Quorum Report Radio

Gov. Abbott must be listening to the show because he's completely shifted his message on property taxes from blaming local governments - run mostly by Republicans - to slamming his Democratic opponent Gina Hinojosa. He says she voted to raise your taxes but what did the legislation he's talking about actually do? You'll hear from conservative Republicans about it but first you have to hear what Ab...

We already knew that Gov. Abbott thinks all Democrats are socialists and can't be trusted. But why is one of his major campaign themes now slamming local Republican leaders around Texas about property taxes? And oh yes, we will get into the Bo French debacle when Harvey weighs in with his weekly commentary. Plus, Suzanne Bellsnyder joins us from Texas Rural Reporter to talk about whether Abbott's...

On the anniversary of 9/11, one thing that's perfectly clear is that the politics of government surveillance have completely flipped upside down since that fateful day. Right after the terror attack a quarter century ago, Republicans and Democrats alike joined together to support the global War on Terror including stepped up surveillance within the United States. Flash forward to today and Gov. Gr...

With Texas Republicans still divided following a nasty and expensive US Senate primary, Sen. Ted Cruz has this message for those in the GOP unhappy with their nominee Ken Paxton: "Stop yer bitchin.'" In this semi-special episode, we explore all facets of a question Republicans in Texas are dealing with - how to win when their standard bearer in this state is described even by President Trump as la...

Gov. Abbott was searching for any kind of message during an ABC News interview this week in which he was pressed about data centers, the price of gas, and whether he would give President Trump a letter grade on the economy. Hint: He didn't. And as Harvey has pointed out, President Trump and Speaker Johnson are campaigning in Texas where top GOP candidates including Abbott and Ken Paxton are flaili...

With Texans furious about a THC ban, rising costs for everything, data centers, transmission lines, and Big Bend border wall construction of course Little Gov. Dan Patrick is spending his time railing about "filthy books" in school libraries. But it's not just a distraction. He's also trying to make it easier for the state to take over local school districts. Plus, Harvey and James get into the wa...

In a 180 for the ages, Texas House Judiciary Chairman Jeff Leach is back to fully embracing his old political mentor, Ken Paxton, after previously helping lead the charge to impeach him back in 2023. The truth is they'll rise and sink together politically with Paxton now at the top of the Texas GOP's statewide ticket. Then Harvey weighs in on Sen. Cornyn's pushback to the Trump Administration, Sus...

While a Fox News poll shows Democrats neck and neck with Republicans statewide, the Texas GOP is forgiving all their internal bad blood from top to bottom and starting a push to do almost anything rural voters want even if it's potentially bad for almost everyone else. In that spirit, we'll take you to an old school tent revival fused with a professional wrestling pay-per-view event. And in that v...

This week, either the Texas heat is making people do stupid things or the heat from voters is making candidates stake out positions on issues that have the potential to turn this state's politics upside down. Prime example: James Talarico wasn't saying anything on data centers. Now he sort of is while Gov. Greg Abbott celebrates the cancellation of a data center project. Why? Isn't he the one brag...

Houston was rocked this week by ICE agents gunning down a grandfather who's lived in the city for 35 years. Houston Chronicle Opinion Editor Evan Mintz joins the show with the latest on the investigation. Meantime, Little Gov. Dan Patrick says Black people won't vote for James Talarico, arguing the Democrat is “a 90-pound weakling” who “couldn’t lift a ten-pound weight in a gym if he helped it," w...

In the 2026 campaign, it's the women in the Texas Democratic Party who are addressing the nitty-gritty, eye-level issues that voters of all stripes really seem angry about this year: School closures and data centers. And that merits a substantive discussion of the governor's race in which Gina Hinojosa is going right at Abbott on both. Plus: An election denier gets an elections job with Gov. Abbot...

Yes, Lt. Gov. Patrick got a lot of attention for saying James Talarico is "going to hell, for sure." But in understanding what may happen in this election, what's maybe more significant is that senior Texas Republicans including Patrick and Sen. John Cornyn are still feuding following some of the nastiest high-profile GOP primaries in this state's history. Plus, take a trip with us to South Texas...

