Texas political legend Ben Barnes looks back on career

0:00While all eyes are on the midterm elections, there are signs that Texan is looking at running for president again. Details on today's Texas Standard. Texas Standard is a production of KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Houston Public Media, and Texas Public Radio in San Antonio. I'm Angela Cotargan El Paso. Also ahead, white Democrats see an opportunity to gain votes in parts of West Texas that have been reliably read for decades. And David Brown talks to political legend Ben Barnes about his new memoir titled Get It Done, Seven Decades of Lessons from a Political Legend. Plus how Texas Republican leaders are cracking down on so-called birth tourism and celebrating the life of aviation pioneer Wally Fun. All that and more just ahead on today's Texas Standard.

1:01No matter where you are, Texas Standard time on this eighth day of September, 2026. I'm Angela Cotargan and so glad you're sharing part of your Tuesday with us. Hope you had a nice long holiday weekend. A summer driving season winds down. Could we see some relief from record high gas prices? Our energy analyst shares his insight a little later in the program. But first, as we know, the campaign season ramps up after Labor Day. And the two Texas candidates hoping to join Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate, Republican Ken Paxton, and Democrat James Tolerico have been hitting the campaign trail hard in the run-up to November's midterm election. And so has Senator Cruz, though he's not up for re-election. Cruz appears to be gearing up for another presidential run in 2028. White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Natalie Andrews reported on Cruz recent trip to Iowa. An early stop for all presidential hopefuls. David Brown talked to Natalie about Cruz's political goals and asked if the Iowa visit felt like a presidential campaign stop.

2:07Yeah, I've been hearing these inklings for a while. And as someone who watches the White House, I just felt like when I heard that Ted Cruz was going to Iowa, that this was the chance to go out. So he was campaigning. And this is something he's really done this year is really campaign for candidates and and doors and get involved. And he was campaigning for the GOP Senate nominee Ashley Henson. She did a big barbecue bash. She played the fiddle. And he was the featured speaker. And he did not disappoint the crowd gave him a standing ovation and he shook hands. They were cleaning up chairs. And Ted Cruz was still there shaking hands every the governor had left. The Senate candidate everyone had like bailed you know, Jenny Ernst Chuck Rassley. They were long gone. Ted Cruz is staying there shaking hands, taking selfies, making eye contact. And I was like, oh, there's there's something here. The Senate is president. Usually they're whisked away. You know, they jump in their car and they're and they're gone. But here he is making that sort of personal investment.

3:10You know, presidential candidates or potential presidential candidates will often travel to states like Iowa or New Hampshire to sort of feel out their chances before actually deciding to take the plunge. Were you able to get any sense of how serious Cruz's presidential ambitions for 2028 might be at this point? I think I've talked to folks who said he's kind of poking around to see like if staff might be interested like people might be interested in joining him for 2028 that he is kind of putting out feelers. He's also been public. He did an interview on MS now, which is not exactly a known for its Republican audience, but he didn't interview on MS now where he was said that he wanted to be part of the discussion for 2028 and firmly said the party is not coalescing around JD Vance. So it's also like his interviews. He's definitely keeping the door open. He also did Sean Hannity's podcast recently and firmly shut the door on wanting to be a member of the Supreme Court.

4:10Now let's dig a little deeper there. What might distinguish Ted Cruz from some of the other 2028 GOP hopefuls that we mentioned JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has seems to be talking the same direction. What do you think? I think it's a really good question because almost uniformly when you talk to strategists or people that are looking to play in 2028 somehow. They see this as you know who is going to be the best heir to Donald Trump. They don't think that there is an anti Trump lane to run in and win in early primary states. So who is the best heir to the Donald Trump legacy? Is it the man who he chose to be vice president? Is it a secretary of state or a senator who ran against him at one point? And if sense come into the fold, I don't know. I do know that the voters in Iowa though were very eager to talk about it, which was really fun because so often people are like, I don't want to talk until after the midterms, but these guys are all in.

