that’s a pretty fair and balanced take. Now, I’m curious, what is your stance on the death penalty?

Salazar: So I am completely conflicted on that question because I have to look at it from every different vantage point, right? What is it doing for us making anything safer here? Is that just a vengeance ploy? Is it less cruel and unusual, right? Let’s say we go to an extreme situation, and we have an individual that’s killed, rapes, done whatever to our Hayes county citizens, and then they’re put into prison, and then they’re assaulting the other prisoners, and the guards, and everyone else in there, and they won’t even just stop the violence while they’re in custody. The next step is, then you lock them in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, and they get to come out by themselves for an hour a day, max, and the isolation is insane, and so like, what am I doing to this person now is that the punishment, and that’s the cruelty? So that’s just one of like a personal conscious thought. The other one is, do I trust the system that much to take somebody’s life? I tell my clients all the time, I have had nuns go into court and been found guilty when they were innocent, and I have had full on criminals going to court and been found innocent when they were 100% guilty. Do I wanna put my beliefs in the system that we currently have that it’s willing to allow me to take somebody’s life? I don’t know, and I think I would have to cross that bridge when I reach the case like I said, they’re all unique. I’m leaning towards note, though. I don’t think I would be able to do that in a fashion that I’m confident that it was the right choice and that it made anything better.

Salinas: Yeah, I appreciate the honesty. Because it is a really important decision.

Salazar: So let me well, let me put it to you this way, right? The person who injured all of those individuals and killed my sister is out living his life. He paroled out of prison, and he’s been out for quite a while. It changes nothing for me. him being out on the street doesn’t make me feel any different, him being in prison, it didn’t make me feel any different, whether they would’ve executed him or not, wouldn’t have made me feel any difference, and it never will undo the thing that you did to me.

Salinas: That’s fair and I appreciate sharing your personal perspective on this issue since you have first-hand experience. Now, I did want to ask about your position on cash bail reform.

Salazar: So, bail in itself has been perverted and used for things that it’s not for, right? There should only be two real reasons that they exists. One, to ensure somebody will come to court, and two, for the safety of the community. One allows people that are innocent, to continue living their lives, or guilty but accused and want to prove up their case, to live their life, right? They still need to earn money like we talked about. Hiring a lawyer is expensive. They need to continue working. They have real life responsibilities. They need to go and pay their bills, take care of their kids, their spouses, significant other, whatever may be, right? The other is, we have those people that fall into the category where they are actual criminals, and I think I should have made this distinction earlier. There are people who get in trouble, and then there are people who are criminals, and doing law enforcement and doing prosecution and doing defense. I have met both of those types of people, right? And what I mean by that is there are people who get in trouble because they didn’t think something through, made a mistake. We don’t ever parcel things out anymore with nuance when we’re talking politics or we’re talking criminal justice.

Salinas: Yeah. I see that.

Salazar: Bonds should be placed just like I said when reviewing cases. So depending on what the allegations are and depending on what the history looks like for this individual, bail and bond will be different.

Salinas: Well Alfonso, thank you so much for your time and allowing me the opportunity to interview you. I really appreciate it and look forward to seeing the results of the primary.

For Hays County voters, early voting will continue until Feb. 27 and Election Day is on March 3.

When it first became clear that the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate would be a contested race, many Texas Democrats were hoping for a clean primary with minimal infighting. Their hopes were bitterly crushed this week as Jasmine Crockett began to directly attack James Talarico with claims that have been debunked as false or misleading.

Earlier this week, Crockett was at a press conference in Dallas where she claimed that James Talarico was a charter school teacher. Friends, family, supporters, and even former students came out to defend Talarico, pushing back on the claim. Talarico taught at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, which is a public magnate school with a focus on technology, and remains a part of San Antonio Independent School District. This claim by Crockett is misleading at best, because Rhodes is not a traditional private charter school that is ungoverned by local voters.

Later in the week at a gathering with supporters, Crockett told the room that James Talarico was “running away from Lis Smith.” Lis Smith is a Democratic political strategist who worked on Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign. Not only has Lis Smith publicly denied being involved with Talarico’s campaign, but FEC records also show that she is not an employee, consultant, or in any way involved with his campaign. Lis Smith is however involved with Elect the Bench, an independent committee supporting 19 candidates across the country, including Mary Peltola in Alaska, Mallory McMarrow in Michigan, and James Talarico here in Texas, but due to federal laws they legally cannot coordinate with any of their endorsed candidates.

