Forrest Wilder

Writer, @TexasMonthly. Formerly @texasobserver. Piss and vinegar. Native Texan. Plus: fishing, kayaking, gardening and climbing. @[email protected]

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Thank you, Elon, you finally got me to log off here! Find me @forrest4thetrees.bsky.social

[Ben Rowen @ben_c_rowen]

I've repeatedly written about the Dem fantasy of flipping Texas. The math is simple: there are more Republicans than Democrats here. But nearly every GOP operative I've talked to this month thinks Talarico can actually win. Read my skeptic's guide to his chances (threaded)

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Senator Roadkill

[Senator John Cornyn @JohnCornyn]

I am proud to introduce legislation to rename US Highway 287 as Interstate 47 in honor of our 47th President @realDonaldTrump.

My bill will upgrade one of our nation’s longest highways to a future interstate and save more than $5 BILLION in travel costs, all while honoring the most effective and influential president of our lifetime.

Texas is Trump Country & this bill cements @POTUS’ legacy by designating nearly 1,800 miles of open road to forever be known as the Trump Interstate 🇺🇸

[Texas Monthly @TexasMonthly]

Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley has been awarded the @PulitzerPrizes for feature writing, for his heartrending, first-person account of his family’s fight for survival during last year’s devastating Central Texas floods. https://t.co/11ozulEy3A

[Robert Downen @RobertDownen_]

NEW: Paul Pressler is among the most influential figures you may have never heard of. The onetime judge remade the Southern Baptist Convention, and helped forge the marriage between the GOP & white evangelicals — all while allegedly abusing for decades. A long look at his legacy:

[Robert Downen @RobertDownen_]

NEW: Texas fracking tycoon Farris Wilks has for years been one of the GOP's most prolific donors. He gave +$100M and, with billionaire Tim Dunn, pulled the party to the far right. But recently, something happened: Wilks has quietly, all but vanished. https://t.co/C7EWuIXv3R

[Sasha von Oldershausen @sashavono]

Before Reza Pahlavi started pitching himself as Iran's future savior, he was just a West Texas good ol' boy @TexasMonthly https://t.co/Am43arfOtz

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Harlan Crow is speaking at UT-Austin to celebrate new emphasis on "civics" and "Western civilization." Yes, Harlan Cow is here.

[Scott Braddock @scottbraddock]

New episode drops now: @DanPatrick's lookin' for me and he says the GOP majority in the Texas House could be in play. Plus a trip to Far West Texas with @Forrest4Trees with @TexasMonthly for an update on the Big Bend border wall fight.
https://t.co/edgxOzrNB0 #txlege

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

If you play this clip of Talarico backwards he actually says, "Here's to my sweet Satan"

[Brandon Gill @realBrandonGill]

If Beelzebub were a politician, he would talk like this

[Dylan Baddour @DylanBaddour]

Our story from 2022 said: "Corpus Christi sold its water to Exxon, gambling on desalination" https://t.co/9nqEHKq7Sz

Now the city's website shows a "water emergency" in November and a total depletion of resources next summer https://t.co/IYiwoOtK6u

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Well, this pretty much settles it. The U.S. "precisely" bombed a school full of children and teachers in Iran. The NYT figured it out with photos and social media; meanwhile Pete "Stupid Rules of Engagement" Hegseth is "investigating" the matter. They know exactly what they did.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Same-sex marriage level shifts in public opinion here.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

This notion that Talarico is more "untested" than Crockett is a stretch. He's been one of the best-known Democrats in TX for years (along with Crockett) & they're both "established stars" at the nat'l level. Neither has run a complex statewide campaign; only one pulled it off.

[David Weigel @daveweigel]

Got to enjoy this if you're an R. The idea that Talarico was untested and not a star - he was quite famous for a state rep by the time he got in, profiled by Politico in 2023 - feeds this idea that the Dem elites pushed aside a qualified black woman

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

@TactiGoth @noturtlesoup17 i dunno what's going on with elon's twitter but it seems like the average user lacks a sarcasm detector more than ever

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Bo "Deport Native Americans" French, perhaps the most online guy in Texas politics, edgelorded himself into a runoff. Inshallah, he will run our railroads.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Congrats, Texas, we will now have a Moran and a Gober in our congressional delegation

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Runoff watch for statewide races:

—U.S. Senate, Republican, Paxton-Cornyn
—Lt. Gov., Democrat, Goodwin-Velez
—Atty General, Republican, Mayes-Roy
—Atty General, Democrat, Johnson-Jaworski

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Adding "Fat" to the front of a name like "Matt Smith" is like putting on a boa while wearing a suit.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

The smallest, weirdest county in America, y'all

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

God help us, there's going to be a Cornyn-Paxton runoff. It's just a question now of who takes the lead. Thanks a lot Wesley Hunt.