The Blast - July 25, 2025

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The Blast | Texas Tribune
July 25, 2025

By Renzo Downey and The Texas Tribune Politics Team

25 days until sine die

IN TODAY’S BLAST

  • Defiant Capriglione admits affair, denies abortions

  • TX Dems meet with CA and IL guvs amid redistricting tension

  • Florida considers following Texas on redistricting

DEFIANT CAPRIGLIONE ADMITS AFFAIR, DENIES ABORTIONS

A former mistress of retiring state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione says the Southlake Republican has paid for abortions. He admits the affair — but denies the rest of her story.

The conservative site Current Revolt published an interview this morning with a former exotic dancer, identified as Alex Grace, who says she began a long-term affair with Capriglione around 2004 that lasted for 17 or 18 years and ended in 2019 or 2020. Capriglione, who was first elected in 2012, announced his reelection campaign last month but dropped out on Tuesday, the day before rumors about a sex scandal broke on social media.

In a statement to The Blast, Capriglione acknowledged that he had, years ago, “selfishly had an affair” and he was not proud of it. 

“Thank God my wife and family forgave me, and we moved past it and have the strong marriage we do today,” Capriglione said. “Their grace, and God’s, is something for which I am grateful every day. I’m a different man than I was because of it.”

The rest of Grace’s allegations, including that Capriglione had “funded several abortions for his own personal gain,” are “categorically false and easily disproven,” he said. Neither Grace nor Capriglione offered evidence to support their claims.

Grace also alleged he had divulged his sexual fantasies to her, once made a payment drop at a Chuck E. Cheese and took annual trips to Amsterdam’s Red Light District at his wife’s “direction.” Capriglione denied ever going to Amsterdam.

Elected in the tea party wave of 2012, Capriglione entered the House as a critic of the Republican establishment but now serves in House leadership as chair of the Delivery of Government Efficiency Committee. He’s become one of the most prolific lawmakers in the House, passing several priority bills, such as the abortion “trigger ban” in 2021.

Grace said Capriglione cut ties with her after she voiced her anger about his political stances and encouraged him to “stick to who you are.”

“I wanted him to stand for what he truly believed,” she said in the interview. “If you are using abortions for your personal gain, if you are using women for your personal gain, why announce to the world that this isn’t who you are?”

Asked how she would know about the alleged abortions, Grace refused to elaborate.

“I think on this one you’re just going to have to go with my word,” she said.

Capriglione said he had “never, nor would I ever, pay for an abortion.”

Grace, now a “political news curator,” admitted that her reasons for coming forward are “a little political.” 

“He now has the power to influence the lives of so many people and potentially in a massively negative way,” she said.

In his 400-word statement, Capriglione suggested Current Revolt’s story could be linked to the DOGE Committee’s questioning of former Superior HealthPlan CEO Mark Sanders, who was fired after he told Capriglione and fellow committee members that his company had hired private investigators to target patients, journalists and lawmakers.

“I had no idea the depths to which they would sink, their appalling gutter politics, or the lies and defamation they would spread,” Capriglione said.

So far, state Rep. Briscoe Cain, an anti-leadership Republican from Deer Park, has called on Capriglione to resign and said it looks like he broke the law, presumably referring to the alleged abortion payments. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, has not returned a request for comment.

Joe Pojman, executive director of the leadership-supportive Texas Alliance for Life, posted a statement of support for Capriglione.

“Shame on others who exploit that for cheap political gain,” he said.

Luke Macias, Capriglione’s consultant in 2012 and 2014, who has since campaigned against him and is aligned with anti-leadership efforts, encouraged others to pray for their political enemies.

“Don’t celebrate sin,” Macias said.

Capriglione still plans to serve out his term and continue DOGE Committee work during the interim.

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TX DEMS MEET WITH CA AND IL GUVS AMID REDISTRICTING TENSION

The Texas House Democratic Caucus says 15 of its members left the state today to meet with Democratic governors as the Legislature drills into redistricting. It wasn’t a quorum break, but it’s a delicate time in Austin.

After House Democrats broke quorum in an attempt to block the 2021 redistricting, Democrats say that option is still on the table, even after the Republicans added stiff financial penalties for breaking quorum in the House rules. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would use his power to compel Democrats back to Austin if they leave, assuming the caucus can wrangle 51 of them into playing hooky.

The Democratic caucus says their members took day trips to meet with Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois to discuss the resistance to Republicans’ redistricting efforts. Both have said they could retaliate with gerrymandered maps if Texas goes through with its redistricting.

The following Democratic state representatives met with Newsom:

  • Rafael Anchía of Dallas

  • Nicole Collier of Fort Worth

  • Barbara Gervin-Hawkins of San Antonio

  • Jessica González of Dallas

  • Ana-María Rodriguez Ramos of Richardson

  • Ramón Romero of Fort Worth

  • Chris Turner of Grand Prairie

The following met with Pritzker:

  • Linda Garcia of Mesquite

  • Donna Howard of Austin

  • Ana Hernandez of Houston

  • Christina Morales of Houston

  • Richard Raymond of Laredo

  • Toni Rose of Dallas

  • Lauren Ashley Simmons of Houston

  • Gene Wu of Houston

“It is a five-alarm fire for democracy in the United States of America,” Newsom said in a press conference with the California contingent, as sirens blared through the street.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who hopes to out-MAGA Paxton to keep him at bay in their 2026 primary, called on bringing those members back to Austin, calling their leave a “dereliction of duty.” Gervin-Hawkins, Turner and Wu all serve on the Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, although the panel did not meet today.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, tensions are already hot after the House and Senate’s first redistricting hearings.

