The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 18, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy folks. Today is Monday, May 18th, and you're listening to the Texans' Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, early voting in Texas' primary runoff election has officially begun, capping a season of contentious intra-party feuding and setting the stage for the November general election. Early voting lasts from Monday, May 18th until Friday, May 22nd, four days before Election Day, which is Tuesday, May 26th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Candidates who failed to secure a majority of the vote during the primary election on March 3rd are facing off against the second-place candidates to determine which of them will go on to be

Starting point is 00:00:50 their party's nominee in the general. Many races were determined on March 3rd as one candidate received at least half the vote, with multiple contests only having a runoff for one party this round. The statewide races, which all Texans will see on their ballots, include the Republican U.S. Senate runoff, both the Republican and Democratic contests for Texas Attorney General, the Republican runoff for the Texas Railroad Commission, and the Democratic runoff for Lieutenant Governor. Next, new polling shows both U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in dead heats against Democratic U.S. Senate nominee State Representative James Tala Rico in a general match. The survey, conducted by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University between April 22 and May 6, collected responses from over 1,200 participants who are considered likely to vote in the 26 November general election.

Starting point is 00:01:49 45% of the likely voters said they would vote for incumbent Cornyn come November if he's on the ticket against Tala Rico, while 44% said they would vote for the Democrat. When Paxton was pitted against Talleyko, 45% said they would vote for him in the general election, the same percentage that Tala Rico received. In other news, just one day before a controversial Texas law on illegal immigration was set to take effect, a federal judge granted a new injunction saying most of the law would not pass constitutional muster before the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra, who blocked implementation of Texas Senate Bill 4 in 2024, opined that the law, quote, threatens the fundamental notion that the United States must regulate immigration

Starting point is 00:02:35 with one voice. Approved by lawmakers in 2023, SB4, filed by Texas Senator Charles Perry, established a criminal offense for illegal entry into the state from a foreign nation, and provided a mechanism for judges to order offenders to return to their nation of origin. Implementation was delayed until the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a pending lawsuit last month on the grounds that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue, clearing the way for the law to take effect on May 15th. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a new challenge on behalf of two unnamed individuals who said they could be arrested and subject to SB 4's provisions. Last but not least, multiple Texas public school

Starting point is 00:03:21 districts have announced virtual or hybrid school options for the 2026-27 school year as public schools face declining enrollment. A report from Texas 2036 states, quote, in the 2025-26 school year, Texas had 76,000 fewer public school students than it did the year before. The report adds that outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first decline in enrollment in almost 40 years. While elementary students account for 60% of decline, this loss will advance toward later grades over the next decade, forcing schools to restructure and adapt to retain students. According to the Texas Education Agency, Senate Bill 569, passed during the 89th legislative session, created, quote, a new policy framework for virtual and hybrid education and provides a transition period for already existing courses, programs, and campuses.

Starting point is 00:04:16 Under the law, public school districts and open enrollment charter schools may offer virtual and hybrid instruction through individual courses, programs, and full-time virtual or hybrid campuses. Also under SB 569, public school districts and charter schools receive the same funding for virtual and hybrid offerings as they would for comparable in-person courses and programs. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 18, 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.