
It's a Texas-sized episode. People have been writing off Texas for 30 years, but 2026 may be really different.
Loading summary
Shopify Advertiser
You didn't start a business just to keep the lights on. You're here to sell more today than yesterday. You're here to win. Lucky for you, Shopify built the best converting checkout on the planet. Like the just one tapping ridiculously fast acting sky high sales stacking champion at checkouts. That's the good stuff right there. So if your business is in it to win it, win with Shopify. Start your free trial today@shopify.com win.
Andy Beshear
Welcome back, podcast family. Today's episode is about what it looks like when Democrats decide to fight. My guests are two people who've done exactly that in the streets, in the statehouse, and on the campaign trail. Gina Enosa is a Texas state representative, civil rights lawyer, and the woman who left the state to block a gerrymandered redistricting map and faced an arrest warrant for doing it. Now she's running for governor of Texas, making the case that Democrats can win the biggest red state in the country. Then Isaiah Martin, a 26 year old Houston native and a creator who has built a following of over a million people by saying out loud what a lot of Democrats were afraid to say. He got arrested for protesting that same gerrymander. He's been in the room, on the ground and on the phone. Together they represent something. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Democrat who doesn't wait for permission to fight back. This is a conversation about Texas, about power, about redistricting, about affordability, and about what it actually takes to win in places that people have written off. Let's get to it. Gina, welcome to the podcast.
Gina Hinojosa
Thank you, Governor. It's great to be with you.
Andy Beshear
I want to start by jumping right into it for any listener that's saying, wait a minute, why have a Democratic candidate from Texas on the podcast? Texas is a deep red state and, well, I think our listeners know something about winning in red states. But talk to me about the most recent polling because I think it would open some eyes about how competitive your race is.
Gina Hinojosa
That's right. Every poll in this race has had us within single digits in Texas. And in fact, recent polling shows that we are closing the gap and that we are winning key demographics that we will need to win in November. We are winning independence by 13 points. To give a comparison in the same poll when Beto ran against Governor Abbott, but there was losing independence by 13 points. It's not because I'm a better candidate. It is because the timing is so much better. We are winning Latinos by 22 points. We are winning voters under 25 by 49 points, Governor, which is hard for me to even comprehend, but people are ready for change. Greg Abbott cannot break 50% in any poll that has been released in this state. On this race. We are trying to tell people who we are, what we are about, and what we are seeing is when they find that out, they're with me. We are running for change against a governor who has been in office since the year after I graduated from high school.
Andy Beshear
Your race is so competitive. You attracted a couple of major people that campaigned with you this last week. You had former President Barack Obama. You also had Carlos Espinya, who was on the podcast just a couple weeks ago. Tell me about the experience of campaigning with the former president.
Gina Hinojosa
It was wonderful. It gave us a real boost and showed that our race has national implications. We know that Texas will gain four to five new congressional seats by the end of the decade. And when that happens, if we don't flip before then so that Democrats can draw those lines for fair maps, we know that it will be really hard for Democrats to win Congress for a generation because Texas becomes too big, we're growing faster than a lot of the blue states. We will take congressional seats from California, from New York and other blue states. And so I am running to be a governor who can veto rigged maps, especially given the recent Supreme Court court decision that allows for a kind of gerrymandering that does not have to take into account being equitable to different racial groups. And so now it's all on the line, and we're going to see a kind of gerrymandering like we've never seen before. If we don't work in this election to elect leaders who are for fair maps. And so that is the national narrative here. Obama was here to lift up my campaign and that of James Salrico, who was running for Senate. And it was exactly the boost we needed at the exact right time.
Andy Beshear
So I'm going to give our listeners kind of my hot take on your race. I think you're doing a great job because you're real, you're authentic, and people crave authenticity, especially in this world of social media. And I think part of that is your why you didn't start in politics for a career or because you wanted a title. You're just an angry mom.
Gina Hinojosa
That's right. So my son's school was threatened for closure, and I never meant to run for anything. In fact, I made my husband promise to run, not to run for anything before we got married. But when his son. When my son's school was threatened for closure, I ran for the school board and won and we saved neighborhood schools. And since then, I ran for the Texas House because I understood that our schools are shutting down because they're underfunded. And those are decisions that are made at the state legislature. And that's where I've been mostly fighting to save Texas public schools. And now in 2026, where we are is that our schools are in real crisis in Texas. Last year, we passed Greg Abbott's voucher scam. This isn't a state where we have enshrined in our Texas constitution that we support our public schools. It is very much a part of our identity from Friday Night Lights to we do square dancing and PE in elementary school. It is our identity as Texans for our governor to turn his back on our schools. Take a billion dollars from our neighborhood public schools to give to private schools that have no accountability for how taxpayer dollars is being spent and that will be spent mostly on tuition for kids already in private schools is a real slap in the face to our Texas public schools and to Texans. Our schools are. We have 150 school districts that are four days a week, they are so underfunded. Right. We have teachers leaving in droves. We have over 100 schools shutting down. So our schools are in real crisis and people are motivated in a way that cuts across partisanship to do what we can at this moment in time to save our schools.
Andy Beshear
While Greg Abbott is taking money from Texas public schools, Donald Trump's war with Iran is taking every dollar out of our Americans pockets with a skyrocketing cost of gas. I've lowered our gas tax. Greg Abbott won't do a thing. Tell us how you would govern differently and how you'd actually put the people of Texas first.
Gina Hinojosa
Well, and yes, we raised up your example, Governor, as what it looks like to be a strong leader who does the bidding of the people that they serve. So I have called on the governor to suspend our state gas tax at a time in Texas when gas is about a dollar more a gallon than it was last year. This time people are spending really. I mean, we have somebody, we were talking to somebody who drives a diesel truck who was having to commute across this big, big state and who was spending over $500 just on gas to get to and from work in the trades. Right. Like this is not sustainable for Texans. This is on top of we have the most unaffordable electricity with the most people being disconnected from their electricity of Any other state, we have the most people who are uninsured. Right. We're one of those states that has not expanded Medicaid. And so we have the most uninsured children. So people are already struggling. The high price of gas is just too much for people to be able to withstand in this economy. And so the governor needs to take action, be a strong governor and, and use his executive authority to give real relief to Texans.
