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May 18, 2026 6:00 PM

In homestretch of US Senate runoff, Chairman Leach pushes all in against Attorney General Paxton

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.

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By Scott Braddock

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May 18, 2026 5:55 PM

Sen. Birdwell confirmed by US Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense

"Let me again thank you for the privilege and honor of serving you for nearly 16 years in the State Senate. Mel and I will be forever grateful for this great honor, and the many friendships made along the way," Birdwll wrote in a letter to constituents this evening

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May 18, 2026 4:06 PM

Latest campaign finance reports in runoffs starting to trickle in

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.

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By James Russell

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May 18, 2026 11:35 AM

Commissioner Wright says large donation from Adelson underscores antisemitic stances of his GOP opponent Bo French

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.

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By Scott Braddock

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May 17, 2026 1:39 PM

Capitol veteran and longtime Texas Senate parliamentarian Walter Fisher passed away, we are told

He was 72

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May 15, 2026 9:31 AM

The all GOP Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbott's lawsuit to kick House Democratic Caucus Chair Wu from office

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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