The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 4, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy, folks, today is Wednesday, February 4th, 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, acting comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that more than 20,000 students had applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the state's Education Savings Account Program, by noon on opening day February 4th. The ESA program was created during the 89th legislative session in Senate Bill 2. The contentious bill faced opposition from every House Democrat and two Republicans. Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on May 3rd. Texas' $1 billion ESA program is the largest in the country,

Starting point is 00:00:51 nearly 8,000 students applied in the first hour. Next, Texas Democrats are taking aim at all statewide seats in the November election, buoyed on by a victory in Texas Senate District 9 on January 31st. They believe that if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is at the top of the ballot for U.S. Senate, they will have a, quote, massive opportunity to compete at the statewide level. Texas Majority PAC Executive Director Catherine Fisher said, Money alone can't beat how unpopular the Trump administration is, noting that Paxton, like SD9 candidate, Le Wamsgans,

Starting point is 00:01:27 aligns himself with President Donald Trump and the make-a-Macon. America Great Again agenda. The Texas Democratic Party and Texas Majority Pack held a joint media call on Tuesday, February 3rd, about the SD9 race and its implications for the 2026 elections. In other news, the open seat for Texas Attorney General has drawn three candidates who are staking out positions in the run-up to the March 26 Democratic primary election by taking aim at outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton, his potential Republican replacements, and at times, each other. Democratic candidates running for Attorney General this year are state Senator Nathan Johnson, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, and former FBI agent Tony Box. During a recent forum

Starting point is 00:02:13 attended only by Jaworsky and Johnson, the candidates sparred over experience and whether a Democratic Attorney General should work with Republicans in the state. Jaworski said that Johnson is comfortable cutting deals with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to keep his committee vice-chairmanship, adding, quote, that might be fine for the Senate, ladies and gentlemen, but it's not what we need in our lead attorney. Johnson responded that Democrats need someone who can win in November, and pointed to Jaworski's losses in his last three quests for office, which included a primary loss to Rochelle Garza in 2022 for Attorney General. Also, two of three suspects charged in the shooting death of a Houston man allegedly entered the country illegally, and although one of the men was

Starting point is 00:02:57 arrested in December by Harris County Sheriff's deputies, he was released on a General Order Bond. A Nicaragua National, Jose Padilla, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents near Eagle Pass, Texas in 2022, but was released into the country. On December 29th, 2025, Padilla was arrested in Harris County and charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon and discharging a firearm in a public place, but was released on general order bonds requiring no payment. Both charges are misdemeanors, and under a 2019 federal decree, Harris County is required to release most misdemeanor suspects without requiring a payment. Last but not least, the first lawsuit under Texas's new law allowing private citizens to sue manufacturers and distributors of chemical

Starting point is 00:03:44 abortion pills was filed on Sunday via an amended complaint by a man who alleges that a doctor mailed abortion-inducing drugs to his girlfriend used to end the lives of two of his pre-born children. Jerry Rodriguez for sued defendant, Remy Quato, a California-based doctor operating a private practice for allegedly providing his girlfriend, Kendall Garza, with abortion-inducing drugs in July 24, but filed an amended complaint under the new Texas law on January 1st. The Texas legislature passed the Texas Woman and Child Protection Act in late August 2025 to curb the production and distribution of chemical abortion pills in Texas through civil liability. and permitting wrongful death claims. In the lawsuit, Rodriguez is seeking at least $100,000 for each alleged violation, specifically that Quato, quote, mailed, transported, delivered, prescribed, or provided any abortion-inducing drug to any person or location in Texas, end quote, since the law took effect in December. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan,

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 4, 2026

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