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Democrat · Texas Senate, district 15

Serving since May 16, 2024TX 2025–26 session

Portrait of Molly Cook, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
3.2×
the State Senate Democrat rate of policy criticism

33% of 414 statements criticize a policy (137 statements); the average for State Senate Democrats is 10%. Ranks 13th of 329, where 1st is the highest rate.

An AI model reads each of Cook’s posts on X and marks whether it criticizes a specific policy, law or ruling. The rate is the share of statements marked; it is compared with the average among State Senate Democrats and ranked against the same group.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Democrats. Cook voted against the majority of Texas Senate Democrats 1,403 times; party unity 50%, in the bottom tenth of the Texas Senate (average 89%). Cook sits at −0.30 on the CSIP scale, more conservative than 92% of State Senate Democrats.

The measures on which Cook sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

Policy criticism

33%

State Senate Democrats average 10% · ranks 13th of 329

Party unity

50%

Texas Senate average 89% · ranks 27th of 28 · 1,403 votes against the majority of Texas Senate Democrats

CSIP ideology

−0.30

More conservative than 92% of State Senate Democrats · ± 0.02

Out of committee

44%

Texas Senate average 65% · ranks 26th of 28

Policy discussion

63%

State Senate Democrats average 43% · ranks 44th of 329

Talk-to-bills agreement

0.63

State Senate Democrats average 0.56 · ranks 59th of 228

Peer group: State Senate Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Cook, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Cook is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Cook says

Cook criticizes policies more than 96% of State Senate Democrats. Policy criticism in 33% of 414 statements, against 10% for the average State Senate Democrat; 13th of 329.

An AI model reads each of Cook’s 414 statements in the TX 2025–26 session (414 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Democrats and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the TX 2025–26 session

0%80%
Cook
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion260 statements
63%
43%
44th of 329
Policy criticism137 statements
33%
10%
13th of 329
Credit claiming37 statements
9%
16%
215th of 329
Bipartisanship10 statements
2%
3%
164th of 329
Personal attacks4 statements
1%
2%
133rd of 329
Show the data
Cook's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowCookPeers
Policy discussion63%43%
Policy criticism33%10%
Credit claiming9%16%
Bipartisanship2%3%
Personal attacks1%2%
414

statements classified

414 posts on X.

posts on X: 414 (100.0%)posts on X 414
Show the data
Cook's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X414
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Cook; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Democrats. A longer thick bar means Cook does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Cook used extreme labels in 0.7% of statements, below the peer average. 3 statements, most often aimed at ICE; peers 0.8%.

