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**Mission: Texas**

Texas is growing faster than anywhere else — and that growth means more electoral power. As blue strongholds lose seats, the road to protecting the White House must run through the Lone Star State. If we do not flip Texas by the next census, we risk losing the White House for a generation.

“Mission: Texas” dives into the strategy, people, and stories needed to flip the state.

Hosted by two Texas lawyers and parents — a former candidate and a long-time organizer, both with military roots — we mix mission-driven focus with a dose of pop-culture fun.

Think of us as your Democratic club while you cook, commute, or go for a walk. And don’t worry: this mission is serious, but it’s definitely not *impossible*.

(Viewpoints expressed are those of the hosts and not of their employers or of the U.S. Department of Defense)

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 35 (audio): Sarah Eckhardt on the Comptroller Race, One-Party Rule, and How the GOP Is Gutting Your Public Schools Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt joins Kate to break down the race for Texas Comptroller — one of the most powerful offices in state government that almost nobody's talking about. Eckhardt, the Democratic nominee, faces Don Huffines, the multimillionaire who purchased the Epstein Ranch and is promising to gut public education and "DOGE" state government. Kate and Senator Eckhardt make the case for why this race could determine the future of Texas.

Plus: Senator Eckhardt heads to an LGBTQ-founded food bank in Amarillo after the interview — a community effort that's grown into a lifeline for Panhandle families struggling with the rising cost of living.

We cover:

Why the Texas Comptroller is the most powerful office you've never heard of — and why it matters who holds it
The case against Don Huffines: the Epstein Ranch, a history of buying seats, and a plan to weaponize the comptroller's office
Public education as the greatest engine of prosperity ever created — and what vouchers are really doing to Texas schools
What Eckhardt would actually do as Comptroller: transparent voucher audits, economic impact reporting, raising the basic allotment, and indexing it to inflation
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation — including double-digit uninsured rates for children — and what Medicaid non-expansion is actually costing insured Texans
No-bid state contracts up fourfold since 2019, TEA takeovers funneling schools to private contractors, and the normalization of corruption
The "don't California my Texas" myth — and the actual numbers
Amarillo staring down the world's largest data center next door while 17 of 26 Panhandle counties are maternity deserts
Why 2026 could outperform 2018 — and what grassroots organizing can do that MAGA millions can't buy
Last Word: if you don't do politics, politics will do you

Support Senator Eckhardt: SarahEckhardt.com | Volunteer, donate, and follow @SarahEckhardtTX

Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 35 (video): Sarah Eckhardt on the Comptroller Race, One-Party Rule, and How the GOP Is Gutting Your Public Schools Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

We cover:

Why the Texas Comptroller is the most powerful office you've never heard of — and why it matters who holds it
The case against Don Huffines: the Epstein Ranch, a history of buying seats, and a plan to weaponize the comptroller's office
Public education as the greatest engine of prosperity ever created — and what vouchers are really doing to Texas schools
What Eckhardt would actually do as Comptroller: transparent voucher audits, economic impact reporting, raising the basic allotment, and indexing it to inflation
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation — including double-digit uninsured rates for children — and what Medicaid non-expansion is actually costing insured Texans
No-bid state contracts up fourfold since 2019, TEA takeovers funneling schools to private contractors, and the normalization of corruption
The "don't California my Texas" myth — and the actual numbers
Amarillo staring down the world's largest data center next door while 17 of 26 Panhandle counties are maternity deserts
Why 2026 could outperform 2018 — and what grassroots organizing can do that MAGA millions can't buy
Last Word: if you don't do politics, politics will do you

Support Senator Eckhardt: SarahEckhardt.com | Volunteer, donate, and follow @SarahEckhardtTX

Ep. 34 (Video): She's Suing Greg Abbott (Angel Carroll) May 28, 2026

Show notes

You may have seen Angel on the news talking Texas politics. But what you may not know is that Angel Carroll spent her career fighting for criminal justice reform, ran for the Texas House, and was arrested at the Texas Capitol during the redistricting protest. Now she's suing Governor Greg Abbott for banning her from the building without due process. Kate and Alex sit down with Angel to hear the full story: what led her to that moment, what happened inside county jail, and why this lawsuit is about so much more than four women and a one-year ban.