Andy Beshear
So let's say November, you win, you come in sworn in as the new governor in what, January?
Gina Hinojosa
Yes.
Andy Beshear
Okay. What's your day? One fight to make Texas more affordable for its citizens?
Gina Hinojosa
Well, if we are still in this gas crisis, I would sign an emergency executive order to exactly waive the state gas tax.
Andy Beshear
And it. And it works. I can tell you. It has worked here.
Gina Hinojosa
Yeah. I mean, it's like if you, if you combine a waiver of state gas tax with the federal gas tax, which James Talrico has called for, and, and I believe the president has said he supports, you're saving people five to $7 on a tank of gas. That's five to $7. The government is not taking at a time when people have no more to give. Right. So, yes, that is something we can do immediately. There is also a lot of money in our rainy day fund. There is also money we have come into us from the federal government and the big beautiful bill to reimburse Texas for border security expenses that we spent a couple of years ago when Biden was president. $11 billion. That's money we can put into people's pocket. We could put $1,000 in everybody's pocket by getting that money back and putting it to use now to give people relief immediately. And that is what strong leaders need to do at this moment in time when, yes, the cost of everything is too high. And it's not just about bringing down costs. But if you can't afford to live and thrive in this country, in Texas, in our states, then we don't have an American dream anymore. American dream that I was raised on, understanding the promise of the American dream. You work hard, you own your own home, you can afford to have kids and maybe send them to college even. You can afford a vacation once in a while. You can afford to retire in dignity. That dream is out of reach for so many working Texans. And we can have the American dream, but we got to fight for it.
Andy Beshear
Yeah. I think the two biggest threats to the country outside of our current leadership, or lack thereof, is the level of division and the belief among so many people that the American dream is out of reach. How would you govern Texas to address those two major concerns? Because I think if we do, what we really do is make people's lives just a little bit better and a little bit easier.
Gina Hinojosa
What I have found in the Texas House is that so much of what we are allowed to pass, so much of what is before us, the bills that come before us, they're really being pushed by special interests. More and more of our money is going to vendor contracts to award the governor's friends. We are a high tax state. Actually, property taxes have gone up 75% under Greg Abbott. And so our job is to wipe clean all the vendor contracts, use that money to invest into the people of Texas. Last session I filed a bill and I had a press conference with mag moms to essentially dose the Texas Education Agency because it has grown almost doubled in size at the state bureaucratic level. And the number of vendor contracts are just outrageous. And to take that money to pay teachers their worth, to have a smaller class size, to pay for a special education gap and school safety, exactly what parents want. But Greg Abbott's billionaire friends don't get rich off of paying teachers their worth. And it's not happening.
Andy Beshear
As we look at this upcoming election, tell us what it feels like to be at ground zero of this new crazy redistricting world that we live in. Because I know you pushed back as hard as anybody, right?
Gina Hinojosa
So last session, I was part of the group that broke quorum, the Democrats who broke quorum last year to push back against the effort by Trump and Greg Abbott to add five more Congress, Republican congressional seats, seats to our congressional delegation. So we went to Chicago to raise awareness and to do everything in our power to preserve the voice and vote of the people. That bill eventually passed. But I will say that Republicans might have kicked themselves in the rear because Democrats are winning in Texas, where we haven't won in a long, long time and sometimes ever just in the last few months. And so those ideas that Republicans had when they drew the maps, that, for instance, they were going to win certain Latino votes when Latinos have swung back in a big way for Democrats, I think is it's going to be a rude awakening come November. But they have already said that since this Supreme Court decision that allows for even more severe gerrymandering, they will come back next session to redraw legislative seats in anticipation of the four to five congressional seats that we're going to get by the end of the decade. Because that legislature, of course, will draw the maps for the congressional seats, We're looking at a kind of gerrymandering, the likes of which we can't even imagine how bad it's going to be because the law has never allowed it to be as bad as it's going to get.
Andy Beshear
I think the American people are looking for candidates that will fight for them and won't back down, even when they're threatened, because there are lots of threats right now. You were threatened with arrest and didn't back down.
Gina Hinojosa
That's right. So actually, there was also an effort to make a stay in the Texas House once we came back until they passed that redress redistricting bill.
Andy Beshear
Oh, I remember that. And, and I, I, I, I didn't mean to, to laugh at it, but I, I thought Republicans were against quarantine.
Gina Hinojosa
That's right. Exactly right. No, they, this is, this was a historic first, by the way. So they made us sign permission slips and they assigned troopers to be with us every moment of the day until they were able to pass the redistricting bill. Well, I just broke out of the Capitol because I was not going to sign a permission slip. I represent the people who elected me, my constituents. I do not do serve the governor or the speaker, and I'm not going to ask for permission to lead the way. My constituents want me to lead. So I broke out of the Capitol and evaded the state police. And that's just the kind of. I launched this campaign with this message in Spanish that my grandmother used to tell me, and it's notedejes. And what it means is to know your worth and to fight to defend it. And that is who I am. That's what inspires my fight every day. And we are not dejes kind of people in Texas. And people are mad and showing up to vote, pushing back in a big, big way. In our last primary election, there was record turnout by Democrats. I got twice as many votes as Beto got when he ran in the primary. Because people are starting to see their power. And once you see it and feel it, it's addictive. And I love seeing it happen in this state. Finally, people have understood that we have a real opportunity in this next election to take Texas back and make it work for the people of Texas.
Andy Beshear
I'm excited you're on the podcast because a lot of the country is watching that Senate race, but they need to be watching this governor's race, too. Tell me how the ticket is is lining up, how you're working together and how you're generating energy.