5:14Okay, so let's talk about that retail politics side when you spoke with when you saw those interactions. What did voters in Iowa that you spoke with have to say about Cruz? You know, I talked to several people who said, oh, I supported him in 2016. He seems funnier now. He seems more relaxed now. I think he came across more personable, but maybe voters in Iowa when they are seeing him speak a lot that they're taking away that there's more authenticity there. There maybe comes across on TV. It also might be hard for Vance to politics a lot in Iowa. I think the worst case scenario for him is if the Senate ends up 50 50 with Republican control and he's breaking ties right and left for judges or something. So there's some dynamics there that could go in his way or that kind of, you know, voters can pick what they like, right? And if they see something more frequently, they can make that choice. Do you think Ted Cruz is seeing favorable signs that might encourage him to take the plunge?

6:14You know, there's an old saying and hopefully members of the US Senate can forgive me for this, but there's a saying that, you know, every Senator wakes up and sees the next president of the United States in the mirror. And I don't think that Cruz is exempted from that. I think that in order to put yourself out there, you have to believe you can get it. He's put himself out there before. He believes that he does have good ideas. It'll remain up to the voters to decide whether or not that's true. But I think he thinks that there is a lane for him that he's a not an isolationist. He's kind of made that point kind of a dig at JD Vance, who is known to be more critical of so-called forever wars. But he's also not like a hawk that wants to bring the US into conflicts. Very interesting stuff and terrific reporting from Natalie Andrews White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We're going to have a link to her story so that you can dig deeper and read up on these details. It's fascinating read. Natalie, thanks again for joining us on the standard. We appreciate it.

7:14Thank you so much. The 14th Amendment grants US citizenship to virtually anyone born in the United States regardless of the legal status of their parents. The Supreme Court confirmed that earlier this year, striking down President Donald Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship by executive order. Now Trump and Texas Republican leaders are targeting businesses they say encourage people to come to this country to give birth, all to obtain US citizenship for their children. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider looks at the attempt to crack down on alleged birth tourism. Three weeks after the Supreme Court's decision in late June, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order. He spoke to Fox News the next day. So what I decided to do was to make sure that any agency in the state of Texas involved in whatsoever in providing licensing to any health care provider.

8:18They must be investigated to determine whether or not they are involved in birth tourism. And if so, take action against them, including what I call the death penalty for a business and that is to pull their license so they would not be able to operate. Abbott said Texas would be working hand in hand with the Trump administration to crack down on the practice. And he noted that state attorney general Ken Paxton's office was already investigating two hospitals in South Texas for allegedly advertising in Mexico for people to give birth in Texas. The Texas attorney general separately has brought a lawsuit against a medical facility into Houston area for advertising birth tourism saying that they provided it for more than 8,000 people. Abbott said that the Texas attorney general asked and brought that suit against the Houston area DI postpartum care center in April. The case charges the center and its proprietors with a variety of state offenses and encouraging Chinese nationals to come to the US to give birth. Among them charges of conspiracy, unlawful concealment and harboring in violation of federal law and violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

9:25The court documents to defendants deny all allegations in the suit. Gordon Kwan, a Houston area immigration attorney, says he doesn't think much of the state's case. There's this idea of anchor babies of people coming in just to have a child so the parents could get their green cards. Just because you have a child born in the United States doesn't mean that you're allowed to stay. That child cannot sponsor you until they're 21. There are federal laws that can be used against businesses that encourage non-citizens to come to the US to give birth to secure citizenship for their children. Chiefly fraud statutes. But Ammon Blair, a former US border patrol agent now with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, says proving such charges is hard. You'd have to have a direct link showing that an individual or an entity is purposely advertising and bringing individuals in and that there's a furtherance that people are taking the risk of being a child. People are taking action upon that advertisement. Blair says transnational organizations involved in encouraging such activity, such as the Chinese Communist Party and Mexican cartels, are well organized and know how to cover their tracks.

10:36He says that the lures tremendous because such a network stands to earn tens of thousands of dollars for each person encouraged to come to the US to give birth. But Julia Gillette of the Migration Policy Institute says it's important not to overstate the extent of the problem posed by alleged birth tourism. It's a pretty small phenomenon. Last then one percent of US birth annually can be attributed to birth tourism. There are already policies in place that lead to higher scrutiny of travelers who may be coming while pregnant. Meanwhile, President Trump has issued a fresh executive order aimed at making birth tourism illegal, a federal judge temporarily blocked that order from taking effect last week. I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. Audience and engagement editor Wells Dunbar joins us now with the talk of Texas. Hi Wells. Hi Angela, great to be with you.