Plus: Kate spoke at a veterans event, Alex celebrates 14 years of marriage, and Angel shares a milestone birthday and a prayer she made at 16 that she never thought she'd live to see answered.

We cover:

Angel's path from the foster care system to the Texas Capitol
What actually happened the night Nicole Collier was locked on the House floor
The moment Angel decided she wasn't leaving and what that felt like
30 state troopers for four women: the arrest and six hours in Travis County jail
Charges rejected, but the ban upheld — the constitutional case for why that's wrong
The Alabama pilgrimage: Africatown, the Selma bridge, and the lynching museum
Marching orders: what every Texan can do right now to fight back

Follow Angel:

@iangelcarroll on social media

Support the show:

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 34 (Audio): She's Suing Greg Abbott (Angel Carroll) May 28, 2026

Show notes

Plus: Kate spoke at a veterans event, Alex celebrates 14 years of marriage, and Angel shares a milestone birthday and a prayer she made at 16 that she never thought she'd live to see answered.

We cover:

Angel's path from the foster care system to the Texas Capitol
What actually happened the night Nicole Collier was locked on the House floor
The moment Angel decided she wasn't leaving and what that felt like
30 state troopers for four women: the arrest and six hours in Travis County jail
Charges rejected, but the ban upheld — the constitutional case for why that's wrong
The Alabama pilgrimage: Africatown, the Selma bridge, and the lynching museum
Marching orders: what every Texan can do right now to fight back

Follow Angel:

@iangelcarroll on social media

Support the show:

Ep. 33 (Video): Olivia Julianna on Faith, the Texas Primary, and the Key to Flipping Texas May 21, 2026

Show notes

Olivia Julianna, a Gen Z activist, strategist, and content creator based in Texas. Her work has reached millions online, and she's become one of the most recognizable young Democratic voices in the country.

This week, Kate and Alex sit down with Olivia to talk about building a political movement in Texas, and why community is the foundation everything else gets built on.

Olivia traces her origin story from a conservative Christian household in rural Fort Bend County to going viral during the 2020 election, taking on Matt Gaetz at 19, and raising $2.3 million for abortion funds in the aftermath of Dobbs. She shares what it was like to be thrust into a national spotlight before she'd even finished her freshman year of college, and why she didn't feel the weight of it until she was standing in the Oval Office with Joe Biden four years later.

Plus: Olivia is moving to Austin, Alex is crashing a teenager's D&D birthday quest, and Kate is taking her four-year-old to ACL for the very first time.

*Note: this was recorded before Trump's Texas Primary endorsement announcement.

Why Olivia started making TikToks in 2020, and how she reached a million views before she could even vote
Getting attacked by a sitting member of Congress at 19, and turning it into $2.3 million for fifty abortion funds
Being pushed out of her ministry for abortion advocacy, and how James Talarico helped her find her way back to her faith
The "villager" theory of organizing: show up for your community before you need something from it
Why the Democratic big tent in Texas has to be bigger than most party insiders are comfortable with
Olivia's prediction on the Cornyn-Paxton runoff and what it means for Talarico in November
How Texas congressional seats could determine the House majority
The 18-to-29 neighbor stat: down from 51% to 25% since 2012, and what Democrats need to do about it

Where to find Olivia:

All platforms: @OliviaJulianna

Substack: oliviajulianna.co

Support the show:

Ep. 33 (Audio): Olivia Julianna on Faith, the Texas Primary, and the Key to Flipping Texas May 21, 2026

Show notes

This week, Kate and Alex sit down with Olivia to talk about building a political movement in Texas, and why community is the foundation everything else gets built on.

Plus: Olivia is moving to Austin, Alex is crashing a teenager's D&D birthday quest, and Kate is taking her four-year-old to ACL for the very first time.

*Note: this was recorded before Trump's Texas Primary endorsement announcement.

