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May 18, 2026 4:38 PM
Leach is on the warpath calling Paxton corrupt and “negligent” in the handling of a child molestation case while the AG appears to duck questions about it even on conservative talk radio
WACO – A decade
ago, the confrontation unfolding now between Attorney General Ken Paxton
and Texas House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeff Leach
would have been unimaginable. It’s a similar situation for Elections Committee
Chairman Matt Shaheen. Both are endorsing Sen. John Cornyn
against Paxton in the GOP runoff and spoke at events for “Big John” in DFW this
weekend.
Back in 2016,
Leach and Shaheen – along with then-Representatives Jodie Laubenberg, Scott
Sanford, and then-Sen. Van Taylor – were all allied with Paxton as
members of the Collin County delegation. It made sense since it’s the delegation
Paxton himself was part of as a former Texas House and Senate
member.
That is
more than a lifetime ago in Texas politics, though. And over the years, Paxton
has completely lost the faith of those former colleagues still in the Legislature.
He now calls them “the Austin swamp.” But he’s been in office the whole time,
too.
Since their
falling out, Chair Leach served as one of the impeachment managers against
Paxton in a longshot bid to remove him from office. It put Leach at odds with Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick and most Senate Republicans as well as a large portion
of the GOP base statewide. Now, in the closing days of the runoff for US
Senate, Leach is going all in for Cornyn by regularly calling out Paxton for
unethical behavior, incompetence in office, and “cowardice” in failing to
address matters of grave concern including the way a child molestation case was
handled in Waco.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright May 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 18, 2026 4:06 PM
Commissioner Wright is suddenly on the board with $2 million raised; reports for AG candidates are largely unavailable as of yet and there are a few Texas House runoffs yet to wrap up
Editor’s
note: We’ll update the numbers as more reports become available – SB
Among the
bigger stories of the day, as we reported, is that Bo French once again
found an issue with Railroad Commission Chair Jim Wright
that has nothing to do with the commission’s role.
Wright,
who raised $2 million, received his single largest contribution from Texas
Sands, run by casino magnate Miriam Adleson who is Jewish and
staunchly pro-Israel. French has a history of antisemitic comments online and,
presumably, at the sauna in River Crest Country Club in Fort
Worth.
Wright’s
rebuttal was straightforward: “Dr. Adelson and I stand firmly with the state of
Israel, and I join conservative leaders across Texas in condemning his ignorant
bigotry.”
Otherwise,
financial fuel for the down ballot drama is mostly minimal. Let’s look at who’s
filed so far.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright May 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 18, 2026 11:35 AM
Adelson dropped $500k on Wright, to which French asked: “why would the casino lobby be trying to buy a non-legislative statewide seat on the RRC?” Wright said, “Dr. Adelson and I stand firmly with the state of Israel, and I join conservative leaders across Texas in condemning his ignorant bigotry.”
Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Jim
Wright is pushing back after his GOP challenger Bo French slammed
the incumbent Republican for accepting a half million dollars from the owner of
Sands Corporation, Miriam Adelson. French and his
supporters suggested it may have something to do with expansion of legal gaming
in Texas, which of course the RRC would have nothing to do with.
Admittedly, there’s been quite a lot in this race that
has nothing to do with the regulation of oil and gas in Texas.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright May 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 17, 2026 1:39 PM
He was 72
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Copyright May 17, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 15, 2026 9:31 AM
The court found that the Texas House Administration Committee's punishment process was suffficient
You can read what the court said
here.
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Copyright May 15, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 13, 2026 4:15 PM
“The last time Chip Roy worked in the Texas Attorney General’s office, he was escorted out of the building," Patrick said, one month after scolding fellow Republicans for negative campaigning
The
dynamic father and son duo of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texans for
Lawsuit Reform CEO Ryan Patrick on Wednesday promoted their support
for Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-River Oaks, for Attorney General.
One was
nicer about it than the other.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright May 13, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 13, 2026 4:11 PM
He told the Express-News in SA: “I'm a progressive Democrat. Johnny has been endorsed by the more conservative Blue Dogs. But we can all agree that he's the candidate who can win this race.”
The
scoop from reporter Bayliss Wagner at the Express-News:
U.S. Rep.
Greg Casar on Wednesday endorsed Johnny Garcia in the Democratic primary runoff
for the 35th congressional district, breaking his silence on the race to
replace him. Casar, who chairs the U.S. House Progressive Caucus, is the
biggest name yet to put his weight behind Garcia, a moderate “Blue Dog”
Democrat and Bexar County sheriff’s deputy. It comes after his opponent,
Maureen Galindo, was accused by fellow Democrats of using antisemitic rhetoric.
In an exclusive interview with the Express-News on Wednesday, Casar said he
trusts Garcia can unite “progressives, moderates and independents” to keep the
seat blue.
“Johnny
Garcia can unite working people to win in November,” Casar, D-Austin, said,
without mentioning Galindo. “I'm a progressive Democrat. Johnny has been
endorsed by the more conservative Blue Dogs. But we can all agree that he's the
candidate who can win this race.”
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Copyright May 13, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 12, 2026 6:14 PM
The suit, which comes as Rep. Frank leads legislative hearings into health care affordability, alleges Blue Cross misrepresented the actual cost of prescription drugs to the plan while receiving undisclosed rebates and driving up costs
Editor’s
note: A copy of the suit can be downloaded by subscribers at the bottom of the
story – SB
Just as a
series of legislative hearings gets underway looking into health care affordability,
the Chair of the Texas House select committee on that is now also
taking Blue Cross Blue Shield to court alleging fraud in the administration
of group health benefits.
