PBS News Hour - Brooks and Capehart Brooks and Capehart on the Senate primaries in Texas
Feb 27, 2026
David Brooks, conservative columnist at The Atlantic, and Jonathan Capehart, progressive MSNBC commentator, debate the Texas Senate primaries and what strong showings signal. They dissect Democratic contest dynamics and voter coalitions. They critique Trump’s State of the Union tone and tactics. They also weigh concerns about big media mergers and potential impacts on journalistic balance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Texas Primaries Reveal Party Fault Lines
- The Texas Senate primaries expose core party debates about strategy and identity.
- David Brooks contrasts progressive Jasmine Crockett vs moderate James Tallarico and scandal-plagued Ken Paxton vs standard Republican John Cornyn to illustrate intra-party fault lines.
Different Paths To The Democratic Nomination
- Crockett and Tallarico pursue different turnout strategies that could determine avoiding a runoff.
- Jonathan Capehart notes Crockett targets disaffected and nonvoting Black voters while Tallarico hunts moderate and disaffected Republican crossover voters.
Evidence Of Republican Support Eroding
- Polls and public opinion show signs of Republican slippage for Trump but not collapse.
- David Brooks cites shifts among independents and Pew data showing fewer Republicans think Trump respects democratic values and many don't feel obligated to support him.