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March 23, 2026 5:11 PM

Kronberg argues Talarico strategy may be avoiding the elephant in the room

The GOP playbook for the last 25 years includes campaigning on a number of fronts but closing the sale with culture war issues at the end of the election. Based on the history of those campaigns, Kronberg says it may prove unwise for Talarico to dismiss those issues out of hand as distractions now only to have them come back and bite him later

The question of the day is whether James Talarico is truly the new wonderkid of Democratic politics a candidate potentially following the same flame-out path of other once promising Democratic stars like Wendy Davis and Beto O’Rourke.

Let’s start with some predicates

First, there are simply more Republican voters in Texas than Democratic ones. Republicans have long enjoyed a 10+ percentage structural advantage in their base vote here. The conventional wisdom is that John Cornyn can engage that 10% structural advantage whereas the walking ethical mess that is Ken Paxton cuts that advantage by at least half.

Second, while recent but pre-Iran War polling suggests the president’s approval in Texas has declined it has not been precipitous. What is significant, at least according to the UT Politics Project poll, is that suburban voters have had a double-digit swing from +8% to -9% in Trump approval. Talarico will lose rural Texas, is likely to win urban Texas with the true battleground likely in the suburbs (AKA white suburban housewives).

Perhaps most significant is the historic growth in self-identified independent voters.

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By Harvey Kronberg

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March 23, 2026 1:10 PM

Lt. Gov. Patrick adjusts Texas Senate committee assignments

Subscribers can download them.

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March 23, 2026 9:42 AM

Texas Senate select committee formed on Religious Liberty to be chaired by Sen. Phil King

The membership includes Paxton, Blanco, Hagenbuch, Adam Hinojosa, Hughes, and Perry

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March 20, 2026 5:26 PM

Sounds like the Chief of Staff and Chief Financial Officer have departed the Office of the Attorney General

AG Paxton's Chief Leslie French and CFO Michele Price are said to have departed. No reason given so far. Developing...

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March 20, 2026 3:30 PM

People on the Move

Leadership change at LCRA, a cool appointment, and empowering women through Pink Granite in Austin

It’s spring break across Texas but you might not be able to tell that based on the AI slop being slung by campaigns ramping up for runoffs in which a Presidential pardon – I mean, endorsement – is supposed to be coming any day now. The suspense is decidedly not killing me when it comes to that.

The Quorum Report Radio podcast will return next week after spring has sprung and most of you will be more tuned in. I know quite a few of our readers and listeners have been dealing with kids at home this week. Others are out of town enjoying yourselves. To get the show on your phone automatically when it returns, make sure you’re following it on your favorite podcast app. The links to follow on Apple and Spotify are on the QR homepage.

Meantime there are a few career notes to pass along including a veteran of Texas government making a change and a longtime lobbyist gaining a new role at a university. If you’ve got career news to share with the entire Texas Capitol community, the most efficient way is to send it to ksbraddock@gmail.com and use POTM in the subject line. Please and thank you.

Here’s the latest edition of People on the Move.

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By Scott Braddock

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