After U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s death, Texas Democrats have to find a new candidate for November
Since 1995, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee had been synonymous with Texas’ 18th Congressional District, where she won 15 U.S. House terms. But after the veteran congresswoman’s death Friday at the age of 74, the district will have a new member representing them in Washington.
Texas Democrats admit to faltering on messaging and voter turnout, contributing to resounding midterm losses
Beto O’Rourke lost by double-digits on Tuesday night and so did every other statewide Democrat. That has left Democrats in a familiar position: wounded after a disappointing election night while contemplating their strategy and their future.
Eager for a statewide breakthrough, Texas Democrats will soon decide who will lead their party
Hinojosa, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party since 2012, is running for reelection against two challengers, Kim Olson and Carroll G. Robinson, at the party’s biennial convention this weekend in Dallas.
Texas Democrats make moves to be early presidential primary state in 2024
The Democratic National Committee has decided to allow new states to bid for the coveted status, which has long belonged to places like Iowa and New Hampshire, in an effort to kick off the nominating process in states that better reflect the diversity of the broader electorate.
Parties’ activist wings see mixed results in Texas as Abbott advances, progressives fall short of goals
Gov. Greg Abbott and most other statewide elected officials won their primaries Tuesday night. But Attorney General Ken Paxton was forced into a runoff, and progressive Democrats fell short of their congressional goals.
After Texas Democrats’ woeful performance last year, the 2022 race to chair the party is already heating up
Current state party leader Gilberto Hinojosa has indicated he isn’t going anywhere. But that hasn’t stopped open discussion about leadership of the party with several months until convention delegates vote on the position.
Texas Democrats rely on voters of color to be competitive. So why are their top statewide candidates mostly white?
The GOP slate for statewide office includes two high-profile Latinos and two Black candidates who have previously held state or federal office. Republicans are making a play to be more competitive with voters of color as the state’s electorate grows more diverse.
![With special session’s end looming, Texas Democrats and Republicans mull their next moves](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/mh1CbPIlp3o8H_Jie43GJSdILIo=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6IS3BGPX5ZDKVLVR5337J553SQ.jpg)
With special session’s end looming, Texas Democrats and Republicans mull their next moves
Abbott has promised to call a second special session to pass the GOP’s priority voting bill, but the exact timing is uncertain. And House Democrats have not yet revealed what they have planned after the session ends this week.
![Texas House Democrats and legislative staffers take Gov. Greg Abbott to court for defunding Legislature](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/lE4LUgcohtc4op434_rI9CiyFeU=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/W4SCO7S3ZJA4VJJ3FU2TYIZ7OM.jpg)
Texas House Democrats and legislative staffers take Gov. Greg Abbott to court for defunding Legislature
The governor had vowed to veto the Legislature’s funding in the final hours of the regular legislative session in May after House Democrats broke quorum and left the chamber to prevent passage of a controversial elections bill.
![Texas Democrats blame lack of in-person campaigning, inefficient voter outreach for 2020 disappointment](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/sJYc0CvoNm4irxnp-OpWM7Ht8gY=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XGH46DPHBJGSVLIZP5YF7OETYI.jpg)
Texas Democrats blame lack of in-person campaigning, inefficient voter outreach for 2020 disappointment
Texas Democrats failed to meet their expectations for the 2020 election. While Democrats had outpaced Republicans in registering voters, their willingness to campaign in person netted a late surge in new Republican voters. In addition, Texas Democrats contend that data suggesting a massive shift toward Republicans among Latino voters is more accurately explained by increased turnout among Republican Latinos. Despite an underwhelming performance in 2020, Texas Democrats continued to paint an ambitious picture of a “sustainably blue” state over the next 10 years. “The Texas GOP will continue to out-hustle the Texas Democrats in every election, it doesn't matter how much money from Hollywood and Manhattan they ship in."
![Top two staffers at Texas Democratic Party to step down](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/JAqloj44SKFUMo035Bl0Wws9otQ=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/KSMVALVE4RG4PES5QIHAUL3ODE.jpg)
Top two staffers at Texas Democratic Party to step down
The top two staffers at the Texas Democratic Party — executive director Manny Garcia and deputy executive director Cliff Walker — will leave their positions at the end of the month, they told The Texas Tribune in an interview. Their exits come two months after an election in which Texas Democrats underperformed expectations throughout the ballot, leading the state party to form a committee to do a "deep dive" on the losses. Some members of the State Democratic Executive Committee also called for Garcia and Walker to be replaced. The party chairman, Gilberto Hinojosa, said in a statement the party is "stronger than ever before" due to Garcia and Walker. Soon after the letter surfaced, more than 60 current and former party workers signed on to a separate letter backing Garcia and Walker.
![What went wrong with Texas Democrats’ 2020 plans? State party leaders intend to find out.](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/9HzfR5AZc3UVQJ5HzxV6hwB94kk=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IZ3X56JLCNCS3A56WRDRKI4TOM.jpg)
What went wrong with Texas Democrats’ 2020 plans? State party leaders intend to find out.
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The head of the Texas Democratic Party has appointed a committee to take a "deep dive" on what went wrong in the November election after a group of executive committee members wrote to him demanding answers, reforms and a shakeup in senior staff. Texas Democrats severely underperformed expectations in the November election after looking to it as their best shot in decades at making inroads. The letter was organized by two SDEC members, Kendall Scudder and Jen Ramos. As for the party’s headquarters, Hinojosa wrote in his letter that he “strongly believes” the party should maintain a “storefront” office as it has in Austin.