Scott is at the Texas GOP Convention in Houston and Evan is on the beach. So, for the show this week we're featuring Harvey's conversation with Joe Trippi on his national podcast: On The Ground . Republicans feel entitled to keeping Texas. After all, they've been in power for nearly 30 years. But could Democrats flip the script? Harvey and Joe talked at length about the potential Dems have in the...

Texas House Republicans and Democrats alike are getting really frustrated over the fact that they voted for billions in additional funding for public schools but the ISDs aren't getting what they were promised. Well, there was a shady process for passing that school funding bill last year and it deserves an explanation. Also: "Rural Texas is on fire" politically. That's the way one GOP legislator...

Republicans are scrambling now to scrub their social media and deleting nasty comments about more than one of their GOP nominees in Texas: Bo French and Ken Paxton are at the top of the list, with the former being too extreme for Lt. Gov. Patrick and Gov. Abbott while the latter's been blasted by US Senate Republicans as a scandal-ridden albatross. Plus, Talarico hits back on all the nicknames, ta...

One of Texas' top elected Republicans will have his career ended on Tuesday: Either John Cornyn or Ken Paxton. And election day can't come fast enough after President Trump may have dealt the political death blow to Texas senior senator, who's been nothing but a solid soldier for Trump. Loyalty up to Trump never equals loyalty back down, though, and Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton serves as the...

"Channeling his inner Trump": Even though his actual fight over property taxes is with Lt. Gov. Patrick, Gov Abbott's political operation is threatening lobbyists' livelihoods over that issue while Abbott himself is threatening local governments over immigration enforcement. Harvey has a lot to say about both. Plus, the Republican runoff for Attorney General is red hot while the US Senate race now...

This week on the show: Even he can't believe it, but it's now been 30 years since Scott Braddock dropped out of high school to start a full time career in Texas media. He started as a small town disc jockey in Brenham and worked his way up to run the essential news outlet for Texas political professionals, the Quorum Report, alongside Publisher Harvey Kronberg. This past year he and Harvey launche...

On so many levels, the way Texans deal with grief was on full display this week. It was on the faces of the parents who testified about their daughters who were killed in Hill Country floods last year and it was in the outpouring of concern after the sudden death of radio host Chad Hasty. But our audience at Quorum Report really is a community that comes together during these times. I can't tell y...

After voters in Virginia this week approved a new congressional map giving a big boost to Democrats, the Republican Party is now running behind in the redistricting arms race that started last summer at the Texas Capitol. We'll break it all down for you including some exclusive reporting on how some Texas Republicans in Congress were hoping state Democrats would block President Trump's "dumb" idea...

Some South Texas Latinos who have voted Republican in the last couple elections are throwing their MAGA hats in the trash after President Trump posted an AI-generated image clearly depicting himself as Jesus Christ while getting in a fight with the head of the Catholic Church over the war in Iran. Plus: The immigration fight playing out now in Houston is coming to cities across Texas as Gov. Abbot...

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick raised eyebrows this week by going further than any other elected Republican has this year in describing the challenge faced by his party in the general election. Patrick even went so far as to say the Texas House majority is possibly in play. And yes he took a shot at yours truly as well. Plus, we'll head out to Far West Texas with Forrest Wilder, senior writer at Texas Month...

We're not even really getting into the heat of the runoff elections yet and Gov. Abbott already seems to be slamming the door shut on any effort to expand gambling in Texas next session. The news comes right as Mark Cuban announces he regrets selling the Dallas Mavericks to the owners of Las Vegas Sands. Meantime, Texas House Democrats gathered for their retreat in Houston where there was an emoti...

Should there be a "Top AI Slop" award for campaigns in Texas? It sure seems like it. We'll get into that plus Tony Ortiz at Current Revolt checks in from CPAC in DFW. And yes, we'll address what Rep. James Talarico said about meat. Our producer is the famous Evan Sherer and the original music is by Checkmayne in Houston.

Crashing out: There are new calls for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to resign after she claims she was "manhandled" by Houston Rodeo staff. That's not likely to happen but some sharp Quorum Report readers were quick to point out that officeholders crashing out at rodeos is now a bipartisan tradition in Texas. You know what else is bipartisan? The growing pushback to the rapidly expanding data c...