Good morning,

In today's One Click Survey, we're asking readers if voters in primary elections should care about cross-party donations made by the candidates.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, February 2, 2026.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Texas A&M Ends Women’s & Gender Studies Programming

• Citing low enrollment, Texas A&M University is eliminating its Women’s and Gender Studies program. The move, reports Sydnie Henry, follows repeated criticism of the university for allowing left-wing course content into the traditionally conservative institution.
   
• University officials say they have now examined roughly 5,400 course syllabi to ensure compliance with Texas A&M System policies. Faculty members and department heads reportedly modified hundreds of syllabi across 17 colleges and schools to meet the policy requirements.
      
• Interim President Tommy Williams framed the review as part of a broader effort to tighten oversight and rebuild confidence in the institution. TAMU was rocked last year by public outrage over course content that instructed students on how to introduce LGBT material to children as young as three.
     
• "Strong oversight and standards protect academic integrity and restore public trust, guaranteeing that a degree from Texas A&M means something to our students and the people who will hire them." – Tommy Williams

RELATED NEWS

• Other groups taking part in the protest included the Queer Empowerment Council, Aggies Against Apartheid, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Railroad Commissioner Gave Thousands to Democrats

• Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, who is seeking re-election this year, has a long record of financially backing Democrat candidates, according to Texas Ethics Commission records. Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• Campaign finance records show that Wright has donated $46,050 to Abel Herrero, a former Democrat state legislator, in more than a dozen separate contributions spanning multiple election cycles. In the 2014 race for lieutenant governor, Wright contributed to Leticia Van de Putte, the Democrat, instead of Republican Dan Patrick.
      
• In addition to backing Democrats, Wright donated $1,000 to Joe Straus, the former House speaker who rose to power with the help of Democrats and whose tenure was defined by repeatedly opposing conservative priorities. 
     
• Wright won a six-year term on the Texas Railroad Commission by defeating incumbent Ryan Sitton in a shocking upset. He is now facing four challengers in the Republican Primary Election: Bo French, James Matlock, Hawk Dunlap, and Katherine Culbert.

Low Turnout Special Election Runoff Sends Democrat to Texas Senate

• Democrat union leader Taylor Rehmet won the special election runoff for Texas Senate District 9 on Saturday night, defeating Republican Leigh Wambsganss in a low-turnout contest to fill the remainder of an unexpired term. The legislative schedule, coupled with the GOP-heavy design of the district in a general election, means Rehmet is unlikely to ever cast a vote in the Texas Senate.
     
• Rehmet received 57.2 percent of the vote. Less than 16 percent of voters participated in the special election runoff.
     
• Rehmet and Wambsganss were the top two candidates to emerge from the November special election called to complete the term for the seat vacated by Kelly Hancock, who Gov. Greg Abbott appointed as the acting comptroller.

Educators Caught Behaving Badly

• Chelsea Nicole Shook, a teacher’s aide in the Reagan County Independent School District, faces felony charges after being arrested for having sex with several male students. Reportedly, the Reagan County High School principal had heard talk about Shook's behavior.
     
• Eric Mitchell Moore, an “exemplary” teacher at the North Texas Collegiate Academy East Campus in Little Elm, has been charged with sexually abusing a young student at a charter school where he worked. According to the Texas Education Agency, Moore had received the "exemplary" designation which is “a distinction awarded to highly effective public school teachers.”

El Paso Man Sentenced for Smuggling Illegal Aliens

• Addie Hovland reports that an El Paso man was sentenced last week to federal prison after pleading guilty to using a cross-border tunnel to smuggle illegal aliens into the country. 
     
• Oscar Ivan Carrillo and his accomplices constructed the tunnel by connecting pre-existing storm drain tunnels from Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso. Illegal aliens were then guided through the tunnels into a waiting box truck. 
     
• The tunnel was first discovered in January 2025 by agents from ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Border Patrol.

Today In History

On Feb. 3, 1836, Samuel Clemens was published for the first time under the name "Mark Twain" for an article in a Nevada publication called the Territorial Enterprise.  He had previously penned articles for the publication under the name "Josh."

Quote-Unquote

"The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin."

– Mark Twain​

One Click Survey

As reported above, Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright—a Republican—made thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Democrats. Should voters in the GOP primary care if candidates or incumbents have financially supported Democrats?

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

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