The 5 Hottest Runoff Battles on the Texas Ballot

The 5 Hottest Runoff Battles on the Texas Ballot

From Texas Take by Houston Chronicle

May 14, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the key runoff battles in Texas and features interviews with journalists and a Republican candidate.

It’s time to vote again in Texas. With in-person early voting starting statewide on Monday, journalists Bayliss Wagner and John Moritz join host Jeremy Wallace to break down the hottest races on the runoff ballot. The whole nation is watching the state because what happens here could have a huge impact on which party ultimately controls the U.S. Senate for Donald Trump’s last two years in office. Has Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton done enough to knock out 24-year incumbent John Cornyn? Plus, Republican Chip Roy joins the program for an exclusive interview about how he’s trying to overcome Mayes Middleton’s barrage of attack ads against him as he seeks to become the Republican nominee to replace Paxton in the attorney general’s office. The episode also highlights Wagner's reporting on elderly donors in Texas who say WinRed and ActBlue signed them up for repeated campaign contributions without their full understanding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jeremy Wallace

Guests: Bayliss Wagner, John Moritz, Chip Roy

Topics covered

  • Texas elections
  • runoff races
  • political analysis
  • campaign contributions
  • interviews

Keywords

  • Texas runoff
  • elections
  • politics
  • campaign contributions
  • Chip Roy
  • Ken Paxton
  • John Cornyn
  • Mayes Middleton

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WinRed, ActBlue

Places: Texas, U.S. Senate

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