Gina Hinojosa
Yeah. So, James Talarico and I work very closely together in the state House. In fact, he and I were co chairs of the successful effort to block vouchers in 2023. We were appointed by the Democratic caucus to lead that effort, and we won working with our rural Republican legislators. And since then, our campaigns are very much aligned in our message, aligned in our values. And we have for the first time in Texas history, we think nobody can remember a time that this has happened where we have Democrats running in every state house seat, every state senate seat, every congressional seat, every. And it makes all the difference. I was in Amarillo, Texas, which is thought to be a pretty red part of Texas, and it was standing room only. They doubled their turnout in the primary Democrats did in Potter county and tripled it in Randall county because they finally had Democrats running in every seat. It makes a difference. And so it helps us at the top of the ticket and then strong top of the ticket coordination is helping our candidates down ballot. There's just this great synergy that is happening in Texas. What I call it is a perfect storm of opportunity like we've never seen before. And it's just in time because this might be our last, best chance.
Andy Beshear
Tell our listeners who don't live in Texas why they should get involved in a Texas state race.
Gina Hinojosa
Texas is so big that what we do here has implications across this country. First of all, most of the worst policies that make their way to the federal government start right here in Texas, I'm sorry to say. But also, yes, we're going to grow in terms of our congressional power because we are gaining those four to five seats in Congress because we're growing faster than everybody else. When that happens, if we don't have Democrats in control, cannot be Democratic control of Congress because the math no longer works. And because congressional seats equate to electoral votes, there cannot be Democratic control of the White House. Texas becomes too big. That is the national consequence of Texas being red. And so this is a moment in time when we just have all the opportunities. But also the stakes could, couldn't be higher to make the most of this election cycle. It's why I've given it everything I got, why I decided not to run for reelection to the legislature and take a year of my life to just run hard. And I tell you, it's paying off. We're gaining momentum. People are responding in kind. It is already election season out there. People are excited and this is the time to get in.
Andy Beshear
Tell our listeners how they can follow your campaign.
Gina Hinojosa
Yes, you can go to gina4texas.com that is my website. And also Gina for Texas is my handle on all social media.
Andy Beshear
We always try to close by asking people a little something about themselves. What is one thing that people don't know about you that they should?
Gina Hinojosa
Well, I really never meant to run for anything. Never meant to be here. But I will say this. I don't think any of us meant to be in the circumstances we're in in 2026. And I think all of us are having to dig down deep and do things maybe we're a little uncomfortable with because we're called in this moment in history to respond and to meet the moment. We didn't choose this moment in history, but it chose us in a big way. And that's why I'm running.
Andy Beshear
What is your secret superpower? That thing that you are really good at that people don't know?
Gina Hinojosa
What I am really good at is looking into a refrigerator that has nothing left in it and figuring out how to make something out of nothing.
Andy Beshear
That is a useful superpower. That has to be one of the best that we've heard.
Gina Hinojosa
In fact, when you are a candidate running and you don't get to hit the grocery store too often, it is a very useful superpower. If you could go with a 14 year old son.
Andy Beshear
Yeah, oh, I've got a 16 year old son and a 15 year old daughter. So pray for me. If you could go back in time and say, gina, don't follow that one fashion trend, which one would it be?
Gina Hinojosa
You know the big bangs in the, in the 80s, the late 80s, those were not my best look.
Andy Beshear
Mine would also be a haircut that I should have never, ever, ever gone towards. And then if your friends were describing you to the podcast, what type of words do you think they'd use?
Gina Hinojosa
What my friends know about me is to brace themselves when I text them. I have an idea.
Andy Beshear
I like that. And as we close, give us the quick elevator pitch that people could repeat to their friends and family who might not listen to the podcast, but after they give them your elevator speech, are going to listen to the Andy Beshear podcast.
Gina Hinojosa
Look, Texas is in play in a big way. Polling shows it on the ground. The energy is there. And for the first time, we're seeing Democrats win all over this state where we haven't won in a long time, sometimes ever. I am running on a populist agenda. It is about saving Texas schools. It is about bringing down utility costs. It is about insuring every Texas child and reining in the health insurance companies who charge us more and get us less. That's what Texans want. I'm not running to be a governor for Democrats or Republicans. I'm running to be the governor for the people of Texas.
Andy Beshear
Gina, thanks for joining the podcast.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
In the US there's a break in every 26 seconds but when intruders step near SimpliSafe, home security steps up.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Stop. This is SimpliSafe.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Police are on the way.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
Using AI alerts US based live agents help deter break ins. SimpliSafe no long term contracts. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com sxm or with
SimpliSafe Advertiser 4
promo code sxm Outdoor deterrence requires a SimpliSafe Active Guard outdoor protection plan starting at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee 2012 talk about regrets.
Morgan and Morgan Advertiser
We all know someone who's been in a car accident and said I don't need to call a lawyer or only to regret it after their pain and damages were worse than expected. When someone hurts you, you deserve to be compensated fairly. Morgan and Morgan is America's largest injury law firm fighting for the people for over 35 years injured. Visit forthepeople.com podcast that's forthepeople.com podcast their fee is free unless they win.
Gina Hinojosa
Thank you Governor. It's great to be with.
Andy Beshear
Isaiah Martin is a political commentator and digital media personality with more than 4.6 million followers across social media platforms. A former senior advisor to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Martin has built one of the largest online political audiences in the country through live streams, viral commentary, interviews and digital organizing. His nightly TikTok lives regularly bring in more than 30,000 viewers with audiences tuning in for real time analysis on politics, media, economics and current events. Known for his direct communication style and massive digital reach, Martin has become a leading Democratic voice in online media, generating hundreds of millions of views each month across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms. Isaiah, welcome to the podcast.
Isaiah Martin
It's good to be here. Governor, it's really an honor and a pleasure.