Rep. James
Frank, who also employs 175 people in private business, filed the class action
lawsuit in Dallas County. His attorney on this is powerhouse trial lawyer Mikal
Watts.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright May 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 12, 2026 5:37 PM
After a spokesman for Abbott dismissed the idea of a gas tax holiday, Miller said “Why can’t the Governor follow President Trump’s lead and do right by working Texans?”
Here’s Miller’s
statement in full:
“Texans have watched Governor Abbott
repeatedly pick and choose when and how to wield executive authority over the
years, whether through emergency declarations, disaster powers, regulatory
actions, or suspending certain rules and regulations when it suited his
priorities. The question Texans are asking is simple: if executive authority
can be used aggressively in other situations, why wouldn’t every available tool
be used right now to help hard working families being crushed by high fuel
prices? Contrary to his statement today, the Governor should know that the
state doesn’t even collect property taxes, so he couldn’t suspend those taxes
if he wanted to.
Since I
first called for this tax relief, four states have followed suit, and President
Trump himself has said he intends to suspend the federal gas tax. Why can’t the
Governor follow President Trump’s lead and do right by working Texans?
Texans are
tired of the Austin crowd that suddenly becomes powerless whenever real Texans
need relief. Funny how the Governor’s executive authority always seems
available for everything except giving taxpayers a break.
I’ll keep
fighting for lower costs and real relief for Texas families whether that makes
the political insiders uncomfortable or not.”
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Copyright May 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 12, 2026 5:22 PM
The flash
from the New
York Times this afternoon:
Former
President Barack Obama appeared with James Talarico in Austin, Texas, on
Tuesday, aiming to boost the rising Democratic star in his uphill bid to flip a
U.S. Senate seat in the reliably Republican state.
The
appearance, at a restaurant across from the University of Texas, was part of
Mr. Obama’s effort to elevate a new generation of Democratic leaders as the
party heads into the 2026 midterms, a highly competitive year for control of
the U.S. House and, potentially, the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Obama
arrived at the restaurant, Taco Joint, and met with Mr. Talarico and Gina
Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative challenging Greg Abbott, who is
running for a fourth term as governor. “Do you know
our outstanding next governor and senator?” Mr. Obama said as he went from
table to table introducing himself to patrons who appeared to be fans of the
former president — some shocked to see him — and members of Ms. Hinojosa and
Mr. Talarico’s staff and immediate family.
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Copyright May 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 12, 2026 11:29 AM
On Texas Capital Tonight, QR Publisher Harvey Kronberg and host James Barragan got into that and the fact that the long knives are fully out now in the GOP US Senate runoff
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Copyright May 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 11, 2026 10:31 PM
"Historically reliable GOP voters are showing signs of disengagement, either sitting out this cycle or, in some cases, shifting their partisan affiliation entirely."
Subscribers
can download the analysis from veteran Republican pollster Chris Perkins
at Ragnar Research.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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Copyright May 11, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 11, 2026 3:50 PM
Rep. Frank, among others, took issue with the very idea of an agency mandating something like this when it isn’t spelled out in the law: “A recommendation? Great. A best practice? Great. Requirement? No.”
As they looked
at the broader education picture in the state on Monday, Texas House
Public Education Committee members questioned a proposed Texas
Education Agency rule that they say financially squeezes school
districts already strapped for cash.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright May 11, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 11, 2026 3:46 PM
Talarico slams Cornyn’s for debt argument: “Were you worried about the deficit when you gave $1 trillion in tax cuts to the top one percent?” Cornyn shifts, says he’s open to discussion of temporary suspension to get through this “bumpy time.”
Editor’s
note: Sen. Cornyn spoke to reporters about this Monday evening in DC. The story
is updated to include his new comments – SB
With gas
prices rising during what’s becoming a protracted conflict in the Middle East,
US Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico took a moment to praise
President Donald Trump’s new push to suspend federal gas taxes. He also
called on Texas’ senior senator to join with the president on that and appeared
to move the needle with Sen. John Cornyn.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright May 11, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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May 11, 2026 10:56 AM
As for long term consequences: “You could in essence take, you know, like here in Texas, take big cities, which are typically Democrat, and split them up among several sort of suburban and rural Republicans and thereby reduce their margin and make them more vulnerable in an election year.”
Via Mediaite
Fox News’
Karl Rove warned that the country’s malaise may doom the GOP’s House majority
during a Sunday evening chat with Trey Gowdy...
“All
right, Mr. Rove, there were more Democrats in Congress before Jim Clyburn’s
seat was drawn. I actually worked for the federal
judge that was on that three-judge panel,” mused Gowdy. “Is there a chance
these new maps win the battle but lose the war? I mean, if you get too cute by
half, is there a chance that it could backfire?”
“Oh, sure.
You could in essence take, you know, like here in Texas, take big cities, which
are typically Democrat, and split them up among several sort of suburban and
rural Republicans and thereby reduce their margin and make them more vulnerable
in an election year. Same thing could happen in the South, where you take these
large, Blacks-dominated cities like New Orleans, or rural areas like in South
Carolina that are dominated by Blacks, and who are traditionally Democrat
voters, and split them up into several different Republican districts and make
things more problematic in a swing year. You know, nothing ever plays out
exactly in politics as we think it does."
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Copyright May 11, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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