After Talarico’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was shelved at the advice of CBS lawyers, Crockett took the opportunity to accuse both Talarico and Stephen Colbert of staging the controversy for political gain, aligning herself with the position taken by Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission.

During all of these attacks, Talarico has maintained the high road and has not directly criticized Crockett, keeping his message laser-focused on the needs of working people and the threat Republicans pose to our way of life. Meanwhile, a new social media ad from the Crockett campaign is lumping in her fellow Democrat with attacks against Donald Trump and Greg Abbott. Talarico’s record in the Texas House leans fairly progressive, so many people have called this out as an unfair comparison.

Many Democrats fear that these kinds of attacks coming from the Crockett campaign will only work to weaken whoever the eventual nominee is. In a red state like Texas, the Democratic nominee for a statewide race is not going to be able to spare any votes as they take on the well-funded Republican candidate. When Beto O’Rourke ran against Ted Cruz in 2018 and came within 3 points of a historic upset, he had the advantage of running a relatively-uncontested primary campaign, which allowed Democrats to avoid a bitter internal feud and unite against the Republican candidate.

Only time will tell if Crockett’s negative strategy will ultimately lead to victory or another bitter defeat for Democrats in the Lone Star state.

Don Huffines is a business owner and former state senator who has long been a controversial figure, even among Texas Republicans. Elected to represent District 16, Huffines served just one term. He lost re-election in 2018 after proving himself to be too toxic even for conservative suburban voters in Dallas.

Huffines mounted a desperate attempt at a political comeback in 2022, when he primaried Governor Greg Abbott, painting himself as the real conservative in the race, as if the far-right Governor wasn’t extremist enough. Despite the millions of dollars Huffines spent on this race, he ended in an embarrassing third place, with a measly 12% of the vote. Now, Huffines is running yet another ego-driven vanity campaign, this time for state comptroller, which just became a much more complicated endeavor after this latest revelation.

According to a report that was first published by the Santa Fe New Mexican, a Limited Liability Company setup by Don Huffines and his family purchased convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in southern Santa Fe County. The Huffines campaign first tried to ignore the story, before eventually releasing a statement about the controversy.

“Four years after Mr. Epstein’s death, the Huffines family purchased property in New Mexico listed at public auction whose proceeds benefited his victims. Prior to the auction listing, they had never visited the property,” said Allen Blakemore, Huffines’ campaign spokesperson.

While the statement tries to paint the purchase in a positive light, neither Huffines nor anybody involved with his campaign answered direct questions from reporters about the reason for this purchase. It’s not every day that business owners and real estate developers purchase property linked to one of the most notorious pedophiles in U.S. history, so it’s natural for many reporters and voters to be asking these questions.

Despite the many lingering questions and concerns about this purchase, one this is quite clear: this controversy can be added to the ever-growing list of Republican politicians and financiers who are linked, in one way or another, to Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal network.

For most politically-oriented Texans, James Talarico has been a known quantity for several years now. First entering office in 2017, the former-teacher-turned State Representative flipped a Trump district and has stood toe-to-toe against the extremist Texas Republican Party and their billionaire donors.

Talarico’s social media presence before his U.S. Senate announcement was decent for a state-level politician. He had some viral moments, including several speeches he gave during the two quorum-breaks, but his profile never really entered the national mainstream. Now, the rest of the country is finally getting a look at Talarico — and they seem to be loving what they’re seeing.

At the time of writing this article, the State Representative has over 1.5 million followers on TikTok with over 31.1 million total likes. These numbers are massive, even for a state like Texas with a large population. The content on his account is pretty straightforward: typically clips from campaign stops, media appearances, and recordings of his speeches on the floor of the State House or in committee hearings. It’s not uncommon for Talarico’s videos to reach several hundred thousand views, but it seems like every couple of videos he uploads goes viral with over a million views, which many TikTok creators know can be a very difficult milestone to achieve.

