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Does Joe Rogan Care Who Wins the Texas Senate Race?
An exhaustive accounting of the Austin podcast giant's thoughts (and lack thereof) on James Talarico, Ken Paxton, and the electoral contest between them
Gus Bova
Gus Bova is the editor-in-chief of the Texas Observer. In 2016, he joined the Observer as an intern, later becoming a staff writer and an assistant editor. He's covered immigration, homelessness, labor, politics, and other major Texas stories. Before coming to the Observer, he worked at a shelter for recently arrived immigrants and asylum-seekers. He studied Latin American Studies at the University of Kansas.
Articles by Gus Bova
The Year for Magical Thinking
How one progressive Texan's blog, filled with years of misplaced optimism and disproved predictions, has come to seem increasingly… reasonable
Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our September/October 2026 Issue
A note from the editor-in-chief
Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our July/August 2026 Issue
A note from the editor-in-chief
They’re Mostly Anglo. They’re Largely from Austin. And They Just Might Have a Shot.
Led by James Talarico, a relatively well-qualified Democratic slate—one that poorly reflects the state's demography and geography—might have gotten its most important boost from the Republican side on Tuesday.
The Eternal Recurrence of Colin Allred
The former Dallas congressman and (twice) Senate hopeful successfully completed his redux bid to come back to the U.S. House.
Jesse Jackson Comes to Town
In honor of the late civil rights leader, the Observer resurfaces an encounter between the reverend and Molly Ivins.
‘McCarthyism with a Texas Accent’
State Representative Salman Bhojani on the (not so) new rise of politicized Islamophobia
Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our May/June 2026 Issue
A note from the editor-in-chief