GOP Pushing for Paxton to Win in Texas
Speakers
Ray Washburne
— CEO, Charter Holdings
Summary
Ray Washburne discusses Republican prospects in the Texas Senate race, the Dallas convention, Trump administration messaging, and the politics of data centers and energy costs. On markets, he expects retail gasoline prices to ease into autumn after seasonal peak demand.
- Washburne expects Ken Paxton's Senate campaign to receive more super PAC money and run wall-to-wall ads.
- Republicans view Texas as a strong statewide stronghold and point to Governor Abbott's popularity in the Rio Grande Valley.
- He says the convention is meant to showcase Trump administration successes and Republican candidates.
- On data centers, he frames opposition as NIMBYism and says urban voters are less focused on the issue.
- On energy, he says US refineries are near 98 percent capacity and new refinery construction is a multi-year regulatory issue.
- He expects retail gasoline prices to drift lower through fall after seasonal demand peaks.
Ideas
Gasoline prices should drift down into fall.
US gasoline demand reached its seasonal peak about two to three weeks ago, and with peak driving demand now rolling off, retail gasoline prices should drift down through the fall even though crude-related geopolitical risks remain.
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This Bloomberg Markets video, published September 09, 2026, features Ray Washburne discussing UGA. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers: Ray Washburne · Tickers: UGA