  1. “extreme”1
  2. “fascist”1

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

  1. ICE1
  2. Trump1
  3. Trump administration1
What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the TX 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 282025-02: 122025-03: 162025-04: 262025-05: 252025-06: 112025-07: 1532025-08: 182025-09: 92025-10: 142025-11: 62025-12: 122026-01: 112026-02: 42026-03: 22026-04: 152026-05: 122026-06: 152026-07: 102026-08: 82026-09: 32026-10: 4peak 153 · Jul ’25Personal attackspeak 11.1% · Aug ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: 0.0% of 28Personal attacks, 2025-02: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2025-03: 0.0% of 16Personal attacks, 2025-04: 0.0% of 26Personal attacks, 2025-05: 0.0% of 25Personal attacks, 2025-06: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-07: 0.0% of 153Personal attacks, 2025-08: 11.1% of 18Personal attacks, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-10: 0.0% of 14Personal attacks, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-12: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2026-01: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-04: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2026-05: 8.3% of 12Personal attacks, 2026-06: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2026-07: 0.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticismpeak 66.7% · Jun ’26 · latest 10.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: 17.9% of 28Policy criticism, 2025-02: 16.7% of 12Policy criticism, 2025-03: 18.8% of 16Policy criticism, 2025-04: 23.1% of 26Policy criticism, 2025-05: 28.0% of 25Policy criticism, 2025-06: 9.1% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-07: 51.6% of 153Policy criticism, 2025-08: 38.9% of 18Policy criticism, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-10: 14.3% of 14Policy criticism, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-12: 0.0% of 12Policy criticism, 2026-01: 0.0% of 11Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-04: 20.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2026-05: 41.7% of 12Policy criticism, 2026-06: 66.7% of 15Policy criticism, 2026-07: 10.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussionpeak 90.9% · Jan ’26 · latest 60.0%Policy discussion, 2025-01: 64.3% of 28Policy discussion, 2025-02: 50.0% of 12Policy discussion, 2025-03: 50.0% of 16Policy discussion, 2025-04: 50.0% of 26Policy discussion, 2025-05: 60.0% of 25Policy discussion, 2025-06: 45.5% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-07: 62.7% of 153Policy discussion, 2025-08: 61.1% of 18Policy discussion, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-10: 50.0% of 14Policy discussion, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-12: 75.0% of 12Policy discussion, 2026-01: 90.9% of 11Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-04: 73.3% of 15Policy discussion, 2026-05: 66.7% of 12Policy discussion, 2026-06: 86.7% of 15Policy discussion, 2026-07: 60.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanshippeak 18.2% · Jun ’25 · latest 0.0%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: 0.0% of 28Bipartisanship, 2025-02: 0.0% of 12Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 0.0% of 16Bipartisanship, 2025-04: 3.9% of 26Bipartisanship, 2025-05: 12.0% of 25Bipartisanship, 2025-06: 18.2% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-07: 2.0% of 153Bipartisanship, 2025-08: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-10: 0.0% of 14Bipartisanship, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-12: 8.3% of 12Bipartisanship, 2026-01: 0.0% of 11Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-04: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2026-05: 0.0% of 12Bipartisanship, 2026-06: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2026-07: 0.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claimingpeak 33.3% · Dec ’25 · latest 0.0%Credit claiming, 2025-01: 14.3% of 28Credit claiming, 2025-02: 25.0% of 12Credit claiming, 2025-03: 25.0% of 16Credit claiming, 2025-04: 19.2% of 26Credit claiming, 2025-05: 24.0% of 25Credit claiming, 2025-06: 27.3% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-07: 1.3% of 153Credit claiming, 2025-08: 11.1% of 18Credit claiming, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-10: 7.1% of 14Credit claiming, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-12: 33.3% of 12Credit claiming, 2026-01: 9.1% of 11Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-04: 6.7% of 15Credit claiming, 2026-05: 0.0% of 12Credit claiming, 2026-06: 0.0% of 15Credit claiming, 2026-07: 0.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labelspeak 8.3% · May ’26 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: 0.0% of 28Extreme labels, 2025-02: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 16Extreme labels, 2025-04: 0.0% of 26Extreme labels, 2025-05: 0.0% of 25Extreme labels, 2025-06: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-07: 0.0% of 153Extreme labels, 2025-08: 0.0% of 18Extreme labels, 2025-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-10: 0.0% of 14Extreme labels, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-12: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2026-01: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-04: 6.7% of 15Extreme labels, 2026-05: 8.3% of 12Extreme labels, 2026-06: 6.7% of 15Extreme labels, 2026-07: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Cook, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’25280.0%17.9%64.3%0.0%14.3%0.0%
Feb ’25120.0%16.7%50.0%0.0%25.0%0.0%
Mar ’25160.0%18.8%50.0%0.0%25.0%0.0%
Apr ’25260.0%23.1%50.0%3.9%19.2%0.0%
May ’25250.0%28.0%60.0%12.0%24.0%0.0%
Jun ’25110.0%9.1%45.5%18.2%27.3%0.0%
Jul ’251530.0%51.6%62.7%2.0%1.3%0.0%
Aug ’251811.1%38.9%61.1%0.0%11.1%0.0%
Sep ’259— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’25140.0%14.3%50.0%0.0%7.1%0.0%
Nov ’256— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Dec ’25120.0%0.0%75.0%8.3%33.3%0.0%
Jan ’26110.0%0.0%90.9%0.0%9.1%0.0%
Feb ’264— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’262— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’26150.0%20.0%73.3%0.0%6.7%6.7%
May ’26128.3%41.7%66.7%0.0%0.0%8.3%
Jun ’26150.0%66.7%86.7%0.0%0.0%6.7%
Jul ’26100.0%10.0%60.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Aug ’268— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’264— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the TX 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 7 months are hatched here.