Why Olivia started making TikToks in 2020, and how she reached a million views before she could even vote
Getting attacked by a sitting member of Congress at 19, and turning it into $2.3 million for fifty abortion funds
Being pushed out of her ministry for abortion advocacy, and how James Talarico helped her find her way back to her faith
The "villager" theory of organizing: show up for your community before you need something from it
Why the Democratic big tent in Texas has to be bigger than most party insiders are comfortable with
Olivia's prediction on the Cornyn-Paxton runoff and what it means for Talarico in November
How Texas congressional seats could determine the House majority
The 18-to-29 neighbor stat: down from 51% to 25% since 2012, and what Democrats need to do about it

Where to find Olivia:

All platforms: @OliviaJulianna

Substack: oliviajulianna.co

Support the show:

Ep. 32 (Video version): SCOTUS Gutted the Voting Rights Act. What's Next? (Mimi Marziani, Esq.) May 14, 2026

Show notes

Constitutional law attorney, voting rights expert, and former president of the Texas Civil Rights Project Mimi Marziani joins Kate and Alex to break down the Supreme Court's Callais decision — and what it means for Texas, for redistricting, and for democracy itself.

Plus: Mimi's clients are refusing to be silenced, Alex's daughter turns four, and Kate announces she's hanging a shingle.

What we discuss:

What the Callais decision actually holds — and why Justice Thomas's concurrence may be more honest about it than the majority opinion
The 25-year arc from Bush v. Gore to Crawford to Shelby County to Rucho to Callais — a slow burn with a fast finish
Why the court reaching out to decide a question the parties didn't ask is virtually unprecedented, and what Citizens United has in common with it
The immediate-effect ruling and why the only plausible explanation is to benefit Republicans in the 2026 midterms
The Texas redistricting fight: how a 150-page federal court finding got swatted away on the shadow docket
The Republican Party of Texas lawsuit seeking to restrict primary participation — and Mimi's amicus brief
Tennessee's new map, the Memphis dismemberment, and what comes next
Why 2030 redistricting is the stakes underneath the stakes — and why Texas is about to gain five more congressional seats
What it would take for Congress to act: the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the filibuster, and what 2029 might look like
The one thing standing between Republicans and unlimited gerrymandering: losing

"Republicans in Texas believe in Texas Democrats more than Texas Democrats do." — Mimi Marziani

Read Mimi's new article: Weaponized Oversight: Texas’s Escalating Campaign Against Nonprofit Advocacy & the Chilling Effect on Speech and Association, 45 Rev. Litig. (forthcoming 2026), available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6748785.

Support the show:

Ep. 32: SCOTUS Gutted the Voting Rights Act. What's Next? (Mimi Marziani, Esq.) May 14, 2026

Show notes

Constitutional law attorney, voting rights expert, and former president of the Texas Civil Rights Project Mimi Marziani joins Kate and Alex to break down the Supreme Court's Callais decision — and what it means for Texas, for redistricting, and for democracy itself.

Plus: Mimi's clients are refusing to be silenced, Alex's daughter turns four, and Kate announces she's hanging a shingle.

What we discuss:

What the Callais decision actually holds — and why Justice Thomas's concurrence may be more honest about it than the majority opinion
The 25-year arc from Bush v. Gore to Crawford to Shelby County to Rucho to Callais — a slow burn with a fast finish
Why the court reaching out to decide a question the parties didn't ask is virtually unprecedented, and what Citizens United has in common with it
The immediate-effect ruling and why the only plausible explanation is to benefit Republicans in the 2026 midterms
The Texas redistricting fight: how a 150-page federal court finding got swatted away on the shadow docket
The Republican Party of Texas lawsuit seeking to restrict primary participation — and Mimi's amicus brief
Tennessee's new map, the Memphis dismemberment, and what comes next
Why 2030 redistricting is the stakes underneath the stakes — and why Texas is about to gain five more congressional seats
What it would take for Congress to act: the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the filibuster, and what 2029 might look like
The one thing standing between Republicans and unlimited gerrymandering: losing

"Republicans in Texas believe in Texas Democrats more than Texas Democrats do." — Mimi Marziani

Read Mimi's new article: Weaponized Oversight: Texas’s Escalating Campaign Against Nonprofit Advocacy & the Chilling Effect on Speech and Association, 45 Rev. Litig. (forthcoming 2026), available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6748785.

