Axios Dallas

May 06, 2026
Happy Wednesday! Light returns to light.
🌦️ Today's weather: High in the upper 70s with a chance of showers.
🎵 Sounds like: "Veep" singing
Today's newsletter is 1,017 secondary words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Why Dems could pick Talarico for VP in '28
State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) is an underdog for U.S. Senate, but his name is already being whispered as a potential 2028 vice presidential candidate.
Why it matters: The mere suggestion reflects just how stratospheric Talarico's rise has been — and how desperate Democrats are to win Texas' electoral votes.
What they're saying: "If Talarico wins the seat against the Republican nominee, I think he's likely or very likely to be the vice presidential pick in 2028," NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway said on "Pivot," the podcast he co-hosts with journalist Kara Swisher, following Talarico's March primary victory.
- Last year, influential podcaster Joe Rogan suggested Talarico should aim for the White House.
Flashback: Barack Obama's Senate run in 2004 — including a galvanizing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that summer — established his national profile ahead of a successful presidential run in 2008.
- Current Vice President Vance had not served two years in the U.S. Senate before Donald Trump named him as his running mate in the 2024 election.
Zoom in: Talarico's campaign declined an Axios request for comment.
Between the lines: Selecting Talarico as a running mate — should he win in November — would "send a message that whoever was the presidential candidate ... would be reaching out and cares about the electorate that Talarico had resonated with," Joel Goldstein, a scholar of the vice presidency, tells Axios.
Context: Talarico has carved out a new lane in Texas politics: a Christian Democrat who appeals to Hispanic voters and suburbanites — both key constituencies.
Follow the money: His campaign has been hauling in record amounts of cash, building a donor base around the country that would be attractive to any White House run.
The intrigue: Choosing Texas running mates (U.S. Sens. Lyndon B. Johnson in 1960; Lloyd Bentsen in 1988) has been a way for northern Democrats to reach into the South as they aim for ticket balance.
2. ... And why he might not get the nod
If Talarico wins the 2026 Senate race and if he's named to a White House ticket and that ticket wins — a string of very big "ifs" — he would resign his Senate seat, likely in early January 2029, before being sworn in as vice president.
- The governor would then be empowered to appoint his successor, who could be of either party.
Reality check: No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
- Talarico will face either U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who are vying for the GOP nomination in a May 26 runoff and who are trailing Talarico in recent polling.
Between the lines: If Talarico does manage to pull off an upset in Texas, national Democrats will be reluctant to give up his seat with a (likely) Republican governor — Greg Abbott — appointing his successor.
3. 🔊 Sound off on I-35 pain points
Today is your last day to weigh in on the future of Interstate 35 from Laredo to the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Driving the news: The Texas Department of Transportation is creating a study of the corridor to tackle its challenges through 2050.
- A survey allows you to place markers on a map where you find traffic concerns, connectivity or maintenance issues, or even problems for bikers and pedestrians (really).
Zoom in: An interactive map in the survey shows responses in North Texas about both branches of I-35.
- In Fort Worth, several respondents complain about how expensive the express lanes are near the intersection of I-35W and Interstate 820.
- One writes that dynamic pricing pushes the cost up to nearly $20 during peak rush hour.
How it works: Click on an irksome spot along I-35 on the map and select from a list of issues.
- You have an option to leave a comment about the problem or point of interest.
- The map is updated with the markers and comments.
The bottom line: I-35 construction and complaints will provide Texans a lifetime's worth of punchlines.
4. 🗞 Burnt ends: Bite-sized news bits
🚨 Two people were killed and three others were injured in a shooting near Carrollton's Koreatown. Police said a suspect was in custody. (NBC5)
⚖️ A man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Wise County has been sentenced to death. (Fox News)
🗳️ New polling shows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leading U.S. Sen. John Cornyn by 3 percentage points for the May 26 runoff election for Senate. (Texas Tribune)
💰 The Texas Stock Exchange wants approval to put a stock ticker on a high-rise that would overlook Klyde Warren Park. (DMN)
5. 🦅 One eaglet watch to go
Three eaglets are learning to fly from their White Rock Lake nest.
Why it matters: Bird watchers will need to keep a safe distance from the bald eagle family while the eaglets test their wings.
- Parents tend to become more protective during this stage when their young may drop to lower branches or fall to the ground.
Driving the news: City staff have put up signs near the nest reminding visitors to keep their dogs leashed and stay quiet in the area.
- This week, Dallas Park and Recreation will also put up water-filled barricades to limit vehicle traffic on East Lawther Drive near the playground, which will close.
The big picture: The bald eagle couple, known as Nick and Nora, have drawn bird watchers to the east side of the lake for several years.
Zoom in: The three eaglets are believed to have hatched around March 17. WRLeagleTV on YouTube regularly streams views of the nest.
- The couple's other offspring have been named but the babies remain unnamed, though it's likely the Facebook fanpage will deliver soon.
What we're watching: Sunday's livestream showing all three eaglets stretching their wings in their nest.
The bottom line: Bald eagles are federally protected and visitors should keep their distance.
This newsletter was edited by Bob Gee.
Our picks:
🏃♀️ Tasha loves running past the eagles' nest at the lake.
🚲 Naheed is excited to see the neighborhood kids biking to school today.
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