> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thebarbedwire.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # đŸŒ” Somebody Finally Wandered Into the Restaurant - URL: https://www.thebarbedwire.com/somebody-finally-wandered-into-the-restaurant-2/ - Published: 2026-09-21T13:34:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T13:34:48.000Z - Description: Gina Hinojosa is within striking distance of Greg Abbott. Plus: Bo French, and a No. 1 Longhorns team. - Author: Brian Gaar - Tags: Wild Texas Newsletter Hey y'all, it’s Brian Gaar with *The Barbed Wire*. It’s been another colorful week in our beloved state: the Longhorns are No. 1, Austin might get an NHL team, the governor’s race has suddenly gotten interesting, a statewide Republican candidate decided to pick a fight with some college students based on the color of their skin, and a San Antonio woman’s family is suing the state over an abortion they say could have saved her life. So, basically, everything is going great and nobody should ask any follow-up questions. | ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4e/33/4e33350c-149c-451f-b54d-ac6957d94879/content/images/2026/07/Dinkus-1.png) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Get Brian Gaar's Wild Texas newsletter direct to your inbox: Subscribe to the Wild Texas Newsletter Texas is one big, wild place. Our weekly round up keeps you in the know. All killer, no filler. It's Texas news worth your time. Subscribe Check your inbox and click the link to confirm. Something went wrong. Try again. --- ## **Bo French discovers the worst possible way to celebrate a football win** 🏈 Over the weekend, Texas beat Ohio State in one of the wildest comebacks in Longhorn history, coming back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to win 24-23\. And while most Texans were celebrating, Republican Railroad Commission candidate Bo French [apparently looked at a photo of South Asian UT students celebrating in the stands](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/us/attack-on-university-of-texas-students-tests-texas-gop-unity.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&ref=thebarbedwire.com) and decided *this is my moment*. French posted that the students represented “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners,” prompting condemnation from Republicans including John Cornyn, Dustin Burrows and Greg Abbott. (But will they still vote for him? Sadly, reader, we both know the answer.) French has defended the posts and blamed some of his critics on the “less-conservative” side of the Texas Republican Party. Karl Rove has reportedly said he’ll vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal rather than French, breaking with decades of Republican voting, while French has responded to the controversy by celebrating the fact that he passed 100,000 followers on X. Very cool, man. ![Mario Leal on The Barbed Wire News Brief](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4e/33/4e33350c-149c-451f-b54d-ac6957d94879/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-18-at-10.06.17---AM.jpg) Barbed Wire News Brief TBW’s Mario Leal covered this Wednesday on the News Brief, including local reaction. Find it on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdXcYSUjIBr/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) or [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@thebarbedwiretx/video/7686275578357452045?is%5Ffrom%5Fwebapp=1&sender%5Fdevice=pc&web%5Fid=7525276099396896311&ref=thebarbedwire.com). ## **Gina Hinojosa asks Texas to consider a novel concept: a different governor** For years, the Texas Democratic gubernatorial campaign has been a little like opening a restaurant in the middle of the desert and hoping somebody wanders in. Gina Hinojosa [knows she has a steep hill to climb against Greg Abbott](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/us/gina-hinojosa-governor-texas.html?ref=thebarbedwire.com), who has a massive financial advantage and has been governor for more than a decade. But recent polling has put the race considerably closer than the conventional wisdom would suggest. A September UT/AARP/Univision polling snapshot had Abbott at 49% and Hinojosa at 46% in one survey, while a Televisa/Univision survey had them tied at 47%-47%. Hinojosa has centered her campaign on affordability, public schools and opposition to the rapid growth of data centers. She also released an emotional ad about carrying a high-risk pregnancy to term decades ago, and another ad in which she introduced herself with the line: “My pronouns are Mom, Texan and, soon to be, governor.” (Gina, please, we love you but pronoun jokes are so 2020.) The race is still months away, and polls are snapshots rather than prophecies. But after years of Texas Democrats being told to please stop bothering everybody and go home, maybe this time will be different (we say nervously, as we wait for Lucy to, once again, yank away the football). ## **Texas family sues over a pregnancy that ended in death** The family of Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old San Antonio woman who died in 2024 while 20 weeks pregnant, [filed a lawsuit accusing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton](https://abcnews.com/amp/Health/family-texas-pregnant-woman-died-sues-texas-ag/story?id=136489875&ref=thebarbedwire.com), the Texas Medical Board’s executive director, doctors and medical institutions of contributing to her death. Walker had been diagnosed with preeclampsia, and her family alleges that she repeatedly asked for an abortion as her health deteriorated but was not provided one. The lawsuit argues that Texas’ abortion restrictions contributed to Walker being denied potentially life-saving care. The defendants have not been found liable, and the allegations remain claims in a lawsuit. The case comes as Paxton is running for U.S. Senate and as Texas continues to grapple with questions over how doctors should interpret the state’s abortion laws when a pregnancy threatens a patient’s health. This one is less “Texas is weird” and more “Texas laws have consequences for actual human beings,” which is considerably less funny but more important. ## đŸ€˜ **TEXAS IS NUMBER ONE, BABY*!*** The Texas Longhorns are [officially No. 1 in the country after pulling off that absurd 24-23 comeback against Ohio State](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/%5F/id/49929921/texas-rises-top-ap-poll-ohio-state-oregon-tumble-michigan-back-top-25?ref=thebarbedwire.com). Texas received 56 first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25, jumping from No. 4 to the top spot. Ohio State fell from No. 1 to No. 6 after blowing a 20-point fourth-quarter lead. That comeback was the largest fourth-quarter rally ever against an AP No. 1 team, according to Sportradar. Texas is now 2-0, which means there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for anyone in Austin to become emotionally invested in anything else for the rest of the year. Also, Texas A&M is No. 9, Texas Tech is No. 13, SMU is No. 16, and Houston is No. 22\. So apparently the entire state decided to have a football year. So, yeah, please enjoy this brief period of peace. ## 🏒 **Austin or Houston might get an NHL team** And finally, Texas could be getting another NHL team, with [Austin and Houston being considered as potential destinations for the league’s 33rd franchise](https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/%5F/id/49950236/nhl-expansion-team-texas-austin-houston-updates-news-draft-divisions?ref=thebarbedwire.com). NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was exploring a second Texas team, and the Friedkin family has agreed to a $3.5 billion investment that would cover an expansion fee and arena construction costs. Houston has the larger metro area and a long history of professional hockey, including two versions of the Aeros. Austin, meanwhile, has become a major sports market with Austin FC, the Circuit of the Americas and the Texas Stars already calling the area home. The Friedkin family, which owns soccer clubs including AS Roma and Everton, has reportedly come to see Austin as its preferred destination, although that doesn't mean the NHL has made a final decision. So Austin could soon have MLS, Formula 1, college sports, minor-league hockey, major-league hockey and whatever the hell else it can cram into the sports calendar. Houston, meanwhile, would presumably like a word. | ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4e/33/4e33350c-149c-451f-b54d-ac6957d94879/content/images/2026/07/Dinkus-1.png) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [ ![Become a Member](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4e/33/4e33350c-149c-451f-b54d-ac6957d94879/content/images/2026/07/become-a-member-1.png) ](https://thebarbedwire.com/?ref=thebarbedwire.com#/portal/signup) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Follow The Barbed Wire [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thebarbedwiretexas/?ref=thebarbedwire.com) · [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@thebarbedwiretx?ref=thebarbedwire.com) · [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/thebarbedwire.com?ref=thebarbedwire.com) · [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@thebarbedwire?ref=thebarbedwire.com) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |