If they will turn on their own, they will turn on you.

Ten of the 42 Republican candidates running for federal office in Texas are Mexican MAGAts, aligning with the MAGA wing of the party. They join several other candidates pursuing statewide and Harris County positions. You can view them at Mexican MAGAts Running for State Office and Mexican MAGAts Running for Harris County Office. As I have said before:

Historically, many Mexican-American voters lean toward moderate political candidates rather than those on the political extremes. Grounded in traditional values, strong faith traditions, and close ties to the Catholic Church, many prioritize family, anti-abortion positions, and legal immigration processes.

At the federal level, these candidates were recruited to run in predominantly Hispanic districts in an effort to appeal to voters through platforms focused on fiscal responsibility (LOL), support for ICE (OMFG!), and family values (AYFKM Are You Fucking Kidding Me?). In Harris County, Texas’s 29th Congressional District was redrawn in an effort to unseat Representative Sylvia Garcia. Her Republican challenger, Martha Fierro, as well as District 9 candidate Alex Mealer (formerly known as Alexandria Moyer Mealer), represent this slate of candidates whose primary focus appears to be demonstrating total loyalty to Donald Trump’s political agenda rather than serving their local constituencies. If elected both will be nothing but a chapstick commercial.

In Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, primary candidate Brandon Herrera, an extreme right winger, has campaigned on a strongly conservative platform centered on Second Amendment rights. His support for physical border barriers, such as a wall in the Big Bend region, aligns with hardline immigration enforcement policies intended to deter illegal border crossings through the West Texas desert. That wall would deter people who look like him and his family from crossing to the US.

Mexican MAGAts are an embarrassment to their community. These are the Tio/Tia Tacos’ of the Texas Republican Party:

It will take a huge effort to screw this election up, but it can be done.

Anyone following Texas politics over the last decade is used to hearing hype about a “blue wave” that inevitably turns into a ripple—2020 and 2024 were prime examples. But 2026 could finally break that pattern. With Republicans facing mounting backlash over economic strain, foreign conflicts, rising costs, and skyrocketing debt, Texas Democrats have a real opening. But they can still easily blow it.

Winning over independent voters requires understanding how easily spooked they are. They aren’t looking to join the Democratic Party; they just need a reason to vote for their candidates. If Democrats want to scare the shit out of the them all they have to do is the following:

• “Misunderestimate” Texas voters. MAGA loyalists will vote Republican even if their families are in the gutter eating overpriced cat food. Do not think we have this election in the bag. Just remember Texans voted for a twice impeached, felon for the President of the United States.
• Keep defending the DSA: Democratic candidates should explicitly distance themselves from the Democratic Socialists of America platform. DSA candidates often run on the Democratic ticket in deep, deep blue areas, simply to utilize party infrastructure, while hiding platforms too extreme for general electorates. Watch the video of the co-chair of the DSA organization and ask yourself if an independent voter would agree with their platform.
• Cling to Socialism: Stop trying to redefine or explain socialism. Outside of the far-left fringe, voters don’t want to hear it.
• Keep talking about free stuff. Like free healthcare, free childcare, free stuff. Nothing is free. Use different words. Affordable, within your budget, anything but free.
• Push Student Loan Forgiveness: Non-college-educated, working-class voters do not want to subsidize student loans. We lost these voters in 2024. Focus instead on lowering the baseline cost of higher education instead of passing the cost on to others.
• Mishandle Immigration: Lead with a firm stance: oppose illegal immigration unequivocally, then point out that 30 years of Republican rule left the system broken while using it only as a campaign talking point.
• Keep saying “Abolish ICE”. No one wants to abolish immigration enforcement. It is a necessary agency but not in its current state. Say “Reform” or “Restore”, anything but “Abolish”.
• Keep saying “Defund [whatever]”. That stupid word/phrase was started by the Dumb Shits of America (DSA) in reference to defunding our police force. Again use better words that don’t scare voters. Don’t be a Dumb Shit.
• Prioritize Criminal Defense Over Safety: Criminal justice reform is important but campaigning on behalf of criminals alienates voters. Secure election victories first then reform the system from the office.

For moderate and independent voters feeling the pinch, Democrats have a real chance—if they stop getting in their own way.

Don’t fuck it up Texas.