One of the reasons Talarico is such a hit on TikTok is his special talent for breaking through partisan noise and reaching people’s hearts and minds. It is not uncommon to find comments from self-described Democrats, independents, and even Republicans supporting Talarico. This kind of cross-partisan appeal is very rare, especially in today’s day and age when hyper-partisanship reigns supreme. This level of authenticity and resonance is rare in Democratic politics, but figures like James Talarico and Zohran Mamdani demonstrate that it’s possible.

Part of the reason for Talarico’s recent success is the young team behind his social media presence. Luminary Strategies, a Gen-Z led digital agency, is part of the talent behind his online campaign. In addition to managing his existing social media account, the team also created a new hub account for Talarico supporters, called @TeamTalaricoHQ. In just six months, the TikTok account ballooned to over 280,000 followers, 8.1 million total likes, and tens of millions of views.

This viral online support has translated well into personal and financial support. While we can’t know for sure how many of his campaign’s donations come from TikTok and other social media accounts, it’s safe to say they are most likely contributing to his historic fundraising numbers. The Talarico campaign recently announced that the campaign has raised over $20 million from over 290,000 grassroots supporters. It’s highly unlikely that his fundraising would be this massive without his viral performance on social media.

As the March 3 primary inches closer and closer, his fundraising haul and massive social media presence may be the defining factors in the race. Should he come out on top and become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, the Texas Republican Party will have a tough fight on their hands.

Update: Since this story was published, James Talarico has secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and will face the winner of the Texas GOP runoff scheduled for early May. Neither John Cornyn nor Ken Paxton currently has a presence on TikTok, giving James Talarico a major advantage in that arena.

When I first launched this Substack, I wanted to write about the many political issues in South Texas that often don’t receive much attention from traditional media organizations, while also framing them through a progressive lens.

Throughout these past couple of months I have seen the incredible power that words have, not just online, but in the wider political space as well. In an effort to allow our content to reach the widest audience possible, we are rebranding to the Lone Star Pioneer.

This new name was chosen both because we want to broaden our coverage, but also because it perfectly matches our mission. Pioneer is the anchor of our new name and it describes the type of work we are doing: pioneering a new era of political journalism for places like South Texas that often go ignored by state leaders.

I want to personally thank all of the wonderful readers who have subscribed to follow along in this journey and we hope you’ll stick around as we try to seriously expand into wider statewide news reporting.

Catherine Culbert is a self-described oil & gas expert, who announced on social media that she would be running for Texas Railroad Commissioner. In a recent post on X, Culbert told her supporters that she needs help raising money for the filing fees, so she included a link to donate. The link, however, leads to the left-leaning fundraising platform ActBlue.

It is not uncommon for political candidates to raise money from their supporters to help with the initial costs of the campaign. What’s different about this case, however, is the fact that Culbert raised money on ActBlue then went on to file her candidacy as a Republican.

According to ActBlue, they “aim to provide a platform for Democratic candidates, progressive organizations, and nonprofits to build small-dollar fundraising programs.” They also explicitly ban Republicans from using their platform. According to their Criteria for using ActBlue, “if a candidate is a registered Republican and/or candidate running or filed as a Republican,” using ActBlue is impermissible.

Now that Culbert is on the ballot as a Republican, she is forbidden from using ActBlue as a fundraising platform for her candidacy. Culbert has not stated whether or not she will return ActBlue donations, however ActBlue does allow donors to request refunds on their website.

If Culbert fails to return the donations, this may just be the beginning of a slew of legal problems she may face going forward. If her donors believed they were supporting a Democrat and gave her money on that basis, there is a risk that she engaged in misleading or deceptive fundraising, which is illegal.

The Culbert campaign did not respond to a request for comment via X.

Texas Republicans were confident earlier this year that their redistricting ploy would help blunt the blowback against Donald Trump and his party during the 2026 midterms by gerrymandering several Democrats out of their congressional seats. Now, many Democratic and Republican operatives are starting to believe that this strategy might backfire.

In order to turn these formerly Democratic-majority districts into Republican-majority districts, state lawmakers had to redraw boundaries and pull in Republican voters from other areas. This means that many Republican-majority districts are now less Republican than they were back in 2024.

