Oct 28, 2026 · 28 min
Texas tests its political future as deportations reshape the stakes
Are the Midterms Bigger in Texas?
Texas’s competitive races, shifting electorate, and national immigration policy could influence both the state’s direction and the broader political landscape.
- 1Texas’s record early voting and competitive races signal change, but a Democratic statewide breakthrough remains far from certain.
- 2Hispanic voters’ deportation concerns and rural backlash against data centers are reshaping Texas’s political debate.
- 3A Supreme Court ruling may accelerate deportations, while Brazil’s Bolsonaro drama and robotic dogs widen the episode’s global lens.
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Laura Romero explains how the Supreme Court’s order could accelerate deportations by limiting immigration judges’ ability to pause cases.
The brief
Texas enters the midterm cycle with record early voting and competitive statewide races, including Ken Paxton’s Senate contest against James Talarico. Donald Trump’s campaign activity adds national weight.
Jay O’Brien argues that Texas may be becoming more competitive without being on the verge of a Democratic flip. Hispanic voters’ deportation concerns and rural opposition to data centers complicate the picture.
The episode then turns to Brazil, where Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly gone into hiding after losing the presidential election and facing investigations, amid apparent sympathy from the Trump administration.
Laura Romero explains how a Supreme Court order limits immigration judges’ ability to pause deportation cases, potentially increasing removals, including deportations to third countries.
A San Francisco experiment paid people to walk robotic dogs, raising a practical question: can autonomous machines handle dangerous work without removing the need for human oversight?
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