Texas Tidbits: Vouchers, Populism, And Political Meltdowns In Texas

The week Texas Republicans imploded and Democrats fought back.

Texas Tidbits is a collection of quick snapshots of the most interesting, outrageous, and important political stories across the Lone Star State. Each edition will feature several short stories highlighting the issues shaping Texas today.

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Tuesday Is The Day: Show Up And Speak Out Against Vouchers!

If you’ve been following the battle over school vouchers in Texas, Tuesday, March 11, is your chance to make your voice heard. The Public Education Committee, chaired by Brad Buckley (R-HD54), will hold a hearing on HB3 to establish a school voucher program.

Public testimony will be allowed, but there’s a catch: Testimony is limited to two minutes per person. This isn’t just a formality; this is your opportunity to tell lawmakers directly why diverting public school funds to private institutions is terrible. And given that Buckley has already been booed twice this month for pushing vouchers, it’s clear Texans aren’t on board.

Here’s what you need to know:

🗓 When: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 8:00 AM
📍 Where: JHR 140, Texas State Capitol
🎤 Testimony: Limited to 2 minutes per witness

If you can’t make it in person, you can also submit written testimony, but showing up in person makes a huge impact. This is our chance to stand up for public education, support our teachers, and protect Texas schools from voucher scams.

Let’s pack the room, raise our voices, and show these Republicans that Texas won’t stand for siphoning off funds from our public schools.

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The Republican Civil War Rages On

Last week, the far-right Current Revolt published a video of Representative Cole Hefner (R-HD05) and a woman other than his wife getting into his car after a late-night party in Austin. It wasn’t Lacey Hull (R-HD138), either.

Here were Hefner and Hull, circa 2020:

Hefner apparently has a thing for driving around ladies who aren’t his wife, but that isn’t even the worst thing he’s been caught doing.

Then, the Republican Texas Voice published an expose on Brian Harrison (R-HD10), stating that when he was the HHS Chief of Staff during Trump’s first term, the agency formed the “Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Does that mean Harrison hasn’t always been a raging bigot?

Republican legislators will keep being awful, right-leaning media will keep exposing them, and Republican voters will still vote them into office. Character doesn’t matter.

Also this week, the Montgomery County GOP censured Texas House Representatives Cecil Bell (R-HD03) and Will Metcalf (R-HD16) for voting for Dustin Burrows in the Speaker’s race.

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Hegar Heads To A&M, Huffines and Craddick Pounce In Comptroller Race

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced his acceptance of the role of Chancellor for the Texas A&M University System. This post will take him away from state finance and into higher education leadership.

Within hours of Hegar’s announcement, Huffines, a former Texas state senator and staunch conservative, declared his candidacy for Comptroller. He’s pledging to “expose waste, fraud, and abuse” and committing $10 million of his own money to the race. Because we don’t have enough rich assholes in our government?

Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick also announced her intent on running for Comptroller. We could be looking at a special election in a few months, shortly after the new/interm Texas Democratic Party Chair is seated. It may be a solid opportunity for them to prove themselves.

At the end of the day, Democrats have the numbers to win all across Texas. Someone just has to convince millions of sideline-sitters to vote.

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The Populist Spark: Why Texas Democrats Are Different—And Why It Matters

For a long time, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that Texas Democrats are not the same as Democrats from other states. Our good friend,

Clayton Tucker

, has also been shouting about how the next true populist movement will come from Texas.

If you need more convincing, read The Post-Trump Populist Revolution Will Begin in Texas—and It Won’t Look Like Anything Before by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. The author states that Texas isn’t a conservative monolith; it’s a powder keg of real populism waiting for a spark. And I 100% agree.

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Nate Schatzline: Celebrating Polio, Smallpox, and Diphtheria

Texas State Representative Nate Schatzline is here celebrating his kids’ private school as if he had discovered sliced bread. The school, connected to Mercy Culture Church, where he preaches, has the distinct honor of being the least vaccinated school in Texas.

Schatzline proudly shared that his children’s school is a vaccine desert, wearing his ignorance like a badge of honor. It’s as if he’s never heard of smallpox, polio, or diphtheria.

For Schatzline, ignoring public health is all part of the culture war at Mercy Culture.

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Carl Tepper’s Meltdown

State Representative Carl Tepper (R-HD84) has been having a rough time with his constituents, particularly regarding his push for private school vouchers. Things went from bad to worse this week when Angela Clark Cardenas, a public school teacher and mom, called Tepper out on Facebook. She told him that Texans don’t want private school vouchers and they want public schools funded.

Tepper’s response? Allegedly, he canceled a previously scheduled town hall and called Cardenas, screaming and calling her “despicable” for daring to disagree with him. He reportedly told her there was something “wrong” with her and that he couldn’t wait to vote for vouchers.

Cardenas says she has audio and video recordings of the call and a text message from Tepper telling her to “spread it far and wide.”

This isn’t the first time Tepper has been accused of disrespecting constituents, but this time, it’s not just whispers. The public is watching, and in a time when vouchers are already incredibly unpopular in rural Texas, Tepper might want to rethink his approach. Telling teachers and parents they’re “despicable” isn’t exactly the winning strategy he thinks it is.

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The Ten Democrats Who Voted To Censure Al Green Were Mostly From Blue States

This week, when Republicans voted to censure Texas Congressman Al Green, ten Democrats crossed the aisle to join them. Here is the list of offenders:

Look where they’re from: two from California, two from New York, Hawaii, Connecticut, Washington… all blue states. They don’t know how to fight, and they give the entire party an image of corporate shills who never stand against fascism.

Democrats are unpopular at the moment because of those in our “big tent party” who constantly tow the line with the Republicans who are dismantling democracy. I know I sound like a broken record, but Texas Democrats are not the same, but we keep getting lumped in with them. That’s why Texas Democrats need to hark in on that message. The blue folk in Texas have been fighting the far-right for decades. You can count on most of them to stand up.

Al Green is fighting back. Jasmine Crockett is fighting back. Greg Casar and Veronica Escobar are also at the forefront, standing against Trump’s coup.

“There’s something about living in a red state that makes you scrappy” -James Talarico.

Texas is a battleground, not just between Republicans and Democrats but between the status quo and real change.

This week’s stories show the growing divide between politicians peddling old narratives and those pushing for something new. Whether it’s school vouchers, corporate accountability, or genuine populism, Texas is setting the stage for what’s next. Keep watching and keep speaking out.

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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