11:36Well, what's something made in Texas that you're genuinely loyal to? Food, drinks, products, or whatever, with tariffs being back in the headlines after Canada's retaliatory tariffs on the US took effect today. Canada being Texas's second greatest trading partner, by the way. This news got us wondering, are there any items out there that folks make a point of buying made in Texas? That could be anything from boots to barbecue sauce, beer, furniture, tools or something from a local ranch farm, a maker or a small business. Here's how we want to hear from folks. Go to TexasStandard.org slash talk and record us a voice message while you're there. Tell us what Texas made product has your loyalty. Well, here's one early front runner saying a lot of this on Facebook already Katie Jensen says literally anything from HB. She moved it main four years ago in the grocery store chains in New England. Do not even come close to the quality of service food cleanliness and just about everything having to do with food shopping worst part is they don't even try to.

12:40Sorry Angela and all y'all pass shoppers out there as well, but there's plenty more good stuff there in the past of the North as well across Texas. And like I said, we want to hear from here from folks about to go to TexasStandard.org slash talk and tell us what do you buy made in Texas? Now we'll look forward to that. Thank you. Well, there's much more standard ahead, including a celebration of life for aviation pioneer Wally Funks. Say with us. Support for Texas Standard comes from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, committed to strengthening the state's workforce and its communities through safety and wellness grants and education initiatives. More at texasmutual.com slash community impact. It's the Texas Standard. I'm Angela Cochera. Farmers across the country are losing access to federal workers that help them with soil and water conservation. The natural resources conservation service has been hit hard by the Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce. Texas lost 15% of its staff last year.

13:50Harvest Public Media's Abigail Bohta reports on how that's impacting farmers. On a hot summer day, John Williams is walking me through the vegetable farm he manages in central Illinois. So all these white tubes coming up are tree tubes so there are little protections for newly planted trees. And the farm has a lot of new trees. Hazelnut, apple and pear trees run in between the fields and around the farm's perimeter. The farm got funding to plant these trees through the natural resources conservation service, a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Williams says the trees will help protect the farm's soil from strong winds and heavy rains. That'll help keep more of our soil on our land and less from running downhill. NRCS staff in county offices across the nation help farmers like Williams implement practices that prevent soil erosion and improve soil health. The agency was founded almost a century ago in response to the dust bowl, but it lost nearly a quarter of its staff nationwide last year after President Donald Trump's sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.

14:59Adam Grieby grows corn and soy on his farm in central Minnesota. He's recently working on a project to prevent soil erosion, but then the NRCS staff or he was working with left the agency. Well, I've ended up working with Sterns County, which isn't even a Jason County office and then also Carver County. And so I've gotten pushed to other offices. Grieby says he was sometimes stuck driving an hour to a different county office where he felt like he was starting from square one with new NRCS workers. You kind of get pushed back to the bottom of the pile when you lose your your technician or engineer just across the state line. Wisconsin saw some of the steepest cuts to NRCS staff in the Midwest, losing more than 30% of its workforce. Chuck and Darius is the policy director at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, a Wisconsin nonprofit focused on sustainable agriculture. He says some highly agricultural counties are now without any NRCS staff at all. A lot of beginning farmers and a lot of people that are transitioning to grazing for the first time really rely on the technical assistance that they get alongside the cost share money.

16:08It's been feast or famine at the NRCS in recent years. The Biden administration poured more than 19 billion dollars in additional funding for NRCS programs to address climate change. But those funds were rescinded by the Trump administration last year. You have this proven benefit for farmers and yet they're taking money away from that. That's Michael Hap with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a Minnesota based nonprofit. He recently analyzed how these cuts are impacting the agency's flagship program. The Environmental Quality Incentives program had a 38% decrease in grants awarded from 2024 to 2025. Hap says a growing number of farmers are competing for this dwindling funding. It seems like conservation as an idea keeps getting more and more popular among farmers. We saw an increase in folks lining up up the door to apply for these programs at the same time that the number accepted went down. Harvest public media reached out to the USDA for comment, but officials did not respond.

