The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 16, 2026

Episode Date: February 16, 2026

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Howdy folks? Today is Monday, February 16th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Senior Editor Mackenzie Delulow, and here is the rundown of today's News in Texas politics. First up, new polling from the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs shows Alexandra Miller and State Representative Briscoe Kane, leading in a crowded Republican primary for the congressional seat that is currently held by Democratic Representative Al Green, but redrawn to favor the GOP in this year's elections. According to the survey conducted February 3rd through February 10th. Of the 10 candidates competing in the Republican primary for Congressional District 9, Mueller leads with 34%.

Another 10% of respondents chose Channelview businessman Dan Mims. 4% chose former Congressman Steve Stockman, and 4% chose former senatorial candidate Dwayne Stowall. Another 19% were undecided. According to the Texans, Texas, partisan index, the redrawn boundaries leave CD9 with a solidly red rating of R60. Six Democrats have filed to run for the seat, and polling from the Hobby School shows Leticia Gutierrez leads with 24%, while 61% are undecided.

Although Green has represented CD9 since 2005, he is now running in the March 2026 Democratic Primary for the redistricted CD18, where he will face newly elected rep Christian Menafee. Pulling from the Hobby School released last week, indicated Menefi leads green 52% to 28%. In other news, acting comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that Texas had doubled its investment in Israeli bonds, upping its investment from $140 million to $280 million, the largest one-time investment in Israel bonds in Texas history. The announcement detailed that the bonds are fixed-rate securities issued by the government of Israel and have maintained a consistent record of principal and interest payments to investors worldwide.

The investment makes Texas the second largest U.S. state investor in these securities. Palm Beach County, Florida holds the top spot in Israeli bond investments. After a recent investment of $1 billion by comptroller Mike Caruso on January 7th, the state of Ohio holds roughly $260 million. Regarding questions of risk related to the regional instability, the Comptroller's Office maintained that Israel has seen strong institutional bond support and a stabilized fiscal outlook since the conflict ceasefires. In a post on X, Hancock stated, Texas is doubling down on our shared commitment to faith, freedom, and economic opportunity.

Next, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into Dallas, Maynor, and Northeast Independent School Districts for facilitating and failing to keep students safe and accountable during various. student protests against lawful immigration enforcement. For weeks, districts across Texas have seen student protests against U.S. immigration and customs enforcement actions. In a February 16th press release, Paxton said these investigations follow concerns that district administration and faculty orchestrated the protests and have taken little to no action to ensure the safety of students and to stop large-scale interruptions of classroom instructional time. The three districts were asked to hand over information regarding district security protocols, internal communications regarding the protests,

and policies related to absences and students leaving campus. These three district investigations come after Governor Greg Abbott directed Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morap to investigate Austin ISD regarding school officials' involvement in students' anti-IACB, protests. Last but not least, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced on Friday the launch of an investigation into East Plano-Islamic Center. The investigation centers around the allegedly Muslim-centric community called the Meadow, previously known as Epic City, and HUD's allegations state that the entity may have violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging

in religious and national origin discrimination. HUD's secretary Scott Turner stated, It is deeply concerning the East Plano Islamic Center may have violated the Fair Housing Act and participated in religious discrimination. The Meadow is a planned multipurpose development northeast of Dallas that aims to house a K-12 school, 402 acres of land, shops and retail centers, and 1,000 homes. The bill has amassed attention, lawsuits, and investigations from state officials in the last year, including Governor Greg Abbott, Senator John Cornyn, and Attorney General Ken Paxton. has become a choice issue for some candidates on the Republican ballot for the March 3rd primary elections. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.