Democrats and Republicans across the Lone Star State defy party stereotypes, as they talk about a stronger economy, and a president’s divisive…
For our series Three Meals, Major Garrett traveled to three cities in Texas to talk to voters over breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In Texas, impeachment came up frequently; overall, most voters were fatigued by it all. But those paying close attention defied party stereotypes.
Garrett started in a diverse area outside of Houston with eggs, hash browns and pancakes at the Avalon Diner in Stafford.
"The economy is going really well," said dentist Scott Benoit. "I think overall we're safe as a country. Everything's going pretty well."
The "Now Hiring" sign outside backs that up; the Avalon's owner told us she's lost workers to better jobs elsewhere.
Benoit did not vote for Mr. Trump in 2016, but will this year. His wife Jeannine, a speech therapist, was with the president from the beginning. "I just have more conservative values, so I tend to go more with that person," she said.
Just across from Scott and Jeannine, Garrett met Bernard and Sharon Maynore. Both work in health care. Bernard said, "I feel mystified when I'm listening to what Donald Trump has to say."
Garrett asked, "How frequently now, or during the Trump presidency, have you found yourself shaking your head?"
"Every day," Sharon replied. " My co-workers said that we needed a change, they wanted to make America great again. I'm wondering, do those same people, do they think that he has made American great again?"
Then it was on to lunch in conservative Midland, a boom town in West Texas, where oil and natural gas production runs around the clock
At Mac's Bar-B-Q, a local favorite, the brisket is slow-cooked out back for 18 hours. Customers start arriving for lunch around 11.
Kyle Davis, his brother Jake, and their business partner Tom Hull run a construction and drilling company. Kyle and Jake support President Trump and expect him to be re-elected.
"I don't like all the nonsense that comes with him," Kyle said. "But yeah, his policy has been spot-on."
Jake added, "I really don't want another Obama. I kind of feel like he divided our country."
Garrett asked both about impeachment. Kyle's answer surprised him: "Was it an impeachable offense? Yeah, it sounds like it probably was," he said.
Jake took the long view: "I'm sure at some point every president could have been impeached."
Tom Hull calls himself a New England Republican and considers Mr. Trump a failure. "The economy's been propped up with record levels of deficit spending," he said. "And he picks fights that he doesn't know how to get out of."
Garrett also met Alison Loera, Laura Ortega and Jennifer Reyes. Loera works in insurance; Ortega and Reyes are data specialists for drilling companies.
They criticized the president for his comments about the Hispanic community. Loera said, "We feel targeted."
Garrett asked, "Do you feel lumped in or somehow demonized?"
"In a way, I guess," Loera replied.
Reyes said, "Comments like that shouldn't be made by someone with that much power and authority."
Dinner took Garrett to The Flying Saucer pub in Garland, a politically-moderate area northeast of Dallas.
"I voted for Trump," said Rita Dusek. "I did, because I thought we need somebody who's not a politician. But that didn't seem to work out," she laughed.
Garrett asked, "Will you vote for him again?"
"No," she said.
Her husband, Al, a registered Republican, said, "I did not vote for him. I don't like extremism on either side."
Just across the way Garrett met David Lindsay, who owns a construction firm. "The economy has probably been the best since I've owned the company," he said.
"Do you give anyone in the political world credit for that?" asked Garrett.
"I will solidly give the president credit for doing it," said Lindsey.
The president's volatile style was raised: "Do you ever wish he would tone it down?" asked Garrett.
"Oh, yeah, I think somebody should hide his cellphone on him," Lindsey said.
Blake Hammerton and Daniel Torres both opposed Mr. Trump in 2016, and will vote in the March 3 Texas Democratic primary.
"I have very, very strong feeling: the young vote will come out this year," Torres said.
Garrett asked, "When you think about the Democrats, what are your thoughts?"
"Stop making everything a battle to the end," Hammerton said. "The Democrats are exhausting themselves and exhausting the public."
Sounds like they're exhausting you? "Yes!" he said.
Garrett said of his excursion that, among Democrats, he did not find hard-core supporters of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden. "Flat line across the board, Texas Democrats are waiting for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to sort this out," he said. "Democrats said they were keeping an open mind for Texas' 'Super Tuesday' primary."
