What We Know About NPR's Interview on Texas Economic Populism

NPR broadcast an interview on Nov. 7 in which host Rob Schmitz spoke with Austin-based political commentator David Griscom about the state's long and, according to the segment's framing, often forgotten tradition of economic populism, according to NPR. Griscom is the author of a book titled "The Myth of Red Texas," which NPR describes as telling the story of that populist tradition.

Who is David Griscom?

NPR identifies Griscom as a political commentator based in Austin. The network's segment does not provide additional biographical detail beyond his location and his authorship of "The Myth of Red Texas," so readers looking for a fuller professional history will need to consult the book itself or Griscom's own public materials.

What is "The Myth of Red Texas" about?

According to NPR, the book tells the story of economic populism in Texas. The title itself signals the book's central argument: that the state's current reputation as reliably conservative obscures a more complicated political past, one in which populist economic movements shaped Texas politics in ways that are not widely remembered today. NPR's framing of the conversation — built around the idea of a "surprising and often forgotten history" — suggests the book is making the case that Texas's political identity has shifted over time rather than remaining fixed.

The interview itself, as aired, is the primary source for that framing. NPR's own description does not detail specific chapters, dates, or figures from the book, so this piece does not attribute historical specifics to Griscom's text beyond what NPR has confirmed: that it addresses economic populism in Texas and challenges assumptions about the state's political character.

What does "economic populism" mean in this context?

In broad political usage, economic populism refers to movements and policies centered on economic grievances — often framed as ordinary people or farmers and workers against concentrated economic power, whether in banking, railroads, or other large institutions. NPR's segment does not define the term further in the material provided, but the pairing of "economic populism" with "Texas tradition" in the show's own headline indicates the conversation treats this as a historical through-line in the state rather than a recent phenomenon.

Because the interview transcript and book contents beyond the stated premise are not part of the material reviewed for this report, specific historical episodes, leaders, or dates that Griscom may discuss on air are not detailed here. Listeners seeking those particulars should go to the original broadcast.

Why is this surfacing now?

NPR aired the conversation on Nov. 7, 2026, timing that places it amid ongoing national debate over how individual states' political identities are characterized in media and polling. The segment's own title — framing the history as "surprising" and "often forgotten" — positions the interview as a corrective to a prevailing narrative about Texas, without NPR's description specifying what prompted the timing of the book's publication or the interview itself.

Where can listeners hear the full interview?

The complete conversation between Schmitz and Griscom is available through NPR's original broadcast page, which includes the audio of the segment. That page is the authoritative source for Griscom's specific claims about Texas political history, the contents of "The Myth of Red Texas," and any examples or figures he cites in discussing the state's populist past. Readers interested in the book's full argument — including any specific historical episodes, political figures, or policy fights Griscom treats as evidence of a populist tradition — should consult the book directly, as those details fall outside what NPR's segment description makes available.

What is confirmed, based on NPR's reporting, is limited but specific: an NPR host interviewed an Austin-based commentator and author about a book explicitly concerned with reframing how Texas's political history, particularly around economic populism, is understood. Beyond that framing, the particulars of Griscom's argument are told in his own words on the broadcast and in his book.