I feel like every two years we hear about Texas hopefuls who are beating the odds and polling well and then ultimately succumb to the staid old republicans anyway. Beto comes to mind, and I can’t think of my second example’s name from recently.
I sure hope Texas swings back but I will retain my excitement for when it happens
Yeah and not just Texas. I sure hope this blue wave rolls through, but time and time again it doesn't happen. People need to be civically active and fucking vote, but those that we need to start just don't.
Maybe this whole shitshow will finally be the straw that breaks the camels back, but I'm (unfortunately) not gonna hold my breath. I'm constantly disappointed and suspect I will he again. Sadly the gas prices might be what pushes people over the edge; and that is pretty embarrassing to be the turning point lol.
And that's not even to mention all the voting disenfranchisement and other fuckery that is and will be going on.
I know this isn't a generally loved stance, but I hope gas does nothing but get more expensive, because I do think it's one of the most commonly accepted "metrics" through which normal people see the economy. And when it gets bad for a long time, I think we'll see a genuine "fuck you" sent to those in power. Happened to Biden, after all... though there was obviously more to do it than cost of living.
Submission statement: When Gina Hinojosa started running for governor in Texas, few people thought she could unseat the GOP incumbent. But the polls say the race is close. What is happening here? Certainly the atrocious political environment for Republicans across the board this year serves as the foundation for a close race. But more specifically, some of Abbott’s usual methods just aren’t landing in this more populist environment. Abbott, like Gov. Rick Perry before him, has hung his hat on corporate relocations, offering incentives for companies to move from stiflingly regulated states like California to Texas. No doubt, it has generated quite a bit of wealth and growth for Texas this century. But with voters furious over the state of the economy, Hinojosa has taken up a coherent message for these prime political conditions. Read the full article here (no paywall!): https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-governor-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=&utm_content=hinojosa_abbott&utm_term=&tpcc=reddit-social--hinojosa_abbott-
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“Between the voucher fight, data centers, and national factors like tariffs and the Iran war’s effect on the cost of living, it’s rural voters who’ve frequently borne the brunt. And the potential attrition among the MAGA base is a story the national media is missing, Hinojosa tells me.
This is where her theory of populism comes in. “Prevailing wisdom amongst the political class is that the Republican vote that Democrats might have a chance with is the kind of country-club Republicans,” Hinojosa said. “But there are also MAGA Republicans who are inspired by the populist undercurrent of MAGA messaging. They were attracted to Trump because he said the system is rigged. And the thing about that is, he was right.”
Hinojosa said she started making alliances with MAGA populists on school-related issues, including on
ending vendor contracts with tech companies that were bringing too many screens into the classroom.”
He wasn’t wrong about the system being rigged. Hitch slide about who was doing the rigging. It’s not the deep state. It’s the Epstein class.
Another problem is, Trump then turned around and rigged the game in his favor - not in favor of constituents.
There are some voters who are fine with corruption as long as they are getting “theirs.” (their candidate wins and is allegedly going to do all the things promised on the campaign trail.) voters will even give their candidate of choice a pass if they don’t fulfill all the expectations, as long as they fulfilled that first expect expectations.
Nobody likes finding out that they’ve been a tool while having empty pockets. As noted in the article, they might not follow Karl Rove and vote Democrat in Texas, but Abbott might just convince them to stay home.
el_sandino | 2 hours ago
I feel like every two years we hear about Texas hopefuls who are beating the odds and polling well and then ultimately succumb to the staid old republicans anyway. Beto comes to mind, and I can’t think of my second example’s name from recently.
I sure hope Texas swings back but I will retain my excitement for when it happens
NonReality | 2 hours ago
Yeah and not just Texas. I sure hope this blue wave rolls through, but time and time again it doesn't happen. People need to be civically active and fucking vote, but those that we need to start just don't.
Maybe this whole shitshow will finally be the straw that breaks the camels back, but I'm (unfortunately) not gonna hold my breath. I'm constantly disappointed and suspect I will he again. Sadly the gas prices might be what pushes people over the edge; and that is pretty embarrassing to be the turning point lol.
And that's not even to mention all the voting disenfranchisement and other fuckery that is and will be going on.
el_sandino | an hour ago
I know this isn't a generally loved stance, but I hope gas does nothing but get more expensive, because I do think it's one of the most commonly accepted "metrics" through which normal people see the economy. And when it gets bad for a long time, I think we'll see a genuine "fuck you" sent to those in power. Happened to Biden, after all... though there was obviously more to do it than cost of living.
[OP] Slate | 3 hours ago
Submission statement: When Gina Hinojosa started running for governor in Texas, few people thought she could unseat the GOP incumbent. But the polls say the race is close. What is happening here? Certainly the atrocious political environment for Republicans across the board this year serves as the foundation for a close race. But more specifically, some of Abbott’s usual methods just aren’t landing in this more populist environment. Abbott, like Gov. Rick Perry before him, has hung his hat on corporate relocations, offering incentives for companies to move from stiflingly regulated states like California to Texas. No doubt, it has generated quite a bit of wealth and growth for Texas this century. But with voters furious over the state of the economy, Hinojosa has taken up a coherent message for these prime political conditions. Read the full article here (no paywall!): https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-governor-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=&utm_content=hinojosa_abbott&utm_term=&tpcc=reddit-social--hinojosa_abbott-
clean-links | 3 hours ago
Cleaned link from "https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-governor-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=&utm_content=hinojosa_abbott&utm_term=&tpcc=reddit-social--hinojosa_abbott-": https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-governor-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa.html?tpcc=reddit-social--hinojosa_abbott-
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horseradishstalker | 2 hours ago
“Between the voucher fight, data centers, and national factors like tariffs and the Iran war’s effect on the cost of living, it’s rural voters who’ve frequently borne the brunt. And the potential attrition among the MAGA base is a story the national media is missing, Hinojosa tells me.
This is where her theory of populism comes in. “Prevailing wisdom amongst the political class is that the Republican vote that Democrats might have a chance with is the kind of country-club Republicans,” Hinojosa said. “But there are also MAGA Republicans who are inspired by the populist undercurrent of MAGA messaging. They were attracted to Trump because he said the system is rigged. And the thing about that is, he was right.”
Hinojosa said she started making alliances with MAGA populists on school-related issues, including on ending vendor contracts with tech companies that were bringing too many screens into the classroom.”
He wasn’t wrong about the system being rigged. Hitch slide about who was doing the rigging. It’s not the deep state. It’s the Epstein class.
Another problem is, Trump then turned around and rigged the game in his favor - not in favor of constituents.
There are some voters who are fine with corruption as long as they are getting “theirs.” (their candidate wins and is allegedly going to do all the things promised on the campaign trail.) voters will even give their candidate of choice a pass if they don’t fulfill all the expectations, as long as they fulfilled that first expect expectations.
Nobody likes finding out that they’ve been a tool while having empty pockets. As noted in the article, they might not follow Karl Rove and vote Democrat in Texas, but Abbott might just convince them to stay home.
clean-links | 3 hours ago
Cleaned link: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/texas-governor-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa.html?tpcc=reddit-social--hinojosa_abbott-
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