Week of Sept. 14 - 18

Senate GOP opens wallet for Paxton’s campaign

The Senate Republican leadership is pouring tens of millions of dollars into the U.S. Senate campaign of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is locked in a tight race with Democratic nominee James Talarico.

A super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune last week purchased about $32 million in television broadcast ads across the state’s major media markets, The Texas Tribune reported. In addition, MAGA Inc., a PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, bought $10 million in ads.

Paxton is trailing slightly in the most recent polls. To date, he has been vastly outspent by Talarico and his allies.

Paxton spoke at the Republican midterm convention held last week in Dallas, according to the Texas Standard. He unveiled his economic plan, titled Protecting the Texas Promise.

“Everywhere I go, I meet Texans working harder than ever that still worry that they’ll never get ahead,” Paxton said. “Those are the people that I’m fighting for.”

Meanwhile, Talarico was slated to appear on late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s network show, but the interview was pulled under concerns that the Federal Communications Commission would take punitive action.

The interview was aired on YouTube instead. Several news outlets reported it received 5 million views in its first 24 hours.

Wildfire risk remains high as hunting season begins

The Ross Fire in North Texas has become the largest summer wildfire recorded in Texas, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. As of Sunday, it had consumed 90,400 acres and was 83% contained.

Active wildfires were reported in five other locations in the Hill Country, northwest of Austin and San Antonio.

With hunting season now underway, officials are urging hunters to be mindful of activities that could spark a wildfire. In August, the forest service responded to 313 wildfires.

“The rapid onset of a flash drought increased fire occurrence and intensity statewide in August,” said Walter Flocke, Texas A&M Forest Service fire analyst. “Under flash drought conditions, grasses, brush and timber fuels lose moisture rapidly and become susceptible to ignition.” 

A flash drought appears and worsens quickly, often over a few days or weeks.

Equipment used by hunters, such as vehicles, trailers, and ATVs/UTVs, is the second-most common cause of human-caused wildfires in Texas, behind debris burning.

“Even a small spark can quickly ignite a wildfire under the right conditions,” said Jared Karns, Texas A&M Forest Service fire chief. “Texans are encouraged to stay alert and be aware of hazards that can cause a wildfire while hunting this season.” 

What’s new for the 2026-2027 hunting season

Dove hunting kicked off this year’s hunting season on Sept. 1, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has announced regulatory changes for the coming year. Among the changes are updated identity verification rules to combat residency fraud.

Texas residents must provide a valid driver’s license or a personal identification certificate issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Non-Texas residents may be required to provide REAL ID-compliant identification.

Other regulation changes include:

• “Doe days” expanded in 21 counties from four to 16 days.
• Earlier start for the South Zone Dove regular season.
• Elimination of Special White-winged Dove Days.
• Matagorda and Wharton counties now closed to Wild Turkey hunting.
• Harvest of unbearded Wild Turkey hens now prohibited statewide.
• Definition of muzzleloader modified to allow for use of new muzzleloading technology.

Several season dates have been changed for the 2026-2027 hunting season and can be found at tpwd.gov.

Texas SNAP application backlog skyrockets

Applications to receive SNAP benefits have ballooned almost 4,000% since January, The Dallas Morning News reported. The backlog of pending applications now exceeds 150,000, according to data from the state Health and Human Services Commission.

“This is alarming,” said Diana Forester, director of health policy at Texans Care for Children. “It is very strange to me —  I can’t believe it’s as big as it is.” 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July 2025 heavily restructured SNAP eligibility, including adding work requirements and requiring a state to fund part of the program based on its “error rate,” which calculates how much recipients were underpaid or overpaid in a year.

“New SNAP mandates require a thorough review of each case to ensure program integrity and accuracy,” state agency spokesperson Jennifer Ruffcorn wrote in an email. “HHSC will continue supporting eligible Texas families as quickly as possible.”

About 300,000 Texas households have lost SNAP coverage since September 2025, with the total dropping to 1.33 million as of August. Food banks across Texas are reporting higher demand for services.

Guidelines designed to protect consumers from discriminatory pricing

The Texas Department of Insurance recently reminded insurance companies that it is illegal to use factors other than insurance risk to set home and auto insurance rates.

“In Texas, we take pride in looking out for one another. When families are feeling the weight of property insurance costs, they deserve the confidence of knowing that their premiums are determined by genuine risk, not by pricing tactics that take advantage of customer loyalty," said commissioner Amanda Crawford. “Insurance is about pricing risk, not pricing the customer.”

Common factors used to determine premiums for home insurance include the home’s age, location, replacement cost, and any prior claims.

Auto insurance rates are determined by claims history, locations, and the customer’s age and gender. Insurance customers with questions can call the TDI help line at 800-25-3439 or visit tdi.texas.gov.

Cities push back on bid to disband their power companies

On the campaign trail, Abbott has proposed dismantling city-owned utilities, saying it would save customers money by increasing competition. Two cities that own electric utilities are pushing back, according to the Standard.

San Antonio and Austin have the state’s two largest city-owned electric utilities. Officials with both say they offer some of the cheapest electricity rates in the state because their utilities operate as nonprofit companies.

Abbott said his proposal would save 10% on the average electric bill for Austin and San Antonio residents. Among those disagreeing is Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.
“Fundamentally changing our utility through deregulation would have broad and significant consequences to those we serve,” he wrote in a statement.

There are 72 municipally owned utilities that provide power to 5.1 million Texans, or 15% of the state’s population, according to the Texas Public Power Association.

Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com