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Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

– Brandon Waltens

Secretary of State Moves To Kill GOP Closed Primary Lawsuit

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson is asking a federal judge to dismiss [[link removed]] the Republican Party of Texas’ lawsuit seeking to close GOP primaries, arguing the case is premature because the party has not yet adopted a binding closed-primary system.

Texas currently operates under an open primary system, meaning any registered voter—Republican, Democrat, or independent—may choose which party’s primary ballot to vote in on Election Day.

In 2024, GOP primary voters approved a ballot proposition supporting closed primaries, and delegates to the party’s convention that same year later adopted Rule 46, which would limit participation in Republican primaries to registered Republicans.

However, Nelson argues the current version of Rule 46 that was approved by the State Republican Executive Committee is temporary and will not take effect unless it is ratified by party delegates at a future state convention.

Prosecutors Target Repeat Illegal Reentrants in Year-End Sweep

Federal prosecutors in South Texas closed out the year with another heavy round of border enforcement cases, underscoring how repeat illegal entry and criminal reentry remain a major strain on the region’s courts and communities.

Sydnie Henry reports [[link removed]] from Dec. 19 through Jan. 2, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas filed 399 cases tied to border enforcement.

Those prosecutions include:

19 people accused of human smuggling146 individuals charged with illegal entry230 defendants accused of illegally reentering the country after prior removal

If convicted of illegal reentry, defendants in these cases face up to 20 years in federal prison. Abbott Orders Review of Texas Child Care Program

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to investigate potential fraud [[link removed]] within Texas’ subsidized child care system following revelations of widespread abuse in Minnesota.

In a letter sent yesterday to the Texas Workforce Commission and the Health and Human Services Commission, Abbott ordered the agencies to expand anti-fraud efforts and launch investigations into any misuse of taxpayer funds within the state’s Child Care Services program.

Abbott noted that Texas already conducts routine audits and in-person site visits of child care providers, pointing to a reported improper payment rate of just 0.43 percent—far below Minnesota’s approximately 11 percent, according to the most recent federal data cited in the letter.

The directive follows recent reporting on large-scale child care subsidy fraud in Minnesota, where federal prosecutors have alleged that Somali-owned centers siphoned millions of dollars from programs intended to serve low-income families.

Democrat Drops Out of Governor’s Race After Fundraising Failure

Andrew White, the son of former Gov. Mark White, announced he is ending his campaign [[link removed]] for the Democrat nomination for governor, citing fundraising struggles.

White, who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, said he is stepping aside with State Rep. Gina Hinojosa emerging as the frontrunner in the Democrat primary.

In a video message to supporters, White said the campaign had failed to raise the resources needed to remain competitive.

AT&T Leaving Dallas

Telecommunications giant AT&T announced Monday that the company will be constructing a new 1.8 million square foot global headquarters in Plano, leaving their longtime downtown Dallas location. Addie Hovland has the story [[link removed]].

Many believe that the cause of the move is downtown Dallas’ high crime rate and its increasing homelessness problem.

The closure of the downtown Dallas facility could have massive financial implications on the city.

Support Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Today in History

On January 6, 1931, Thomas Edison submitted his last patent application for an electroplating component - just two days before his death.

Quote-Unquote

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

– Thomas Edison​

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