Pizza & Politics

Topic: Voting trends and what they can tell us about the 2026 election cycle

Speakers:

Dr. Ross Hunt 

Ross translates high-level strategies into tactics that transform public opinion. With over a decade and a half of experience in survey research, data analytics, and campaign management, he has run polls in all 50 states and targeted voters from Newport News in Virginia to the Central Valley of California.

As co-founder of the largest political consulting firm in the Lone Star State, Ross pioneered a new approach to survey research and modeling, taking advanced techniques of survey research and voter modeling that had previously only been used for federal races and bringing them down ballot.

Ross is founding Hunt Research to bring those same cutting-edge survey tools, voter scoring, and audience creation to candidates, committees, causes and companies all around the nation. Ross lives with his better half and their two beautiful children in Dallas, TX. He and his family can often be found hiking the Mountain West or reading Plutarch or Xenophon. Ross is a graduate of St. John’s College, and he received his Ph.D. in Political Theory from the University of Dallas in 2016. He is a 2017 Lincoln Fellow of the Claremont Institute. He is also an amateur marathon runner, having won the Fort Worth Marathon in 2021.

Dr. Sergio Garcia-Rios

Dr. Garcia-Rios was born and raised in Durango, México, but considers El Paso, Texas, his second home. His research investigates the formation and transformation of Latino identities as well as the political implications of these transformations. He also examines voter turnout, political participation and public opinion, especially among Latino immigrants.

Dr. Garcia-Rios's other academic interests include issues related to Latinos and the Voting Rights Act, border issues and border research, and the politics of Mexico. He served as Director of Polling and Data at Univision News.

Together We Dine

Partners:

Common Ground USA

Project Unity

UT School of Civic Leadership 

The Patman Center for Civic and Political Engagement at the LBJ School of Public Affairs

Topic: Special legislative session recap

Speaker:

Brad Johnson

Brad Johnson is a senior reporter and managing editor for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He covers Texas politics along with a focus on fiscal and energy policy.

Topic: Turning the interviewer into the interviewee

Speaker:

Evan Smith

Evan Smith is a senior advisor at Emerson Collective, working closely with journalists and funders around the country to support local news. He’s also a professor of practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches a course on the politics and issues of the moment. He previously spent more than thirteen years at The Texas Tribune, which he co-founded and led as CEO, and nearly eighteen years at Texas Monthly, including nine years as editor in chief and a year as president. Evan is the host of “Overheard with Evan Smith,” a weekly half-hour interview program that airs on PBS stations from coast to coast. He serves on the boards of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, the Austin Film Society, and the LBJ Foundation. A native of New York, he's a graduate of Hamilton College, which awarded him an honorary degree in 2023, and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which inducted him into its Hall of Achievement in 2006.

Election Night Watch Party

Topic: Political strategy in the upcoming election

Speaker:

Paul Begala

He has been a leading Democratic political commentator for over 22 years in cable news and online media. Begala is currently a Scholar with the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and has previously taught at three universities: The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught in the School of Journalism; the University of Georgia, where he taught in the School of Law; and Georgetown University, where he was an Affiliated Professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy. He is also a regular guest lecturer at the National War College. Begala is the author of six books about politics, several of which were New York Times bestsellers. In the 1990’s he helped his friend John F. Kennedy, Jr. launch the political magazine George and wrote the “Capitol Hillbilly” column.

Begala served in 1992 as a senior strategist for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign and as Counselor to the President in the White House, helping coordinate policy, politics, and media. Before working for Pres. Clinton, Begala worked on Capitol Hill and advised campaigns across America. In 2012 he played a crucial role in the Obama-Biden re-election campaign. He has also done campaign work overseas, including in Israel, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Presidential Debate Watch Party

Topic: The journey to award-winning journalism 

Speaker:

Russell Gold

Russell Gold is an award-winning investigative journalist at Texas Monthly. He is the author of two books (The Boom and Superpower), a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of a Peabody Award. He covered energy for the Wall Street Journal for 20 years.

