Second Reading Podcast
1) New UT/Texas Politics Project Poll U.S. Senate Primaries in Texas
James Henson and Joshua Blank look at recent poll results for the Texas primary races between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico on the Democratic side, and in the GOP contest between incumbent John ...Show More
2) A Chat with Brad Johnson about The Texas Bullpen, and Races and Election Vibes in Texas
James Henson talks with Brad Johnson about the newly launched Texas Bullpen, then checks in on Johnson’s read of vibes in the Texas Primaries, in including congressional and legislative races an...Show More
3) A Hot Election Week in Texas
James Henson and Joshua Blank look at three big  stories in Texas that generated national attention as election season heats up in the state: the special election for Senate District 9, Colin Allred&#...Show More
4) Public Opinion on Immigration, Gun Rights, and the First Amendment in the Politics of the Latest Minneapolis Shooting
James Henson and Joshua Blank look at how the shooting deaths of protesters by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis activate a complex interplay among attitudes on immigration, gun rights, a...Show More
5) A Weather Report on Issues in the 2026 Primaries
James Henson and Josh Blank use Texas polling to compare and contrast the issues at play in the Republican and Democratic primaries in Texas. Plus, some brief discussion of the latest NYT/Sienna natio...Show More
6) Texas views on health care and immigration enforcement plus a check in on the 2026 U.S. Senate race
James Henson & Joshua Blank look at results on health care, immigration, and the 2026 U.S. Senate race in  the final UT/Texas Politics Poll of 2025 and what they portend for the 2026 election year...Show More
7) Digging Up Public Opinion Nuggets from 2025 Texas Politics Project Polling
James Henson and Joshua Blank dig up some highlights from UT/Texas Politics Project polling in 2025 on subjects including property taxes, speech rights, views of the legislature, healthcare, vaccines,...Show More
Digging Up Public Opinion Nuggets from 2025 Texas Politics Project Polling
54:05 | Dec 11th, 2025
8) Crockett and Cuellar Add New Twists to 2026
James Henson and Joshua Blank look at how Donald Trump’s pardon of Henry Cuellar, and Jasmine Crockett’s likely entrance in the race to replace John Cornyn, have complicated the 2026 election in Texas...Show More
9) Texas Redistricting Blows Up (Again); the State of the Trump Coalition
James Henson & Joshua Blank consider the politics of the federal court decision throwing out the recently redrawn Texas Congressional map, and the MAGA crack-up trope.
10) The Abbott Campaign Announcement & the Uncertain Political Environment
James Henson & Joshua Blank talk about Gov. Abbott’s 2026 campaign kick-off, the public opinion context for property tax policy, and the still uncertain dynamics of the 2026 election.