Good morning, 

Yesterday, we asked readers about the GOP nominating contest for the U.S. Senate. Below you'll find the results and a sampling of responses.

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Abbott Asks Treasury Secretary to Suspend Islamic Group’s Tax-Exempt Status

• As part of an escalating series of actions against the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Gov. Greg Abbott has formally requested that U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent begin the process of revoking the organization’s tax-exempt nonprofit status. Brandon Waltens has the story.
     
• The governor argues that CAIR operates “as a 'front group' for Hamas in the United States.”
     
• In calling on Bessent to take action, Abbott asserted that CAIR cannot continue to enjoy tax-exempt benefits while functioning as a conduit of ideological radicalism.
      
• Last month, Abbott designated both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” under Texas law. He also called for probes into alleged Sharia-based tribunals operating in North Texas.

Texas Tech Prohibits Advocacy of Race or Sex-Based Prejudice

• Under a new policy announced this week, Texas Tech University System is prohibiting the advocacy of “race or sex-based prejudice” in course content within the system’s five institutions. Adam Cahn reports the new policy includes a warning that non-compliance can result in disciplinary action.
     
• Chancellor Brandon Creighton announced the policy in a memo to the system’s five campus presidents. He also outlines a course content review process, with various responsibilities assigned to professors, department chairs, deans, and provost offices.
      
• Creighton’s memo follows recent moves by Texas State University to establish standards to replace this sort of advocacy with “value neutral instruction.” Texas A&M regents recently banned advocacy of “gender ideology” and “race ideology.”

Democrat Voting History Emerges in House District Race

• Just hours after State Rep. Gary VanDeaver announced he won't seek re-election, Paris businessman Josh Bray declared his candidacy for House District 1, immediately setting up a contested Republican primary that is already turning contentious.
      
• Bray enters a race that already includes Chris Spencer, who previously ran with the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and forced VanDeaver into a 2022 primary runoff before narrowly losing. Spencer had announced his campaign earlier this year, well before VanDeaver’s retirement.
      
• Questions are now being raised regarding Bray’s Republican credentials. Voting history records show that in 2008, Bray cast a ballot in the Democrat primary, the year Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were competing for the presidential nomination. Bray also contributed financially to former Democrat State Rep. Mark Homer.
       
• House District 1 is not the only GOP race where financial associations with Democrats have become a flashpoint. In the race for House District 129, candidate Bob Mitchell has faced scrutiny from conservative activists after financial records indicated a contribution to the late Democrat U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Lawmaker Rebuts Texas Library Association

• An “implementation FAQ” circulated by the Texas Library Association informed school librarians they do not have to remove existing books that violate new content standards—guidance that Sydnie Henry reports conflicts with both the text of the law and its author’s stated intent.
      
• State Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney) authored the legislation overhauling how Texas school districts select, approve, and handle challenges to library materials. The law also creates new definitions and prohibitions aimed at keeping sexually explicit and other inappropriate content out of school libraries.
      
• The TLA asserts that school districts have no obligation to look backward at what is already on the shelves.
      
• Paxton, though, says that is incorrect. While the new law does not explicitly order districts to conduct a full, proactive audit of every existing library item, it also does not provide a safe harbor for materials acquired under prior policies.
     
• Regardless of when sexually explicit material was acquired, the senator said that districts must still comply with the law. “If a parent brings a challenge to a book that is in the current library catalog that doesn’t meet guidelines, it must be removed.”

Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex With Student

• A now-former girls’ basketball coach and criminal justice teacher in Brownsville Independent School District has admitted to having sex with a student, but he might not serve any jail time. Erin Anderson has the details.
     
• Julio Ricardo Trujillo, 43, was arrested in May and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. On Monday, he pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence of five years’ probation. He also agreed to permanently surrender his state teaching certificate.
     
• County prosecutors want him to spend six months in jail, which a judge will decide at a later date.
      
• At the time of Trujillo’s arrest, Brownsville ISD officials confirmed that other employees in the district's high schools were also under criminal investigation.

Quote-Unquote

"Man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts."

– Ronald Reagan​

Y'All Answered

No race on the 2026 ballot is currently as contentious as the Texas GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, in which incumbent John Cornyn is being challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Yesterday, we asked readers who they would vote for if the election were held today.

Here is a sampling of the responses we received.

• “As much as I hate to see Paxton go, I want him to take his same fearlessness to DC. One fearless man can inspire cowards to become fighters.” – Julie McCarty
     
• “Why Cornyn? Stick with the guy you know and has broader name recognition across all voters.” – Bruce Greiner
     
• “Cornyn is a RINO and been in office too long. Paxton is questionable. Hunt is the only choice.” – Priscilla Love
     
• “I am torn between Hunt and Paxton, but I definitely don't support Cornyn.” – Keith West
     
• “Ken Paxton is the best choice! He’s the best Attorney General in the U.S., and he’ll be excellent in the U.S. Senate.” – Kathleen Wazny
      
• “Wesley Hunt! I want to give the experienced West Point grad, combat veteran, conservative, congressman a chance at being our Senator.” – James Pierce
      
• “I am voting for Ken Paxton, who has done a fantastic job as Texas Attorney General.” – Roger White
      
• “I chose Paxton, but either will be better than RINO Cornyn.” – Reid Davidson
       
• “I am voting for Ken Paxton for US Senate because he has a proven record of actually getting the jobs done, not just saying he will do it! He also works well with President Trump!” – Maggie Wright
      
• “John Cornyn has deep relationships and influence with Republican leadership in the Senate. These relationships mean he can get much better results for Texas than a newbie Senator who would be largely ignored. There are other reasons, but for this one alone, Cornyn is the best choice for Texas.” – David Holden
      
• “KEN PAXTON all the way! I wish there were two of him, so one could remain AG and the other senator of the great state of Texas. This man has fought the cabal hard and won!” – Judy Willingham
      
• “During his tenure as Texas AG, Ken Paxton has proven to be the true fighter in protecting the rights and security of all Texans. He alone can be trusted to carry his strong conservative values to DC to continue to fight for Texas!” – Michael Edinburgh
      
• “I met Wesley Hunt at a function, and spent time talking to him personally. He impressed me with his replies and answers to the questions I asked. He never once used any derogatory remarks! Was open and transparent.” – Barbara Rivera
       
• “Mr. Hunt seems to be the least bought off to me.” – Jeff McClarty
      
• “Paxton has proven himself, so he would get my vote. However, I believe Wesley Hunt is a good candidate.” – Lisa Buck
     
• “What a relief to finally have better choices than John Cornyn. I like Wesley Hunt, but he's a relative newcomer. May we all coalesce around Ken Paxton.” – Tim Rhodes
      
• “Ken Paxton, definitely! He's proven to be an avid and aggressive fighter for Texas. John Cornyn is weak. He should have been gone 6 years ago.” – Natalie Kuehn
      
• “Cornyn could still win the general. Many in the GOP are tired of him, but they would still support him in the general. Paxton is a lightning rod that the left hates. The hate vote against him would be strong in the general. Hunt is generally likable but doesn't have wide name recognition. I think he stands a better chance in the general than Paxton.” – Randall Woodman
      
• “Ken Paxton all the way!” – Cheryl Alexander
      
• “I support Wesley Hunt, a Trump-aligned conservative who will not have to carry Ken Paxton's personal baggage into the general election.” – Jerry Harben

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