The Blast - September 10, 2025

40 days until early voting begins
55 days until the November election
59 days until the 2026 primary candidate filing period begins
89 days until the 2026 primary candidate filing deadline

IN TODAY’S BLAST

• Abbott issues THC EO, says there’s more to do

• Talarico jumps in

• Mayra Flores’ candidate salary

• Texas leaders react to fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk

ABBOTT ISSUES THC EO, SAYS THERE’S MORE TO DO

Gov. Greg Abbott this morning issued his awaited executive order to prevent the sale of THC products to minors.

Invoking state agencies’ authority to adopt rules on THC and the Legislature’s failure to pass “any” relevant bill during the recent special session, the executive order instructs the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Department of State Health Services to begin drawing up rules to enforce the age limit.

The text of Abbott’s order doesn’t explicitly say the words “under 21,” but that’s how minors are defined in the Alcoholic Beverage Code. Ergo, Abbott is expected to get the 21-and-up requirement he sought in his special session call.

Per the order, DSHS has 10 days to begin a review of its existing rules. Abbott wants the agency to revise how delta-9 THC is measured, recalibrate hemp license fees to account for what the state spends on regulation, standardize labeling requirements and improve recordkeeping rules.

A key part of the measurement rule is that Abbott wants DSHS to account for the fact that THCa — the non-psychoactive acid naturally found in hemp plants — turns to delta-9 THC when you add heat, which means smokeable products might be a no-go.

The order also calls on DSHS and TABC to coordinate how they’ll enforce the new rules.

“While these products would still benefit from the kind of comprehensive regulation set by the Texas Legislature for substances like alcohol and tobacco, my executive order makes sure that kids are kept safe and parents have peace of mind now, and that consumers know the products they purchase are tested and labeled responsibly,” Abbott said in a statement.

So, Abbott is getting the quick implementation he wants and he’s left the door open for the Legislature to step in down the road.

The other piece to note in the executive order is that it instructs agencies to jointly study the implementation of rules along the lines of what was in House Bill 309, a proposal filed by Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, during the second special session. Some have likened that to the “Virginia model,” the Old Dominion’s law upheld by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that requires some THC products to contain ratios of non-intoxicating cannabinoids like CBD to offset the effects of THC. HB 309 doesn’t exactly duplicate the Virginia law, but it’s a starting point.

“Every lobbyist and every attorney is now reading it,” one lobbyist told The Blast of the 149-page bill.

State Sen. Charles Perry, the Lubbock Republican who carried the Senate’s bill to ban THC, reacted yesterday to The Blast’s reporting about the upcoming executive order, saying age restrictions wouldn’t fix the loophole that allows THC products to be sold openly.

“If executive action is taken, the only effective step is to ban all synthetic cannabinoids, converted cannabinoids, and smokables outright,” Perry said on social media. “That is the only way to close the loophole and protect Texas families.”

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TALARICO JUMPS IN

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, has officially jumped into the race for U.S. Senate.

Talarico, 36, has emerged as a key member of the Texas Democratic bench in recent years, and a future statewide campaign seemed like it was only a matter of time. He’s appeared semi-regularly on Fox News, did an interview with Joe Rogan this summer and pushed out TikTok videos that frequently reach audiences outside the Austin bubble. Now, he’s giving up his safe seat in the back row of the Texas House in the hopes of becoming the first Texas Democrat to be elected to the U.S. Senate since 1988.

The 2026 election is expected to be Democrats’ best shot at statewide office since 2018, when Sen. Ted Cruz defeated then-U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso by less than 3 points. Like that cycle, 2026 will be a midterm election and potentially a referendum on President Donald Trump, whose approval in Texas has dipped over his first several months in office.

Both sides of the Senate contest are still up for grabs. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is locked in a close contest with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston still trying to increase his name ID as he eyes a late entry. On the Democratic side, Talarico’s main challenger is former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, who lost to Cruz last year but kept it closer than the presidential contest. Retired astronaut Terry Virts is also running, and those like U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and Jasmine Crockett of Dallas have flirted with the idea.

In a statement yesterday, Allred said he’s not taking the campaign for granted.

“For the next fourteen months, my focus will be on meeting with and listening to Texas families — all across our state — to build the diverse coalition we need to win,” Allred said.

In a statement from the Cornyn campaign, spokesperson Matt Mackowiak accused Talarico of meeting with Democratic megadonor George Soros, which he argued was at odds with the Austin Democrat’s plan to make taking on billionaires a central point of his campaign. He also docked him for switching House districts when his swing district was drawn to be more Republican in 2021.

“Talarico is an opportunist carpetbagger, and just like Colin Allred and Beto O’Rourke before him, Talarico will find Texans are not interested in his brand of abortion-on-demand, open borders, anti-Texas politics,” Mackowiak said.

Yesterday, Talarico said he raised $1 million in the first 12 hours of his campaign. Back in 2023, Allred raised $2 million in the first 36 hours, then a record-setting amount.

MAYRA FLORES’ CANDIDATE SALARY

Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores is paying herself a “candidate salary” from her campaign account as she looks to return to Congress in next year’s midterms, making her one of the few federal candidates to do so. Although her campaign reported it to the Federal Elections Commission, she didn’t include the payments on her financial disclosure forms.

