Texas’s Radical Roots—With David Griscom

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Texas’s Radical Roots—With David Griscom

Democratic US Congressional candidate James Talarico addresses supporters in Houston on July 19, 2026.

(Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Danny and Derek speak with David Griscom, cohost of Left Reckoning and author of The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South, to talk about the all-but-ignored history of left-wing politics in Texas. Topics include: the current state of Texas politics, the Farmers’ Alliance and the People’s Party, the Texas Socialist Party and its newspaper The Rebel, the role of religion in Texas socialism, and the prospects for socialism in modern-day Texas.

Along with the book and podcast, be sure to also check out David’s Substack, The Rattler.

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Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.