One person they were keeping in mind, because he's on TV so frequently in Texas, is Mike Bloomberg, he added, noting the billionaire's strategy of creating an impression with voters via paid ads while his opponents fighting it out in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere have yet to make an impression in the Lone Star State.
Garrett asked everyone if they had seen or remembered a Bloomberg TV ad. All but two had. Trump supporters said they thought Bloomberg might give the president the toughest challenge.
"One other thing: when we asked people what they thought about the November election, they said two words: anticipation, and dread."
Other entries in our "Three Meals" series:
Read more from the original source:
Democrats and Republicans across the Lone Star State defy party stereotypes, as they talk about a stronger economy, and a president's divisive...
- Why Democrats Could Find It Hard to Win the Senate Despite Their Strong Polls - The New York Times - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- AI ad mocks Talarico as Bible-defacing radical. Democrats bet it will backfire. - The Washington Post - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Surging turnout, with Democrats voting more: key takeaways from early voting data - The Guardian - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- California Democrats Rally to Deliver on Proposition 50. Was It Really Needed? - KQED - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- The data scientist who called Trump's 2024 win now gives Democrats a 78% shot at the Senate - Fortune - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Election Dispatches: Eyeing Return to Power, Democrats Are Crafting a Plan to Dismantle Trumps Agenda - The New York Times - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- A New 2028 Poll Finds Vance, Rubio and a Mishmash of Democrats in the Mix - The New York Times - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- What This Democrats Surge in Texas Says About the Midterms - The New York Times - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- AOC, Newsom, Jeffries swing through California to help Democrats in tight races - Los Angeles Times - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Democrats plan to throw the gauntlet at Mullin in the next Congress - Politico - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Democrats Projected Majority Grows as 19 More House Races Shift Away From the GOP - Cook Political Report - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Top intel Democrats say they've "war-gamed" how to react if Trump alleges foreign interference in midterms - CBS News - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Hochul kicks off early voting in Buffalo, rallies Democrats ahead of Election Day - Buffalo Toronto Public Media - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Elon Musk threatens Democrats who plan to launch investigations into him if they win back congressional power - Yahoo Finance - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Obama is set to campaign with Democrats in Ohio and Michigan as he ramps up midterm efforts - AP News - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Democrats see an opening in CD-5. Can they turn it into a first-ever win? - 9News - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Blue wave on the Western Slope? Democrats say internal polling shows the 3rd Congressional District is a toss-up. - The Colorado Sun - October 24th, 2026 [October 24th, 2026]
- Democrats sue Trump, DOJ over effort to remove voters from state rolls - The Washington Post - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats gear up for offensive against Trumps Treasury - Politico - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats sue to block Trump administration from usurping states authority to administer elections - NBC News - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats accuse Trump of using prosecution threats to pressure election officials - Axios - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Lawmakers say US briefing showed Russia targeting Democrats with misinformation - Reuters - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Healthcare, small business advocates urge reversing healthcare cuts, boost Democrats - Wisconsin Examiner - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Top 2 Democrats on Intel say they're preparing for Trump to claim foreign meddling - NPR - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats press for more information about newly revealed ballroom donors - The Washington Post - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Campaigning around Alabama, Doug Jones tries to open a path for Democrats - News From The States - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- After Trump said he didnt trust mail ballots, Democrats turned to voting in person - The Washington Post - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Republicans attempt to tie Kansas Democrats to extremism with spurious claims at Trump rally - Kansas Reflector - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats outnumber Republicans in first day of early voting in CT - CT Mirror - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Analysis | Democrats are expanding their House map. Do they have the money to deliver? - The Washington Post - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Can the new federal voucher program help public schools? Democrats are torn - NPR - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Letters: Democrats will have to learn to work with Donald Trump - Chicago Tribune - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Jeffries says Democrats on the verge of winning the House. It puts speakers gavel in reach - AP News - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- If Democrats Win Congress, Could the G.O.P. Refuse to Seat Them? - The New York Times - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Senate Democrats launch first ad in Mississippi as their midterm optimism spreads in the South - PBS - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Opinion | The Midterms Pit the Democrats Against the Billionaires - The New York Times - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Trump turned the government into an investor. Democrats have shopping plans, too. - Semafor - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Trump warns Kansans that US will 'burn' like France if Democrats win - Reuters - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Michael Bloomberg Gives $80 Million to Help Democrats in Final Midterm Push - The New York Times - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Polls Show Democrats Ahead. Are They Right This Time? - The New York Times - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats say Trump increased investments in drugmakers that were given Medicare exemptions - PBS - October 22nd, 2026 [October 22nd, 2026]
