Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked what readers thought of John Cornyn's bid to be the majority leader of the U.S. Senate. Today... whoa... we have the answers....

This is the Texas Minute for PRIMARY ELECTION DAY, March 5, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join Brandon Waltens and me live at 9 p.m. this evening on X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, or Facebook as we discuss the primary results in real time.

Texas’ Border Security Measure Delayed by SCOTUS

• No sooner had the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said yesterday that Texas' new border security law can take effect… when U.S. Supreme Court issued a late-day ruling putting the measure on hold until at least March 13. Sydnie Henry has the details.
       
• The new law would make it a crime to enter Texas illegally. Any law enforcement officer in the state would be authorized to arrest and prosecute those who cross the border illegally. 
        
• The law was originally supposed to take effect today.

Trump: Texas Voters Must Get Rid of Dade Phelan

• In an interview with Chris Salcedo on Monday, Donald Trump said Texas voters “have to get rid” of House Speaker Dade Phelan and other “pro-Democrat Republicans.”
   
• Trump pointed to Phelan's role in killing a border security measure and the failed impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
   
• “You have an Attorney General who is very good, and he went out and impeached him,” said Trump. “And as a Republican, I said, ‘don’t you have some Democrats you could worry about?’ because you have a great attorney general, one of the best in the country. And they went all out to impeach him and really hurt him. And that was led by Phelan.”

Texas Tech Suspends Professor for ‘Hateful, Antisemitic, and Unacceptable’ Social Media Posts

• A professor at Texas Tech University who publicly posted antisemitic remarks has been suspended. Brandon Waltens has new details on a situation first reported by Texas Scorecard.
     
• Jairo Funez-Flores is an assistant professor at Texas Tech’s College of Education, with an emphasis on "decolonial studies" and activist research. He has a history of antisemitic social media posts in which he profanely attacks Israel and the United States.
      

• Now, the university has suspended the professor due to the posts. Texas Tech's leadership has characterized his posts as “hateful, antisemitic, and unacceptable.” The suspension comes as university officials are investigating issues related to the professor's comments and attitudes. 
      

• In a statement, Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec and Chancellor Tedd Mitchell described the comments as "antithetical" to the institution's values. They added that they "will not tolerate behavior that crosses the line into harassment and interferes with or limits the ability of an individual to participate in the educational activities of Texas Tech University."

George Soros Spends Big in Harris County D.A. Race

• Liberal billionaire George Soros has been heavily contributing to Democrat candidate for Harris County District Attorney, Sean Teare. Amelia McKenzie reports Soros is trying to unseat incumbent Democrat Kim Ogg.
       
• Soros has spent just over $2 million on Teare’s campaign.
   
• A recent poll found Teare leading Ogg in popularity by 38 points. Teare's campaign promises that he will “lobby hard against Republican” pro-life laws and push for gun control measures. He also wants to stop requesting cash bail for those accused of misdemeanor crimes—a class of crimes that includes harassment, assault causing bodily injury, and criminal mischief.

Aledo Independent School District Sued For Illegal Electioneering

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Aledo Independent School District for illegally using official resources for electioneering purposes. Will Biagini reports the district is only the latest to be sued by A.G.

        
• According to the lawsuit, Aledo officials allowed an email from the district’s communication account to be sent to a large number of recipients discussing both the budget and how the results of the primary election would impact schools. The highly charged email included the line, "Your Aledo public schools are on the ballot starting TODAY!"
        
• NOTE: No, the schools are not on the ballot. That is rank political hyperbole.
     

• Aledo officials deny that their email constitutes illegal electioneering.

Related Education News

Y'All Answered

Following news that Mitch McConnell will be retiring from the U.S. Senate later this year, John Cornyn announced last week that he is running to be the next majority leader.

Yesterday, we asked readers if they wanted Sen. Cornyn to serve in that role. Overwhelmingly, readers said "no" (96.1 percent). 

As you'll find in the sampling of responses, reader sentiment was often a bit stronger than just "no"...

