The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 19, 2026

Episode Date: October 19, 2026

The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Visit The Texan for complete access to our in-depth articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to follow us and leave a review!

Well, howdy folks? Today's Monday, October 19th, 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, State Representative James Tala Rico raised a record-breaking $64 million for his U.S. Senate campaign during the third quarter of 2026, according to a statement from his campaign on Thursday. The hall was not only the largest fundraising quarter of Tala rica. campaign, but also the most any U.S. Senate candidate has ever raised in the third quarter. Since the beginning of his campaign last year, Talariko has raised $134 million. According to Federal Ethics Commission reports, during the period lasting between July 1st and

September 30th, he raised approximately $57 million in his principal campaign committee and almost $7 million in his Talarico victory fund. His opponent in the race, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also saw his fundraising numbers tick up. According to his campaign, he raised $18 million during the third quarter, more than the $11.2 million he raised during the first two quarters of 2026 combined. About 10 million of those dollars came from his principal campaign committee, 5.7 million from his Paxton Victory Committee, and 2.7 million from his Team Paxton Committee.

Despite the increase, Paxton still fell well short of Talaura. In other news, U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez is fighting a pitched battle for re-election against Republican candidate Eric Flores, a former federal prosecutor. The district was redrawn during the 2025 mid-decade redistricting to favor Republicans, and the outcome may determine which party wins the U.S. House. Those stakes would have seemed unlikely just several years ago. Before mid-decade redistricting, Congressional District 34 used to be the most Democratic district in one of Texas' most Democratic areas, the Rio Grande Valley. Anchored in blue-leaning Cameron County, it regularly gave statewide Democratic candidates over two-thirds of the vote prior to President Donald Trump's era.

Both candidates this time around have sought to emphasize the economy and affordability, which has emerged this election cycle as a key issue for voters. The only public poll of the race from Texas Southern University found Gonzalez with a narrow lead over Flores of 45% to 42%. 3% of voters in the district supported Eddie Espinoza, the Green Party candidate, while 2% backed Chris Royal, the Libertarian. 8%, enough to swing the race to either Gonzalez or Flores, remained undecided. The Texans' Texas Partisan Index scores the new district as R-52%, while the old iteration was D-54%. Last but not least, Republican candidate Brandon Herrera, also known online as The AK guy,

will face Democrat Katie Padilla Stout in a contest for Texas Congressional District 23. The two are also running against Ben Mendoza, an independent candidate. According to the Texans' Texas Partisan Index, the district leans Republican at R-57% unaffected by the state's most recent redistricting last year. The district was most recently represented by former U.S. representative Tony Gonzalez, who ended his re-election campaign in March of this year amid controversy over an alleged sexual relationship with a former staffer who later committed suicide. He formally resigned in April, leaving the seat vacant. Gonzalez previously faced Herrera in a Republican runoff election for the

district in 2024, narrowly winning his runoff by a difference of just over 400 votes. Gonzalez and Herrera were set for another GOP primary runoff in May, but Gonzalez dropping out left Herrera the nominee by default. CD23 covers much of the state's western region, spanning 800 43 miles of Texas' 1,200-mile border with Mexico. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the district's total population nears 800,000, with dominant employment sectors including health and human services and retail, the district also includes portions of the Permian Basin. Thanks for listening.

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