17:10Minnesota farmer Adam Grievous says his recent experience with NRCS won't stop him from applying for future projects. But he can see why other farmers would be more hesitant. You know, we can only spend so much time doing some of these stewardship projects. And so if you don't have that good, good help from your offices, you really lose the passion to do the work. And Grievous worries these cuts will damage conservation efforts for years to come. I'm Abigail Boatar, Harvest Public Media. Harvest Public Media is a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest and great planes and the Texas standard. And you're listening to the Texas standard. Aviation pioneer Wally Funk notched a final career milestone when she went to space at 82 years old.

18:11It was the capstone to a lifetime of achievements. She died this summer at age 87. KRI's Andy Lask heard from loved ones at Funk's Celebration of Life last week. Wally Funk, the trailblazing aviator and astronaut, died in July at 87 years old. She was a long time grapevine resident. Funk is known worldwide for her 2021 space flight with blue origin. That's Jeff Bezos' private space company. At 82 years old, the trip helped her become the oldest person to go to space. She described the journey in a later interview with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I've been up and I've been down and I've been into space. Oh, how lucky I was. But Funk's aviation career was filled with milestones long before she left Earth's atmosphere. She earned her pilot's license as a teenager and became a professional aviator shortly thereafter.

19:14Funk went on to train as an astronaut with an early space race era initiative that tested women's fitness for space travel. The women who completed the program later became known as the Mercury 13. NASA ultimately rejected them as astronauts at the time. Funk was the last surviving member of the Mercury 13 and the only one to make it to space. On Tuesday, a large crowd packed into White's Chapel Methodist Church in South Lake to honor Funk's life and achievements. Funk was a well-known part of the congregation. Her usual place in the pews was marked with her flight jacket and a bouquet of white flowers. Duff O'Dell is a grapevine city council member and a long-time Delta Airlines employee. She was a close friend of Funk's. She beat her head on a lot of glass ceilings and paid the way out of a long airline career. And it wasn't welcoming to females for a long time. So we owe her a debt of gratitude.

20:14Funk never married and had no children. O'Dell became her caregiver in Funk's final years of life. O'Dell says that while Funk seemed frustrated with the limitations placed on women, Funk was assured that she would do what she wanted to do. So when many, many people said to her, you can't do this because you're a female. She just smiled and said, okay, watch me. It did not ever discourage her. During the celebration of life ceremony, speakers highlighted Funk's tenacity and optimism. Retired Air Force colonel and NASA astronaut Eileen Collins says women like her stand on Funk's shoulders. The Mercury 13, she says, each brought something special to the table. I have no doubt that every one of them could qualify to become an astronaut. Unfortunately, it was just not your time. Collins highlighted Funk's legacy as an instructor to thousands of students, which included military pilots. She taught her students to fly with confidence, the decisiveness, always being prepared, and most of all safety.

21:14She wanted her students to be the best. Funk was the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill, an Army post in Oklahoma. In the early 1970s, she also broke new ground for women as federal aviation safety officials. Funk became the federal aviation administration's first female flight inspector and one of the national transportation safety boards first female air safety investigators. In her career, Funk logged tens of thousands of hours of flight time. According to her wishes, Funk's ashes will be spread partly in the mountains near Taoos, New Mexico, where she grew up, and at the portal of the folded wings, shrined aviation in Southern California. I'm Andy Luskin, South Lake. Support for Texas Standard comes from TCU, where horn frogs strive to be ethical leaders in global citizens.

22:17Like Dr. Jonathan Oliver, whose researching solutions to reduce concussion damage among athletes. TCU, lead on. Live from the Texas newsroom, I'm Shelby Rose. For a second time in two weeks, President Trump is headed to Texas. He will be in Dallas tomorrow to take part in the first ever Republican midterm convention. State Representative Gina Husa told CNN that Trump's visit won't change the course of the election in Texas. If you look at the polling, President Trump is underwater, Greg Abbott is underwater, and people are tired of this politics. As usual, people want change in Texas. They're galvanizing, organizing, we're building real momentum in this race. Poll show Gina Husa closely trailing Governor Abbott. The convention is part of an effort by the Trump administration to rally his supporters ahead of the midterm elections. One of the pro Trump super PACs is spending big in Texas to help sway voters in the U.S. Senate race.