Andy Beshear
I want to talk about how you came to generate this platform, but I want to start with where you cut your teeth on politics, which is Texas. As we are recording this on this Tuesday, the President has just endorsed Ken Paxton in that Republican primary. Tell me the impact you think that has on the Senate race there, maybe even the governor's race.
Isaiah Martin
Yeah, you know, to be honest with you, Ken Paxton is a known commodity in Texas because he was impeached by Republicans, and he got to be a special kind of corrupt to be impeached by those folks down in Texas. So, I mean, this is really monumental because I think that what's happening in this country, people are really rising up against corruption in the government, and they really don't want to see that. You know, James Talarico, who's running against Kim Paxton, he's really made his campaign very strong against corruption. And I think that this is really going to be a big opportunity for Talarico to go pick up voters that might not traditionally be inside of the Democratic tent because they're frustrated with the current state of the government. So I think this is going to be a really big pickup for all of us in this country. And, you know, when it comes to the gubernatorial race, Gina Hinojosa is somebody who was a tremendous state rep from the Austin area. She's always been a very strong fighter on the economy as well as education, so many other issues. People know Gina, and I think they're really frustrated about the fact that property taxes in Texas, particularly have gone up substantially for many years, despite the fact that conservatives have been in power for the last 30 straight years. So I know Gina is really someone that can really take a stand against that. And, you know, while I'm not a Texan anymore, I can look over and see that between Talarico and Hinojosa, a lot of people are going to be excited to vote for them in November.
Andy Beshear
One of the criticisms in the Democratic Party is that we weren't fighting everywhere. We weren't pushing campaigns, especially in the south and in the Midwest. Yet here you've got a competitive Senate race and governor's race. And for folks that don't believe that this last week Barack Obama showed up to campaign in Texas. What do you think that means?
Isaiah Martin
You know, that's really massive because I think that if you look back at it, Barack Obama is probably the most popular. I was actually shocked when I saw this, the most popular politician in Texas, when they actually went back and looked at some of the polls where it is today. But look, President Obama is somebody that people understand as someone who represents strong American values. He gave so much, many millions of Americans, health care coverage and is really responsible for a lot of, you know, the health investment that people in Texas have been able to see for quite some time. So tell Rico. Going to go and campaign with President Obama, I think, is a really big push. I think is going to energize a lot of voters, particularly when it comes to November.
Andy Beshear
And if we stuck with Texas for a minute, this is where this crazy redistricting started, where the President said, texas, give me five seats, which is what he did. He didn't say the maps were unfair. He said, draw them in a way that gives me five seats. A guy that complains about an election being rigged, that is openly talking about rigging and an election. Since then, we've seen California respond in kind. Recently, we saw Virginia respond in kind with a vote from the people that the Supreme Court, primarily appointed from the last Republican governor overturned. Give our audience a state of where you think the House races are and what this redistricting has done and maybe what it means for democracy moving forward.
Isaiah Martin
Well, first off, you know, Atlas intel, which was the most accurate pollster of the 2024 election that predicted Trump's victory, as well as his victory in multiple swing states, has actually come out to say that Democrats are leading the national environment by more than 12 points. So with a lead that big, there's no amount of map origami these Republicans can do that's really going to be able to override the will. The people, people are frustrated with the fact that inflation is through the roof, the job market is absolutely in the toilet and everything is in the dumps and they're looking for people that's going to do something about it. So I feel really confident that we will be successful no matter the environment. With that being said, you know, look, you have in it still. Yet remains to be seen whether or not the republic going to reduce something in Alabama or whether or not they're going to actually be able to do something in Louisiana. We understand they are in the process of that. I think moving forward after the 2026 midterms, other blue states are going to have to step up and do the exact same thing that multiple of these red states have been doing. We have to see New York step up, we have to go see Colorado step up. We have to see other states like Oregon. Multiple states have to make sure and realize that, look, we don't like gerrymander because, look, the we, the Democrats put up a bill back, you know, many years ago, a couple years ago to go and ban gerrymandering in all states across the country. And the Republicans went and voted against it. So if the conservatives are saying that they do not support a national ban, we cannot operate under a two tiered system in which Republicans have full gerrymandering and blue states do not. I believe that with the national environment on our back, and if blue States go and redistrict the same way that Republicans are doing. We can really force these guys to the table and say, look, you're not going to have a shot at winning the House or really anything for a very long time. You need to go sign this piece of legislation to ban gerrymandering in all 50 states across the country. And I think that's really going to be something that all Americans can really get behind because it's really that time. You got to fight fire with fire to get there.
Andy Beshear
I think that'd be a great solution. I also think it's time for a fix the damn country constitutional amendment. The idea that we could have nonpartisan drawing of districts. For me, I think we ought to overturn Citizens United in the same one. I'm for term limits of everything. Congress, the Supreme Court, all of it.
Isaiah Martin
Yeah. You know, to be honest with you, you know, the money in politics is absolutely one of the most shameful things that we have going on for ourselves. But really, when you think about it, they don't have these problems when it comes to map origami in Canada. They don't have these issues in the uk. Right. This is an issue that we have in America because we literally have these guys just creating the most insane looking districts possible. So it needs to be, like I said, a complete gerrymandering ban and we need to go a step further. I love what you said, Governor Bashir. You got to get big money out of politics. Citizens United was the worst Supreme Court decision probably in the history of this country, dare I say it, because of what it's done to democracy. As a result of that, we got to get rid of that. We got to make sure we could pass them to get big money out. Because I think it's really important.
Andy Beshear
Tell me, the stripping away of the Voting Rights act, the Supreme Court decision recently, I believe it's bad for democracy. I believe that racism exists all over this country. But I admit it's something that I will never feel in a way that others can. Why don't you give voice to how you're feeling after that and what you think it means for the country in terms of representation and the voices that are at the table.
