Evan Smith

happy @pamelacolloff’s pub date to all who celebrate. this is a great book and everyone should buy it a.co/d/01oP5QUz #txlege

.@zachdespart @TexasTribune: @KenPaxtonTX vowed to crack down on “illegal voting.” He may have violated Texas election law texastribune.org/2026/07/07/ken… #txlege #tx2026

@Llamaoftime per @texastribune, 24%. best of these four cycles and the two that followed #txlege #tx2026

@evanasmith What was Betos ratio in 2018?

biggest variable is geography not demography. no democrat has cracked 25% in rural texas in last six election cycles. have to get at least 30% and more likely 33% to be competitive statewide. only 3m rural texans but they consistently decide outcome of statewide elections in texas. rural vote = ballgame #txlege #tx2026

@nytimes: “Hispanic voters … backed Mr. Talarico by a wide margin, 61-29, in the poll. This is a huge reversion from 2024, when the Hispanic vote was essentially tied” #txlege #tx2026

@pamelacolloff FTW (as always) nytimes.com/2026/06/30/mag…

📺 Margaret Brown and I talk about her incredible @hbomax documentary series on Austin’s Yogurt Shop Murders on the season finale of @overheardpbs pbs.org/video/margaret… #txlege @austinpbs

What I told @texasmonthly: @joshbaer was the best connected person in a city full of connectors. He was irresistible to be around. He had an aura and an orbit, and we were all lucky to be pulled into it. RIP to a great human texasmonthly.com/news-politics/… #txlege

cheers to @dhiott — one of the best journalists and finest people you’ll ever meet. a great pickup, as they say, off the waiver wire #txlege

talked to Margaret Brown about her amazing five-part @hbomax series on Austin’s Yogurt Shop Murders + the state of documentary filmmaking for a new episode of @overheardpbs #txlege @austinpbs

peak 2026 #txlege

Another great @TheAtlantic Across America stop — this time in Philadelphia, at @AmRevMuseum with @RepDean @ProfMMurray @RosenJeffrey @ClintSmithIII. We talked about the state of our democracy, the sanctity of the Constitution, and America’s 250th #txlege

New — Just spoke to Sen. John Cornyn. Asked him if he stands by his criticism of Ken Paxton, including that he’s a crook. “Yes,” he told me. Is he fit to serve? "Well, I've said no,” he said. “He won the race fair and square.” Hasn’t spoken to Paxton and doesn’t plan to meet

Ken Paxton will defeat John Cornyn in the #TXSEN Republican primary runoff, CNN projects.

NRSC statement doesn't mention Paxton --- running way ahead in the #txsen runoff -- by name. The group has spent months bashing Paxton, sometimes in highly personal terms. Instead, the Senate Republican campaign arm takes aim at Talarico

I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state.  We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service. To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.

Breaking: Trump endorses Ken Paxton @realDonaldTrump/posts/116602192066577324" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…

President Trump says he will be making an announcement around 12:30-1pm on his Texas Senate endorsement. He said he's had his mind made up for a "very long time," and "it's appropriate."

A child sex abuse case handled by Ken Paxton’s office that nearly ended with a one-day jail sentence has ignited a political firestorm. One piece of a pattern — or the messy reality of prosecution? @neenareports, Molly-Jo Tilton and I took a deep dive: texastribune.org/2026/05/19/ken…