Daily Rundown - October 29, 2026
00:04 Well, howdy folks, today's Thursday, October 29th, 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, the final stretch of the Texas governor's race brought in some new heavyweight donors to both incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and his Democratic challenger, State Representative Gina Hinojosa. Texans for Greg Abbott, the Governor's Political Action Committee, raised more than $26 million in total political contributions between September 25th and October 24th, according to his campaign's Monday filing with the Texas Ethics Commission. During the same period, Hinajosa reported more than $17.5 million in total political contributions. Continuing a massive
00:53 spending spree, Abbott also reported 35.4 million in total political expenditures, almost double Hinojosa's 19.1 million. Hinahosa's cash on hand dipped just below $1 million, while Abbott ended the period with about $8.6 million in cash on hand, beginning the year with more than $100 million. Abbott's largest contribution during this period was a $5 million donation from the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk. Hinahosa's top contributors were Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic Governor's Association Action Pack, which tied with a $1 million donation apiece. In other news, three State Board
01:35 of Education incumbents, two Republicans, and one Democrat are seeking re-election this year among nine races on the ballot. The 15-member board represents roughly 1.8 million Texans per district, and members serve two or four-year terms. Every two years, seven of the board's seats are up for re-election, except after redistricting every 10 years when all seats are contested. Republican Julie Pickren is running against former teacher Tiffany Perkins to represent Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast, including Jefferson and Orange counties, as well as major cities such as Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. Abbot endorsed incumbent Audrey Young faces Lone Star College Professor Dana Van de Walker to represent District 8, which includes East Texas and parts of the greater Houston region.
02:23 The district covers Walker County, Polk County, and portions of Harris County, as well as major cities such as Huntsville, Livingston, and Laporte. Democratic incumbent Tiffany Clark is challenged by Carlos Charlie Garza to represent District 13, which covers the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including Dallas County, Terrant County, and portions of Collin County, as well as major cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington. Last but not least, State Representative Lacey Hull is seeking a fourth term representing Texas House District 138 in western Harris County, but faces a challenge from first-time candidate Tyler Smith, an associate regional director at a gun control advocacy group. HD 138 includes portions of Spring Branch ISD, parts of the Memorial Villages, Jersey Village, and areas of Cyprus Fairbanks ISD, and Leans Republican. The Texans Texas Partisan Index rates the district at R-59% and in 2024, President Donald Trump won the district by 8.5 percentage points. That same year, Hull outperformed the president and won 57% to 43% over Democrat Stephanie Morales.
03:35 Voter turnout in HD 138 in the first nine days of early voting this year is about 45% higher than at the same point in the 2022 mid-term election, and more than 30, 38,000 ballots have already been cast. Analysis indicates that about 34% of those voters previously voted in a Republican primary, about 29% in a Democratic primary, and 36% have no prior primary history. First elected in 2020, whole chairs the Texas House Health and Human Services Committee and serves on both the State Affairs Committee and the Sunset Advisory Commission. Early voting continues through Friday, October 30th, and election days, Tuesdays,
04:16 Tuesday, November 3rd. 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.
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