Democrats have an opening in Texas. Nearly half of Texas voters disapprove of Trump. Trump is no “hero” here. We have known for a while that it was just a matter of time before Texas turned purple. Many credit the change in demographics as the Latino population increases and more people move here from more liberal parts of the country.
Texas is growing, and while over half of the 15 fastest growing cities in the country are in Texas, the political shift will not occur simply because of changing demographics. Voter turnout in my state had been abysmal. In 2014, Texas was dead last in voter participation. But something significant happened in 2018. Voter participation increased by 18 percentage points. It will be an uphill battle, but Texas is winnable. Tackle these two issues, and Texas is in play:
Voter Apathy – the excitement around the 2018 senate race proved this. Beto O’Rourke often quipped that Texas isn’t a red state but rather a non-voting state. Pulling off a near-victory and helping flip one of the largest red counties in the country, my home of Harris Country, was a turning point for me. People from all walks of life were coming out in record numbers to vote blue. Why? Because they were visited and listened too. They weren’t written off because they lived in deep red communities that voted for Trump. Young people weren’t ignored in favor of more ‘reliable’ constituencies. College campuses were visited, small towns were visited—every nook and cranny of our vast state was visited, and the voters responded. At town hall meetings across the state, lifelong Democrats in deep red areas found that they weren’t the only ones; college kids got answers to their concerns about student loan debt and climate change. It seemed simple, but when Dems showed up for the people, the people showed up for Dems. Prior to 2018, Harris County, TX had only two elected African American female judges. Today, there are 19.
Equally important is the fight against voter suppression.
Before the 2018 midterms, and especially since then, the Texas legislature is going to extreme lengths to limit voter participation. The most odious being the elimination of straight party voting that will go into effect in 2020. In the past this would have been seen as just another oppressive tactic in an already oppressive, hopelessly red state, thus leading to more voter apathy. But this election season, I feel hope. These laws are all the Republicans have because they know the tide is turning. In 1944, Lonnie E. Smith (pictured below), won the landmark Smith v. Allwright case in which the Supreme Court ruled the Texas law allowing Democratic primaries to be reserved for whites only unconstitutional. Democrats who have been fighting voter suppression in Texas for decades. We will continue fighting, and in 2020 we can win.
All this sounds good, but seriously, is Texas in play?
Texas is in play. But this is a long game. Since 2018, local Democrats are more energized than we’ve been in decades. With the heart of Barbara Jordan, memory of Ann Richards and fierceness of Queen Bey (Beyonce), I am “fired up and ready to go”. These native daughters remind me that Texas is more than a red state dominated by “good old boys” scrambling to keep that status quo. We are a state with long-suffering Democrats and undaunted activists—and we are gearing up for 2020. I hope you will join us in the fight.
*Want to get involved? Check out the Texas Organizing Project.