The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 16, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy, folks. Today is Friday, October 16th, 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, on November 3rd, South Texas voters will decide who will represent the newly redrawn Congressional District 28 in the 120th Congress. The incumbent U.S. Representative Henry Quayar will face Webb County Judge Tano Tiharina, the Republican Challenger. Previously a safe Democratic seat, the district has become more competitive as Hispanic voters, who comprise over 75% of its population, have recently trended towards Republicans. In 2024, Quayar was indicted for bribery, money laundering, and being an unregistered foreign agent of Azerbaijan. He pleaded not guilty and denied the charges.

Starting point is 00:00:57 Trump eventually pardoned Quayar in December for the charges he faced. The president said he thought there would be a good chance that the Democrat would become a Republican, and he has since blasted Quayar's decision not to do so as disloyal. Tiorina, a Latino officeholder in South Texas elected as a Democrat in 2015, did switch parties in late 24, and became a Republican. Next, Colin County's only Democrat in the Texas House faces a challenge from a local former judge. State Representative Mihaila Plesa, who flipped House District 70 in a closely watched race in 2022, is defending her seat against Republican George Flint, a district court judge and former attorney. When the Texas legislature redrew Texas House District maps in 2021, it made most districts less

Starting point is 00:01:46 competitive, with a few exceptions. After Place's Republican predecessor, State Representative Scott Sanford, announced his retirement, the Texas House shifted the formerly deep red district in Democrats' favor. In the expensive election that followed, Placea beat the Republican nominee. by just 821 votes, securing one of two Democratic flips in the Texas House on Election Day 2022. Placer was also one of 13 Democrats, whom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned to remove for breaking quorum in 2025 when the Texas legislature was redrawing congressional districts. In other news, State Representative James Tala Rico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, faced a room full of Texans at a nationally televised town.

Starting point is 00:02:33 Hall, where he addressed the economy and energy and was challenged on abortion, foreign policy, election integrity, and gender modification. Hosted by CNN and Jubilee Media, the event included about 60 Texas voters. The attendees were evenly split into three groups, with Democratic voters on the left, Republicans on the right, and independence in the middle. Participants had been polled before the town hall on their top issues heading into the general election, including the economy, affordability and corruption. During the debate segment of the town hall, members of the audience were called on from each partisan section, including some undecided voters, to sit across from Talariko on the stage and debate him on an issue on which they disagree, ranging from abortion to the state of

Starting point is 00:03:18 Israel. Last but not least, the city of Kima allegedly withheld public documents regarding a residence property from federal and state courts, and now one attorney is calling for the city to be sanctioned and pay attorney's fees related to an ongoing property rights lawsuit. According to a motion filed last week with Galveston District Court Judge Lonnie Cox, Kima's officials and attorneys failed to produce numerous emails and texts that mentioned property purchased by Veronica Crowe in 2021 in connection with her pending lawsuit against the city. Crow sued the city in 2022, alleging that city officials revoked her construction permits after imposing a myriad of contradictory conditions, including incorrectly instructing her to elevate

Starting point is 00:04:03 the property and then to lower it again, both at her own expense. Even after she attempted to comply with conditions, she was allegedly told she must reapply for the permits. She has been unable to build on the property for nearly five years. The city, represented by attorney Bill Helthand, has maintained in court that Crowe was never approved for a building permit, but many recently disclosed documents contradict the city's claims. 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 - October 16, 2026

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