23:20MAGA Inc. paid $10 million for ads attacking State Representative James Tallarico, and boosting Texas attorney general Ken Paxton. That money is in addition to the $1.4 million given by Elon Musk. One group not helping Paxton is the Senate leadership fund, which has not earmarked any money for ad sales in Texas. The ICE agent at the center of an extradition fight could soon be behind bars in Minnesota. Christian Castro was released on bond on Friday in South Texas after being charged with six counts of lying to the FBI. Hinnepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says authorities will be waiting for Castro when he arrives in Minnesota for his court dates later this month. The moment he came into Minnesota or we became aware of his being here, he would be arrested on our case as well. Because we still have an active warrant. Castro is charged with shooting through a door during an immigration crackdown earlier this year. He was released from a Texas jail after Governor Abbott didn't sign his extradition paperwork.

24:24There were now at least 23 government agencies in Texas that have cut ties with flock cameras that's according to a report from the Dallas Express. El Paso is one of the latest cities to suspend use of flock cameras. The judge in Harris County says she wants a special meeting of Commissioner's Court to address privacy concerns over the use of automatic license plate readers. A Houston woman is now the reigning Miss America Reagan Hudson heard her name called during the finale of the pageant Sunday night. Ladies and gentlemen Miss America 2027 Miss Texas Reagan Hudson! It's the first time a Texan has won the contest in more than 50 years. I'm Shelby Rose in the Texas Newsroom. You're listening to statewide news from public radio stations across Texas. This coverage is only possible because of support from listeners like you. You can help sustain and grow Texas news coverage by donating to your local public radio station today.

25:2933 minutes past the hour Texas Standard Time. I'm Angela Cochirga. This Labor Day marked the first in which national gas prices averaged more than $4 a gallon. In Texas the average was closer to $3.60. That's better than many places but still about $1 more than last year. Now that the summer driving season is over will we see some relief. Let's check in with Matt Smith our go-to energy analyst, a Kepler. Matt, welcome back. Thanks Angela. Well Labor Day is generally considered the checkered flag to signal the end of summer driving season. Yeah prices at the pump have been gradually climbing higher over the last few months. Why is that? Well Angela it's mainly been driven by that oil price. That's a key driver of gasoline prices. Even today we see Brent Crude which is a global benchmark pushing very close to $100 a barrel.

26:29At the time when we should be seeing gas prices rolling over as you mentioned there this is the end of summer driving season now. No, actually for August we saw prices above $4 a gallon for every single day. That has never happened before. And then as you mentioned Labor Day we can it was the highest price ever for the time of year. So not great for our pocketbooks unfortunately. Well given how much our economy relies on trucking what about diesel prices those also climb to a record price. Oh gosh Angela that's even worse and so this is because of the conflicts in the Middle East because the straight-up foremooces had those flows being crimped for so long. It means that we're seeing refineries globally being dialed back but they're not getting the crude that they need. They get these medium sour barrels which are best for refining and producing a lot of diesel. And so this is hugely problematic and as you mentioned we've hit a record there. $5.90 a gallon on the national average that is.

27:33And so that's the past record that we saw in mid 2022. Well is the US still exporting a lot of refined products and is that part of the problem? Yes it is still exporting a lot. Actually it hit a record for August we saw 3.2 million barrels per day of clean products. So that's diesel, gasoline, jet fuel etc. But the US is extremely well supplied in terms of refining. It's for the most part the US is self-sufficient. It's about 17.5 million barrels a day of refinery runs that we're seeing right now. But because of the conflicts again in the Middle East a lot of regions that are much well less supplied are turning to the US to meet their needs. And so it's kind of a double whammy really. It's US gasoline and diesel prices are being influenced by higher oil prices. But then there's this kicker, the second thing which is that everyone's turning to the US to help fill the global supply gap.