![After 2018 wake-up call, Texas Republicans were ready to fight back this year](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/fXjD-C1Wj5PhaXqAuw_G1NXULos=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QWHLSXGJIZFXDNX62VE4SE3W2M.jpg)
After 2018 wake-up call, Texas Republicans were ready to fight back this year
It was one of many bright spots Tuesday for Republicans in Texas — and an example of relatively reliable polling to boot. After Texas Republicans were caught sleeping two years ago, they say it was Democrats who walked into a buzzsaw this time — a more battle-ready, unified GOP. And Democrats’ hopes of flipping the Texas House collapsed, with the balance of power largely unchanged heading into January. That vigilance reassured Texas Republicans throughout the cycle, even as they wearily watched poll after poll come out showing Trump struggling in Texas. Like the DCCC, the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee was left Thursday touting its defense victories — the reelection of 11 out of 12 freshmen — and emphasizing the expensive battle they forced Republicans to fight.
![Why Asian American voters in Texas may hold outsized importance in key races this year](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/1QvIjMs9w9tr8oYgAnAw9OzOKZI=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HBVHDCXI3RH6JC7UDW32BDQGEA.jpg)
Why Asian American voters in Texas may hold outsized importance in key races this year
Chen works on Asian American and Pacific Islander voter turnout every year, but this year she feels even more motivated. In Texas, there are sizable Asian American communities in districts that hold outsize importance this year. Asian Americans make up about 5% of the population and most statewide polls don’t contact enough Asian voters to provide a reliable sample. And it’s not just an existential type of attack, but the Asian American community, especially the Chinese American community, feels their lives are being threatened because they’re being singled out. “Most Asian American voters are naturalized citizens.
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Senate Democrats' fundraising success puts GOP on defensive
(Bob Daemmrich/Nexstar/KXAN via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Buoyed by massive fundraising success, Democratic Senate candidates are mounting a push in Republican states that few would have thought possible just a few months ago, placing continued GOP control of the chamber at risk. MJ Hegar in Texas reported raising over $13 million during the same period for her race against Republican Sen. John Cornyn. In deep-red Kentucky, Amy McGrath has posted strong fundraising numbers against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In Mississippi, Mike Espy reported raising $4 million in his rematch against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. O'Rourke was criticized for being too stingy with his cash, only reluctantly aiding other Democrats, though he eventually donated large amounts to the Texas Democratic Party.
![Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/eu-1TUwrWAVCxqP84-6udqM-X6k=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/CL43ITFGFNAOBKSODHPBTZKLM4.jpg)
Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden spoke during a campaign stop in Dallas in March. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign is set to spend millions of dollars on TV ads in Texas as polls continue to show a close race in the state. That shows you just how important Texas is to them and it shows that Texas is in play,” said Abhi Rahman, a spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party. Though Biden and Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris have yet to visit Texas in the run-up to Election Day, Democrats have called for the duo to invest heavily in Texas. As speculation has swirled about the extent of Biden’s investment in the state, the Texas Democratic Party has been ramping up its advertising.
![Federal court tosses suit brought by Texas Democrats seeking to revive straight-ticket voting](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/wubMfVlCe1OL5odfyk-m4atqQCA=/425x284/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HADVNLC64FBYTHDKVBZ4MHROT4.jpg)
Federal court tosses suit brought by Texas Democrats seeking to revive straight-ticket voting
Super Tuesday voting lines at the Metropolitan Multi Service Center near downtown Houston on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Michael Stravato for The Texas TribuneA federal judge on Wednesday threw out Democrats effort to reinstate the straight-ticket voting option in Texas. Siding with the state, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo found that Democrats lacked standing to challenge Texas Republicans decision to kill straight-ticket voting ahead of the November general election. The judge dismissed the federal lawsuit after ruling that Democrats' claims of the electoral fallout that could come from eliminating straight-ticket voting were too speculative. And other Texans will experience shorter lines given that voters have been encouraged to steer clear from in-person voting where possible.
![Texas Democrats ask U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on voting by mail](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/Vl9B1jHC73lTt_AFkxiwYJZXalk=/425x284/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HYRHQ5RZ35GTPKC3YPK25MXECY.jpg)
Texas Democrats ask U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on voting by mail
Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneAfter a series of losses in state and federal courts, Texas Democrats are looking to the U.S. Supreme Court to expand voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Democratic Party on Tuesday said it asked the high court to immediately lift the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' block on a sweeping ruling that would allow all Texas voters who are seeking to avoid becoming infecting at in-person polling places to instead vote by mail. The fight to expand who can qualify for a ballot they can fill at home and mail in has been on a trajectory toward the Supreme Court since Texas Democrats, civil rights groups and individual voters first challenged the state's rules months ago when the new coronavirus reached Texas. Under his order, voters under the age of 65 who would ordinarily not qualify for mail-in ballots would now be eligible. In their appeal, the Democrats are asking the Supreme Court to leave in place Biery's order and take up the case on the claim that the state's age restrictions for voting by mail violate the 26th Amendment's protections against voting restrictions that discriminate based on age.