Isaiah Martin
You know, Governor, I think a lot about my grandparents. They're not here anymore, but they were born in the late 1910s and early 1920s, believe it or not. And, you know, they used to tell my mom these stories of how proud they were when the Voting Rights act got passed and they created a district where I grew up. In Houston that was eventually be represented by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who was a tremendous voice. Many people know her for the Watergate hearings, her amazing speeches at the dnc, also what she's done just for communities in general. And they talk about what that meant for them to see someone in office that looked like them, that reflected their values. They talk about how they always, it inspired them to go out and vote, to get their friends to go vote. And so when you look at what they're trying to do today, which is effectively to go and cut major cities 4 and 5 different ways to go and create these finagled districts to dilute voting power, that doesn't really make very much sense. Because if you really think about it, right, like if you look at the 9th district in Tennessee, which is the current one that Republicans just did, right, you know, they're cutting Memphis three different ways to go and create a district. And when you think about it, people in Memphis have completely different needs as a constituent than maybe that rural farmer that lives in the middle of Tennessee, that person that goes to the Grizzlies game every single day or sits in traffic and has to deal with, you know, the issues of living in the big city. They've got different issues than that person that is a farmer that is struggling with the tariffs that's going on. And they need a different set of different of advocates. And what's happening right now is that they are diluting the voice of the people that live in big cities to go and put them in these rural conservative areas. That's not something that's good for democracy. It's not good for our representation as a country. And I just think that fundamentally the only way that we get out of this is going to make sure that we have blue states that can step up and go and fight fire with fire. Because a one tiered system that is, I'm sorry, a two tiered system effectively where they can go and do whatever they want in these red states and we don't respond is a really big issue.
Andy Beshear
You're listening to the Andy Beshear podcast. My guest Isaiah Martin has talked about redistricting. Tell me, are you seeing what I'm seeing? And that's that I'm seeing people get fired up. They don't like Republicans cheating, trying to change the rules in the middle of the game. Believe the most recent decision on the Voting Rights act was simply political and are fired up at the Supreme Court too. Some think that this puts the Senate even more in play than it was before. Give us your thoughts?
Isaiah Martin
I'll tell you what. You know, I just got back from Alabama, Governor, and I just saw literally thousands and thousands and thousands of people lining up saying, I'm signing up to neighborhood captains. I'm going to go get my friends to go vote. I saw someone come up to me and say, isaiah, I watch you on social media. I don't know anything about politics, but I saw you were coming here today. So I want to go out and get my people to go and vote. That's the energy that people are seeing all across this country. So whether it's in states like Alabama or in states like Texas, where James Talarico is running a close race, Mary Pola in Alaska, you've got Sherrod Brown, that's running in Ohio, you've got Swiss. So many of these people that are running. Roy Cooper in North Carolina, I think that if we can take the energy about what's going on and really turn out people to the polls, we can really win a big majority when it comes to the United States Senate. But most importantly, holding power without doing anything with it means absolutely nothing. This is going to be an opportunity for us to go and really put a microscope on the corruption that's going on in this government, the stealing of money that's happening in this government. It's going to allow us to go and block the wasting of our tax dollars on wars that we don't support, on tariffs that are raising our prices. On all of these things. We can really put a stop to a lot of that stuff and bring relief to the American people. I think this is going to be a really big opportunity to show that, one, we can win big and two, govern effectively in this country.
Andy Beshear
For most of our listeners, this is probably not the first time they've gotten to see and hear from you, both your massive social media audience, but also a regular commentator on CNN and other shows. Tell me what gets you hyped up, to go and to argue and to push for what's right. And then tell me what it feels like to just own Scott Jennings over and over and over.
Isaiah Martin
You know, to be honest with you, it kind of feels like you're going into a sports game, literally is what it feels like. Like, I used to play basketball when I was little and, you know, I know what it's like to kind of get ready for a game. You put your headphones on, you know, you do your little thing. That's really what it feels like. You know, you walk in and I do a lot of preparation. I Study quite a bit for days and days and days before I go on there. So it really is a big test. And when I tell you when it comes to Scott and all these other conservatives, you know, they always come in with a very smug look on their face, but they always walk out looking pretty upset.
Andy Beshear
So that's what happens when you get dunked on.
Isaiah Martin
That's right. Posterized, as they say.
Andy Beshear
That's right. That's right. I want to talk a little bit about why you got in to all this. I know your dad had worked at General Motors, was laid off in 1997 during manufacturing cuts and you said that experience was formative about how you think about the world.
Isaiah Martin
Yeah, he was laid off by Lockheed. Yeah, he was laid off. I don't remember exactly what company it was, but yes, he was laid off. And ultimately it was a really rough time for my family and it was difficult because we didn't really know what the future would look like. And my dad eventually found a job on the east coast. And so it was really difficult because as a young kid you don't really understand like why your dad is kind of like leaving to go and work somewhere else. And my mom really had to go and step up and be there with us while my dad was doing so much hard work. And it's why it's so difficult to see a lot of the cuts that's happening right now that's resulting in so much job loss across this country. You know, when I think about what's happening, there's so many other kids that are going to have their parents have to go and work in different states and different places all around the country that are going to have to go through what I went through as a kid. And so that's why I take a lot of this stuff really personally. And when I go on things like CNN and I see these Republicans just so flippant about the unemployment rate going up or jobs being lost left and right. It just irritates me because so many people are going to be affected by that and a lot of people are not going to be as lucky as my dad was, you know, know to be able to find a job in another state. They're going to go a really long time, they might lose their house, they might lose their health insurance. So many things might happen. And I think we need more people in office that have more respect for the day to day struggles of everyday Americans instead of, you know, what's happening right now.
Andy Beshear
As you think about how you've built this online Audience, what do you think your breakthrough moment was?