Democrats see these new district demographics and now believe they might have a chance win some of these races, despite the boundaries being drawn specifically to harm their chances. Their growing confidence comes from the fact that Democrats have been overperforming in special elections across the country since the Trump regime came to power.

Meet the Democrats running

There are three Democratic candidates who have officially filed to run before the filing deadline:

• Johnny Garcia

• John Lira

• Whitney Masterson-Moyes

Johnny Garcia was born and raised in San Antonio and is a graduate of St. Phillip’s College. His prior professional experience consists of working in the construction industry, as a hostage negotiator, and as a public information officer with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

John Lira is a graduate of San Antonio College and a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Lira’s professional career also involves policy and advocacy work for a variety of political and governmental organizations.

Whitney Masterson-Moyes is a graduate of the University of Houston and University of St. Thomas as well as a small business owner.

What it’s going to take to win

The fact of the matter is this district was designed to give Republicans an edge, which means Democrats will need to fight an insurgent underdog campaign after the primary. The right candidate who can win in a district like this will need to energize Democratic voters, including young people and progressives, as well as convert independents and non-traditional voters.

The path to victory is going to be a narrow one, but it does exist. The problem with trying to appeal to so many different groups of voters is that taking positions on certain issues that energize the progressive base can often turn off independent voters who are more cautious about progressive priorities.

The solution here is going to be a delicate balance between the priorities of the base and the necessary outreach to independents. Whoever the Democratic nominee is in TX-35 should run on a core set of progressive populist economic issues that unite voters across the spectrum. Medicare for All, Social Security expansion, and Labor-focused messaging can excite the Democratic base while also not scaring away independent voters. Poll after poll shows Medicare for All and Social Security expansion have widespread support from Democrats, independents, and even Republicans, so running proudly on these issues should be a no-brainer.

Conventional wisdom is dead

If Democrats run the same old centrist campaign, they will lose. Period. The problem is that their appeals to independents often pull them away from the progressive populist issues that actually motivate their own voters. Yet conventional wisdom among Democratic operatives in Republican districts still insists that the path to victory is to soften positions on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and progressive economic policies. The problem with this strategy is simple: it fails to win over independents or Republicans and pushes away the Democratic base. It’s time for a new strategy, Democrats.

Valentina Gomez Noriega is not a unique figure among the MAGA movement, many candidates often pull stunts to improve their name recognition. What sets her apart, however, is just how far she is willing to go for that attention. For years, Valentina has engaged in bigoted social media stunts designed to go viral and rage-bait viewers. The videos, often filled with slurs, tropes, and effigies, can be difficult to watch.

Back in 2024, Valentina tried to secure the Republican nomination for Secretary of State in Missouri. Desperate to break-through the crowded eight-person primary, she began to post videos that were so vile they had to be removed by social media platforms. After all was said and done, Valentina walked away with a pitiful 7.5% of the vote.

After Valentina failed in Missouri, she uprooted her life and moved to Texas after the Republican-dominated legislature drew several new Republican seats that opened up fresh opportunities for candidates. Once-again, Valentina finds herself in a crowded race — except this time, she’s running for a seat in an area where she has no long-term connections to the local communities or power brokers.

Last week, her campaign suffered another major blow after Donald Trump endorsed John Carter, a district court judge from Texas, instead of Valentina Gomez Noriega.

All of the harmful videos that Valentina has created and posted over the years have completely destroyed her reputation outside of the Republican Party. Her digital footprint is now so vast and so vile, that she will likely find it very difficult to work outside of politics.

The U.S. Senate race in Texas is generating a lot of social media interest after several candidates announced their plans going forward. For months, the race on both sides of the aisle remained unchanged. Before this week, on the Democratic side, former Rep. Colin Allred and State Rep. James Talarico were the only candidates who were running in the primary. While on the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt are all vying for the nomination.

What has changed?

In the early hours on Monday, Dec. 8, former Congressman Colin Allred announced that he would be withdrawing from the race for U.S. Senate to pursue another run for Congress, choosing to face-off against Rep. Julie Johnson (D) in Texas’ 33 congressional district.

Once the announcement from Allred dropped, social media lit up with people discussing how this decision will impact the race moving forward. And just a few hours after Allred announced his plans, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) appeared before a Dallas crowd of supporters to launch a last-minute campaign for U.S. Senate.

