Experts in the News

If John Cornyn wins reelection, "you’ll see Cornyn doing a rear-guard effort to slow the transition away from fossil fuels as much as possible while not being in the camp of climate-change deniers,” said political science fellow Mark Jones. But since the largest energy companies, including Shell and BP, are already moving toward renewables, “That train has already left the station.”

Political science fellow Mark Jones gives the Democrats a 1 in 3 — or 2 in 5 — chance of flipping Texas' lower chamber; Republicans will retain a Senate majority, he says. Democrats made solid inroads in 2018 by flipping 12 state House seats. Read more at the Dallas Observer.

"The Coney Barrett hearings should help [John] Cornyn by focusing attention away from an unpopular Donald Trump, an ailing economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic, and focusing attention toward key policy differences that separate Republicans and Democrats — a focus that can only help Cornyn, who only needs Republican voters to turn out and then vote for him in order to insure his reelection,” said political science fellow Mark Jones.

The infusion of cash into the campaigns is the latest evidence that Texas truly is “in play” as a toss-up state, said political science fellow Mark Jones. Still, “I don’t think anyone would credibly say Donald Trump is a lock to win in Texas."

State GOP leaders should insulate themselves and start thinking about a replacement for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, political science fellow Mark Jones said. Paxton’s top employees recently filed a whistleblower’s complaint accusing him of bribery and abuse of office.