Second Reading Podcast

Jim and Josh discuss the results of the April 2021 UT Texas Tribune Poll and what they reveal about the public opinion context of prominent issues being discussed in the Texas Legislature.

In this special episode, Jim and Josh discuss the results of a year’s worth of Texas polling on the COVID-19 pandemic, including views of vaccines, and how folks feel about vaccine passports.

Jim and Josh discuss the ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill that has been recently been proposed in the Texas House.

Jim and Josh discuss the corporate pushback on voting rights bills currently moving through the Texas Legislature.

Jim and Josh discuss the results from a poll conducted in collaboration with the UT Energy Institute focused on Texans’ experiences during the recent winter storm and the policies being discussed in response.

Jim and Josh discuss the accumulating legislation in the 87th Texas Legislature up for a vote this week, with a focus on TX SB 7, which would impose stricter requirements on mail-in voting in an attempt to curb potential election fraud.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss the Texas Legislature’s political response to last month’s storm-related power outages and the financial issues that have arisen from that.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss the reemergence of immigration and border security in Texas politics in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s lift of mask and capacity mandates in Texas, and ERCOT’s handling of the recent winter weather disaster.

Today Jim and Josh discuss Governor Greg Abbott’s State of the State address.

Jim talks with Houston Chronicle Washington D.C. correspondent Ben Wermund about Senator Ted Cruz and his political future in the aftermath of Cruz’s actions after Donald Trump’s defeat, as well as other reports on the Texas congressional delegation.

Jim talks with Lauren McGaughy about COVID-19 vaccines, and the onset of a post-Trump United States, and how Republicans can move forward.

Jim and Josh discuss the U.S. Capitol riots, Trump’s handling of the presidential transition, and the beginning of the upcoming Texas Legislative session.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to overturn the presidential election results in other states, updates from the Texas Senate’s hearings on COVID-19 this week, and what “covid fatigue” really means.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the panel that Jim moderated for the Professional Advocates Association of Texas, and upcoming plans for the next Texas Legislature session in January.

Jim and Josh discuss the internal politics of the Texas Republican Party and of Allen West’s participation and role as Party Chair.

Jim and Josh discuss the still-pending results of the 2020 General Election, and how pollster predictions compared to the real world results.

Jim and Josh discuss the match between expectations and outcomes in Texas during the 2020 Election season as well as the national dynamics on the issue of polling.

Jim and Josh discuss the upcoming election and some key areas of polling interest within Texas – Independents, Hispanic voters, suburban voters, and young voters. While these areas may reflect a new and changing demographic, it is important to distinguish between Texas “turning blue” and Texas “becoming competitive” in the coming election cycles.

Jim and Josh discuss more polling results, and the ramifications of Texan voter sentiments towards the incoming election.

Jim and Josh recap the trial ballot results for the 2020 election and give insight on what each political party aims for using historical results.

Jim talks with L.A. Times writer Mark Z. Barabak about his insight into the 2020 election and the current shapes of the presidential campaigns.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss public opinion regarding the vacant supreme court seat as a result of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent death and how it relates to voter turnout.

Jim interviews Eric McDaniel about his research on the threat to white masculinity, and how that has influenced the politics of the Trump administration and its supporters.

In this episode, Jim and Josh take a look at polling in the run-up to the 2020 Presidential Election, and they particularly focus on the nature of disclosures and the motivations for polling.