Good morning,

With filing underway in Texas for the 2026 party nominating contests, this week's One Click Survey asks who you would pick as the next attorney general if the election were held today.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Lt. Gov. Patrick Pledges $1 Million To Put Turning Point USA Chapters in Every Texas School

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is committing $1 million from his campaign account to establish a Turning Point USA chapter on every college and high school campus in Texas. Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• The lieutenant governor said the idea came after a call with TPUSA executives about plans to increase the group’s presence across the state following the assassination of Charlie Kirk earlier this fall.
     
• Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton will speak at a TPUSA event tomorrow at the University of Houston.

Paxton Sues Galveston ISD for Refusing Ten Commandments Displays

• A lawsuit has been filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton against the Galveston Independent School District. Sydnie Henry reports that the district is refusing to follow a new state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. 
     
• The Galveston ISD board voted this fall to resist the state law.
     
• In August, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law for certain named districts on the grounds that the statute likely represents “government-mandated religious expression” and unfairly favors Christian denominations. Galveston ISD was not a participant in that lawsuit and, therefore, is not exempt from the law.

Texas State University Seeks To Replace Advocacy With Education

• Texas State University has issued guidelines on “Value Neutral Instruction” in order to steer discussions about a course audit that was announced in October. As Adam Cahn reports, the objective of the guidelines is to encourage viewpoint diversity.
   
• The 16-page document examines how educators can present material without imposing personal values and allow students to critically engage with content based on evidence and reasoned discourse. It emphasizes the importance of anchoring curriculum goals and objectives to broader educational aims without endorsing ideological worldviews. 
      
• Educators are encouraged to adopt phraseology that is “descriptive,” “discipline-appropriate,” and “ideologically neutral.” The guide discourages the use of “politically loaded phrases” and lists “climate justice,” “decolonizing,” “queer resistance,” and “systemic racism” as examples.
     
• While other institutions have recently adopted policies of “institutional neutrality” on political issues outside the universities’ purview, Texas State’s guide explicitly requires ideological neutrality in day-to-day classroom instruction.

Hood County Sheriff Arrests Man for Social Media Posts

• Robert Montoya reports that a local Granbury activist has been arrested ... for a social media post. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said that “this case is under investigation.”
     
• Kolton Krottinger was arrested and charged last week with "online impersonation." His lawyer described it as being arrested for "posting a meme." 
     
• Nate Criswell, former Hood County GOP chair, believes the arrest is politically motivated because it is "based on a satirical post" in which Krottinger photoshopped a political rival’s image.
       
• "All Texans should be paying attention to the case of Kolton Krottinger. If Kolton, a veteran and patriot, can be arrested for a political meme, any of us could." – State Board of Education member Brandon Hall

Florida’s ‘Chinese Land Ban’ Upheld in Federal Court

• In a promising sign for a similar Texas law, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Florida’s 2023 law banning the sale of land to foreign interests. Travis Morgan reports Florida can now enforce the ban without restriction.
      
• The “Texas Foreign Land Ban,” which was passed this year, is similar to the Florida law. A lawsuit brought by three Chinese nationals against Texas is currently pending before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
      
• Texas' law prohibits foreign adversaries—such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—and entities from those nations from acquiring real estate in Texas. It also includes provisions that allow the attorney general to investigate violations and initiate divestment actions in court.

Harris County Jail Cancels Mississippi Inmate Housing Contract

• Harris County Jail officials announced they are in the process of canceling a $2 million contract that has outsourced inmate housing to Mississippi. The cancellation, reports Michael Wilson, is expected to be completed by the end of the month, bringing roughly 300 inmates back to Texas.
   
• The outsourcing program has long been a consequence of the Harris County Jail’s ongoing compliance problems—specifically overcrowding and understaffing. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Harris County spent around $53 million on various contracts to house inmates in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Sealy ISD Teacher Accused of Grooming Student

• A Sealy Independent School District teacher is accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual communications with a teenage student. Erin Anderson has the story.
     
• Juan Gerardo Perez has been certified to teach Spanish and English as a Second Language since 2001. Since his arrest, Perez has been on administrative leave.

CELINA ISD UPDATE

• The new charge stems from an allegation that Elliott made a student do “nude jumping jacks” while the coach watched.
      
• Celina is renowned as “a football town,” and Caleb Elliott is the son of Celina ISD’s celebrated Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott.

Today In History

On Nov. 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized the creation of two battalions of Marines. 

Quote-Unquote

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."

– Ronald Reagan​

One Click Survey

Filing for the 2026 primary nominating contests opened on Saturday and continues through Dec. 8. Among the most high-profile races in 2026 will be the open race for attorney general of Texas.

If the election were held today, which of the declared candidates would you support?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

Directory of Your Current U.S. & Texas Officials

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.