Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers about the Republican Party's efforts to block "Democrat interference" in nominating GOP candidates by closing the primary to anyone who hasn't registered as a Republican. Below you'll find the results of the survey and a sampling of the responses.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Congressional Report: UT Researchers Worked With Chinese Military-Linked Academics

• A congressional report has found that researchers at two University of Texas campuses collaborated with academics linked with the Chinese military on projects financed by the U.S. Department of Defense. As Robert Montoya reports, this follows troubling reports about research security at UT’s MD Anderson Cancer Center.
      
• The U.S. Congress' Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found “long-standing shortcomings in DOD policies and practices to safeguard taxpayer-funded research” from China's military apparatus.
     
• Among other things, the report finds that researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Arizona State University collaborated this year with others from Shanghai Jiao Tong and Beihang universities, both of which are linked to the Chinese military-industrial complex. Shockingly, the U.S. Navy funded the paper.
      
• In 2023, researchers from UT-Dallas and North Carolina State University co-authored a paper on microlaser research with a visiting scholar from the State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communication at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. That Chinese institution works on advanced weapons systems for the Chinese military.
    
• Last month, a Chinese national and former UT-MD Anderson Cancer Center researcher was charged with stealing sensitive data.

Federal Investigation of Texas A&M Threatened Over Transsexual Indoctrination

• Adam Cahn reports that Texas A&M could be facing a federal civil rights investigation following revelations that a course instructor removed a student from class over objections to a discussion about exposing children to transgenderism.
   
• In a video obtained by State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), a professor can be heard explaining to students how to present gender concepts to children between the ages of three and twelve. In response to the student, Texas A&M President Mark Welsh described LGBTQ studies as important for those who wish to become “psychiatrists” or “school superintendents.”
      
• Harrison is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott and TAMU System Chancellor Glenn Hegar to fire Welsh and the professor. Hegar later responded, saying there had been recurring issues with that particular professor. The chancellor did not address Welsh's comments.
          
• Harmeet Dhillon, the associate U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights, posted to social media yesterday that she found the video "deeply concerning" and that her office would be looking into the matter.
      
• Maybe Mr. Welsh's bosses at the A&M Board of Regents can explain why a school superintendent needs to know how to indoctrinate children with the LGBT agenda?

Texas GOP Sets Non-Binding Ballot Questions for 2026 Primary

• When Republican primary voters head to the polls in 2026, they won’t just be choosing candidates. They’ll also be asked to weigh in on a series of non-binding ballot propositions that will help shape the party’s direction heading into the next legislative session. Brandon Waltens has the details.
     
• The ten propositions, approved by the State Republican Executive Committee during its meeting in Corpus Christi this past weekend, are designed to gauge the grassroots' opinions on major issues.
     
• Among the issues will be questions about ending property taxes, prohibiting Sharia law, and establishing term limits for elected officials. Other questions will involve water policy, ending the magnets for illegal immigration, and addressing vaccine discrimination. 
      
• While the outcomes don’t create law or amend the state constitution, they do send a signal to lawmakers about what the Republican base expects from its elected officials.

Open or Closed? The Future of Texas Primary Elections

• With the Republican Party of Texas challenging the state’s open primary system in court, Sydnie Henry explores the historic background for the fight.
   
• Texas’ open primaries trace back to the early 20th century and the passage of the Terrell Election Law of 1903. This landmark law introduced primary elections for nominating candidates and replaced the convention system with state-run primaries for major political parties.
      
• Over time, the system evolved into what elections experts call a “semi-open” primary. While Texas voters do not declare party affiliation when registering, they may choose which party’s primary to vote in on election day, and their participation limits them to that party’s runoffs for the same cycle.
      
• According to Ballotpedia, closed primaries for state and congressional offices are held by at least one political party in 14 states. Other states have differing approaches to the way the parties select their nominees: open, semi-closed, or—more recently—top-two "jungle" primaries.

Whitesboro Again Aims for Huge Property Tax Increase

• For a second year in a row, elected officials in the small North Texas city of Whitesboro are proposing a big property tax increase, which could raise residents’ tax bills by more than 60 percent without voter approval. Erin Anderson has the story.
        
• A carve-out in a 2019 property tax reform law exempts municipalities with fewer than 30,000 residents from a 3.5 percent tax-increase cap imposed on larger cities. About 90 percent of Texas cities are exempt.
       

• If the new rate is adopted tonight by the city council, the average Whitesboro homeowner’s city tax bill will rise from $812 to $1,310. Whitesboro officials say years of low or no property tax increases have depleted the city’s general fund balance, prompting the huge hike.
      

• Last year, Whitesboro proposed a tax rate that would have raised property taxes by 45 percent for the average homeowner. Instead, citizens showed up and convinced council members to adopt the no-new-revenue rate, which generally keeps homeowners’ tax bills flat.

Quote-Unquote

"The Republican leadership thinks the best way to avoid losing elections is to let the Democrats win every controversial issue."

– Rush Limbaugh​

Y'All Answered

The Republican Party of Texas has filed a lawsuit against the state in order to enforce its decision to close the 2026 primaries, where candidates are nominated for the general election. This would require individuals to declare their party affiliation before the primary, but it would not apply to any municipal or general election.

Yesterday, we asked readers what they thought of the idea: 94.3 percent agree with the GOP closing the primary, while 5.7 percent do not.

Here is a sampling of the responses we received.

• “Political parties are private entities. End all state support for primaries and let the parties run 'em as they see fit.” – Larry Lane
      
• “Why would you give those who so adamantly oppose your lifeview any advantage in the contest? Texas is predominantly Republican by a large margin, yet we get non-conservative candidates to represent us. This is, in part, due to the fact that liberals presently vote for our candidates.” – Jennifer Rawson
       
• “Since the purpose of a primary election is for the party to choose its candidates for the general election, it seems logical that only those committed to the party should be a part of the process.” – David Winkler
      
• “I used to vote as a Democrat. I want to continue to vote in all elections, but choose to be independent and do not want to vote as a party member. In fact, I don't want to join any association, church, or group of any kind.” – Joanne Minuete
      
• “Open primaries are only scary if you're worried you can't get your extreme nominees through. Closed primaries disenfranchise the near 50% of voters who identify with neither corporate party.” – Tess Ailshire
      
• “Why have specific political parties if anyone can claim to be a 'member' of that party without being affiliated with it?” – John Makow
      
• “Very tired of seeing Democrats supporting RINOs in our primaries.” – Collin Farrell
      
• “Democrats should never be allowed to choose who they will run against.” – Glenda Piacenti
      
• “Since we know Democrats will cheat to win, we need to close our primaries.” – Marta Hollowell
      
• “If you want to vote Republican, then register Republican.” – Alan Anderson
      
• “The only way Texans can get true Republican control of our government is to stop Democrats from voting in RINOs in OUR primaries. This is long overdue. It’s time for Democrats to stop electing our candidates!” – Cheryl Alexander
       
• “Letting your opponents organize to vote in your primary to select your candidate is stupid.” – Patrick Bell
      
• “Of all the states I've lived in (6) in my voting life, this is the first state that allows Democrats to vote in Republican Primaries. How ridiculous!” – Pat Hoffman

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