Progress Texas Podcasts

Texas Democrats have put up a bumper crop of quality statewide candidates in the 2026 midterm, and among them, Houston's Savant Moore stands out - Army veteran, Howard graduate, Houston ISD trustee (and classroom teacher!) - this is a guy who has contributed to his country and community at a truly exemplary level, and seeks to continue that service as Texas Comptroller. Learn more about Savant...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Almost a year ago, a 23 year old U.S. citizen from San Antonio was killed by ICE agent in south Texas - and it took investigative work from Newsweek to uncover that federal involvement: https://www.newsweek.com/ice-agent-fatally-shot-us-citizen-texas-dhs-records-11544225 The Trump administration is set to sidestep 28 federal regulations in or...

Chris managed not to get kicked out of the Senate Gallery at the Texas State Capitol long enough to see Taylor Rehmet become the first Democrat sworn in to represent Tarrant County's 9th Senate district since shoulder pads were hot. Early voting has shown Democratic voters in Texas fired up to hit the polls - but it's still gonna be an uphill battle. Lots more to talk about, and we do, on...

As early voting in the primary gets underway, another Texas candidate running for the Texas State House, in this case for the seat representing HD 50 - the space made by James Talarico as he runs for the U.S. Senate. Samantha Lopez Resendez is an RGV native and longtime staffer at the Capitol, notably in the office of State Rep. Donna Howard. Learn more about Samantha Lopez Resendez at https://www...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The first two days of early voting have seen a near-doubling of the 2022 pace of Democratic primary voter turnout in Texas - but, with only a 20% jump, Republicans still lead in total ballots cast: https://votehub.com/early-vote-tracker-tx-primary-26?state=tx-sen-26-dem Keeping it real and local appears to have been the secret sauce for &...

On Presidents’ Day in Dallas, Next Generation Action Network kicked off Social Justice Week 2026 with with a powerful conversation on what democracy truly means and who it is supposed to serve, at the John Lewis Social Justice Academy. In a time when rights are under attack, truth is being distorted, and power is being challenged, the community came together to have a real conversation about recla...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Last night's debate between Republicans seeking to replace Ken Paxton as attorney general was an unbridled hate-fest, targeting Muslim Texans, Black Texans, and liberal Texans: https://republicanags.com/news/texas-attorney-general-the-2026-republican-primary-debate/ Right-leaning fear and hate have risen in Frisco, where Indian immigr...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: TV host Stephen Colbert defies CBS orders not to discuss their orders to pull an interview with James Talarico, citing the Trump FCC's modification of "equal time" rules for talk shows: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/02/17/colbert-says-cbs-refused-to-air-his-interview-with-democrat-candidate-fearing-fcc-blowb...

We're taking Presidents' Day off this Monday, but we take a moment to remind you to think about the importance of ALL our hard work this midterm election year in doing all we can to put a stop to the daily insanity from the current occupant of the White House. We also remind you that your support is huge to us - so instead of picking up a new mattress, pick up the merch to match your progr...

Sara McGee is running unopposed as a Democrat in the swingy 132nd Texas House District, inspired by a rude experience with incumbent Republican Mike Schofield, one of our most do-nothing and boot-licking lawmakers. A former school librarian and community advocate, Sara is focused on protecting Texans' reproductive rights, increasing public education funding, and expanding healthcare access. Le...

The Progress Texas board has begun announcing their endorsements in the 2026 election, and if you don't live in North Texas, one you might be less familiar with is Kevin Burge - a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and cybersecurity specialist currently running for the U.S. House in Texas' 24th Congressional District, which has significant overlap with Texas State Senate District 9- the site of tha...

Yet another week in the blender to unpack, as Austin State Rep. and new Progress Texas endorsee Vikki Goodwin joins us to announce an initiative to limit the encroachment of ICE into our neighborhoods, and give us an update on her campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Plus a discussion of Trump's new all-out assault on the environment, the ridiculous airspace lockdown of El Paso, and the needlessl...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The board at Progress Texas has issued its endorsement of Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin in her run for Texas Lieutenant Governor: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-endorsements-march-primaries-0 ...Texas labor unions, somewhat inexplicably, have been split in their endorsements in the race for Governor: https://www.texastrib...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Once again voting against the party that put him in power, Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat in the U.S. House to vote in favor of a strict new voter identification law based upon Donald Trump's unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/politics/house-passes-voter-id-bill.html...

In this live pod captured at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, former PT staffer Reagan Stone moderates a panel of Democrats seeking their party's nomination to challenge Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a lawmaker whose reputation as a moderate does not resolve his failure to address the poverty and healthcare crisis that plagues one of the largest political districts in the nation. L...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Progress Texas board has issued an endorsement for freshly-elected Congressman Christian Menefee in Houston's 18th Congressional District: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-endorsements-march-primaries-0 Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare was at it again last night - kicking citizens out for questioning the county&#39...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's comments after Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislane Maxwell pled the Fifth yesterday: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/02/09/rep_jasmine_crockett_the_united_states_is_falling_apart_right_now_its_time_to_take_off_the_blinders.html New University of Houston polling shows significant leads for...

Thanks for finding Progress Texas Podcasts! How do we make progress in 2026? Progress Texas is the permanent home for nonprofit, progressive media and action in the Lone Star State. Our team of communications pros is meeting the moment of the podcasting boom with the largest progressive audience in Texas, reaching millions online monthly. As of the beginning of 2026 we enjoy user ratings of 4.9 ou...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Our board at Progress Texas announces the following endorsements in the 2026 midterm elections: Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor Sarah Eckhardt for Texas Comptroller Alisa Simmons for Tarrant County Judge Terry Virts for Houston's Congressional District 9 Bobby Pulido for South Texas' Congressional District 15 Kevin Burge for Nort...

Secular Houston founder and new Progress Texas Institute board member Wil Jeudy returns for a deep dive on an even more nutty week than usual in Texas politics, as we unpack the drama this week between former Congressman Colin Allred, State Rep. James Talarico, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett as the hopes of a friendly primary in the Senate race, held by most Texas Democrats, proved perhaps a t...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Trump DOJ's move to "nationalize" and "clean" voter rolls via massive purges is being resisted by two dozen U.S. states - but not Texas, which has already handed over our full voter roll information: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/trump-nationalize-texas-voter-rolls-21331488.php ...Meanwhile...

We know what keeps our communities safe. Public safety comes in the form of strong communities and trusted leaders—not masked goons enabled by an authoritarian regime. Katharine Pichardo, CEO and President of Latino Victory, joins us to discuss how they’re building lasting political power to protect and represent Latino communities across the nation and in Texas. Learn more about Latino Victory at...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: ICE is making its presence known in cities across Texas - in El Paso, officials at Camp East Montana have begun sending the bodies of detained immigrants who have died on their watch to an internal military hospital - not the local county medical examiner, where one recent such death was deemed a homicide: https://www.texastribune.org/202...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett weighs in on the racial turmoil that has erupted between her competitor Rep. James Talarico and former Congressman Colin Allred: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article314552282.html ...Racial tensions have undercut recent enthusiasm among Texas Democrats spurred by Tayl...

We welcome back Congresswoman Julie Johnson, whom as you may know is in the midst of the second year of her first term representing Dallas' CD 32, while also running for the newly drawn CD 33 as a result of the recent Donald Trump-ordered and Greg Abbott-delivered carving up of Texas' congressional map. We got an update on the hard work she's doing both in D.C., and on the campaign tra...