Candidates who don’t currently hold federal office are allowed to pay themselves a salary out of their campaign war chest, the logic being that running for office can be financially prohibitive for some people. Last election cycle, the FEC approved a rule expanding the pool of who qualifies and allowing candidates to begin paying themselves as soon as they announce for office, rather than after their state’s candidate filing deadline.

Such reimbursements are capped at a candidate’s average salary over the last five years or 50% of the salary of a U.S. representative, whichever is lower. The salary for members of Congress is currently $174,000.

Flores, a Republican from Los Indios who is in her third challenge against U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, paid herself $20,500 in 2023 and $73,629 in 2024, and $20,000 this year between April and June. (h/t Marc McCaig for pulling up her 2025 numbers.)

However, none of that income appears on her financial disclosure report filed with the House clerk last month. She didn’t report it on her final 2024 report either, although she disclosed compensation from Americano Media and the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Flores explained to The Blast that she follows the advice of her campaign consultant and has an extension on her 2024 and 2025 taxes.

“My team does all the filing, and because this is donations it works differently and trust that they are doing everything right,” she said in a text. “When I do my taxes I’m sure my team will upload everything.”

However, others have disclosed their campaign salaries before. For example, former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-New York, disclosed paying himself a $12,000 salary from his campaign account while he attempted a comeback in 2024. He later updated his earned income to include 2023 income as well. Freshman U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, D-Colorado, also disclosed a candidate stipend of $9,900.

In 2024, the New York Post explored whether Jones was “improperly taking advantage of federal election rules” for paying himself $25,000 during his two congressional campaigns.

Flores told The Blast that the roughly $7,000 monthly salary she has paid herself dating back to the 2024 campaign amounts to only about 2% of her overall campaign fundraising haul. She argued that Democrats changed the FEC rule because only rich people can work and campaign around the clock.

“I left my 150K job to dedicate myself full time,” Flores said. “I work 12 hours a day doing this.”

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TEXAS LEADERS REACT TO FATAL SHOOTING OF CHARLIE KIRK

Texans are joining the nation in mourning the death of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist, commentator and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was fatally shot today while speaking at Utah Valley University today.

President Donald Trump ordered flags at half staff until sunset on Sunday after he announced Kirk’s death.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz called Kirk’s murder an “act of unspeakable evil.”

“Charlie was a close friend; we first met when he was just 18, and Turning Point was a nascent idea,” he continued, expressing sympathy for his family. “Charlie was courageous, brilliant, compassionate, and powerfully honest.”

“Cecilia and I are heartbroken by the assassination and passing of Charlie Kirk,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. “Charlie’s voice was a beacon for millions of young Americans searching for truth, courage, and conviction. This senseless act of violence has no place in America. Our prayers are with Charlie’s family and his loved ones, especially the two young children he leaves behind. Texas stands with them in mourning and in honoring Charlie’s enduring legacy.”

Christian Collins, founder of the Texas Youth Summit, which advocates for young people to embrace conservative, Christian principles in a similar manner to Turning Point USA, called Kirk a crusader in a spiritual and political national war.

“He lived as a happy warrior — speaking on college campuses without anger, always respectful, and willing to listen,” Collins said. “Charlie would want each of us to continue his crusade by standing strong for the faith and values he spread to millions across America.”

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• HD-50: Samatha Lopez-Resendez, chief of staff to Austin Democratic state Rep. Donna Howard, launched her campaign to succeed state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin.

• Gov. Greg Abbott said yesterday that he predicts Texas will receive $1 billion for rural health care as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, more than the base $500 million going to every state under the legislation.

• U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says he will file a resolution, previously authored and introduced by former Senate Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, that would break up Senate Democrats’ slow-walking of President Donald Trump’s nominees. The rule would allow for the Senate to approve nominees in bulk through unanimous consent. He said the Senate plans to confirm a large portion of nominees on Monday. “The blockade ends today,” he said.

• U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, has been appointed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the House Judiciary Committee’s new January 6th subcommittee. She’ll join Democratic U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Florida and Eric Swalwell of California, who, like Crockett, are known for their viral moments.

• An update on the redistricting arms race: The GOP-controlled Missouri House of Representatives yesterday passed a redistricting bill that would split a Kansas City-based district held by longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The map now heads to the Missouri Senate, where Republicans also hold a majority.

• Support for Texas’ map is underwater, according to a Texas Politics Project poll released yesterday. Just 13% of independent voters approve of state lawmakers redrawing the map, while 41% are against it. Overall, 34% of voters approved it and 41% opposed. Read the story here.

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“Video of clash over gender-identity content in Texas A&M children’s lit class leads to firing, removals” by Jessica Priest of The Texas Tribune

“‘Shame on you’: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo abruptly departs budget meeting” by John Lomax V of the Houston Chronicle

“Kerrville raises tax rate while Kerr County adopts no-new-revenue rate” by Kim Roberts of The Texan

“A property tax revolt is spreading — with help from key conservatives” by Steve Contorno of CNN

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