Houston Chronicle

Texas Take

News EN ↓ 268 episodes

Go behind the headlines for a look at what's really going on at the Texas Capitol and in Washington with the state's #1 political podcast: Texas Take. Join the conversation featuring Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News political writer Jeremy Wallace.

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Houston Chronicle

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News

Latest episode

Oct 30, 2026

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Episodes

Challenging THC Regulations in Texas 09.04.2026

The THC industry is fighting back against new Texas regulations that threaten to put many of them out of business. Houston Chronicle reporter Isaac Yu joins host Jeremy Wallace to explain key parts of the new regulations, the industry's recent lawsuit and what will happen next. Also, they break down the latest way that Christian nationalism may be seeping into public schools. Later, the Austin Ame...

An Exclusive With the National Republican Party Chairman Gruters 07.04.2026

The leader of the Republican National Committee knows he will have to defy history to defend President Donald Trump in Texas and beyond as Democrats vow to retake control of the U.S. House. In an exclusive interview with Texas Take host Jeremy Wallace, RNC chair Joe Gruters said he knows almost every president over the 150 years has lost seats in Congress during midterm elections. But the GOP has...

Monster, Snubs and Japanese Anime 02.04.2026

Did Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott just get snubbed by CPAC in their own backyard? Houston Chronicle reporter Benjamin Wermund joins this week's episode to explain why the crowd favored JD Vance and Marco Rubio over either. Plus with gas prices climbing, Trump voters may be paying more at the pump. In Midland and Odessa, people are pay much more for a gallon of gas than those in Houston, Dallas or Austi...

Why are would-be presidential candidates making a beeline for Texas 26.03.2026

Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, are worlds apart politically, but this week both were in the Lone Star State on a similar mission: win over Texans who could become critical if they both run for the White House in 2028. Gallego sits down with host Jeremy Wallace for an exclusive interview in San Antonio, where he says his message is as simple as can be: “no stupid wa...

The Long Wait for Trump’s Texas Senate Endorsement 19.03.2026

The longer President Donald Trump drags out his endorsement of either Sen. John Cornyn or Ken Paxton, the more it is costing GOP donors as the two Senate combatants continue to throw money at each other instead of turning their attention to Democrat James Talarico. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks down the latest in the drama to court Trump’s political love. Plus, what exactly did James Talarico say abo...

Wild 2026 Texas Primary: What Happened and Why 06.03.2026

Texas shattered voting turnout records in a wild primary season that saw James Talarico defeat Jasmine Crockett, and Sen. John Cornyn pushed into a runoff election with Ken Paxton. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News and John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman join host Jeremy Wallace to break down all the results including hot races for Congress, the Texas Legislature and statewide off...

Closing Arguments 26.02.2026

Months of ads, rallies and campaign travel have brought us to this. On Tuesday, Texas will know whether Jasmine Crockett or James Talarico will be the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. And on the Republican side, will U.S. Sen. John Cornyn survive the toughest GOP primary of his career against Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt? John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman joins host Jeremy Wallace...

Shocker after Shocker in Texas Primaries 20.02.2026

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico got a sudden boost from Stephen Colbert in his Democratic primary battle against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. New evidence has emerged related to an alleged affair U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales had, which has changed his re-election prospects. And did Wesley Hunt vote for President Donald Trump in 2016 or not? John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman, Bayliss...

Traitor, Backstabbers and Puppets 12.02.2026

With the start of in-person early voting in Texas about to get underway, attack ads are filling up television sets around the Lone Star State. Host Jeremy Wallace breaks down some of the hottest primary races in Texas and plays a ton of attack ads from various races to show just how intense things have gotten. Can Mayes Middleton catch Chip Roy in the race to replace Ken Paxton as Attorney General...

Warning Bells for Republicans In Texas 05.02.2026

A North Texas shocker has turned Lone Star State politics on its ear. Host Jeremy Wallace and the Austin American-Statesman’s John Moritz explain the wide ramifications of Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s victory from a truly Texas perspective. President Donald Trump quickly distanced himself from the debacle. Plus, the newest member of Congress wasted no time reporting for duty after a dominating win in...

Time for a Recalibration? 29.01.2026

Texas congressional members are demanding that the Trump administration release a 5-year-old Minnesota boy and his father from a detention camp near San Antonio. Host Jeremy Wallace meets up with U.S. Reps Jasmine Crockett and Joaquin Castro, who talk about visiting the boy and his father this week in Dilley, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott is among the Republicans suggesting that it may be time for the W...

