In the first Second Reading podcast of 2023, Jim Henson and Josh Blank look at signals from state leadership as the Comptroller's revised revenue estimate lands amidst the kick-of of the 88th Texas Legislature. For a taste of what's in the podcast, see the links below the player.
Some data points and context mentioned in the podcast
Most important issue facing the state.
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border security | 2% | 14% | 37% |
| Immigration | 1% | 13% | 23% |
| Inflation/rising prices | 8% | 8% | 13% |
| Political corruption/leadership | 22% | 4% | 1% |
| Gun control/gun violence | 14% | 4% | 0% |
| The economy | 5% | 7% | 4% |
State government responsiveness
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Mostly addresses the needs of Texas residents | 37% |
| Mostly ignores the needs of Texas residents | 46% |
| Don't know | 17% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mostly addresses the needs of Texas residents | 17% | 37% | 59% |
| Mostly ignores the needs of Texas residents | 69% | 36% | 26% |
| Don't know | 14% | 27% | 15% |
Opinion of Texas Population Growth
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Good | 34% |
| Bad | 40% |
| Don’t have an opinion | 27% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 42% | 25% | 29% |
| Bad | 24% | 42% | 52% |
| Don’t have an opinion | 33% | 33% | 19% |
| Category | Urban | Suburban | Rural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 40% | 34% | 23% |
| Bad | 34% | 39% | 50% |
| Don’t have an opinion | 26% | 27% | 27% |
Updated BRE via Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar
Dan Patrick on Texas spending on border security
The city of El Paso was cleared and sanitized just in time for Biden’s first EVER “visit” to the border. How convenient.
I was on @AmericaNewsroom this morning with @BillHemmer and @DanaPerino, talking about Biden’s trip, plus more. Watch it here: pic.twitter.com/XPCyX8OT8g
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) January 9, 2023
About the Second Reading podcast. The podcast has been produced intermittently by Jim Henson for the Texas Politics Project, with production support from UT's Liberal Arts Development Studio, since 2016. You can find past episodes and subscribe to the Second Reading podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.