The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 20, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks, today is Monday, October 20th, and you are listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans assistant editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, early voting in Texas commenced on Monday with various measures on the ballot, some resulting from this year's legislative session and others due to vacancies in political office. The measures include 17 statewide constitutional amendments, various local and special elections, and a plethora of local bond proposals. Among the most significant of these ballot items as Texans begin voting are special elections for one congressional district and one Texas Senate district.

Starting point is 00:00:47 CD18 is once again holding a special election after the death of Congressman Sylvester Turner, who is elected for the first full term representing the district after the passing of Congresswoman and Sheila Jackson Lee in 2024. Turner, also the former mayor of Houston, passed away in March after a three-year battle against bone cancer. Back in April, Governor Greg Abbott set CD-18's special election for November, sparking controversy over the lengthy period between Turner's death and the election to fill his seat. Texas SD-9 is currently without representation in the wake of state Senator Kelly Hancock's departure to become acting Texas comptroller and announcement of his candidacy for a full term in the office in 26. Three candidates are running to fill that vacancy,

Starting point is 00:01:36 Republicans John Huffman and Lay Wamsgans and Democrat Taylor Remitt. In other news, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin has been dismissed from his role due to ideological differences, he said last week. Art Markman, a U.T. Austin psychology professor, posted to LinkedIn that after spending 27 years at the school with four and a half years in the provost's office, leadership had let him go from his, quote, academic administration role due to ideological differences. On the U.T. Austin website, Markman is still listed as a professor and senior vice provost. He is also a host of a radio show at KUT. A few days later on October 19th, Governor Greg Abbott commented on an Axiow story that highlighted Markman's

Starting point is 00:02:23 dismissal, quote, Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation. Abbott added, quote, we must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education. Last but not least, a lawsuit was filed against the state of Texas by student activists over a newly passed law requiring age verification for app downloads, alleging that the statute is a violation of the right to free speech. The case was filed by students engaged in advancing Texas, or seat, as well as two children against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday, requesting declaratory and injunctive relief from the App Store Accountability Act's implementation in Texas. The complaint reads,

Starting point is 00:03:14 quote, Texas has passed a law presumptively banning teenagers and restricting everyone else from accessing vast online libraries of fully protected speech. It continues, quote, the act violates the First Amendment on its face. Senate Bill 2420, authored by state Senator Angela Paxton and carried by state representative Caroline Fairley in the House, was passed during the 89th regular legislative session. Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law over the summer and it will become effective on January 1st, 2026, if not blocked by the lawsuits filed against it. The statute requires that all users show ID to download apps on mobile devices and also mandates parental consent for minors. The plaintiffs asserted in their preliminary statement,

Starting point is 00:04:02 quote, just as the government could not compel a bookstore to screen patrons and stop minors from purchasing any book without parental approval, the state cannot ban minors from downloading digital content through app stores or within apps without parental consent. Thanks for listening. To support the 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 - October 20, 2025

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