In Cook’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Personal attacks

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Oct 10, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · personal attacks; policy discussion; Immigration; Crime and Law Enforcement; target: ICE · Source

Policy criticism

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Aug 4, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; Housing and Community Development; Government Operations and Politics · Source

Extreme label

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 23, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; Immigration; extreme label “extreme” aimed at ICE · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

  1. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · policy discussion · Immigration · Crime and Law Enforcement · target: ICESource

  2. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · policy criticism · policy discussion · Economics and Public Finance · Energy · International Affairs · target: TrumpSource

  3. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · policy criticism · policy discussion · Government Operations and Politics · Water Resources Development · target: leadersSource

  4. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · policy discussion · Water Resources Development · target: politiciansSource

All 414 statements

Newest first, the TX 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 414 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Government Operations and Politics is what Cook talks about most: 37% of policy statements, 2.6 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.63 on a 0–1 scale (State Senate Democrats average 0.56; 59th of 228).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Cook talks about. The bills Cook sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Cook talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the TX 2025–26 session

0%41%
Cook
Peers
Government Operations and Politics97 statements
37%
14%
Health52 statements
20%
17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues43 statements
17%
8%
Emergency Management28 statements
11%
4%
Education24 statements
9%
15%
Show the data
Policy areas Cook talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowCookPeers
Government Operations and Politics37%14%
Health20%17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues17%8%
Emergency Management11%4%
Education9%15%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Cook’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Democrats. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 41%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Democrats averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onGovernment Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 37% (State Senate Democrats 14%)37%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 9% (State Senate Democrats 8%)9%HealthHealth, talks about: 20% (State Senate Democrats 17%)20%Health, legislates on: 19% (State Senate Democrats 15%)19%Civil Rights and Liberties,Minority IssuesCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, talks about: 17% (State Senate Democrats 8%)17%Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, legislates on: 8% (State Senate Democrats 5%)8%Emergency ManagementEmergency Management, talks about: 11% (State Senate Democrats 4%)11%Emergency Management, legislates on: 3% (State Senate Democrats 1%)3%EducationEducation, talks about: 9% (State Senate Democrats 15%)9%Education, legislates on: 7% (State Senate Democrats 9%)7%
Show the data
Cook's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState Senate Democrats, talks aboutLegislates onState Senate Democrats, legislates on
Government Operations and Politics37%14%9%8%
Health20%17%19%15%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues17%8%8%5%
Emergency Management11%4%3%1%
Education9%15%7%9%
0.63

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State Senate Democrats average 0.56. Ranks 59th of 228.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Cook legislates on exactly the areas Cook talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Cook sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Cook sits at −0.30 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more conservative than 92% of State Senate Democrats. Approximate range −0.32 to −0.28, which understates the uncertainty; from 3,136 donors and 594 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

−0.30

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −0.32 to −0.28. From 3,136 donors and 594 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Cook −0.3State Senate Democrats −0.7Texas Senate +0.4All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Cook, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Cook’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Cook sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Democratsmedian −0.7Cook −0.3Texas Senatemedian +0.4All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Cook's CSIP score of −0.30 placed against State Senate Democrats, Texas Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Cook
State Senate Democrats825−0.792%
Texas Senate30+0.423%
All State Senate1909+0.140%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Cook in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Cook.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Cook reported $156.7K in the 2026 cycle, 2.8 times the State Senate Democrats’ median of $55.5K. State filings report no small-donation total. 93% of itemized individual money came from Texas.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$156.7K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 855 itemized donors. State Senate Democrats’ median $55.5K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)Individuals (itemized): $111.7K (71.3%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)PACs and other committees: $45.0K (28.7%)
  • Individuals (itemized)71 squares$111.7K
  • PACs and other committees29 squares$45.0K
Show the data
Sources of Cook's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$111.7K71.3%
PACs and other committees$45.0K28.7%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2022 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Democrats’ median for 2026.

