The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 27, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks. Today is Friday, February 27th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Managing Editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, today is the last day of early voting for the Texas primaries. Early voting will end tonight at 7 p.m. The primary election is Tuesday, March 3rd. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Follow the Texan on social media and check back with us after the polls close for updates on all the biggest races in the lone star state. Next, like many things involving President Donald Trump, his recent State of the Union speech inspired both affection and disapproval. The president entered the chambers of the U.S. House on Tuesday night and made his way down the aisle, led by a procession of family and cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

Starting point is 00:01:01 Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner. Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stood at the helm, while a gaggle of voices chanted at USA as the president took the stage. The two-hour address, the longest state of the Union in American history, started with Trump stating that the administration had achieved a, quote, turnaround for the ages, after which the crowd witnessed Congressman Al Green being escorted out of the auditorium,

Starting point is 00:01:33 carrying a sign that read in bold, quote, Black people aren't apes. In reference to an AI-generated video posted on Trump's truth social account that depicted various Democratic figures as animals, including Barack and Michelle Obama, as apes. The crowd continued chanting, USA, as Green left the room. Trump spoke on topics ranging from border security to foreign policy. He stated that the last nine months saw, quote, zero illegal immigrants entering the country, and that the, quote, flow of deadly fentanyl is down by a record 56% in one year.

Starting point is 00:02:08 He also honored U.S. Coast Guard petty officer and rescue swimmer Scott Ruskin, who rescued 165 people during the catastrophic Texas flooding in July 2025. The president awarded Rusket the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism. In other news, West Texas is gearing up to the last. select between incumbent state representative Ken King and his Republican challenger, John Browning, in the combative 26 Republican primary. King and Browning are both running with a focus on rural Texas. King has held this seat for over a decade since he was elected in 2012, serving as both the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee and as a member of the Committee on House

Starting point is 00:02:49 Administration during the 89th legislative session. He was also appointed as the chair of the Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, which was created after the destructive July 4th flooding disaster in Central Texas last year. Browning received endorsements from conservative activist organizations, including Texas' right to life, Texans for strong borders, Texans for fiscal responsibility, protecting Texas children, Texas gun rights, and the True Texas Project. King has nabbed endorsements from both President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott. Trump endorsed all Texas House Republicans, including King, who voted for education savings account legislation in April 2025. Last but not least, three cities have changed their plans to hold elections in May about withdrawing

Starting point is 00:03:37 from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART Network. Plano, Irving, and Farmers Branch no longer plan to hold elections to withdraw as member cities of the DART system, but Addison, Highland Park, and University Park still have plans to move forward with their elections. Irving voted 7 to 2 to rescind the election, but the city council voted unanimously to approve an interlocal agreement with Dart to address the city's concerns. The disagreement between Dart and member cities began in 2024 when six cities expressed concerns that they were contributing more to the Dart system than they were receiving in services. Since then, the cities, Dart, and the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments have been working to find a mutual. mutually agreeable resolution. Thanks for listening.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 27, 2026

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