28:37Well we heard a lot about diplomacy over the weekend regarding Ukraine and Russia. However events there recently affected oil prices. Well Angela there's been one more supporting factor for global diesel prices. And the reason I say that is because Ukraine has consistently persistently relentlessly been doing drone strikes on Russian refineries. And so what this means is that refining activity in Russia has dropped dramatically. And so they've put a ban on diesel exports and they were sending out nearly a million barrels per day of diesel. And so this is one more factor exacerbating the global shortage. Ironically the flip side of lower refining activity in Russia means they're able to export more oil. So it leans a little bit bearish for oil because some countries that can buy those sanctioned barrels are doing so. But again one more factor driving on global diesel prices.

29:37Well switching gears the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is upon us right now. And this year has been somewhat quiet. If it persists how does that affect energy prices? Well yeah that's it. It feels like we've dodged a bullet in that we haven't seen any real damage in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America there. And I think those refineries. But that's because of this weather phenomenon is called El Niño. And that has been happening in the Pacific. So actually today you can see there's a hurricane hurricane. Lowell is in the Pacific as well as tropical storm Marie. And so while the Atlantic has been has managed to avoid these hurricanes and tropical activity. It's all happening over in the other ocean there. Well anything else you're keeping an eye on now that we are out of this summer driving season? Well yeah so the the peak of hurricane season is actually on Thursday. And so it should drop off after that. But we shouldn't get complacent so there's still the possibility we could see storms coming through.

30:41And then just on the price of gasoline now we're out of summer driving season. Knock on wood. Hopefully we should start to see the seasonal trend kicking in which means it should move lower here towards the end of the year. Matt Smith is director of commodity research at Kepler. And he joins us every couple of weeks here on the standard. Matt thank you so much. Thanks Angela. Support for Texas Standard comes from HEB and the MyHGB app which is available for download and shopping fresh departments like seafood, produce, bakery, and deli and scheduling curbside pickup or home delivery. More at HEB.com. At this time on our broadcast we hear our segment this week in Texas Music History. Unfortunately we can't play it here on our podcast because of issues with music streaming rights. However you can find it over at texasstandard.org or find a version on Texas standards Facebook or Instagram page.

31:47Texas Standard I'm David Brown first elected to the Texas legislature at age 22 by 26. He was speaker of the house and LBJ was predicting he'd be president. Today still something of a political kingmaker at age 88 former lieutenant governor Ben Barnes has a new book get it done seven decades of lessons from a political legend reflecting on mentors like Johnson, governor John Connolly and colleagues like Barbara Jordan. Barbara Jordan was a guy person who had tried to run for office in Houston and had been defeated for the state legislature two or three times before. There are senate district was wrong where she had a chance to win and she won and there she was a very young person coming to the Texas senate. The first black woman to serve in the Texas legislature and the first black woman to serve in the Texas senate. I was a 26 year old speaker of the house and we were both young and we both had our doubts and in some ways about half-facting we were going to be in maybe we kind of cried on one of the shoes.

32:55We cried on one of the shoulders sometimes when we were talking and trying to determine what we should do on a particular issue. But Barbara Jordan had the courage and had the charm and had the veracity to not to sit on the back row and be very quiet. She soon understood that she could be effective and that people would listen for power and she had a tremendous voice. In fact, if I was trying to visualize what the voice of God really sounded like it would be like Barbara Jordan because she had an incredible voice. But we had a front row seat to see what was happening in the United States of America in the 60s and how beneficial it was to all the people living in our country. What in too long after that that well you had been for all of your adult life you had been a kind of golden boy in politics. You know you were winning and then suddenly you lost.

33:55What had losing that governor's race? I guess it was 72 if memory serves. That's right it was 72. What did that teach you that winning never had? Well it taught me that you had to be very careful the friends you made but you had to be even more careful perhaps the enemies you made. I got on Richard Nixon's enemy list and his administration helped create a scandal in Texas. People have forgotten about what happened in 72 but there was a scandal with an insurance owner and a bank owner in Houston named Frank Sharp. And Nixon Attorney General John Mitchell created a sharps down scandal. It covered some of the people in office but not mayor not anybody else at the statewide level but we had 66 members of the House of Representatives got beat.