2022 cycle: $163.1K$163.1K20222024 cycle: $1.0M$1.0M20242026 cycle: $156.7K$156.7K2026State Senate Democrats median $55.5K
Show the data
Cook's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Democrats median.
ItemValue
2022 cycle$163.1K
2024 cycle$1.0M
2026 cycle$156.7K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 93% came from Texas.

  1. Texas$103.4K
  2. California$1,416
  3. New York$894
  4. Washington$878
  5. Massachusetts$438

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: $188MEVermont: $280VTNew Hampshire: $48NHWashington: $878WAIdaho: $17IDMontana: $15MTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: $253MNIllinois: $115ILWisconsin: $11WIMichigan: $209MINew York: $894NYRhode Island: $19RIMassachusetts: $438MAOregon: $332ORNevada: $88NVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: $60SDIowa: $31IAIndiana: $25INOhio: $225OHPennsylvania: $431PANew Jersey: $95NJConnecticut: $84CTCalifornia: $1,416CAUtah: $30UTColorado: $177CONebraska: $10NEMissouri: $205MOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: $9WVVirginia: $144VAMaryland: $355MDDelaware: $10DEArizona: $151AZNew Mexico: $24NMKansas: $11KSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: $21TNNorth Carolina: $299NCSouth Carolina: $56SCDistrict of Columbia: $183DCOklahoma: $103OKLouisiana: $3LAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: $15ALGeorgia: $35GAHawaii: $107HITexas: $103.4KTXFlorida: $195FL
Show the data
Cook's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Texas$103.4K
California$1,416
New York$894
Washington$878
Massachusetts$438
Pennsylvania$431
Maryland$355
Oregon$332
North Carolina$299
Vermont$280
Minnesota$253
Ohio$225
Michigan$209
Missouri$205
Florida$195
Maine$188
District of Columbia$183
Colorado$177
Arizona$151
Virginia$144
Illinois$115
Hawaii$107
Oklahoma$103
New Jersey$95
Nevada$88
Connecticut$84
South Dakota$60
South Carolina$56
New Hampshire$48
Georgia$35
Iowa$31
Utah$30
Indiana$25
New Mexico$24
Tennessee$21
Rhode Island$19
Idaho$17
Alabama$15
Montana$15
Wisconsin$11
Kansas$11
Nebraska$10
Delaware$10
West Virginia$9
Louisiana$3
AlaskaNo data
North DakotaNo data
WyomingNo data
KentuckyNo data
ArkansasNo data
MississippiNo data
855

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

93%

from Texas

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is Texas. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. NOT EMPLOYED$31.7K 491 donors
  2. PHYSICIAN$13.4K 10 donors
  3. LAWYER$7,293 14 donors
  4. ATTORNEY$6,572 20 donors
  5. RETIRED$4,929 26 donors

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS POLITICAL ACTION FUND$5,000
  2. TEXAS TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION PAC$5,000
  3. TSAPAC$4,000
  4. NRG ENERGY INC PAC$3,000
  5. TEXANS FOR REASONABLE SOLUTIONS PAC$3,000

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. RICE UNIVERSITY$885 5 donors
  2. BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE$160 3 donors

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Cook voted with the majority of Texas Senate Democrats on 50% of party-line votes and missed 1.8% of 5,045 roll calls. Texas Senate on average: 89% party unity, 97.9% attendance. Across all roll calls, Cook voted against the majority of Texas Senate Democrats 1,403 times.

5,045 roll calls Cook could vote on in the TX 2025–26 session, compared with Texas Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Cook voted with the majority of Texas Senate Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

1,403

votes against the majority of Texas Senate Democrats

Party unity 50%, Texas Senate average 89%, ranks 27th of 28. 5,045 roll calls in the TX 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Cook, the thin grey bar the Texas Senate average. The scale runs from 50% to 100% to show the gap.

