Join us for a post-election debriefing on the 2026 midterm elections. The conversation will examine what happened across the state and nation, the forces that shaped the outcomes, and what the results reveal about the current political landscape.
Speakers
Matthew Watkins, Editor and Chief, The Texas Tribune
Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. He is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended Texas A&M University and has spent his entire professional career in Texas journalism, including stints at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined The Texas Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. He has helped guide the Tribune's award-winning journalism that has included coverage of six legislative sessions, multiple election cycles, natural disasters and political scandals. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
Cassi Schredder, Co-Founder and Editor with Texas Bullpen
Cassi Schredder is a co-founder and editor with Texas Bullpen. She previously reported on the Texas Legislature for The Texas Tribune and most recently served as press secretary to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan. A proud Texas native, Cassi is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism.
Alison Craig, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Admissions and Placement, Department of Government UT Austin
Alison Craig is an associate professor in the Department of Government in the fields of Public Policy, American Politics, and Political Methodology. Her research, which has been supported by the National Science Foundation, is focused on improving our understanding of the day-to-day functioning of the United States Congress, with an emphasis on the relationships between members and the challenges of policymaking in the modern legislature. Her book, The Collaborative Congress: Reaching Common Ground in a Polarized House (Cambridge University Press), argues that while public attention focuses on conflict and partisan warfare in Congress, members routinely work together to craft substantive and successful policy proposals. Her research on legislative politics has also been published in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and State Politics and Policy Quarterly. She teaches graduate-level courses on American political institutions, statistical analysis, and network analysis, as well as undergraduate courses on the U.S. Congress and the policy process.
Alison earned her Ph.D. in 2017 from The Ohio State University and has a B.S. in political science from the University of Oregon. Prior to graduate school, she spent eleven years working for members of Congress on Capitol Hill and in her home state of Oregon. In that time she filled various roles, from communications to casework, with most of her work as a legislative assistant handling domestic policy issues and as a field representative working with local governments and opinion leaders.
Moderated by:
J. Paul Pope, Interim Dean; Professor of Practice; Senior Fellow, Intelligence Studies Project; Loyd Hackler Endowed Chair for Ethical Leadership; J.J. “Jake” Pickle Chair in Public Affairs
James "Paul" Pope serves as the interim dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, the No. 1 public policy program in Texas and part of a top-tier research university. Prior to becoming interim dean, Professor Pope, who holds the Loyd Hackler Endowed Chair for Ethical Leadership and the J.J. “Jake” Pickle Chair in Public Affairs, served the LBJ School for 12 years as a distinguished professor of practice, a dedicated mentor to students, and a highly effective academic leader as the Graduate Studies Committee Chair of the Master of National Security. An experienced leader, Pope is also a senior fellow in the Intelligence Studies Project, which is sponsored by the Strauss and Clements Centers. Pope retired from the CIA after multiple foreign tours, and served as head of delegation to NATO's Civilian Intelligence Committee and as the DNI/DCIA representative to commander, U.S. Pacific Command and its component commands. He received his M.A. With Distinction from the Naval Postgraduate School and B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Pope is a distinguished graduate of Command and General Staff College, a graduate of the National War College's CAPSTONE course and a graduate the Pinnacle Course for senior executives at the Kellogg School of Northwestern University.