34:55Everybody that had had any type of a serious opponent got beat and then we had six other statewide officials. Every statewide official running for reelection got defeated in 72 and it was really kind of all because of Nixon's concern about me and concerned about the continuation of the Johnson Conley team in Texas. And so he wanted to make sure that he if he could slow down any Democrats that had the ability to lead and and convince sexes to remain a democratic state. He was very anxious to remove any of those obstacles or any of the way and so I felt victim to that. But you know I tell you maybe it was another time that being young helped. I knew I still had a good full life ahead of me and I was going to be able to spend time with my children, my family and I was going to have another chance to make good and accomplish some things.

36:04And so I was looking forward that. When you when you think about young people today in politics, you the subtitle of your book Lessons, you know about politics, you would you encourage someone. Young person to get involved in politics given what it's become now. I have vacillated through the recent times in which we live on whether I think that a young person has got an adequate chance to have an impact on politics and more importantly whether a young person is young and I was can get elected now. But I'm an optimist and I believe it's possible and I believe that young people can have an impact. I've given young people a lot of advice back through the years of getting kind enough to come see me in but I always tell them the same thing. Always be the most prepared person in the room. Do your homework, understand more about the subject. Don't talk too much and don't try to brag about how much more you know than anybody else in the room but make certain when you go into a room and discuss a subject.

37:12You may not from experience be the most qualified person but from research and now with AI and all the research tools that are available, there's no reason for a young person not to be equal to or certainly to be somewhat prepared when they're discussing an issue particularly a public policy. People will listen to you if they think you really understand and have really done some research and have got some judgment. This is just a sample from an extended conversation about the new book Get It Done. We hope you'll check it out at tuxestandard.org. Ben Barnes, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Thoroughly and Jordy, thank you very much. This is a Texas standard. I'm Angela Cochirga, the US Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Tallerico is getting a lot of national attention. In the last month, several high profile polls have shown the Democrat in the lead.

38:16The Cook Political Report also recently moved the race from leans Republican to a toss up this year. Democrats even see an opportunity to gain votes in West Texas, a region that's been reliably read since the 90s. As KACU's Heather Claiborne reports from Abilene, that's a big deal. The area usually is so Republican that most races are decided by party primaries. Months before the election. In a typical November, Republican candidates can count on finishing with 70 to 80% of the vote in West Texas. Newiers, local party leaders can't find the Democrat willing to run against the congressional or state house Republicans. But this year is different. Not only are the Democrats fielding candidates in all the major races, there's new energy. Something you could feel in line last month outside the Mesquite event center in Abilene, where nearly 1,000 people waited in hot August sun to see US Senate candidate James Tallerico.

39:17The real fight in this country is not left versus right. It's top versus bottom. That's the room that we are building in Texas. Tallerico speech in Abilene focused on the economy and he gave the broad strokes of his new American dream plan, which touches on everything from education to AI. At the rally, the candidate said billionaires shouldn't be writing the rules. They need people to serve to get a say and a share in this AI future. The rally was significant since West Texas rarely gets visits from statewide candidates, Democratic or Republican. Liz Hadelstad and her friends made the 90 minute drive from Brownwood to Abilene. I am actually a friend of Jimmy's from college. We went to UT together. He is the real deal. And she appreciates how Tallerico weaves his faith into his message. I hear and see people excited, especially people who are from the Christian faith. He really is representing the right values.

40:22Those values matter, especially in Abilene. The city is nicknamed the Buckle of the Bible Belt and is home to three Christian universities and more than 200 churches. Also in the crowd were Republicans, including one who ran in the GOP primary in March. While he declined an interview, he did express frustration with his party's current direction and said he's rooting for Tallerico in November. The Democrat says he welcomes Republicans to join him where they can find common ground. We're not going to agree on everything, but we are going to agree on the big stuff, taking on the national debt and getting some fiscal responsibility back into our government. According to Paul Fabrizio, a McMurray University professor emeritus of political science, that's exactly what Tallerico should be offering voters. What he is doing in this campaign and what he spoke about when he was here in Abilene, he is going where the voters mostly are. But Fabrizio says he's not going to win over West Texans who are focused on hot button social issues. Ryan Goodwin agrees.

