James Henson

Different looks at new entrant in GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Texas Wesley Hunt's favorability ratings (and name recognition) in Texas via August 2025 UT/@TxPolProject Poll. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/wesley-h... #txlege #tx2026 #TxSen2026

YouTube video by Texas Politics Project Shutdown politics and public opinion in Texas

New Second Reading Podcast: Joshua Blank & I look at the Texas public opinion context of the shutdown, including attitudes about the national debt, federal deficit, & healthcare. Via YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, & the Texas Politics Project website. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDF7...

Trend in Texas job approval of the U.S. Congress, overall & by party identification, from our Texas Politics Project poll data archive. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/us-congr... #govtshutdown2025

New Second Reading pod: Joshua Blank & I talk abt the intersection of economic concerns & Trump ratings in Texas + public polling strategies early in the election cycle. On Spotify Apple Podcasts, YouTube & the Texas Politics Project website: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-... #tx2026 #txlege

Well, speaking of Weber: archive.org/download/web...

YouTube video by Texas Politics Project Persistent economic concerns hover over views of Trump in Texas and early polling on the U.S. Sen...

New Second Reading podcast,: Joshua Blank & I look at the arc of views of Trump in Texas & how his numbers intersect persistent economic concerns among TX voters. And: we consider different approaches to (very) early polling in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. On YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGGY...

Americans don't think college is worth it. It is.
Via Emily Peck for @axios.com
www.axios.com/newsletters/... #axiosam

YouTube video by Texas Politics Project New Texas polling data on redistricting, marijuana, property taxes, and other legislative priorities

New Second Reading podcast: Joshua Blank & I look at Texas Politics Project polling on redistricting, marijuana, property taxes, & other priorities in the special #txlege sessions, as well as Tx job approvals. Plus: some data on Texans’ view of political violence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-yM...

President’s approval rating in Texas. From @jhenson.bsky.social and UT/Texas Politics Project. #txlege

New UT/Texas Politics Project Poll:
Texas redistricting: 34% approve/41% disapprove
Donald Trump job approval: 43% approve/50% disapprove
James Talarico fav/unfav among Tx Dem: 31%/9%
TX direction: 38% right direction/53% wrong track
Much more: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/texas-v... [fixed link]

Moderated a panel on the #Txlege yesterday w/ Gromer Jeffers, Brad Johnson, Harvey Kronberg & Mark Jones for the Professional Advocacy Association of Texas, who let us use it for a Second Reading podcast. Plus: a preview of new Texas Politics Project polling. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-...

Do you think vaccines are safe? Texas responses from Dec. 2024 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/general-... Entirely/mostly safe: All 70%; D 86%; R 58%; I 63% Entirely/mostly unsafe: All 12%; D 3%; R 19%; I12% Neither/DK: D 11%; R 23%; I 25% #txlege

How Greg Abbott Emerged as a Powerhouse Governor Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, has presided over major changes in areas including education, taxes, immigration and economic growth. He discusses his legacy even as he gears up for a fourth...

.@AlanGreenblatt lands an interview with @GregAbbott_TX for @GOVERNING
www.governing.com/politics/how... #txlege

Wishful Thinking

open.spotify.com/track/47ttG6...

Texas support for giving individuals additional rights to sue people or entities that helped someone obtain abortion pills in violation of state law (April '25 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll)
R: 40% support/37% oppose
D: 15% / 75%
I: 22%/56%
More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/support-... #txlege

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #txlege have handled #abortion policy, by age
More tabs: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #txlege have handled #abortion policy, among men & women
Men: 33% approve / 39% disapproves / 28% neither/dk
Women: 23% approve / 51% disapprove / 25% neither/dk
More tabs: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

New Second Reading podcast: @TexasTribune co-founder @rossramsey joins me & Joshua Blank to mull the sense of changes in practices & politics at the #txlege that pervades the Texas Capitol. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/second-...

John Bolton Inquiry Eyes Emails Obtained by Foreign Government

“The investigation into President Trump’s former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, began to pick up momentum during the Biden administration…”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/u...

Should gun laws in Texas be more or less strict? Different looks at results from the April '25 UT/@TxPolProject Poll below.
Much more on gun attitudes in Texas: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/polling/sear... #Txlege

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., fav/unfav in Texas, via June 2025 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll.
Rs: 71% fav / 10% unfav / 20% neither/dk
Ds: 9% fav / 81% unfav / 9% neither/dk
Ind: 28% fav / 54% unfav / 19% neither/dk
More tabs below and at TxPP website: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/robert-f...

TX support for #txlege "giving individuals additional rights to sue people or entities that they believe helped someone obtain abortion pills in violation of state law" (April '25 Texas Politics Project Poll)
R: 40% support/37% oppose
D: 15%/75%
I: 22%/56%
texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/support-...

Among those who said endorsements were at least somewhat important to their vote in the 2024 Texas primaries, about 1% said Taylor Swift (best wishes) was the endorsement most important to them. #txlege (More from Feb 2024 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/files/202402...)

Trend in Gov. Greg Abbott job approval in Texas, via Texas Politics Project data archive. More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/greg-abb... #txlege

Trend in Dan Patrick job approval in Texas, via @TxPolProject data archive. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/dan-patr... #txlege

A few looks at Texas job approval of Speaker Dustin Burrows from the June 2025 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll. More: texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/dustin-b... #txlege

Texas approval of how state leaders & the #Txlege have handled K-12 public ed, from June 2025. texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/approval...

Inside Trump's American identity project The U.S. government is enforcing a more rigid, exclusionary definition of what it means to be American.

" MAGA's utopia looks a lot like America in the 1950s — before the sexual revolution, mass immigration, the Civil Rights Act and expanded LGBTQ rights reshaped the country's culture and demographics." Via Tal Axelrod & Zachary Basu www.axios.com/2025/08/24/t...

In Trump’s Second Term, Far-Right Agenda Enters the Mainstream

”…said Enrique Tarrio, the chairman of the Proud Boys, who took part in many of those early far-right rallies. “Honestly, what do we have to complain about these days?” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/u...

Trend in Donald Trump favorability ratings among Texas Republicans, via @TxPolProject archive. Good night.
texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/donald-t... #txlege