John McConnell
Oh,
Isaiah Martin
you know, to be honest with you, I had a really unconventional route as a influencer. It took me a really long time to get any traction. I started about six years ago, and when I tell you I was posting for many years into the void, it felt like I was talking to a brick wall. I'd be posting and editing these videos. I'd be like, man, I'm spending so much time on this. And, like, no one's watching. But, you know, I just kept with it. And, you know, I post like, 4 times a day for many, many years. Eventually, you know, I started doing my TikTok lives at the actual request of my congresswoman, who told me that she thought that it would be pretty good content, which was interesting because, yeah, she was like 74 years old, you know, 72, 73, 74, something like that. And she was telling me that I should do this. I said, okay. I started doing it. Started to grow and grow and grow. The clips started doing well. But if I had to pinpoint to a singular moment would be my experience on Jubilee, which was an experience in which I debated 20 Republicans. I sat in a middle of a circle, literally in a warehouse, surrounded by 20 people that are all shouting at you and doing whatever, and I cooked them all. And so it was. It was a really interesting experience because a lot of people watched it, and it really grew my platform quite a bit. So it was a slow grind, but that, I think would be the slow.
Andy Beshear
What is the best post you've put out there that didn't gain traction that you still look back on today and say, how did that not take off?
Isaiah Martin
Oh, my gosh, there's so many of them. I mean, for, like, years, you know, I would probably say so in the very beginning, because I was still in Texas. I would do these countdowns to how long until Governor Abbott would lose, and I would make these countdowns, and I started doing it for a really long time and nobody was watching. And eventually I got a little bit of traction. And then when Governor Abbott won, I got just completely bombarded because the conservatives just found it after the fact and dunked them. So I would say that those would be something I wish I had a little bit more traction on because maybe some folks could have defended me at the time when I didn't really have that much following with.
Andy Beshear
With all those posts. Tell me about one you threw out there that if you could pull back, you would.
Isaiah Martin
Oh, my gosh, my mom is always calling me. My mom has A burner account. And she looks at all my post.
Andy Beshear
Does she read the comments you're being to me?
Isaiah Martin
Oh, yeah, all the time. She reads every comment. My mom, my dad. And so look, there's been some times where I've said some. Some very strong language. But to be honest with you, I don't really regret anything because I really pride myself on feeling and saying whatever I feel at the time. If it's harsh, it's harsh. It is what it is. And, you know, I would say that would probably be it. I'm sure maybe I've gotten the fact or so wrong or something, and for the sake of authenticity and being accurate, probably something in that regard. But in terms of just saying my opinions, I'm full sins.
Andy Beshear
Well, and you do more than say your opinions. You were actually arrested at the Texas State Capitol in a protest against the congressional gerrymander pushed by Abbott and Trump. Walk us through your decision to. To put yourself right there on the line.
Isaiah Martin
Yeah, you know, it was really interesting, Governor. I didn't really expect to get arrested that day. That wasn't really my. That wasn't my plan, you know. So just to set the scene, this was a really heated redistricting. Redistricting hearing in Texas. And they were trying to change the district that I currently lived in at the time. And I walked into the room and I see, you know, all the Republican legislators are sitting there on their phones. These grandmas are sitting there. They're telling their stories about what this means to them personally. And they were not listening. And it really ticked me off. So I went when it was my turn to speak, and I started speaking and they started to do the same thing, and I started to become more passionate and I started talking. And eventually they said that it was. I was out of town, and I was like, no, you need to listen. You need to listen to what the people of the state are saying because they're your constituents, too. And eventually they grabbed me out of my chair and they threw me to the ground. And I was like, oh, my gosh, like, what's happening? And I was like, what the heck is happening? So they throw me to the ground and they basically dragged me out of the room and they walked me outside the state capitol. I think at that point I thought that I was just going to be told, go somewhere else. Right? Go about your day. Then the arresting officer gets a call and he says, oh, you have to go to jail. And I said, jail? What do you mean I got to go to jail? He says, yeah, you Got to go to jail. I said, for what? He said, resisting arrest, which I never resist anything trespassing, which I was at a committee hearing that I was scheduled to speak at and interrupting a public proceeding. And I was like, well, this doesn't make any sense. So it took me to jail. I had never been to jail. You know, I had seen some YouTube videos or whatever about what jail is like, but I had never been. So I walk in there, and, you know, I'm in this jumpsuit, and I see all the inmates, and I'm thinking, screw it. If I'm being here, I'm gonna make some friends. So I said, what are y' all in here for? And they go, we're in here for various different things. And they said, what are you in here for? I said, the Republican government just had me arrested. And, oh, my gosh, like, literally, like, a little, like, circle. Like, wow. They were like, what's going on? And I swear to you, I did a town hall in jail. I started answering these questions, and people started asking me stuff like, how do tariffs work? Can they still vote? I started answering all these questions, and then eventually they moved me to basically solitary confinement, which was my own cell for basically about 24 additional hours. I was in there for a total of 30 hours, and my charges ended up getting dropped because so many people were calling the state and saying, this is absolutely wrong. This should not be a thing. I got released, and the very next day, I drove all the way back home to Houston, which is about two and a half hours away from where I was at the time. And those same Republican representatives that had me arrested were having a hearing. And I went to them again the very next day and told them that you cannot stop anything. You cannot stop the will of the people. I'm here today because of the strength of so many people that call on my behalf. And that strength and that energy is what we're going to use to take Republicans out of office.
Andy Beshear
So you don't need a lawyer hat to analyze that. You were arrested for expressing your freedom of speech. You were put in solitary for using your freedom of speech. So what I'm hearing is Texas Republicans don't believe in the First Amendment.
Isaiah Martin
No. Not even in the slightest? Not even the slightest.
Andy Beshear
What should our audience know about you?