Rumors had been spreading for months that Crockett was considering a run for U.S. Senate among other positions and it looks like she has finally made her decision.

State of the race

With the deadline to file for office now behind us, the race for U.S. Senate is much more clear. Although both sides still have multiple candidates running, Crockett’s entrance dramatically changes the overall calculations.

While it’s true Colin Allred and James Talarico were both trailing potential Republicans in a general election match-up, a new Change Research poll found that Crockett would actually perform the worst out of all the candidates.

The same poll also found that among voters who are familiar with all of the candidates, James Talarico holds the highest statewide approval rating at 48%, with a 30-point gap over his 18% unfavorable rating. Jasmine Crockett’s numbers reflect a more divided electorate. The poll shows 40% of voters viewing her favorably and 48% unfavorably, indicating room for her to grow her statewide support. It also notes that 49% of respondents say they “would definitely not vote” for her.

On the Republican side of the race, things are much, much quieter. Lately, Texas Republican leaders have been urging Wesley Hunt to drop out, as they would prefer the race to be head-to-head match-up between a traditional Republican figure like Cornyn, and a far-right firebrand like Paxton.

The latest poll from J.L. Partners, Ken Paxton is leading with a plurality of voters at 29%, followed by a tie between Cornyn and Hunt at 24% support.

What’s next

The polling for this race is still pretty sparse and nothing in politics is predetermined. It is very possible that the dynamics of this race will continue to change as each candidate charts their own path. For now, voters will have to wait and see how these campaigns will evolve before picking their candidate in the Spring primaries.

Over the weekend, State Rep. James Talarico made several stops in South Texas as he seeks to win over this key region of voters.

Talarico is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and is running against Colin Allred, a former NFL player and member of Congress, as well as Terry Virts, a veteran and former NASA astronaut.

The South Texas region has been trending toward Republicans since at least 2020 and the Talarico campaign’s positive reception has provided the Texas Democratic Party with much-needed hope for taking back this region in future elections.

A spokesperson for the Talarico campaign said more than 2,000 people attended his rallies throughout South Texas, illustrating the strong enthusiasm for a progressive campaign in this Trump-leaning region. Talarico himself hopes that his message will resonate with South Texas voters, including those that may have supported Donald Trump.

Statewide Democrats have previously tried and failed to generate enough support and enthusiasm in South Texas to win a statewide race. Colin Allred, for example, previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 against Ted Cruz and lost. Despite being a native to Brownsville himself, Allred’s centrist campaign performed dismally in South Texas.

Talarico’s progressive-focused campaign aims to resonate with these voters in a way that Democrats have not been able to in recent years. If he can pull this off and drive up turnout, it offers the Texas Democratic Party a real chance at winning a statewide race for the first time in thirty years.

As Governor Greg Abbott seeks a record-fourth term in office, the list of challengers continues to grow. With just a couple of months until the March primary elections, we want to break down who’s running so far.

Republican candidates:

• Greg Abbott — Gov. Abbott is seeking yet another term in office, and although his approval rating continues to decline, he is the current favorite to win the Republican primary.

• “Doc” Pete Chambers — Dr. Chambers is a U.S Army veteran and also served in the Texas Army National Guard. He is challenging Gov. Abbott from the right of the party, with a focus on property tax relief and term limits.

Democratic candidates:

• Bobby Cole — Mr. Cole is a farmer looking to succeed Abbott as the next governor. His campaign is based on populist and progressive principles, and is focused on labor issues, healthcare expansion, and public education.

• Benjamin Flores - Mr. Flores is a pig farmer and current city council member for Bay City. His campaign is focused on public education, healthcare access, and affordable housing.

• Andrew White — Mr. White is an entrepreneur and the son of former Texas governor Mark White. Calling himself an “Independent Democrat, his campaign is centered around a pragmatic approach to Texas politics. Some of his priorities include ranked choice voting, Medicaid expansion, and infrastructure improvements.

Gov. Abbott will likely emerge as the Republican nominee, as he has been able to successfully fend off far-right challengers like businessman Don Huffines back in 2022. However his low approval rating may prove to be an issue going into the general election.

