Second Reading Podcast

James Henson and Joshua Blank discuss trends in Texas public opinion on elections and voting in the context of recent efforts by Texas elected officials to thwart voter registration efforts in Democratic strongholds, and otherwise link immigration to voting in the minds of Texas voters.

James Henson. Daron Shaw, and Joshua Blank dig into the data from the latest University of Texas / Texas Politics Project statewide poll, which found Donald Trump leading Kamala Harris 49% to 44% in the Lone Star State.

Jim Henson and Joshua Blank look at the political context of Texas Republican elected official recent efforts to draw attention to immigration, the border, and “election integrity.”

Jim Henson and Josh Blank talk about new Texas polling data from the University of Houston and Texas Southern, themes at the Democratic National Convention, and “gender gap” in Texas.

Jim Henson talks with Harvey Kronberg of Harvey Kronberg’s Quorum Report about how the rebooted presidential race is playing out in Texas, as well as the dynamics in Texas politics with both an election and the 2025 legislative session on the horizon.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at the baseline numbers in the presidential campaign before the big changes in the presidential race and take a quick look at some of the politics simmering in Texas in the shadow of the national politics. 

Jim Henson and Joshua Blank talk over the politics of Texas’ response to Hurricane Beryl and mounting uncertainty around Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.

Jim Henson, Josh Blank, and Daron Shaw discuss the June University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll, and what the results say about the impact of Donald Trump’s felony convictions on the presidential race in Texas.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at the results of the primary run-offs in Texas, the politics of the long primary season, and the implications of the results.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank take a deep dive into new UT/Texas Politics Project Poll data revealing nuances in Texans’ views of abortion not captured in broad labels like “pro-life” and “pro-choice.”

Jim Henson, Daron Shaw, and Joshua Blank dig into the trial ballot results for the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Texas in the latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll.

Jim Henson and Joshua Blank look at different signals transmitted in the Texas Senate’s interim charges. 

Jim Henson and Josh Blank talk about the politics and implications of the “Contract with Texas” recently distributed by a group of far-right Texas Republicans, and take notice of a new polling on the presidential and Senate races in Texas.

Jim Henson and Joshua Blank look at past election returns and UT/Texas Politics Project polling data to assess how competitive the presidential election might be in Texas.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at various judicial interventions in politics over the last week, as well as the kick-off of a speaker’s race in the Texas house & the presidential campaign in Texas. Referenced Article Here: https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-whether-trump-is-a-fascist Referenced Song:  https://open.spotify.com/track/7knlXA2UExr9ibo...

Jim Henson & Josh Blank look at the conflict between Texas and the federal government over border enforcement, and how it’s fed the boom in attention to Texas nationalism (Note: recorded prior to the US Supreme Court lifting the stay on SB 4.)

The Texas Politics Project team look at the outcome of the primary election in Texas and the implications for politics in the legislature and the state’s political system writ large.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at evidence of shifts in Texas Democrats’ views of immigration and border issues in the latest UT/Texas Politics Project Poll, and note how the same poll sheds some light on the audience for Trump’s primary endorsements in Texas House races. 

The team behind the latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll team – James Henson, Josh Blank, and Daron Shaw – talk about what the just-released February UT/TxP Poll tell us about the 2024 election in Texas.

Jim Henson talks with Ross Ramsey, co-founder and former executive editor of The Texas Tribune, about the reverberations in Texas  of Donald Trump’s presumed return as the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank discuss the convergence of national and Texas politics in the current national focus on immigration and border security.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank round up the flood of developments in politics in Texas, including the latest in the GOP presidential primary, the SCOTUS ruling against Texas, the DOJ’s report on Uvalde, and more.

Jim Henson and Joshua Blank look at Donald Trump’s standing in Texas after his win in Iowa – and the long term roots of support for him among Texas Republicans.

Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at how voters’ assessments of the long 2023 legislative session provide part of the context of the 2024 Republican primary in Texas.