The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 5, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, March 5th, 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, President Donald Trump has announced he will endorse either U.S. Senator John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate primary runoff and will ask the other to drop out of the race. Corny and Paxton successfully edged out Congressman Wesley Hunt during Tuesday's Republican primary election, but neither secured a majority of the vote and thus were set for a runoff election on May 26th. The president confirmed that he would be endorsing soon in a truth social post the morning after the Tuesday election, adding that he would request the candidate who doesn't receive his endorsement to drop out.

Starting point is 00:00:56 Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told conservative radio host Mark Davis on Wednesdays, the morning after the election night, that Hunt had, quote, no business running in the U.S. Senate race, and that he would cost Republicans around $50 million between the Cornyn and Paxton campaigns due to Hunt pushing them to a runoff. Amid reports circulating that Trump intends to endorse Cornyn, Paxton first said in an interview on Wednesday with Real America's voice that he would not drop out of the race, even if Trump asked him to. In response, Trump told Politico on Thursday, quote, well, that's bad for him to say. That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go in the other direction. Shortly after the story was published, Paxton posted on social media that he,

Starting point is 00:01:43 quote, would consider dropping out of this race if Senate leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the Save America Act, end quote, while emphasizing his loyalty to Trump, saying no one has been more loyal to the president than him. U.S. Representative Chip Roy's, safeguard American voter eligibility or SAVE Act would require proof of American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Many members have been pressing U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune to nuke the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to defeat, as there are only 53 Republicans in the chamber. In other news, what began as months of denials and counter-accusations has now culminated in a dramatic reversal and confession from embattled Congressman Tony Gonzalez over an

Starting point is 00:02:32 affair with a staffer who later committed suicide. Following a congressional ethics investigation, Gonzalez has admitted that allegations he engaged in an improper sexual relationship with his now deceased regional director Regina Santos Avilaz were true. And in response to the admission, top Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on him to end his re-election campaign. A joint press release issued on Thursday said, quote, the Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzalez's conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was joined by U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, and Lisa McLean in issuing the statement. They added that Gonzalez said he will fully cooperate with the investigation.

Starting point is 00:03:21 The leadership also called on Gonzalez to drop out of his GOP primary runner, off with challenger Brandon Herrera. Last but not least, in a surprising Democratic primary upset, State Representative Chris Turner lost the nomination for Texas House District 101 to Grand Prairie Council member Jr. Izzanu won 53% of the vote, and Turner received 47%. Turner has served in the Texas House since 2008, except for losing re-election in 2010 before returning in 2012. He has served as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2017 to 2022. 26-year-old Azanu said his top priorities are to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, quote, fund our public schools and repeal the private school voucher law, end quote, and

Starting point is 00:04:12 homeownership affordability. House Democrats like state representatives Lauren Ashley Simmons, Gene Wu, and Joe Moody came out on social media to praise Turner and his record in the legislature. Thanks for listening. Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 5, 2026

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