The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 20, 2026

Episode Date: October 20, 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 is Tuesday, October 20th, 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, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burroughs spoke with senior reporter Holly Hanson in a phone interview about road prosecutors, testimony from a recent interim committee hearing, and potential solutions to protect the safety of Texas residents. Visit the Texan. News to read the interview now. Next, a new statewide poll found State Representative James Tala Rico maintaining a narrow two-point lead over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race, with 60% of independent voters and 6% of Republicans planning to vote for the Democrat at the top of the ticket next month. Conducted by the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs, the survey of 2,000 likely voters showed Tala RICO at 48% to Paxton's 46%, while 3% planned to vote for Libertarian, Ted Brown, and just 3% were undecided. The poll's margin of error is 2.19%. With an estimated

$425 million spent on the U.S. Senate race in Texas so far, just 2% and 3% said they did not know enough about the Democratic and Republican candidates to have an opinion of them, respectively. Paxton has emerged with a net favorability of minus 16, and Tala Rico is also underwater with a net favorability of minus 3. While Paxton has emerged, consistently trailed Tala RICO in most polling since the primaries, Governor Greg Abbott holds a three percentage point lead over state representative Gina Hinojosa, with 2% planning to vote for libertarian Pat Dixon and 3% undecided. In other news, one of Texas' redrawn congressional seats features a matchup this fall

between a President Donald Trump endorsed candidate and a Democratic nominee heavily backed by National Democratic Operatives, one of the few contests that will define the success of the GOP's 2025 redistricting. Carlos de la Cruz, the brother of U.S. Representative Monica de la Cruz, who is caught up in her own competitive South Texas race this cycle, is on the ballot against Democratic candidate Johnny Garcia in Congressional District 35. Among the five districts that were targeted by Texas Republicans for mid-decade redistricting in the summer of 2025, a move requested by President Donald Trump was CD-35. Currently held by U.S. Representative Greg Qasar, the seat was moved out of Austin to down near San Antonio, flipping it from deep blue to

solidly Republican. Said redistricting caused CD-35 to jump from a rating of D-77% to R-55% per the Texans' Texas partisan index. De La Cruz was endorsed by Trump in February over State Representative John Lujan, who voted for the redistricting legislation during the 89th legislative session, playing a part in Dela Cruz's victory over the incumbent during the primary season. Also, the North Texas State Senate District 9 race in the November election features a rematch of a special election held in January to fill the seat vacated by former state senator Kelly Hancock. Democrat Taylor Remit prevailed in January by about a 14% margin over Republican lay Wamsgans. SD9 has historically been a Republican-held seat and has a Texas partisan index score,

of R-60%. The two are running again to fill the seat for the 90th Texas legislature. Democrats have been pointing to the SD9 win by Remit as a bellwether, claiming it will provide significant momentum for the party apparatus heading into the November midterm elections, where they are hoping to flip additional seats. Last but not least, a decorated U.S. service member who had served the country for over a decade passed away over the weekend due to injuries from falling during a repelling demonstration prior to a University of Texas at San Antonio football game against the U.S. Naval Academy team. U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ian Patterson died shortly after he fell from the top of the Astrodome Stadium during the pregame

presentation alongside fellow service members. Patterson fell during his planned approximately 170-foot descent, demonstrating the fast rope technique that troops used to repel out of helicopters or other hovering aircraft without using a harness or mechanical assistance. He was wheeled away after plummeting onto the field, witnessed by many in the stands, and the game continued at its scheduled kickoff time. Patterson was a tactical air control party instructor at Joint Base San Antonio and was originally from Fort Stewart, Georgia. 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.