50%100%
Cook
Peers
Rank
Attendance
98.2%
97.9%
20th of 28
Party unity
50%
89%
27th of 28
Show the data
Cook's attendance and party unity against Texas Senate.
RowCookPeers
Attendance98.2%97.9%
Party unity50%89%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the TX 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Sep 4, 2025
HB 18
Relating to a restriction on the acceptance of political contributions and the making of certain political expenditures by a member of the legislature and certain political committees during certain periods in which a member is absent from a legislative session; authorizing a civil penalty.
final passage
NayWith majoritypassD 0–8 · R 18–0Democrats 0 yea, 8 nay; Republicans 18 yea, 0 naybecame law
Sep 3, 2025
HB 1
Relating to youth camp emergency plans and preparedness; authorizing penalties.
passage
NayAgainst majoritypassD 44–1 · R 46–37Democrats 44 yea, 1 nay; Republicans 46 yea, 37 naybecame law · party crossover · much discussed
Sep 3, 2025
SB 1
Relating to campground and youth camp safety.
passage
YeaWith majoritypassD 45–0 · R 76–8Democrats 45 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 76 yea, 8 naybecame law · much discussed
Sep 3, 2025
HB 8
Relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings, and interventions
passage
YeaAgainst majoritypassD 1–40 · R 78–7Democrats 1 yea, 40 nay; Republicans 78 yea, 7 naybecame law · much discussed
Sep 3, 2025
HB 18
Relating to a restriction on the acceptance of political contributions and the making of certain political expenditures by a member of the legislature and certain political committees during certain periods in which a member is absent from a legislative session; authorizing a civil penalty.
passage
NayWith majoritypassD 0–8 · R 18–0Democrats 0 yea, 8 nay; Republicans 18 yea, 0 naybecame law
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Cook most often

  1. Sarah EckhardtD1,259 shared votes92%
  2. Roland GutierrezD1,238 shared votes83%
  3. Borris MilesD1,239 shared votes80%
  4. Carol AlvaradoD1,287 shared votes80%
  5. José MenéndezD1,261 shared votes80%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Cook least often

  1. Bryan HughesR1,287 shared votes8.8%
  2. Mayes MiddletonR1,288 shared votes16%
  3. Brandon CreightonR1,285 shared votes22%
  4. Kevin SparksR1,288 shared votes22%
  5. Brent HagenbuchR1,288 shared votes23%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

TX 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Cook sponsored 188 bills in the TX 2025–26 session; 23 became law. Cosponsored 42 others. 44% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Texas Senate average 65%; 26th of 28).

The bills Cook sponsored and cosponsored in the TX 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the TX 2025–26 session

Sponsored188 billsSponsored, Introduced: 188188Sponsored, In committee: 176176Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 8383Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 2727Sponsored, Became law: 2323Cosponsored42 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 4242Cosponsored, In committee: 4242Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 3535Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 2828Cosponsored, Became law: 2525IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Cook sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored188176832723
Cosponsored4242352825
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Cook sponsored, ochre blocks bills Cook cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

44%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Texas Senate average 65%. Ranks 26th of 28.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Cook, by number of shared bills in the TX 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Carol Alvarado53
  2. Sarah Eckhardt52
  3. Royce West44
  4. Borris Miles41
  5. César Blanco37
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Cook’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
SB 42Relating to exceptions to certain laws prohibiting abortion.SponsorAug 18, 2025IntroducedCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Filed Aug 18, 2025
SB 43Relating to exceptions to and the repeal of certain laws prohibiting abortion.SponsorAug 18, 2025IntroducedCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Filed Aug 18, 2025
SB 1Relating to campground and youth camp safety.CosponsorAug 18, 2025Became lawEmergency Management(model)Effective immediately Sep 5, 2025
SB 8Relating to the designation and use of certain spaces and facilities according to sex; authorizing a civil penalty and a private civil right of action.CosponsorAug 15, 2025Became lawCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sep 22, 2025
SB 5Relating to making supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and preparedness and giving direction and adjustment authority regarding those appropriations.CosponsorAug 15, 2025Became lawEmergency Management(model)Effective immediately Sep 18, 2025

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that changed 1 time in 90 days. Cook’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Cook’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Cook posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Cook posted

No images from Cook’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

No transcribed state floor speeches are matched to this legislator yet.

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Cook is most unusual among State Senate Democrats, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
06aed58e-f403-43a5-b4b9-8785a4acf981
Open States
ocd-person/06aed58e-f403-43a5-b4b9-8785a4acf981

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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