2026 Post-Election Debriefing

About

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.

12:00 pm Lunch

12:15 - 1:15 pm Event

Free and open to the public.

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, Department of Government UT Austin. Author, The Collaborative Congress: Reaching Common Ground in a Polarized House

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.