• “No! Just absolutely, no.” – Jeff Harrison
      

• “We need to replace him not elevate him.” – Helen Herd
      

• “The Republican Party would be going from one RINO to another. We need a real conservative for a change.” – Corrine Jung
      

• “There is no slimier creature of the swamp than Cornyn, no better illustration of an entrenched Uniparty traitor. He actually believes ‘finding common ground’ with the enemy (betraying his constituents) is something to brag about. It should be Josh Hawley or Rick Scott.” – Barrett Breedlove
      

• “Cornyn is the last type of senator we need in that position… or in any position. He has been bad for Texas and needs to be gone.” – Patricia Vanderveen
      

• “YES! The best way to get rid of a bad lawmaker is to have him constantly in the public eye.  Cornyn has been lurking in the shadows of the Senate for far too long, and his schemes have been hidden from Texas eyes.  Let Cornyn be leader after McTurtle so the entire state of Texas can finally see just how horrible he is. Then, Lord hear our prayer, we can elect someone better in '26 to replace him!” – Chris Breaux
      

• “Cornyn is two-faced and weak. I wouldn’t trust him further than I could throw him.” – Margaret Vonder Hoya
      

• “John Who? He's been MIA for a long time. He certainly hasn't done much for the great State of Texas. Why would he be any better for the nation?” – Lisa Buck
      

• “Cornyn is nothing but warmed-over traitor Mitch.” – Ellis Severance
      

• “John Cornyn showed his true colors when he voted for the $1.7T omnibus package one week before a new Congress was seated. He is also weak on 2nd Amendment rights. Incumbents must be judged by their voting record, not their looks or seniority. He should retire.” – Thomas Camardo
      

• “I wouldn’t even vote for his reelection to the Senate, let alone endorse his leadership! The man is a disgrace to Texas.” – Sandra Murphy
      

• “While it might be nice or even advantageous to have a Texan as Senate leader Cornyn is NOT the swamp critter for the job.” – Greg Drawhorn
      

• “Cornyn for majority leader of the Senate? Hell no!” – Angelika Hoeher
      

• “If you think Cornyn is great, why not dig up Lyndon Johnson and give him a run.” – Tobie Hall
       

• “Cornyn as Majority leader would be no different than McConnell. Cornyn needs to be replaced in 2026 with someone that actually works FOR the people of Texas.” – Susan Valliant
      

• “Let's ‘get someone better.’ It won't be difficult.” – Tom McMeans
      

• “Cornyn is as bad as McConnell!” – Rosslyn Blake
      

• “Reject John Cornyn as the next majority leader. That’s like asking for McConnell 2.0. What a disaster that would be.” – Sharon Jorolan
      

• “Might as well have Chuck Schumer as GOP leader as they are one in the same. Cornyn should be censured by the Texas GOP.” – David Hudman
      

• “Cornyn has gone from a conservative to something I can't politely describe.” – Louis Strohacker
      

• “John Cornyn ran a close second to Mitch McConnell when it comes to selling out his constituents.” – JD Ross
      

• “Surely there’s a sharper tools in the shed than this guy. John Cornyn has a track record of bending the knee to the opposition.” – Gonzales Simon
      

• “I would prefer to replace John Cornyn with a more conservative candidate in Texas. Too often he sides with the Democrat agenda against Republican ideals.” – Jacqulyn Hudgins
      

• “Absolutely NOT Cornyn. He has lost touch with conservatism since his head has been up the Turtle's rear for the past 4 years.” – Jill Knutson
      

• “Thank goodness McConnell is on the way out. Now get an actual Republican for leader, NOT the RINO Cornyn. He needs to go, not move up.” – Leo Bricker
      

• “Cornyn has proven himself to be a leader of the establishment, the group that squandered the Republican majority in 2018 doing nothing.” – Jim Andrade
      

• “There has not ever been a time when John Cornyn was not a RINO wretch. He has not ever been the senator that we need representing Texas. Mitch McConnell has been worse than useless as Majority Leader; Cornyn would only extend that shameful legacy.” – Kim Bengs
      

• “John Cornyn should not even be a Senator, much less the majority leader.  Where did we go wrong in electing and reelecting him?” – Darrell Reichel
      

• “Cornyn is the worst of the worst RINOs.” – Nancy Lingle
      

• “Cornyn needs to be primaried out when he comes up for re-election, not given a leadership position with his voting record.” – Harry Hingst
      

• “Good men often do bad things and tell us they have to in order to gain power. Once they have power, they never go back to being good. Cornyn isn't even good to start with. We know the bad things he wants to do. Who in their right mind would want to give him more power? There's a reason he was booed from the stage at the Texas GOP Convention!” – Julie McCarty
      

• “No, he should not be. He is no better than McConnell and every bit a liberal RINO.” – Jack Campbell
      

• “There could possibly be someone worse than John Cornyn but can’t think of who that might be.” – John Hawes
      

• “Cornyn is a swampy RINO and needs to get voted out!” – Mary Matthews
     

• “With John Cornyn, all you’re getting is another Mitch McConnell!! He’s been backstabbing his constituents for years so he can win favor with the Democrats.” – Greg Burr

Directory of Your Current U.S. & Texas Lawmakers

This information is automatically inserted based on the mailing address you provide to us. If you'd like to update your contact information, please visit our subscriber portal.