For Democrats, there is no reliable primary polling out at this time, however Andrew White’s business background and personal wealth makes him the favorite-to-win the Democratic primary. That being said, nothing in politics is guaranteed, so it is possible that Bobby Cole or another challenger could emerge as the nominee.

For now, Texans will have to wait and see how these primaries progress, before we know who’s going to be on the ballot in November 2026.

Texas Republicans recently redrew the congressional district boundaries throughout the state, morphing many Democratic seats into Republican strongholds. This was done at the behest of Donald Trump, who is worried about Republicans losing their majority in the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections. Even so, these efforts may not be enough to stop Democrats from taking back the House.

During the redistricting process, Republicans carefully engineered the map to secure more seats, but those efforts may ultimately backfire. New polling shows that Latino voters in South Texas aren’t buying Republican messaging this time around. Although Republicans did make gains in South Texas in 2024, the new district boundaries may not have secured Republican domination after all.

Congressional district 15, which is currently represented by Republican Monica De La Cruz, may be one of these “safe Republican” seats that could flip back to Democrats. De La Cruz has been criticized by many in South Texas for failing to show up for the district and challenge her own party on bad policy. This district only flipped to Republicans back in 2022, and this time around, De La Cruz will likely face-off against Tejano music icon Bobby Pulido who is running as a Democrat. Early polling shows Pulido slightly behind De La Cruz, with more than a year left until election day, spelling doom for De La Cruz’s re-election chances.

In Texas’ 34th congressional district, Democrat Vicente Gonzalez is the current representative. He’s a long-time moderate congressman who is a seasoned campaigner and has won in South Texas before. Going into 2026, he carries name recognition in the region which could propel him to victory if there is high Democratic turnout.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a conservative Democrat that currently represents Texas’ 28th congressional district. Before redistricting, it was a +7 Republican district that Cuellar was able to win. The new district boundaries give Republicans a 10-point advantage, but that may not be insurmountable for Cuellar, who has held office since 2004 and repeatedly won reelection—even after being indicted on money laundering, conspiracy, and bribery charges. He may yet pull off another unexpected victory in the Republican-dominated district.

Once a Democratic stronghold, the 35th congressional district of Texas was also redrawn to eliminate another Democratic seat. The new district will consist of some Bexar County residents and encompass the entirety of Guadalupe, Wilson, and Karnes counties. Although the district’s new boundaries were drawn to give Republicans an edge, some Democratic aides believe the right kind of candidate may be able hold this seat for the party.

With the right kind of combination of voter turnout, messaging, and strategy, the Texas Democratic Party could rebuild their blue stronghold in South Texas and deliver the U.S. House to Democrats in 2026.

Mayra Flores (R-TX) has recently confirmed that she will run against Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) to represent Texas’ 34th congressional district. Gonzalez, a conservative Democrat, has represented the 34th district since 2022, after defeating Flores with an 8-point margin of victory.

This announcement from Flores ended speculation that she might challenge Henry Cuellar (D-TX), another conservative Democrat, to represent Texas’ 28th congressional district. Both Gonzalez and Cuellar are Democrats that have frequently clashed with the national party on divisive issues.

Despite the fact that Cuellar and Gonzalez often sided with Republicans on legislation, their conservative record did not stop Texas Republicans from redrawing their districts to favor a GOP candidate. Now, both men stand to lose their seats in the 2026 elections unless Democrats dramatically improve turnout in these new districts.

“When they can’t win, they cheat. South Texans know that Republicans are trying to drown their vote and rig the elections in their favor, but it won’t help them here.” -Vicente Gonzalez to Spectrum News

How does this affect South Texas voters?

While both Cuellar and Gonzalez considered themselves conservative Democrats, they did typically vote with the Democratic Party on economic issues, with some exceptions. If these districts flip to Republicans, South Texas voters will not have any representation that would be willing to stand up for working class people on issues relating to Medicaid, SNAP, and public housing.

Under Republican representation, these districts would also lose more independent-minded perspectives in Congress, since Mayra Flores and other Republicans rarely challenge their party or Donald Trump. This would be a stark contrast to Cuellar and Gonzalez, who often break with the Democratic Party if their position didn’t align with the views of their districts.

It remains to be seen whether or not Democrats can change the trend in the region and whether or not South Texas voters will care more about culture war issues rather than dinner table issues.