Progress Texas has built the largest online community of progressives from across the state — Texans who share and stand up for bold progressive values. Together, we are building a statewide movement to fight for the future of our state. Electing progressives to office at every level of government across Texas is critical in helping us get there.

We want to ensure that candidates who share our progressive values get elected in May and November — particularly in the most competitive districts. So, we created a questionnaire for candidates to support, to build a cohesive movement on the issues that matter most.

Progressive Values

Reproductive Rights

All Texans – regardless of age, race, income, ZIP code, gender identity, immigration status, or whether they are incarcerated or detained – should have access to the full range of reproductive health care, from birth control and sex education, to post- and prenatal care and abortion. We must proactively fight back against laws that restrict access to abortion, put women’s health at risk, and create devastating barriers to care, particularly for low income women and women of color. Trusting and equipping women to control their own reproductive lives is fundamental to achieving gender, racial, and economic equality.

An Environmentally Sustainable Texas

Texas should be at the front of the clean energy economy, leading the energy transition by increasing production of renewable energy, investing in sustainable solutions, and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Every Texan has the right to live in a healthy community with clean water and air, safe from the high and long-term costs of fossil fuel operations and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure on our health, local economies, and climate. We must hold corporations who break the law accountable, mandate public disclosure of dangerous chemicals stored near neighborhoods and schools, support 100% clean energy, and decarbonize the economy.

Voting Rights and Democracy

Our election system needs to focus on expanding voting, rather than restricting it, by increasing access through online or automatic voter registration and expanding vote-by-mail to all eligible voters. Texas must broaden voter ID requirements to include as many types of ID as possible, such as student IDs. To ensure equal voting power and a truly representative democracy, we must eliminate the influence of corporate money in campaigns, institute state-level campaign finance limits, and end partisan gerrymandering.

Economic Opportunity and Workers’ Rights

Our economy is powered by hardworking Texans. All Texas workers deserve a living wage and access to paid sick days, family leave, and safe work environments. It’s beyond time to increase the minimum wage and ensure equal pay for equal work. All workers must have the right to organize and fight for their economic security, including public pensions and retirement security.

Health Care for All

Health care is a right, and all Texans deserve access to affordable health care. Texas should expand Medicaid, which will save lives and bring home billions of federal tax dollars, and Congress must protect the Affordable Care Act.

Quality Public Education and Affordable College

A strong public education system should guarantee high-quality pre-K through 12th grade schooling for every student. Every Texan deserves a safe, inclusive learning environment free from book bans and voucher scams that divert taxpayer money to discriminatory private schools. Texas needs equitable, sustainable school funding, competitive teacher pay, livable retirement income, and affordable college opportunities without crushing student debt.

LGBTQIA+ Equality

Texans who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex deserve full equality under the law. Elected leaders must ensure equal housing, employment, and medical protections, and reject laws that undermine equality under the false guise of “religious liberty.”

Immigrant Rights

Texas must create an immigration system that protects immigrants and vulnerable communities. Immigrant families and workers deserve the same respect and dignity as everyone else. We must end family separation, repeal discriminatory policies, and divest from border militarization.

Criminal and Racial Justice

All Texans deserve fair and equitable treatment within the criminal justice system. We must ensure accountability in cases of police violence, combat racial disparities, and end mass incarceration. Low-level marijuana possession should be decriminalized. Elected officials should champion comprehensive reforms, including those proposed by Campaign Zero, and address sentencing, bail, prosecution, prisons, parole, and reentry.

Ending Gun Violence

Senseless gun violence has devastated families and communities. Protecting responsible gun ownership and implementing lifesaving reforms are not mutually exclusive. Texas must enact evidence-based policies including universal background checks, red flag laws, repeal of open and campus carry, prevention of straw purchases, and banning the sale of assault weapons.