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February 18, 2026 6:46 PM
A total of
56,302 people voted in the Republican primary and 42,450 people voted in the
Democratic primary on the first day of early voting ahead of the March 3
primary. Let’s go through the numbers from some of the significant parts of the
state while we await further info from the Secretary of State’s Office.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright February 18, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 17, 2026 7:31 PM
Reporters Bayliss
Wagner and Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson got
the scoop in the San Antonio Express News:
U.S. Rep.
Tony Gonzales engaged in a romantic relationship with an aide who died last
year by setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home, according to a text
message and people close to the aide and her family.
A former
staffer in Gonzales' district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina
Ann "Regi" Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in
2024, and that she spiraled into a depression after her husband discovered the
relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut her off. He also shared with the San
Antonio Express-News a screenshot of a text message from Santos-Aviles in which
she acknowledged having an “affair with our boss.”
The
staffer, who asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation, faulted
Gonzales' office for failing to intervene, saying he warned the congressman's
district director months before Santos-Aviles' death that he was concerned
about her well-being. He described her as his “best friend” and said their
families knew each other.
Gonzales,
a Republican representing Texas' 23rd Congressional District, is currently
seeking reelection in a contested primary. He and his staff did not respond to
a list of detailed questions submitted by the Express-News.
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Copyright February 17, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 17, 2026 3:48 PM
It's a good reminder that former Speaker Phelan benefitted greatly from one of the elder statesmen of the Texas GOP in his primary one year ago
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Copyright February 17, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 16, 2026 7:08 PM
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Copyright February 16, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 16, 2026 3:51 PM
In response to revelations about Nate Sheets, Commissioner Miller's campaign laid it on thick, saying they would "not be speaking further on the recent revelations about Sheets’ addictions to sex, alcohol, and pornography, or his illicit affairs while in ministry, resulting in his untimely dismissal"
It was a
GOP primary debate right up until it turned into a public confessional.
Before a
crowd of conservative Republicans in Dallas County this weekend, Gov. Greg
Abbott's candidate in the race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner opened up about some of his past struggles with porn
addiction and alcoholism then told those voters about an extramarital affair.
All this
has been simmering just under the surface in the race. But it spilled into the
open during a Sunday night debate at the Angelika Film Center, leaving
some in attendance scratching their heads because many hadn't heard anything
about it just yet. In multiple forums and debates, including one moderated by
yours truly in Houston a couple weeks ago, Sheets and Ag Commissioner Sid
Miller have taken a few swipes at each other here and there but have mostly
discussed issues important to GOP primary voters. Immigration policy, “Making
America Healthy Again,” and the innerworkings of the Texas Department of
Agriculture. Stuff like that.
But Gov.
Abbott in recent weeks has turned up the heat by calling Miller corrupt and, in
a vague but direct way, telling Republican voters about Miller's
"connections with criminality."
Yes,
Miller's side had a response to that.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright February 16, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 13, 2026 2:53 PM
From oil and gas to tech, from Congress to local government, and more
“Bad
Bunny Braddock”
checking in with People on the Move.
After Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick called
me that during the first half of the Super Bowl on Sunday, you
know we’re going to have some fun with it on the latest edition of the
Quorum Report Radio podcast, which will drop on your favorite
podcast app this evening. The links to subscribe are on the QR homepage. Check
it out.
It was
good to see so many of you in Houston at Mayor John Whitmire’s State of
the City Address. As reported in QR yesterday, the former Dean of the Texas
Senate ruffled some feathers at two other city halls around the state and
took direct aim at some of his critics in Houston media and the Harris
County Democratic Party. In a lot of ways, it sounded more like a
reelection kickoff speech than a generic update about how city operations are
going. Check out the story in The Buzz and listen to the highlights
during the podcast tonight, if you’re interested.
Meantime,
there’s career news to tell you about this week. People one the Move isn’t
possible without your help – something you’ve all been doing for nearly a
decade. It started back in 2017 when there was a wave of retirements in the
lobby and many of you wanted to know more about that. POTM was born in response
to reader demand and remains powered by reader input. Thank y’all so much for
sending career news each week to ksbraddock@gmail.com
and using POTM in the subject line. That helps me keep it all straight.
Here’s the
latest edition.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright February 13, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 12, 2026 5:17 PM
Urban counties argue this is an unfunded mandate and will enable more ID theft; DPS pointed to multiple problems including complications for first time applicants, increased risk of false affidavits, increased operation of unregistered vehicles and unlicensed drivers, and more
Over the objections
of local governments and multiple concerns of the Texas Department of Public
Safety, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is moving forward
with a controversial proposal to prohibit undocumented people from registering their
cars and trucks.
Critics argue
this move amounts to an unfunded mandate and risks emboldening fraudsters who engage
in identity theft, among other things. But Gov. Greg Abbott is insisting
DMV move forward. That’s probably because it’ll look tough on immigration
during an election year but most of the plan doesn’t take effect until next year
when the election is over.
How about
that?
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright February 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 12, 2026 4:14 PM
“If somebody wants to work with me to fix and improve Houston I will go anywhere anytime,” Whitmire said. “I don’t have time for politics. I don’t have time for partisanship.”
HOUSTON -
Telling a downtown crowd of about 1,500 people that a big reason to smile is he
is not giving the State of the City Address for New York or Los
Angeles, Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Thursday dismissed his administration’s
critics, slammed partisan politics, and took shots at some of his counterparts
in other parts of the state.
Brushing
aside commentary from local media including the Houston Chronicle
as well as the Harris County Democratic Party, which recently voted
to never endorse the longtime Democratic legislator going forward, Whitmire
said he's more interested in getting things done for Houston than partisan
politics.
Whitmire
used most of his speech, hosted by Houston First and the Greater
Houston Partnership, to focus on improving public safety and infrastructure.
But he also slammed Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson
– yes, both by name – for recent setbacks.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright February 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 12, 2026 3:58 PM
The polling memo is
here.
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Copyright February 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 11, 2026 1:04 PM
Quorum Report Publisher Harvey Kronberg and Texas Capital Tonight host James Barragan with the latest on the primaries
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Copyright February 11, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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