Star-Telegram opinion roundup: Tech’s QB saga, Gina Hinojosa’s campaign and more

Recent opinion columns from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tackle college football ethics, the role of schools in a long-shot governor’s race, Dallas regional politics, the U.S. Senate fight and a Fort Worth entrepreneurial success story. Here’s a quick guide to the latest commentary from local voices.

• Ryan J. Rusak argues that Texas Tech is sacrificing its integrity to protect transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who gambled on his own sport and team before a Tarrant County judge ordered the NCAA to let him play. Rusak skewers head coach Joey McGuire for defending the move by noting “it’s not murder, it’s not beating somebody,” and draws a sharp parallel to Maine Democrats backing a flawed Senate candidate — warning that institutions crumble when leaders refuse to draw ethical lines.
• Bud Kennedy explores whether Democrat Gina Hinojosa can pull off a historic upset by betting her gubernatorial campaign on anger over Texas public schools. Kennedy notes that the education vote hasn’t decided a Texas race in 40 years, but former Republican state Rep. Glenn Rogers tells him that November could break that streak as Hinojosa hammers Gov. Greg Abbott over vouchers, tight school funding and state takeovers — and vows to fire Education Commissioner Mike Morath on day one.
• In another column, Kennedy takes Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson to task for treating suburban success as an “existential threat” instead of celebrating regional wins. With the Mavericks moving to a site still 5 miles closer to downtown Dallas than to Frisco, Kennedy argues Johnson should take the victory — and contrasts his insular stance with former Mayor Mike Rawlings, who promoted Dallas as part of “a much bigger city called DFW.”
• Rusak breaks down the new shape of the Texas U.S. Senate race in a rundown of the general election fight between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton. He examines Sen. John Cornyn’s lukewarm support for Paxton after their bruising primary, Mike Pence’s refusal to endorse, and the strange turn the race has taken toward scrutinizing Talarico’s girlfriend — testing whether “anti-woke” attacks still land in a state battered by inflation and presidential unpopularity.
• Elyse Dickerson, CEO and co-founder of eosera, shares how she built a Fort Worth ear-care company from scratch after losing her Alcon job in 2015. Her firm now manufactures every liquid product in Fort Worth, employs about 40 people and sells in 28,000 stores including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens — and she credits TechFW, the city’s tech incubator turning 25 this year, with providing the lab access and manufacturing guidance that made it all possible.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.