Isaiah Martin
You know, I'm really somebody who I never give up. And so part of who I am, you know, I've had a variety of setbacks in my life. I've had a lot of challenges or whatever, but ultimately, I know that this country can be better. And so the reason why I go on social media every single day, the reason why I debate so much, is because I really believe that we have to spread our message a lot better. We have to talk about things. And I really do believe that if we use that energy, we can reach so many people to not just get in power. You know, I said this earlier, you can't get in power just to get in power. You got to get in power and do something with it, which is what you've done, Governor. And Kentucky, you've done an amazing job of that. But I'm somebody who believes that if we push through, we push our agenda, we can really make big change in this country. And I'm not going to stop until we get it.
Andy Beshear
Well, I'm glad we've got you in this fight. Let's close by telling our podcast family all the different ways they can follow you and hear even more insight.
Isaiah Martin
Absolutely. If you guys want to check me out, you can. At Isaiah R. Martin is a I a H R M A R T T I N that's on every social media platform, threads, Tick tock, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, whatever it is at Isaiah R. Martin. And I also do my nightly Tick Tock lives at pretty much Monday through Friday at 11:30, 11:45ish Eastern Time. It's pretty late. I do do it pretty late, but when you do it late you run into some crazy folks and it makes for some good conversation.
Andy Beshear
You can also catch him on numerous cable news and other shows owning the other side, especially Scott Jennings. Isaiah, thanks for joining the podcast.
Isaiah Martin
Absolutely. Thank you so much Governor for having me.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
Traditional home security only alerts you after a break in and that's too late. Simplisafe is changing that.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Stop. This is Simplisafe.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Police are on the way.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
We don't just alert, we stop crime before it starts. Simplisafe plans starting around a dollar a day safe if you 50% on your new system with professional monitoring@simplisafe.com sxm or with promo code sxm outdoor deterrence requires
SimpliSafe Advertiser 4
a Simplisafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection plan starting at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com licenses for alarm license information.
Gina Hinojosa
Tennessee 2012 let's check in on the SERTA counting sheep.
Isaiah Martin
Why aren't we counted anymore?
John McConnell
Well, the all new Certa Perfect sleeper
Isaiah Martin
has the Q4 support system that helps
John McConnell
relieve aches and back pain.
Isaiah Martin
We'll never get counted again.
John McConnell
Nope.
Gina Hinojosa
Save this Memorial Day shop at a Retailer near you.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
This is John Rabinowitz and John McConnell, the Johns. While Andy's out being the governor for the day, we have the pleasure to talk to people behind the scenes that make us look good every day. There's a team that no one knows about that makes John's bloopers gone. And so they're the ones who know when the lights. The lighting goes off, they fix it. When the audio needs one more pass, they fix it. And today, we're taking you behind the scenes so that you can learn who the most important people of the podcast are. So, Breland and Shai, I know they. I know you've been on the podcast in the past, whether it's interviews with Andy or it's Gen Z lingo. But I want to learn and the listeners want to learn what we do, what you do every day. So first off, welcome.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Thanks.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
And tell us how you make us look good every day.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
I mean, y' all do that. Y' all don't need us for that. But no, I mean, we come in, we make sure that all the audio set, we make sure the lighting's together, the camera's in the right positions. We make sure that the people that are remoting into the stream are on there, can hear what's going on. They can hear us, vice versa. So we just make sure that it's seamless, right? We make sure that if it's not, we make sure we have solutions to fix it if anything comes up.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
That's really. I don't know, John. That's how I would describe them is they solve problems. Because what people don't see is that many times as we're preparing to interview a guest, there's all kinds of logistical issues. There's sound issues, there's video issues. And I don't know how you guys do it, but you fix it.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Yeah, I mean, you said it, right? It's like problem solving. Like every issue is different, Right. Sometimes it could be something that maybe a fader is down on our end or maybe on their end. Like, they have mics that are in the AirPods that are in. But their computers reading a different mic. So it's like always trying to figure out and troubleshoot what's going on in real time to where it's, you know, you know, a seamless experience. Everybody on each end. Right.
John McConnell
I mean, well, shy Breland, when we first started looking, trying to talk to people to help us produce and have studios, just. Just so we're clear, John and Andy thought it was like two Cell phones up on something with like a halo lights. All you had to have to have a podcast so that clearly we were wrong. Clearly, clearly we were wrong. And I've got a question for you. I mean, when Breland first talked to you about coming on and this being a project, like, how did he approach that? Were you kind of like, we're gonna do what with who?
Breland
Yeah. So for me, it all started with like a Monday. So I met with them like the week before and they were like, just come back next Monday. We have this podcast going on and they didn't tell me anything about it. So, you know, I just walked in on a Monday.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Listen, she's a top secret.
Breland
It was. It really was. But I walked in on that Monday and I was like, no way. Like, I'm getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. Because for me to be a person that does production and stuff and learn on my own, it was like pretty cool to walk in and see like a big production, like already together and with the governor at that. So it was a. A special feeling for sure.
John McConnell
I'm really happy she said it was together.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Really good about that part, Breland, that's, you know, talking about production. Talk a little bit about your business, what you do. Yeah, John, how you. Maybe you chime in and say how you found Breland and his team and tell the listeners some other projects you've been working on.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Yeah. So, I mean, we've been rolling since 2016. Background was I went to Columbia in Chicago, stayed in film and production, and I always wanted to be in film. That was like, my dream is to do films and be in Hollywood and all the things. But in Kentucky, film wasn't what it is today, which is booming. And so I had to figure out other ways to get into production. And so TV production is where my. Where everything kind of went towards. Once I left Columbia, I would transfer to University of Louisville and ESPN was coming to town. We were just joined the ACC network. So there's so many games that had to be covered through University of Louisville. And so that was kind of my way of getting in and learning high quality live streams with espn, you know, then eventually got in with Derby and NBC and TVG and in horse racing. And that, that kind of, that background and high level, like live production is kind of is really where I learned how to like patch them together and do like live or multi camera productions and then worked my way into commercial production. And that's where the blend happened. Where, you know, when Covid happened, you Know, we started doing hybrid communications events and started doing commercial content for different brands. And from GE appliances to Kentucky Churchill Downs to we've done stuff with kfc, with Woodford Reserve. So it's just, we've done all works with all types of brands in town and, and small projects, a huge project. So. So, yeah, it's just, you know, it's kind of fun because every day is a different experience. Even though we have a camera, you never know where it's going to take you. So.