- Democrats are poised to take the House. Then what? - Vox - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters' Midterm Concerns; Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs and Cost of Living - KFF - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Fed up with recalls, CA Democrats ask voters to change the rules - CalMatters - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Florida Democrats try to regain their mojo after years of Republican dominance - NBC News - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Ohio Democrats' path to governor's office runs through rural areas that have turned against party - PBS - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats could win majority of governors offices for first time in 16 years - Stateline - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Schwarzenegger became governor through a recall. Democrats want to change the process - CalMatters - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Opinion | How Big a Midterm Win for the Democrats? - WSJ - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats need to reel in more men. These Mainers say the party needs better bait - NPR - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Short on Cash, Democrats Weigh Big Bets to Unseat Entrenched Republicans - The New York Times - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Scoop: Gun safety groups jump into midterms with $10 million assist for Democrats - Axios - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats Hold the Edge in These 17 Races for Governor - U.S. News & World Report - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- SuperPAC Spends More Than $500K Backing Democrats in Michigan - Legis1 - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- WHAT THEYRE SAYING: Democrats Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats and Advantage in Candidate Quality Generate Momentum Across the Map - DSCC - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Arizona cannot afford to wait any longer on climate change, Democrats say at town hall - Cronkite News - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats new bill looks to ease the federal retirement process - Federal News Network - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats expand target list as polls point in their favor - Denver Gazette - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats add 6 more targets, 2 in districts Trump carried by 20 points - Politico - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats want a blue wave. New Hampshire is Exhibit A for why that may not happen - PBS - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats Playing the Economic Populist Card in Iowa Midterms - The American Prospect - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats May Have Found the Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats - The New York Times - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- The Four Worst Democratic Candidates of 2026, According to Democrats - Puck - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- FACT CHECK: Senate Democrats ad claiming Rep. Ashley Hinson voted against releasing the Epstein files is completely false - Washington Reporter - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- The Rich People Democrats Arent Talking About - The New York Times - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats Expect Record Number of Women in Party in House After Midterm Elections - The New York Times - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Heres Who Democrats Want to Impeach Next - The Atlantic - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- The House map is shifting. Heres the big reason Democrats see an opening. - CT Insider - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Republican incumbents lost primaries at twice the rate of Democrats in this years state legislative elections - Ballotpedia News - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- How Democrats Have Changed the Way They Talk About Trans Issues - The New York Times - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats feature relatives of Virginia Giuffre in Epstein-focused ad - The Washington Post - October 6th, 2026 [October 6th, 2026]
- Democrats now have easier paths to flipping the Senate. Here are races to watch. - The Washington Post - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- Sen. Mark Kelly says Democrats have to 'do a better job' if they have good midterm showing - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- What Democrats are getting right and wrong in run-up to midterms: We cant just be anti-Trump - The Guardian - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- What happens if the Democrats sweep the midterms? - Comment is Freed - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- Democrats rally at Little Flock Picnic, hear from Shoffner, Love, Grappe and Ryerse - nwaonline.com - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- If Democrats Win Control of Congress in the Midterms, Will They Impeach Trump a Third Time? - commondreams.org - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- Inside NBC News polling averages: Democrats enjoy biggest lead yet in the race for Congress - NBC News - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- "Washington is broken": Democrats running for office turn sharply against their own party - Axios - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]
- David Jolly implores national Democrats to help his campaign for governor - WUSF - September 28th, 2026 [September 28th, 2026]