Daily Dispatch 9/24/24: House Speaker Race Heats Up With Cook As GOP Lead, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Four of the Republican challengers to House Speaker Dade Phelan have dropped out and pledged support for GOP Rep. David Cook of Mansfield: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/20/texas-house-speaker-david-cook-dade-phelan-republicans/ Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Senatorial nominee Colin Allred have seen recent polling gains among Texas Hispanic likely voters: https://www.txhpf.org/2024/09/23/texas-hispanic-policy-foundation-survey-shows-trump-leads-harris-by-only-6-among-all-texas-likely-voters-with-44-days-left-until-election-day/ Conservative federal judge Reed O'Connor of Fort Worth blasts Biden administration moves against "judge shopping"...at a Federalist Society event: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/texas-judge-favored-by-conservatives-blasts-judge-shopping-reform-2024-09-23/ One of the six defendants in the "Trump Train" trial over that incident with a Biden campaign bus in 2020 has been found liable under the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act - the first such decision in modern times - while the other five defendants were cleared: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/courts/2024/09/23/texas-jury-trial-verdict-trump-train-organizers-wendy-davis-biden-harris-bus/75296175007/ Corey DeAngelis, a prominent anti-LGBTQ+ private school voucher proponent with frequent interactions with Texas Republican officeholders and activists, has been exposed as having once worked as a gay porn actor...not that there's anything wrong with that: https://www.advocate.com/people/corey-deangelis-gay-adult-films See Progress Texas' guide to fun events happening across the state during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through October 15: ⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-texas-culture-national-hispanic-heritage-month⁠⁠⁠ See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The deadline to register for the November election is October 7. Are you registered? Are you sure? ALL Texas voters should confirm their registration, right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://govotetexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...Please pitch in to help fund our recent expansion of that important voting resource with Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese translation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/coming-soon-govotetexasorg-adds-commonly-spoken-languages-increase-ballot-access⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And, our September membership drive is underway! We want to add 50 new members to the Progress Texas family in the form of regular monthly supporters at the $10, $25 or $50 level - if you join the team before the end of September, we'll hook you up with an exclusive invitation to our Holiday Party this December! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.