Support the show:

Ep. 31: The Texas Congressional Race Getting National Attention (Katy Padilla-Stout) May 07, 2026

Show notes

Texas's 23rd congressional district just got a whole lot more interesting. Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez resigned amid a sex scandal, leaving 800,000 Texans without representation — and Greg Abbott refuses to call a special election. Katy Padilla-Stout, a San Antonio attorney, former teacher, child welfare advocate, and mom of four, won a four-way Democratic primary outright on just $50K. Now she's taking on "AK Guy" Brandon Herrera — a gunfluencer with Nazi-adjacent baggage who wasn't even registered to vote when he first ran — in one of the most competitive and diverse congressional districts in the country.

Kate and Alex dig into what's really at stake in TX-23, why this race is winnable, and why the district has never elected an extremist — or a congresswoman. Yet.

Plus: Kate got promoted in the military (views expressed here are her own). Alex launched his law firm. And Katy is spending her 41st birthday watching the Devil Wears Prada sequel with her closest friends.

In this episode:

The Tony Gonzalez scandal: what actually happened with his staffer, and why it's worse than you think
Who is Brandon Herrera, her opponent? His YouTube channel, his Confederate ties, and his joke about veterans
TX-23 geography: 800 miles of border, 26+ counties, and why you have to win both Bexar and the rural
National support: Jamie Raskin's group, EMILY's List, MoveOn, and the Hispanic Caucus Gold Pack
Running for Congress with four kids, including two she adopted
The poll showing Katy within margin of error against Herrera despite Trump's +12 in the district

Support Katy:

Website: katyforcongress.com

Socials: @katy4congress on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook

Support the show:

Ep. 30: Fighting for the RGV - Julio Salinas on Flipping South Texas Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

If you want to flip Texas, you have to win the Rio Grande Valley. This week on Mission: Texas, we're sitting down with Julio Salinas — 26 years old, son of a migrant farm worker, former Texas House legislative director, and the candidate who just shocked the entire RGV political establishment by finishing first in a three-way primary for Texas House District 41. He's heading into a runoff against a candidate who only voted in a Democratic primary for the first time in 2024.

We also get into el dedazo, the kingmaker problem in RGV politics, why immigration and the economy are two sides of the same coin in a region that runs on cross-border tourism, and what it means when your aunt gets detained by ICE on the same night you find out you won your primary.

Plus: Julio reveals he took up fencing in college because of a girl, Kate shares a personal milestone in her journey toward federal criminal defense work, and Alex is heading to a very important banquet tonight.

In this episode:

Julio's origin story: from knocking doors at 15 to the Texas House floor
Why being called a "career staffer" by a millionaire banker might be the best attack line a candidate could hope for
The data infrastructure gap that has left the Valley behind — and how Julio's campaign is fixing it
HD-41's 24-point Trump swing: what happened and who Democrats need to win back
Why immigration IS an economic issue in South Texas — and why downtown McAllen is now empty
El dedazo: the kingmaker machine Julio is running to disrupt
Leaders We Deserve, Greg Casar's endorsement, and the new generation of Texas Democratic infrastructure
The runoff: May 26th, early voting starts May 18th

Follow & Connect:

Julio Salinas: @Julio4RGV on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook | julio4rgv.com — donate if you can, this is one of the most important runoffs in the state
Leaders We Deserve: leaderswedeserve.com
Mission: Texas on social: @missiontexaspodcast

Support the show: Independent Texas media needs your support. Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast for just a few dollars a month, or leave us a five-star review wherever you listen. God bless Texas. 🤠

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Read Mimi's new article: Weaponized Oversight: Texas’s Escalating Campaign Against Nonprofit Advocacy & the Chilling Effect on Speech and Association, 45 Rev. Litig. (forthcoming 2026), available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6748785.

Support the show:

Read Mimi's new article: Weaponized Oversight: Texas’s Escalating Campaign Against Nonprofit Advocacy & the Chilling Effect on Speech and Association, 45 Rev. Litig. (forthcoming 2026), available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6748785.

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