This has been one helluva Weekend of Action as Texas Democrats fight to take back our state House and, in so doing, prevent Republicans from ramming through yet another gerrymander and holding onto power for another decade. In 2018, we flipped a whopping 12 state House seats from red to blue; this year, we must flip just 9 more districts to gain control of our House of Representatives!
To help flip the Texas House to blue, a donor is offering to match donations to 18 Democratic candidates running in competitive state House districts, 4 of which are open after the scare we put into those Republican incumbents in 2018:
Yep, we only need to flip 9, but we have (at least) twice that number of flippable districts this year!
Earlier this month, Daily Kos endorsed 10 of these Texas candidates to take back the House: “Finally, there’s Texas. Yes, Texas. Democrats have a real shot at reclaiming the state House for the first time in almost 20 years, thanks to an ongoing rebellion in once-red suburbs against the GOP’s hideous transformation under Trump. If we win, then the entire Republican agenda in the second-largest state in the nation will come crashing to a halt. It’ll be a political earthquake like none other. Let’s make ‘em tremble.” I wholeheartedly endorse that sentiment.
All 18 candidates on the donor’s match list have been endorsed by Forward Majority: National Democratic group to spend $6.2 million in effort to flip the Texas House (Texas Tribune)
Forward Majority plans to spend $6.2 million across 18 races that will likely determine who controls the lower chamber in January, according to an announcement first shared with The Texas Tribune. The money will go toward TV ads, digital ads and mail in each district.
"We have a once in a generation opportunity to establish a Democratic majority ahead of redistricting and cement Texas’ status as the biggest battleground state in the country,” Forward Majority spokesperson Ben Wexler-Waite said in a statement.
Democrats are currently nine seats away from the House majority — and growing confident in their chances of capturing the chamber. They have a released a slew of internal polls in recent weeks showing close races in many of their targeted districts, with the Democratic nominees clearly ahead in some.
Here’s the list of all 18 candidates (with links to their campaign sites) who qualify for the match offer:
GREATER HOUSTON AREA (6 CANDIDATES):
- HD-26: Sarah DeMerchant (HD 47.6%, Beto won in 2018) — This Fort Bend County seat is open because the Republican incumbent, who was first elected in 2012, has retired after DeMerchant came so close to beating him in 2018. @SarahDFtBend
- HD-28: Eliz Markowitz (HD 45.8%, Beto 48.1% in 2018) — In early 2020, there was a Special Election for this seat because the Republican incumbent, who was first elected in 2006, retired in 2019. The Republican who won this year’s Special Election is running again. @ElizMarkowitz
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HD-29: Travis Boldt (HD no D candidate, Beto 47% in 2018) — Yep, we didn’t have a candidate for this Brazoria County seat in 2018, but Beto still won 47% of the vote thanks to volunteers like Boldt, who was Chair of the Beto for Texas Grassroots HQ in Pearland! Boldt then stepped up to run for his HD in 2020.
- HD-126: Natali Hurtado (HD 45.2%, Beto 47.8% in 2018) — Hurtado worked hard to flip this Harris County district in 2018, and she’s back to finish the job this year!
- HD-134: Ann Johnson (HD 46.8%, Beto won in 2018) — Johnson’s Republican opponent, who has held this Harris County seat since 2010, remained silent when a gunman shot 9 drivers in a local neighborhood early one morning in 2016. @VoteAnnJohnson
- HD-138: Akilah Bacy (HD 49.9%, Beto won in 2018) — Another open seat in Harris County because Bohac (R-Houston), who was first elected in 2002, retired after the Democratic candidate came so close to winning in 2018. Bacy stepped up to finish the job! @AkilahBacy
DALLAS-FORT WORTH-ARLINGTON AREA (10):
- HD-64: Angela Brewer (HD 44.5%, Beto won in 2018) — Brewer is an educator and a mom who stepped up to run for this flippable seat in Denton County. Her Republican opponent was first elected in 2016. @angelafortexas
- HD-66: Sharon Hirsch (HD 49.7%, Beto won in 2018) — This is another rematch after Hirsch came so close to winning this Collin County district in 2018!
- HD-67: Lorenzo Sanchez (HD 48.8%, Beto won in 2018) — Sanchez is a first generation Mexican-American who stepped up to run this year after the 2018 race for this Collin County district was so close. @LorenzoForTexas
- HD-92: Jeff Whitfield (HD 47.4%, Beto 48.3% in 2018) — This is another open district because odious anti-vaxxer Stickland, who had held this Tarrant County seat since 2012, retired after such a close race in 2018. Whitfield served in the Air Force and helped prosecute war criminals. @JeffWhitfieldTX
- HD-93: Lydia Bean (HD 46.1%, Beto 48.2% in 2018) — This is one of 5 flippable seats in Tarrant County that overlap with TX-06. @LydiaBeanTexas
- HD-94: Alisa Simmons (HD 43.9%, Beto 47.9% in 2018) — Simmons stepped up to run in this Tarrant County district against one of the worst legislators in Texas.
- HD-96: Joe Drago (HD 47.2%, Beto 49.5% in 2018) — Another open Tarrant County district because the Republican incumbent, who had held this seat since 2002, retired after such a close race in 2018. @dragofor96
- HD-97: Elizabeth Beck (HD 44.9%, Beto 48.6% in 2018) — Beck is an Iraq veteran, a lawyer, and a single mom who stepped up to run in this flippable Tarrant County district. @elizabethforTX
- HD-108: Joanna Cattanach (HD 49.9%, Beto won in 2018) — So heartbreakingly close! Cattanach is back to finish the job in this Dallas County district. @JoannaCattanach
- HD-112: Brandy Chambers (HD 49%, Beto won in 2018) — After nearly defeating a 5-term incumbent in this Dallas County district, Chambers is back to finish the job as well! @BrandyforTexas
OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE (2):
- HD-54: Keke Williams (HD 46.2%, Beto 49% in 2018) — Williams is a combat veteran who stepped up to run for this Killeen-Temple district in Bell County (north of Austin).
- HD-121: Celina Montoya (HD 44.7%, Beto won in 2018) — Montoya is back after running a competitive race in this Bexar County (San Antonio) district in 2018.
Receipts! Here’s the receipt from the generous donor who is matching contributions to any of the 18 candidates listed above:
Let’s help this donor spend more of his dollars on these 18 Texas house candidates! Just make a donation through his ActBlue list or through any of the links above, then reply to his tweet with your ActBlue receipt listing the candidates’ names.
@ActBlue
Small-dollar donors have now given $100 million on ActBlue since 8 p.m. ET Friday, investing in candidates up and down the ballot and orgs on the front lines of the impending judicial confirmation fight. The grassroots is ready to fight to honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy.
#NoRegretsOnNov4th
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About the diarist: I’m a lifelong Texan who is determined to take back my state and prevent TX Republicans from gerrymandering us into oblivion again. I have been blogging at Daily Kos since 2011 and have previously featured all 18 of these Texas state House candidates, plus 5 more. Not affiliated with any campaign other than as a volunteer or small-dollar donor.