The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 18, 2025
Episode Date: September 18, 2025Want to support The Texan and help us continue providing the Lone Star State with news you can trust? Subscribe today: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick re...cap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Be sure to visit The Texan and subscribe for complete access to our in-depth articles, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review!
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Howdy, folks, today is Thursday, September 18th, and you're 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, the race for the newly drawn Texas Congressional District 32 is filling up with Republican primary candidates.
Congresswoman Julie Johnson has held the seat since 2020.
after former representative Colin Allred ran for the U.S. Senate.
The Texas House redrew the 32nd Congressional District as part of its redistricting plan
during the second special session of the 89th legislature to make the district more solidly Republican.
It will go from solidly Democratic at D62% to solidly Republican at R60% per the Texan's Texas Partisan Index.
Prior to redistricting, its boundaries were completely.
within the Dallas metropolitan area. Now it is a long narrow district extending from the Dallas
Metroplex out into East Texas counties. Johnson filed her statement of candidacy for re-election in
November 2024 before the new district was drawn, but now she has her eyes on a different seat.
She told CBS News that she may be considering the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District
if Congressman Mark Vizzi doesn't run for that seat. The Republican field of
primary candidates is large, with seven individuals having declared their candidacy.
In other news, the State Board of Education voted last week to adopt new social studies standards
that place greater emphasis on Texas history over the course of six years for students from
third grade through eighth grade. The vote was eight in favor to seven against on Friday,
September 12th. The newly adopted Option C, often referred to as the chronological option,
layers Texas, U.S., and world history over six years.
Two days earlier, the board voted nine to six in a preliminary vote for option D,
which would have given students two years each of state, national, and world history,
taught separately by grade level.
The purpose of the new standards is to address students' lack of historical knowledge.
According to the Texas Education Agency,
only 38% of eighth graders are proficient under the state board.
of education's social studies standards, and just 15% are proficient in U.S. history.
Last but not least, Governor Greg Abbott signed several bills passed during the tumultuous
second special session into law, including the congressional redistricting map, a crackdown
on the sale of chemical abortion pills, youth camp safety response, and penalties for legislative quorum
breakers, and he has vetoed one. The second special session of the 89th legislature concluded
on September 4th, about two weeks after the return of previously absent Texas House Democrats,
who had left the state to protest and block a vote on the GOP favored redistricting map.
The map, which is projected to allow Republicans to pick up five additional seats in the U.S.
House, is among the bills signed by Abbott so far.
It was signed into law on September 5th prior to the cluster of bills to which Abbott took his pen
on Wednesday.
In a milestone moment for the pro-life contingent of the Texas legislature, House Bill 7, establishing civil penalties for chemical abortion pill providers and distributors, was signed into law by Abbott on Wednesday. It will go into effect on December 4th. The bill died twice earlier this year during its eventually successful journey under the Pink Dome, killed first during the regular session when it was never reported out of committee, and then during the first special session due to the quorum.
break. State Senator Brian Hughes and state representative Jeff Leach carried the legislation through
their respective chambers, sponsoring one of the most contentious nights on either floor. Thanks for
listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full
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Thank you.