CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Gary Borders
Gov. Greg Abbott has called a third special session, this time about school choice, for next month. He is promising retribution for lawmakers who oppose his move to enact school vouchers in Texas, the Texas Tribune reported.
“There’s an easy way to get it done, and there’s a hard way,” Abbott said on a tele-town hall about the issue. “We will take it either way — in a special session or after an election.” Abbott essentially threatened to find primary opponents for legislators who oppose his initiative, which failed to gain traction during the regular session as a coalition of Democrats and Republicans representing rural districts opposed it.
His proposal would give parents taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools. Opponents say this would harm public school systems, particularly in rural areas where choices for private schools are limited.
Paxton hints at run against Cornyn in 2026
Just days after being acquitted on impeachment charges by the Texas Senate, reinstated Attorney General Ken Paxton hit the airwaves of several conservative media outlets and hinted of a possible run against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2026.
The Houston Chronicle reported on a Paxton interview with Tucker Carlson on X, formerly known as Twitter. Paxton said that “somebody needs to step up and run against this guy that will do the job.”
“To me, he’s been in Washington too long. He’s been there, what, for 14 years or so? And I can’t think of a single thing he’s accomplished for our state or even for the country,” Paxton said.
In a separate interview, Paxton said he will be “on the campaign trail” to back GOP primary opponents of three House members who were key to his impeachment: House Speaker Dade Phelan and Reps. Andrew Murr of Junction and Jeff Leach of Plano.
“I’m highly motivated,” the Austin American-Statesman quoted Paxton as saying.
Paxton still faces state security fraud charges filed in 2015. He is due to go to trial next March and is also under federal investigation.
Deadline nears for registering to vote on Nov. 7
Texans will decide the fate of 14 proposed constitutional amendments on Nov. 7. The deadline to register to vote in that election is Oct. 10 for those who are not already registered. The proposed amendments include measures to increase the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000, with homeowners 65 and older getting an additional $40,000 exemption. Other proposals would cap increases in appraised value and expand exemptions for small businesses from the franchise tax.
Abbott and other backers of the bills passed in a summer special session called these measures the largest property tax cut in Texas history.
Early voting begins on Oct. 23 and ends Nov. 3, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