John McConnell
And Breland's company is media pros, just so we can put that out there for him.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Thanks.
John McConnell
And they do a good job. So I can hop back on how he met me.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Yes.
John McConnell
So I'll give a shout out to Susie Eastman. She, she is amazing and helped us find each other, helped us watch. Yes, she did.
Isaiah Martin
Right.
John McConnell
And Breland really didn't know who I was. He knew Susie. So we came to walk in. He did not know the content of what was going to be happening. And I went in and this is after I had already been to two or three other places in no particular order with Susie. And we walked in and we were there for what, 15, 20 minutes?
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Yeah.
John McConnell
Yeah. Well, it's because I knew it was the right one. So it, it didn't take that much time. I looked around, met everybody and I'm like, okay, we're, we're good. We're going to go make this happen.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Yeah. I mean, I never forget that moment. Like, you walked in, I'm like, the crew were all like, oh, we've got to like, get this place together. You know, Governor seems going to come through here. And you came through.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Said when you heard you were going to do a podcast for the Governor, what were your initial thoughts and did you have a vision for how the podcast would evolve?
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
I had. You know, I think a lot when opportunities arise, especially one as big as this one, like you, you, there's a part of you want to go with a plan, but there's also a part of like, you've got to be open minded.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Right.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Because it's like I can have my like, preconceived notions going into anything, but it could be totally different than what, like gov or what anyone would want. So for us, it was like, let's just try to set ourselves up for the first success. And so we, with that, the team, we like, hustle to make sure everything was together in the studio. We could show what we're capable of doing, our capabilities in real time, and just how we could really scale what this product is now. And even when we started the podcast, it's like it's not sending one logo or one option. It's like, how many different options can we send to make sure that we have our bases covered? Because like I said, I could think one thing is really nice, but maybe it might be more this look or that look. So it's just and what we do for us, a lot of what we try to set ourselves up for, especially the podcast, is trying different things, you know, and trying to get as creative as we can, end the quick turnarounds that we do, but also too just being consistent and trying to give people what they want to see and hear.
Andy Beshear
That's a wrap on this Texas sized edition of the Andy Beshear Podcast. Having Isaiah and Gina on on the same episode, two important voices who are at ground zero in this redistricting battle is special. And to Gina, if I mispronounced your last name once or twice, that's just my Kentucky accent. Everybody tune back in to the Andy Beshear Podcast next week. Remember, you can download it wherever you get your podcasts or listen to us on Sirius XM progress channel at 11am on Saturday mornings. See you next time. Boom. Clock it.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
Traditional home security only alerts you after a break in. And that's too late. Simplisafe is changing that.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 2
Stop. This is Simplisafe.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 3
Police are on the way.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 1
We don't just alert, we stop crime before it's too starts. Simplisafe plans starting around a dollar a day. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com sxm or with promo code sxm.
SimpliSafe Advertiser 4
Outdoor deterrence requires a Simplisafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection plan starting at 49 99amonth. Visit simplisafe. Com licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee2012.
Date: May 21, 2026
Governor Andy Beshear hosts Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and digital media influencer Isaiah Martin to discuss the prospect of Democrats flipping Texas blue. This episode explores what it means to “fight back” as a Democrat in historically red territories, focusing on grassroots momentum, political authenticity, redistricting, affordability, and energizing disaffected voters. Both guests share stories of personal risk-taking, resistance, and the moral urgency of defending democracy, with a special emphasis on recent redistricting battles and voter engagement efforts.
Guest: Gina Hinojosa, TX State Representative & gubernatorial candidate
Polls Show New Competitiveness: Gina highlights that current polling consistently puts her campaign within single digits of the incumbent, with leading margins among independents (+13), Latinos (+22), and voters under 25 (+49) ([02:22]).
Endorsements & National Stakes: Former President Barack Obama campaigned with Gina, underscoring the national implications of Texas’s coming growth — with four to five new congressional seats at stake.
Personal Motivation: An "Angry Mom" Driven by Public Education:
Gas Prices and Practical Relief:
Restoring the American Dream:
Quorum Breakers & Personal Risk:
Voter Turnout and Down-Ballot Coordination:
National Importance:
Guest: Isaiah Martin, political commentator and influencer
Corruption as a Mobilizer:
Obama’s Visit & Energizing Voters:
Fight “Fire with Fire”:
Supreme Court Decisions & Voter Suppression:
The New Democratic Coalition:
Building a Platform:
On School Vouchers:
"This is a state where we have enshrined in our Texas constitution that we support our public schools ... It is our identity as Texans." – Gina ([06:16])
On Courage and Resistance:
"I represent the people who elected me...not the governor or the speaker, and I'm not going to ask for permission to lead the way my constituents want me to lead." – Gina ([15:21])
On the Stakes of Texas Politics:
"Texas is so big that what we do here has implications across this country." – Gina ([19:00])
On Representation:
"It inspired them to go out and vote, to get their friends to go vote ... what's happening right now is that they are diluting the voice of the people..." – Isaiah ([32:47])
On Persistence:
"We didn't choose this moment in history, but it chose us in a big way. And that's why I'm running." – Gina ([20:45])
The tone throughout is candid, urgent, and hopeful—combining policy substance with personal anecdotes and humor. Both Gina and Isaiah share stories that humanize politics, promote resilience, and focus on practical action. Andy Beshear steers the conversation with warmth and political insight, striking a balance between seriousness and relatability.
This summary captures all essential ideas and exchanges, distilling vital takeaways for listeners eager to understand how Texas elections are poised to shape the nation's political future.