TX-18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin, whose district is set for a redraw, was arrested in the House committee yesterday when he refused to stop speaking past his allotted time. Martin was still in jail at publication time, according to Travis County Jail records.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, whose district could be redrawn as Republicans look to solidify gains in South Texas, wrote a letter urging the House and Senate committees to hold a regional hearing in the Rio Grande Valley. The House heard testimony on the RGV during its Austin-based hearing yesterday, and the Senate committee doesn’t have plans to go on the road yet but heard testimony on South Texas today. Gonzalez called that current setup a disgrace.

“The Governor and his cronies love to use our region as a backdrop for their political theatre and invoke their gains with Latino voters in our region, yet they have no interest in listening to the perspectives of the hardworking, honest citizens that make up the Valley,” Gonzalez said.

Don’t expect the House or Senate committees to produce maps until after the first round of public hearings is complete. That will give lawmakers time to say they considered public input — or to at least say they did.

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FLORIDA CONSIDERS FOLLOWING TEXAS ON REDISTRICTING

Texas mid-decade redistricting may be setting a precedent for red states, too, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis considering getting in on the action.

During a press conference yesterday, the term-limited governor said his team was reviewing a Florida Supreme Court opinion from last week that upheld the state’s current congressional districts. He said population movements in just the last five years warrant new district lines.

The current map, drawn by the governor’s office, eliminated a minority opportunity district in ruby red North Florida, a plan that set off a showdown with the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2022. The governor argued maintaining a majority-minority seat illegally ignored requirements that the districts be compact. Lawmakers feared such a map could violate the Voting Rights Act but eventually acceded.

DeSantis now thinks the Legislature could be more ambitious.

“If you look at that Florida Supreme Court analysis, there may be more defects that need to be remedied apart from what we’ve already done,” DeSantis said.

That perspective is similar to that of Gov. Greg Abbott, who called for congressional redistricting this special session after the Justice Department identified four districts it says are unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.

Florida neutered the North Florida minority opportunity district but scaled back plans to redraw another one in South Florida. That could be one place for a GOP pickup.

President Donald Trump won Florida 56%-42% in November, when it elected 20 Republicans and 8 Democrats to the House.

In addition to redistricting, DeSantis wants the Census Bureau to redo the national apportionment after the bureau published that they undercounted the state’s population by more than 700,000. The Census Bureau says it undercounted Texas by more than 500,000. Florida and Texas should each get one more seat, DeSantis says.

House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting:

  • 11 a.m. Saturday in Houston.

  • 5 p.m. Monday in Arlington.

Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting:

  • 10 a.m. Saturday in Austin (North Texas)

  • 3 p.m. Monday in Austin (East Texas and Harris County)

  • 9 a.m. Tuesday in Austin (West Texas and the Panhandle)

View the full list of upcoming committee notices here and here.

The House will convene at 10 a.m. on Monday. The Senate will convene at 2 p.m. Monday.

20 more must-see speakers join TribFest

The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13-15.

The latest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.

Join us as these standout speakers — and hundreds more — spark conversations on the issues shaping Texas and the nation. See the lineup so far.

Get tickets now and join us this November. Donate $50 or more to become a Texas Tribune member and get a ticket discount, access to members-only sessions, and more. Also, discounted tickets (just $65!) are available for educators and students.

Buy your tickets now and see the future of Texas at TribFest.

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

  • TX-SEN: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign released a digital ad accusing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of mortgage fraud following reports that Paxton claimed three homes as his primary residence.

  • TX-SEN cont’d: U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, endorsed former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, in a primary that could get more crowded soon.

  • TX-32: Republican Aimee Carrasco launched a campaign targeting the seat held by freshman U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch. Johnson was elected by 23 points in November, but the Legislature could draw the seat to be more Republican.

  • TX-34: U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, endorsed Eric Flores against U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen. The National Republican Congressional Committee launched a campaign targeting Gonzalez yesterday.

  • SD-22: Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC endorsed state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, in the race to succeed retiring state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury.

  • U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, and the Texas Democratic delegation called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to forward $15 billion for Texas flood relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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“Cornyn calls for special counsel investigation into Obama’s handling of 2016 Russia probe” by Gabby Birenbaum and Owen Dahlkamp of The Texas Tribune

“August increase in Mexico tariffs could strain Texas economy” by Paul Cobler of The Texas Tribune

Op-ed: “When I led Texas’ redistricting, there were lines we wouldn’t cross. Trump just sailed past them.” by former state Rep. Burt Solomons in The New York Times

Do you or someone in your office have a birthday you’d like mentioned? Email us.

(July 27) Former state Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple

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