Topic: The future of political parties

Speaker:

Mike Rawlings

Mike Rawlings was the 61st mayor of Dallas, and the longest-serving mayor in 57 years. Serving eight years he focused on spurring economic development in the long-overlooked southern portion of Dallas through his GrowSouth initiative, improving public education, combatting poverty and domestic violence, developing parks, elevating the city’s international profile, and turning Dallas into a top destination for artists, young professionals, families, and corporations. Public service has long been important to Mayor Rawlings. In the years before his 2011 election as mayor, he served as the Chair of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau (VIsitDallas), the city’s Homeless Czar (winning the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Award for Innovation) and the president of the Dallas Park Board. Voters re-elected Mayor Rawlings by a wide margin in 2015 to his second and final four-year term. He currently serves as CIC Partners Vice Chairman and invests in and counsels several small to mid-size companies that are in the CIC Partners portfolio. He is on the Board of Directors of the Hoblitzelle Foundation and a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas.

Topic: The bridge between tech companies and political policy

Speakers:

Ted Delisi 

Ted began his career in electoral politics by successfully directing two State Senate campaigns, which proved decisive in achieving a Republican majority in the Texas Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. Ted then assisted the first Republican Hispanic candidate to win statewide office in Texas, helping Tony Garza through a successful primary and general election. Ted also served as press secretary and communications director for then-Attorney General John Cornyn, where he managed a large communications and speechwriting staff. In 2002, Ted served as the general consultant and chief strategist for John Cornyn’s successful campaign for U.S. Senate. He additionally served as the direct mail consultant for Governor Perry’s 2002 and 2006 elections. Ted has continued to serve as a successful political strategist for a variety of political and, increasingly, corporate clients. His recent work includes directing the bipartisan “Yes on 12” lawsuit constitutional amendment on medical liability reform. As a partner in Delisi Communications, Ted provides turnkey solutions for corporate government relations and public relations efforts.

Linda Moore

As President and CEO, Linda leads at the intersection of business, policy, and politics, bringing together CEOs, policymakers, business leaders, and technology experts to develop policy and drive outcomes to ensure the U.S. wins the next era of innovation. During her tenure, TechNet has become what WIRED magazine described as “tech’s most powerful advocacy group.” In recent years, TechNet has worked with Congress and the Biden administration to lay the foundation for reclaiming America’s global leadership in innovation. Drawing on her years of experience in national political campaigns, Linda established TechNet’s award-winning 50-state advocacy program, which is unparalleled in size and expertise among trade associations. A veteran of The White House, Capitol Hill, and five presidential campaigns, Linda has a long history in moderate Democratic politics. She served as Field Director for the Democratic Leadership Council, Deputy Political Director of the Clinton White House, and Senior Advisor to Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. Linda has been named a “Top Lobbyist” by The Hill newspaper and the Institute of Lobbying and Ethics. A native Texan, Linda is a 1984 graduate of the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and is a member of the Advisory Council of UT’s Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life.

Topic: Political implications of the escalated conflict between Israel and Hamas

Speaker:

Stephen Slick

Stephen B. Slick is the Director of UT’s Intelligence Studies Project, a joint project of the LBJ School’s Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Clements Center for History, Strategy, and Statecraft. Steve Slick served 28 years as a member of the CIA’s clandestine service, including service from 2009 to 2014 as the chief of station in a Middle Eastern capital. Prior to that he served as special assistant to the president and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs and Reform on the staff of the National Security Council.

Topic: Sorting through disinformation as technology advances

Speakers:

Jehmu Greene

Co-founder and CEO of We Defend Truth, an organization battling online disinformation; a founding board member of VoteRunLead, an organization inspiring women to careers in politics; a former political analyst on Fox News Channel; and former President of Rock the Vote. Jehmu began her career in politics working for Ann Richards and as chair of Texas Young Democrats.

Bryan Jones

A tech entrepreneur with a diverse background in commerce, healthcare, and advertising. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Tech Policy Press, a non-profit dedicated to advancing a pro-democracy movement within the tech and tech policy sectors. He previously held the role of Chairman at Stand Up Republic, an organization founded by former Republican Presidential candidate Evan McMullin, committed to promoting liberty, equality, and truth in America. Bryan also holds positions as a cybersecurity fellow at the LBJ School's Strauss Center for National Security and as an adjunct professor at UT Law School.