41:27He's the chairman of the Taylor County Republican Party and isn't conceiting any ground in the race. There's a video that kind of came viral where Tallerico was talking about that we don't need to teach our children Christian faith in schools that the Bible is not a historical document. Goodwin's a former Methodist minister. He says a lot of people at church in the grocery store want to talk to him about what they've seen on TV and social media about Tallerico's comments supporting transgender kids. On the other hand, Goodwin says Paxton's infidelity and other scandals also come up. I know a lot of people right now are struggling with Paxton because he had an affair. And that's when he points those Republicans back to the planks of the party. I don't look at it as either candidate is perfect, but I look at it which one aligns more. For decades, that alignment in the region has been something Republicans could take for granted. Paxton has yet to make a campaign stop in Abling, but local party officials like Goodwin hope he'll visit in October to help motivate voters.

42:30In Taylor County, we're really red. What I'm more concerned about is people just sitting this one out. While it's clear some independent voters and even some West Texas Republicans are ready to cast ballots for Tallerico, political scientist Paul Fabrizio doesn't see a blue wave headed this way. I don't think anybody is expecting that West Texas is going to be democratic. But can he get more people out so instead of getting the usual 20% for a Democrat, can he raise it to 30% to 35% that if he can do out in West Texas could make a huge difference in the overall state totals. That possible increase Fabrizio says, may just be a lofty enough goal for Tallerico in West Texas. I'm Heather Claiborne in Abling. And you're listening to the Texas Standard.

43:34Audience and engagement editor Welles Dunbar is back with another intriguing question. Hi Welles. Angela great to be with you and that said question. What's something made in Texas that you're genuinely loyal to? And of course this is cast in a little bit of a wide net today because maybe it could be a food or a drink, boots, barbecue sauce, beer furniture tools, something from a local maker, or farmers market, or a ranch or small farm. We're talking about this. This has got me thinking because since tariffs are obviously back in the headlines with Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US goods taking effect. So we got us wondering what are the things that you make a point of buying because they're made right here in Texas. So we want to hear from folks and why they pick these things, why they keep coming back to them. The best way to hear from you literally is to go to TexasStandard.org slash talk where you can record a voice message that we can play on air. Again, that's TexasStandard.org slash talk.

44:35Just look for that orange record button. Press it. Assuming you have your smartphone there and just put your phone up to your head and let it rip. We want to hear what you have to say. We're getting some great stories, great nominations here via Facebook. Lots of folks chiming in here. Lane Fletcher shouts out an iconic product. The Corsicana Fruitcake. Yes, the humble Corsicana Fruitcake. Don't we all know and love it. Bill Holston notes nominates rather the Stetson Open Road, the so-called LBJ hat as he describes it. Mike Ricker here gets into the, you know, what does define the Texas product. We're going to again cast a white net, but it does, you know, there are some great areas there. Mike says, I love a good water burger. I know, I know they're headquartered in Chicago, but what my water burger isn't, along with any flavor of blue bell and a nice ice cold Shiner premium. I'll talk about authentic. I love this nomination here from Brian Shoroski.

45:36Brian notes his favorite Texas product. Those side of the highway, Abuela's igloo cooler tamales. I think I've seen some of those for sale. Too big of a, not too far from my neck of the woods there. Imagine you have as well, Angela. So lots of fun stuff here, you know, and it's really just kind of a broader question of, you know, what makes Texas Texas? And for so many of us, it is those things we interact with, those things we use eat, drink every single day. So what are we missing? That's where our listeners come in. Go to texasandard.org slash talk. Tell us what Texas product just screams Texas to you. What can you not do without? We'd love to hear your voice. We need to hear your voice. Audience and engagement editor, well stunned, Bar. Thank you so much. We're out of time for today's program, but you can keep up with the news 24-7 at texasandard.org. I'm Angela Cochego wishing you the very best from Alpeza. Phil and Dropix support for Texas Standard, Coaster and Casey and Scotto Hair, the Winkler Family Foundation,

46:39Lindopson and Greg Woldridge, Adrienne Killam and the George Huntson Tech Family. You've been listening to the Texas Standard, Texas Standard and KUT Public Radio are members of the NPR Network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find a lot more great content and shows like the texas standard in the NPR Network available wherever you listen to podcasts.