{"id":456075,"date":"2026-10-04T10:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T10:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/456075\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T10:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T10:44:08","slug":"ms-now-connects-blue-dots-at-texas-fan-event-i-always-feel-hope-when-i-watch-them-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/456075\/","title":{"rendered":"MS Now connects \u2018blue dots\u2019 at Texas fan event: \u2018I always feel hope when I watch them\u2019 | Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2024, Donald Trump and JD Vance carried Tarrant county, Texas<\/a>, by 42,125 votes. So why, on the afternoon of 26 September, was the arena at the University of Texas-Arlington filled with nearly 5,000 super fans cheering for liberal media darlings Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O\u2019Donnell like they were rock stars?<\/p>\n

After two years of hosting the network\u2019s annual fan event in dark blue New York City, MS Now<\/a> (formerly MSNBC) got wind that something was happening in Texas. The state, which hasn\u2019t elected a Democrat to the US Senate in 37 years, might do so next month, when 37-year-old James Talarico, Texas state representative, goes up against the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, a well-known but controversial figure who ousted incumbent John Cornyn in the party\u2019s primary with Donald Trump\u2019s backing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to be bigger and bolder. We wanted to go to a story that really matters (and this is one of the most important stories of the season), and we wanted to keep growing our live events business,\u201d Marcus Mabry, senior vice-president of content strategy for MS Now, said in an interview. And, he noted, \u201ceverything is bigger in Texas\u201d.<\/p>\n

While MS Now has a relative monopoly on older liberal Americans who still watch linear television, the network sees potential outside of its traditional coastal strongholds \u2013 much like the national Democratic party. Several MS Now hosts hinted at that growth opportunity in their on-stage remarks throughout the day\u2019s programming.<\/p>\n

Rachel Maddow hosts a discussion at MS Now\u2019s annual live fan in Texas on 26 September 2026. Photograph: Amy Mikler Kenyon\/Amy Mikler Kenon\/MS NOW \u00a9 Versant Media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say, in the state of Texas, you might have a lot of neighbors that don\u2019t vote like you, but it doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t tomorrow,\u201d Stephanie Ruhle, an MS Now host, told the crowd. \u201cI met so many people today whose eyes were filled with tears, and they said: \u2018I\u2019m the sole blue dot in Texas.\u2019 How great that you are outstanding. How great that you are a special voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as Mabry put it: \u201cI think right now the opportunity for any journalism in the country is to stop speaking red and blue, and to start speaking to people as individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a holding room before his on-stage interview with Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia state representative, Chris Hayes, an MS Now host, said viewers seem to be more \u201clocked into the news\u201d lately after a period of post-election malaise (and softer television ratings<\/a>) in late 2024 and early 2025, particularly now that Democrats face good odds in next month\u2019s midterm elections. \u201cThere are thousands and thousands of people here \u2013 in the middle of Texas,\u201d he said of the event.<\/p>\n

Comparing the vibes with the months after Trump took office, \u201cit feels like another world. \u2026 We\u2019ve had the most intense stress test in the American constitutional republic in my lifetime, and I don\u2019t think anything is determined yet, but it certainly feels better than a year and a half ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The network is feeling that surge of interest. So far this year, MS Now\u2019s primetime lineup is averaging 1.3 million viewers, up 11% from 2025. The network has seen an even bigger increase among viewers aged 25 to 54, the demographic most prized by advertisers.<\/p>\n

Chris Hayes smiles with fans at MS Now\u2019s live fan event in Texas on 26 September 2026. Photograph: MS Now<\/p>\n

The event \u2013 Together In Texas: We the People 2026 \u2013 also served as something of an in-person illustration of the network\u2019s first major direct-to-consumer offering, a membership plan \u2013 for $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually \u2013 that gives subscribers access to two daily Q&As with top hosts and reporters, a moderated discussion community for members, exclusive content, a curated daily briefing and even a collection of guided meditations. (Those in the Founders tier of the membership program had access to a special lounge at the event space.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still telling the audience what they need to know, but we\u2019re also asking them, \u2018What do you want to know, and how can we actually have a relationship where we actually are more than just delivering news to you as the voice of god,\u2019 which fewer and fewer audience actually wants,\u201d Mabry said. \u201cI hope our business is learning that, because that\u2019s the only way we survive. And we have to survive \u2013 it\u2019s important for democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

With MS Now leaning into direct-to-customer products, fan service was the name of the game at the event. At one point, Rebecca Kutler, the network president, happily agreed to photograph several attendees who wanted to take photos with Laura Barr\u00f3n-L\u00f3pez, MS Now White House correspondent, after a panel on the network\u2019s expulsion from the building \u2013 seemingly without realizing who their amateur photographer was. \u201cI\u2019ll do any job!\u201d Kutler told the Guardian.<\/p>\n

Ruhle served as the event\u2019s unofficial \u201ccheerleader\u201d, as one attendee said, hyping up the crowd and taking photos with fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the people that we work for,\u201d she said in an interview. \u201cWhen you talk about the media being disconnected from the people, we are no longer \u2013 or we shouldn\u2019t be \u2013\u00a0in the presentation business. No longer should we be sitting in newsrooms deciding here\u2019s what we\u2019re going to make or here\u2019s how it has to look.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie Ruhle in the crowd at MS Now Together in Texas. Photograph: Amy Mikler\/MS Now<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a political rally,\u201d Ruhle said of the event. \u201cThis is what America is \u2026 These people make our shows better. Why wouldn\u2019t you want to be with them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of the event, several attendees said it was a no-brainer for MS Now to host the event in Texas \u2013 and said they were committed to watching the network as a purveyor of both reliable information and a much-needed sense of optimism.<\/p>\n

Ronnie Thomas, a 47-year-old Dallas resident who works in automotive sales, said he was \u201cvery happy\u201d to be able to see Maddow and his other favorite hosts with only a short drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like getting more of the truth,\u201d his wife Rachael, also 47, said. \u201cAnd it feels like they are closer to what the true state of things are compared to some of the things we see on other stations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Republican Leslie Lesher, 73, and her spouse Joni Dennis, 68, said they watch MS Now \u201calmost all day\u201d every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are our favorite people,\u201d Lesher said. \u201cI know they have knowledge that we don\u2019t have. I always feel hope when I watch them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruhle shared her sentiments. \u201cA lot of people are scared about the state of the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re scared of the state of democracy. And I just think we\u2019re all in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2024, Donald Trump and JD Vance carried Tarrant county, Texas, by 42,125 votes. So why, on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-456075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}