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July 31, 2026 11:47 AM
Top staff moves, agency news, lobby gigs, a notable retirement, and more
Late night
cowboy poetry and Tanya Tucker singing her classic cover of “Texas If I
Die” in Senate Business and Commerce this week made it feel a
little bit too much like a legislative session around here.
That’s at the same time that campaigns are in full swing in the
middle of the summer with statewide GOP nominees already appearing alongside each
other in rural Texas while the Democratic top of the ticket candidates barnstorm
from DFW to the RGV and everywhere in between. That’s while some of you post beach
pics on your Instagram accounts. Good for you.
Meantime, there
are some significant career moves to pass along this week. POTM tends to slow
down some during the summer and this is no exception. But anytime there’s
career news to share, you can send it to ksbraddock@gmail.com
to make sure the entire Texas Capitol community notices. If you
use POTM in the subject line, it helps me keep it all straight. And if you see
a mistake, feel free to let me know about that as well.
Please and
thank you.
Here’s the
latest edition.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright July 31, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 31, 2026 11:14 AM
"I agree with Chairman Schwertner in calling on the PUC to deny the pending applications for 765-kV transmission lines, and not consider re-applications, until the transmission companies can address the serious concerns raised by landowners at Wednesday’s hearing," Patrick said
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Copyright July 31, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 30, 2026 5:26 PM
Meanwhile Vice Chair Lopez presses members to remember due process rights
The only
way to combat the threat of Halal certification and Sharia banking systems,
which deny loans to atheists and women, from funding radical Islamism and the Communist
Chinese Party includes eliminating due process, gutting the First
Amendment and creating a police state.
That’s one
possible takeaway from a conspiracy-heavy hearing before the Texas House Homeland
Security, Public Safety and Veterans Affair Committee as part of the
panel’s examination of the threat of foreign adversaries to the state.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright July 30, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 30, 2026 2:42 PM
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Copyright July 30, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 29, 2026 4:07 PM
Democrats still feuding over the nasty primary between Talarico and Crockett might learn something from the GOP stalwart in Grayson County who hosted the very governor who put her in jail during the pandemic; it’s far from the only act of forgiveness on display as Republicans push to hold onto power in Texas
SHERMAN –
At this point, it is beyond cliché to say that “all politics is local.”
But for
Texas Republicans facing national headwinds and a disengaged base, a major
challenge they face here in Grayson County and across large swaths of rural
Texas seems to be figuring out ways to motivate voters increasingly angry about
the proliferation of data centers, 765k transmission lines, rising property taxes, and school closures. Plus, many farmers would tell you President Donald
Trump’s tariffs and other ag-related policies amount to abandonment and
betrayal of their industry. All of it led one Texas House
Republican to tell supporters recently that rural Texas “is on fire
politically.”
Increasingly
at risk of separation from a sizeable portion of their base – Republicans can
historically bank about 1 million votes in rural Texas – it makes perfect sense
that nearly every statewide GOP nominee jumped at the chance for a speaking
slot at an event here, even one organized by someone who was once thrown in
jail thanks to the executive orders of Gov. Greg Abbott.
Rep. Shelley
Luther, who spent 2 days in the Dallas County lockup over her refusal to
close her hair salon on the orders of Abbott in 2020, this week hosted the Red
River Roll Call. It was probably the single largest event of its kind
ever organized by a Texas House member. It attracted Abbott, Attorney
General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Railroad Commissioner
nominee Bo French, Sen. Mayes Middleton, and many others for a
two-hour event that felt at times like the fusion of an old school tent revival
and a professional wrestling pay-per-view complete with intro videos set to
rock songs.
For the
event to have happened at all, Luther and others had to really let bygones be
bygones.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright July 29, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 28, 2026 3:34 PM
On Texas Capital Tonight, QR Publisher Harvey Kronberg and host James Barragan got into the latest on the US Senate race plus touched on the Red River Roll Call hosted by Rep. Shelley Luther up in Grayson County this week
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Copyright July 28, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 28, 2026 10:26 AM
Responding to rumors, Rep. Denise Villalobos said "I have no plans on running for CC Mayor. I am seeking reelection to continue serving the people of Texas House District 34 at the State Capitol!"
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Copyright July 28, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 27, 2026 5:31 PM
That testimony came before Texas Senate Finance committee members who lectured the industry on listening to rural Texans; Chair Huffman and Sen. Kolkhorst sounded particularly frustrated, saying the industry’s relations have been “very unimpressive”
As the “Data
Center Week of Action” unfolds at the Capitol in Austin complete with Ag Commissioner
Sid Miller rallying crowds against the projects lured by Gov. Greg
Abbott, the Texas Senate Finance Committee had plenty to ask
and say in a hearing on the billion-dollar financial impacts of sales tax exemptions
as the legislature comes to grips with what these formerly under-the-radar
facilities actually do.
And what
they don’t do.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright July 27, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 27, 2026 5:29 PM
The committee confirmed its looking into him; Gooden said “These are bogus spending allegations perpetrated by dishonest unelected OCC bureaucrats, and as the fifth Texas GOP ally of the President to endure one of these attacks, I am confident the House Ethics Committee will confirm their baseless nature.”
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Copyright July 27, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 27, 2026 5:27 PM
The poll comes as there are rumblings out of Nueces County that Rep. Denise Villalobos is eyeing a run for mayor if the current mayor is recalled or resigns.
Info on
the poll can
be downloaded here.
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Copyright July 27, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 27, 2026 9:47 AM
Check them
out right
here
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Copyright July 27, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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July 26, 2026 2:51 PM
"It is with profound sorrow that we learned of the passing of Tom Luce, Texas 2036’s founder and chairman emeritus. Tom was a visionary leader whose dedication to public service transformed the lives and opportunities of millions of people across our state. He firmly believed in the power of Texans coming together to address the big challenges vital for future generations to thrive, inspiring significant action and driving meaningful change across his lifetime." — David W. Leebron, President and CEO, Texas 2036
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Copyright July 26, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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