An Exclusive with Beto O'Rourke: "We will live in a fascist country" 21.01.2026

Recorded live at Stubb’s in Austin, Texas Take host Jeremy Wallace sits down with Beto O’Rourke for a conversation about why he chose not to run for office this cycle and what he’s doing instead. O’Rourke talks about his work with Powered by People, efforts to register and turn out new voters across Texas, and why down-ballot races matter as much as marquee contests. The discussion also touches on...

What is Beto O’Rourke up to now? 16.01.2026

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Will Donald Trump Ever Endorse John Cornyn? 09.01.2026

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn joins host Jeremy Wallace to talk about his campaign and what President Donald Trump told him about a potential endorsement for the U.S. Senate. Plus, a week after podcaster Shawn Ryan said he was disinviting Rep. Dan Crenshaw on his show, the Houston Republican drops in to respond to Ryan. Finally, San Antonio Express-News reporter Bayliss Wagner jumps aboard to help break d...

No Boots on the Ground 08.01.2026

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw sits down for an interview with host Jeremy Wallace to discuss why he supported President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela, but why he doesn’t believe U.S. soldiers will be needed on the ground there. The Houston Congressman is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and partly grew up in neighboring Colombia when Venezuela was a prosperous tourist destination. Also,...

Who won Texas Politics in 2025 19.12.2025

Who made the biggest splash in Texas politics in 2025? And who saw their fortunes take a turn for the worse? In this week’s end-of-year episode, host Jeremy Wallace channels the legendary Casey Kasem to count down the 7 politicians who saw their political stocks climb the most and those who saw theirs tumble. Which lists did Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn and Jasmine Crockett end up on? Plus,...

Jasmine Crockett on Latino voters and Israel 15.12.2025

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Shaking It All Up 12.12.2025

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So Much Uncertainty in Texas Politics 05.12.2025

The future of THC in Texas is once again in jeopardy. Reporters Isaac Yu of the Houston Chronicle and John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman join host Jeremy Wallace to dig into how the industry is bracing for a new effort to destroy their businesses. Plus, what impact will U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett have on the U.S. Senate race if the outspoken Democrat jumps in, as expected. Finally, U.S....

Disaster for Texas Republicans 21.11.2025

What looked like Gov. Greg Abbott’s gift to President Donald Trump may turn out to be a nightmare for the White House. A court this week put Abbott's plan to eke out five new GOP congressional seats in jeopardy, thanks largely to one big misstep by the governor himself. San Antonio Express-News reporter Bayliss Wagner joins host Jeremy Wallace to explain the problem and show how, instead of boosti...

Two Governors, One Big Texas City 14.11.2025

California Gov. Gavin Newsom took a victory lap in Houston, trolling Gov. Greg Abbott who the very next day kicked off his re-election campaign. But Abbott wasn’t phased in the least. Reporter Benjamin Wermund joins host Jeremy Wallace to break down how Abbott responded and what his next big priority will be if he wins a record-shattering 4th term. Finally, you’ll hear how a Texas Congressional se...

Gavin Newsom Answers Greg Abbott 07.11.2025

Nine weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave President Donald Trump the redistricting map he wanted in Texas, California Gov. Gavin Newsom roared back with an improbable victory on Election Day that will allow the Golden State to negate everything Abbott and Trump thought they were gaining in Texas. California political reporter Monica Madden and Texas House Democratic Leader Gene Wu both join hos...

A Battle That Never Ends 31.10.2025

Even after 189 years, the tale of the Alamo remains one of the most debated pieces of Texas history. And it continues to produce casualties to this day. Just this week, the person at the center of the reconstruction around the Alamo was forced out after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick objected to something she wrote for her college dissertation. Columnist Chris Tomlinson joins the show to talk about th...

An Exclusive with Wesley Hunt 28.10.2025

One of the rarest things to do in Texas politics is to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator in a primary. It has only happened once since World War II, yet Houston Republican Wesley Hunt is jumping headfirst into the 2026 GOP primary convinced he can beat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. In this special episode of the Texas Take, Hunt explains why he’s running, talks about the role President Donald Trump has pl...

Greg Abbott’s $90 million gamble 24.10.2025

Listen to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pledge to spend “most of” his $90 million campaign warchest in and around Houston to turn the area “dark red.” Given he’s lost Harris County by larger margins every time he’s been on the ballot since 2014, it seems like a fool's errand. But reporter Benjamin Wermund joins host Jeremy Wallace to dig into why the Republican might be so confident even in one of the st...

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