KSEV Mornings · October 22, 2026 · Hour 2
Ken Paxton’s Corpus Christi speech, who has voted early so far, John Cornyn, open versus closed primaries with callers and what the prediction markets really tell you.
Thursday’s second hour was built around the Texas Senate race. Craig Coglianese and Wayne Dolcefino played part of Ken Paxton’s speech in Corpus Christi, went through the early voting numbers by primary history, argued about John Cornyn and whether Texas primaries should be open or closed, and took calls from listeners who had plenty to say about the ads they keep hearing for James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa.
Sauce, New Jersey and Beaumont
The hour opened in the kitchen. Wayne, who makes his pasta sauce fresh, shared his favorite brand of crushed tomatoes. Craig admitted he buys a jarred sauce from New Jersey at H-E-B. Wayne, who grew up in Brooklyn, said New Yorkers have strong feelings about New Jersey, which led to a comparison with how Houstonians feel about Beaumont, followed quickly by “no offense to Beaumont.”
Paxton in Corpus Christi: “Come and take it”
Wayne had spent his evening listening to Paxton’s Corpus Christi stop on his campaign bus tour, so the show played the opening minutes. “My message to the far left extremist trying to destroy Texas is simple,” Paxton told the crowd. “You can see it on the bus. Come and take it.” He went on to say Texans keep telling him “everything costs more,” and laid out his Protecting the Texas Promise plan: a $25,000 deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses, a $50,000 down payment deduction and a healthy living deduction that would even cover physician-prescribed GLP-1s, “not that anybody’s using those here.”
Wayne said it was “exactly the right tone” and “exactly the right message,” because Republicans have ideas to bring costs down too, while Democrats get to promise lower costs without anyone asking how. Even with Medicare for All, he said, “You could tax every billionaire 80% of their money and it doesn’t pay for it.”
Everyone wants free stuff
Wayne made the point personally. He pays $3,000 a month to rent his bungalow in the Heights, and if somebody wants to promise him free rent, “I’m all in, please.” Craig said the people who vote for those promises believe the pain won’t land on them, “and then it does go on them,” because they end up paying the most when everything gets more expensive.
The Channel 13 work ethic
Wayne said he is frustrated by the idea that money appears out of nowhere. “I believe in success. I believe in working,” he said, remembering how people at Channel 13 during the heyday of local TV worked day and night. “We worked till we got the job done and because of that we had success.” Craig added that a lot of young Americans who think they hate this country “have no idea what it’s like to live somewhere else.”
When SNL was funny
A song from the “Night at the Roxbury” sketch sent the hosts back to the old days of Saturday Night Live. Craig remembered requesting it at eighth grade dances. The hosts agreed the show isn’t what it used to be, with Shane Gillis’s recent monologue about the only thing that came up from this season.
Early voting by primary history
Wayne pulled the turnout numbers. About 2.1 million Texans had voted early through the start of Oct. 22. Of those, 36.6% had voted only in Democratic primaries from 2020 to 2026, 34.2% only in Republican primaries and 3.5% in both. The number Wayne finds most interesting is the roughly 25% who haven’t voted in a primary at all, which he said could be a problem for Republicans. He said the first day looked really bad, “but it’s tightening up.”
John Cornyn and the primary
Craig brought up a clip of John Cornyn saying the problem with primaries is that the voters who choose the nominee are too far left or too far right. Craig wasn’t sure that’s true, and wondered whether people voting now who skipped the primary are motivated by something they didn’t care about back then. Wayne’s response: “Cornyn got his butt beat by Paxton. It wasn’t like close.” Craig argued that plenty of conservatives would have sat out with Cornyn on the ballot because he represented “a refusal to evolve.” Wayne said that after everything the party did for him, Cornyn owed Republicans a simple message: “It’s not a close call of what’s better for Texas.”
Open or closed primaries?
Wayne said he is personally not for closed primaries, because he thinks moderates feel shut out of the system. Craig said that would be more convincing if more people voted in primaries. When turnout is low, he said, voters from the other party can “throw a wrench” into a race. Wayne answered that the GOP risks ending up with candidates who are “closer to what you or I want, but can’t win in a general.”
Caller Dale offered a different angle. He said he voted in Republican primaries for years because his district was “red, red, red,” and he wanted a say in who represented him, never to disrupt. In 2000 he crossed over to vote for John McCain, which he called “the biggest mistake I’ve ever made because now I’m on every Republican mailing list.” Craig appreciated the honesty but held his ground: “The point of the primary is to allow a party to pick its representative.” Wayne asked, with more voters calling themselves independents, “Wouldn’t you want more people to vote?” Craig noted that in a closed primary, “you don’t have to pick it forever.”
Callers on the Talarico and Hinojosa ads
Caller Robert said the Talarico and Hinojosa ads run back to back and contradict each other on taxes: “It just goes to show that they say anything to get a vote.” Craig said Talarico claiming Democrats back voter ID ignores what else comes packed into those bills. Wayne noted Talarico calling out Joe Biden on the border came only recently: “I could call out Craig Coglianese today. And then tomorrow I could say, I’ve called out Craig Coglianese.”
The prediction markets bet
The hour closed on a running bit about $65 Craig owes Wayne and a plan to pool it on Paxton, with Craig angling for half the winnings, which the hosts agreed was mob interest rates. Craig said most of the money on the prediction markets is coming in for Talarico, so a Paxton win pays more, and said people misread those markets: unlike Vegas, “they’re just reflecting on how the money is coming in to their system.” Wayne said he likes the Come and Take It slogan, “I think it’s very Texan,” but still wants Paxton on every TV and radio station: “If you don’t talk, then they’re not obligated to help you.”
Hear Craig and Wayne live weekdays from 7–9 AM Central on AM 700 KSEV, The Voice of Texas. Visit the KSEV Mornings show page for live-listening controls and more episodes.
