As the year comes to a close, there are many ways in which YOU helped us establish a more progressive Texas this year. Because while the national results did not turn out the way many of us had hoped, the truth is that Texas is one of only a handful of states where progressives made gains from picking up five more progressive seats in the legislature, to important local victories around the state.
As we get ready to carry the fight for progress to 2017, I want to take a moment and thank YOU for your support in 2016.
Every time you share one of our stories, take an online action, forward an email, attend an event, or donate a few bucks to Progress Texas...YOU are making a difference. YOU are the reason we are able to get in the media and make the case for progress every day - not just during elections. YOU help give voice to the millions of people in this state who feel that no one is speaking for them. YOU are the reason we have such a strong digital presence. YOU are a subscriber to one of the fastest growing progressive groups in our state.
We work on nearly 100 projects over the course of a year, and below are just highlights of some of our work - we couldn't do it without you.
A big thank you on behalf of our entire team,
Ed, Glenn, Phillip, Lucy, Mark, Sarah, Marissa, Ace, Annie, and Brian
We do TV hits. Lots of them. In fact, our staff appeared on TV 338 times this year.
We were quoted in newspapers across Texas and the country.
More than 72,000 users like our Facebook page and share our content.
And 7,595 users follow us. That’s more than 140 characters for sure.
We produced more than 45 videos this year. We are also pretty proud of a GOTV video ad that reached 839,211 voters on Youtube.
We help train activists and candidates on message development, digital strategy, and media presentation.
BIGGEST STORIES
A few of our most notable projects of the year, summarized.
WATCHDOGS
We filed a complaint with the State Auditor on Attorney General Ken Paxton's alleged hush-money scandal and a criminal complaint against Ag. Secretary Sid Miller which led to a Texas Rangers investigation.
DIGITAL GOTV
Our GOTV program targeted 321,000 voters with online ads that were shown 5 million times in key counties. In a year of low turnout in the U.S., we helped make Texas one of the most improved turnout states.
RAPID RESPONSE
Anti-abortion extremism, voting rights, income inequality, Black Lives Matter, convention tracking, immigration, the school finance ruling, and more. When some of the biggest issues come up, our team is there to respond and give voice to the progressive community.
CRUZWATCH.COM
We responded to Cruz’s presidential campaign by offering a warning of his hard-right views and giving a voice to Texans who didn’t share his views. Ted conceded, and our farewell video received 4.4 million views.
ABORTION ACCESS
We produced a creative video, "4 Decades of Abortion Laws," featuring a timeline of Texas laws passed to roll back Roe v. Wade, using messages and visuals tested in focus groups. And when the Supreme Court struck down a Texas abortion law, we ran a digital ad campaign for six allied groups to seize on the landmark victory.
LGBTQ EQUALITY
As part of our “Crazy Uncle” series, we wrote a widely-shared piece on how to talk about transgender rights and debunk Republican falsehoods.
HEALTH CARE
We crafted a health care action championing insurance coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act and generating grassroot support in targeted legislative districts across the state.
MARIJUANA POLICY REFORM
Our official SXSW session brought legislators together with advocates to talk marijuana policy reform in front of reporters, activists, and investors. We presented an original video short and our vision for policy change that could impact the political landscape in Texas.
DONATE
Your donation supports our media and helps us keep it free of ads and paywalls.
