The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 2, 2026

Episode Date: September 2, 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 Wednesday, September 2nd, 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, according to a new poll, state representative James Talarico leads Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by just half a percentage point in the race for U.S. Senate, while Governor Greg Abbott holds a narrow one-point lead over state representative Gina Hinojosa in his quest for a fourth term. The survey of over 1,100 likely Texas voters, which has a margin of error of 2.9% found that 44% would vote for Tala Rico if the election were held today, 43.6% would vote for Paxton, and 12.6% were undecided. Of the undecided, 53% said they leaned toward Paxton and 47%

toward Tala Rico. Conducted between August 24th and 26th by Overton Insights in partnership with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the poll mirrors other recent surveys indicating a very close contest, with the Cook political report recently calling the race a toss-up. In the gubernatorial race, Abbott led Hina Hosa 47% to 46%, with 7% undecided. But if the election were held today, undecided voters preferred Abbott by nearly 15,000. Next, during a marathon hearing on Tuesday, the Tarrant County Commissioner's Court adopted its list of early voting and election day polling locations for the midterm elections this year. Dozens of citizens spoke at the court about the voting location list proposed by elections administrator Clint Ludwig, with concerns about voter suppression often mentioned. The county will have 47 locations during the 12 days of early voting and 224 locations on election day. In August, Ludwig brought a list of 176 election day polling locations down from the 316

used during the 2022 midterm election. The commissioners unanimously agreed to delay the vote on the list of polling locations until the September 1st meeting. In other news, property taxes have ballooned over the last decade, but so has the share of Texas homeowners who pay no property taxes to school districts, according to an analysis presented this week by state Senator Paul Bettencourt. Local governments around the state collected nearly $90 billion in property tax revenue last year, an 83% increase from the 2014 total of $49 billion, according to a, quote, first of its kind statewide data collection effort, end quote, prepared by Bettencourt's office and presented to the local government committee of the Texas Senate on Tuesday. While levies have

grown overall, the average independent school district tax bill has shrunk. and the share of Texans who pay no ISD property taxes has grown. Betancourt said, quote, this by any measurement is a success. Also, the Houston City Council has accepted a proposed $50 million buyout from the Woodlands that will end sales tax revenue sharing for mutually beneficial projects and permanently end the threat of annexation. Houston Mayor John Whitmire called the New Deal a responsible move

that will help provide city services, calling it a, quote, very pro-Huston residents vote. Under an agreement adopted in 2007, Houston could not annex the Woodlands township until 2057. In exchange, the township made an initial payment of $16 million, and afterward paid one-one-per-one percent of sales taxes into a regional participation fund. The funds were to be used for mutually beneficial regional projects, but only if Houston contributed dollar-for-dollar matching fund. The city, however, has not sought projects or matched funds since 2018, and the fund ballots now sits at about $22.6 million. Last but not least, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz touted business investments in the recently launched

Trump Accounts program at an event in Austin on Monday. The accounts, named for President Donald Trump, are seated with $1,000 of taxpayer funds and allow contributions of up to $5,000 per year from parents and their employers for American children born between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 28. Employers that contribute can see those contributions deducted from their tax bills. Qualifying children are forbidden from withdrawing the money until they turn 18. After that, they can withdraw the money for certain qualifying life events like buying a home for the first time, or for any reason after paying a 10% penalty.

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