Portions of this blog appeared on the Progress Texas Daily Dispatch, delivered every weekday by Progress Texas Communications Director Chris Mosser. Rapid response on the breaking news stories Texas progressives need to know—all in less than 10 minutes! Click to listen! 

Progress Texas has now given some actual meaning to the term "6 / 7"!

Six(!) out of our seven carefully chosen endorsed candidates who we purposefully amplified in this Democratic Party Runoff won their May Election races! What fantastic real progress for the upcoming midterms with an incredible "A Team" to head into this fall. 

One of our endorsed candidates, Kevin Burge, Democrat Nominee for US House District 24, remarked "Thanks in large part to Progress Texas’ endorsement, we obtained the highest margin of victory in a runoff in Texas since 1974, receiving 79% of the runoff vote!"

While we know Republicans steered hard right into their impeached and indicted Senatorial candidate, Texas is not in fact a red state; it's for far too long been a primarily non-voting state, with 60% of our population simply opting out of voting once registered, or facing too much state-orchestrated intimidation and confusion to register. 

Progress Texas is working to change that: As the #1 Progressive podcast in Texas, and top 2% (really! check Listennotes.com) of all GLOBAL podcasts, our audience is growing daily. And most importantly, the majority of our listeners and digital followers are in the 24-44 age category. THIS is the audience who will make or break the election for Talarico, Hinojosa, and all our downballot candidates. 

Your support now for Progress Texas primary fundraiser of the year, our 16th anniversary event, increases the amplification of all these candidates and their values and actions, towards our key demographic: Millennials and Gen Z'ers. RSVP today. 

 

Midterm Contests Are Set…As Old Republican Party Dies

Back to midterm runoff results, we’ll start with the notable defeat of Senator John Cornyn by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff for Senate, which feels like a moment of clarity from several different angles. 

First and foremost, is the idea that the Republican party of Reagan and Bush and McCain is pretty much officially dead. Almost 886,000 Texas Republicans decided that Ken Paxton, representing the new vanguard of truly ethics-free and lawless baseline conduct—fraud, and abuse of office, and impeachment, and wanton, public adultery all now fair game in both governmental practice and personal behavior, all in the name and image of Donald Trump—were preferable to the last, wispy echoes of that old Reagan guard…for whom it was all about money, big business and power. Don’t get me wrong, still corrupt, but there was still at least a facade of decency.

Paxton cleaned Cornyn’s clock—almost 64% of the Republican runoff vote—with a little more than 500,000 of those voters trying to cling to the old days in the face of a tsunami of hostility and grievance represented by the MAGA movement. We’re thinking about those folks—Cornyn voters—who are possibly now looking for a new place for themselves in the politics of Texas. Chances are, you know some of these people, and their faces are popping to mind right now. Today is perhaps a good day to place a call or pop by, and have a talk about the importance of steadying and improving our democratic institutions, repairing and strengthening our international alliances with other democracies, and restoring meaning to the rule of law.

 

Talarico Takes Point In Charge Against MAGA

Ken Paxton is officially the opponent of Democratic Senate nominee and State Rep. James Talarico who, regardless of theories about his dietary choices, is likely just as dismayed at the price of brisket as you and I. The Paxton win feels like a gift, but it also serves as a dire warning: most of our opposition is not coming around, and in fact most of them are more dug in than ever in opposing that basic decency we’ve been talking about. The Texas right wing lunatic fringe will fight hard and they will fight dirty over the next 160 days, and they will show up en masse on November 3.

That said, if the fight against MAGA over the next five months is equally determined, there’s every reason to be optimistic. J. David Goodman and Lauren McGaughy at the New York Times are saying that mainstream Republican operatives openly admit Paxton’s presence at the top of the fall Republican ballot will be a boat anchor for independent voters, and women, and those aforementioned traditional institutionalist Republicans you’ve been thinking about. While these disaffected Cornyn voters might be unlikely to cross party lines and actually push a button for James Talarico, too many of those voters opting out altogether is the real danger that the Paxton/Abbott/Trump GOP faces this fall.

 

Other Key Results Across Texas

Moving through the rest of the runoff results:

The race for Texas Attorney General had runoffs on both sides. For the Democrats, Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson scored a decisive win over challenger and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, with more than 60% of the vote. Johnson will be opposite fellow Texas State Senator “MAGA” Mayes Middleton, who successfully purchased the Republican nomination and out-MAGA’d Congressman Chip Roy, who’s gotta be rethinking his choices.

For Lieutenant Governor, State Rep. and Progress Texas endorsee Vikki Goodwin secures the Democratic nomination to face Dan Patrick, pulling in close to 68% over Houston union leader Marcos Velez. Congrats to Rep. Goodwin and her team!

Congratulations also to Congressman and Progress Texas endorsee Christian Menefee, who also won decisively over his runoff opponent and fellow congressman Al Green, just shy of 70% of the vote in a race that was very much about generational priorities, given the recent history of CD 18.

An even more massive win for Kevin Burge in CD 24. He’s also a Progress Texas endorsee and took that race with more than 79.7% of the vote. Kevin Burge now faces a much tougher test against Republican Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne.

Closer but nonetheless convincing, Democratic voters in CD 33 chose former Congressman Colin Allred over CD 32 incumbent Congresswoman Julie Johnson. Allred is now poised to replace the lawmaker who replaced him in D.C.

The CD 35 race in South Texas got a lot of press due to a highly flawed Democratic frontrunner in Maureen Galindo, with many voting instead for Progress Texas endorsee Johnny Garcia, who took that race by almost 64%. Let’s note that more than 7,000 South Texas Democrats, despite a national uproar, still showed up and voted for Galindo, and that about 6,000 more Republican votes went to Garcia’s November opponent Carlos De La Cruz, brother of South Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz. That’s gonna be a hot one to watch.

At the state House level, non-profit CEO, Texas realtor, LGBTQ+ leader, and Progress Texas endorsee, Dallas State Rep. Venton Jones coasted to an over 83% victory. Dedicated to healthcare access, fighting for marginalized communities and middle-class families, and protecting voting rights, we are so proud to have endorsed a trusted advocate in the Legislature. 

And the last of our seven endorsements in the runoff ends in a massive upset victory for former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer. In a major upset, Plummer defeated former Houston Mayor Annise Parker in the Democratic runoff for Harris County Judge. That was a nail biter with less than three points deciding. Many are crediting her win to growing young, progressive voter turnout. She gives Progress Texas credit for the win, too. 

And finally—and yes, perhaps a hair spitefully—almost definitely reconsidering his life choices this morning is mustache farmer and Republican Deer Park State Rep. Briscoe Cain, who was soundly trounced by his Trump-endorsed opponent Alex Mealer in the CD 9 race.

 

The Real Battle Begins Now!

For the progressives and Democrats who ended up on the winning side of any of these races, we hope you’ll revel in the thrill of victory and redouble your efforts to experience that same thrill this fall. The real game, for the real marbles, begins now. Here at Progress Texas, we’re in it for the long haul—and we hope you’ll stick with us! 

We provide a trusted alternative for news related to elections and local leaders and actions by producing clear and compelling messaging that champions a variety of diverse voices and backgrounds, and erases barriers by providing access to information. A lot of ground to cover, and a lot of Texan hearts and minds to win over the next five months—it’s gonna go by fast, so don’t waste any time. Let’s get going! 

 

What’s Next?

• Visit GoVoteTexas for any FAQs, (available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese Mandarin, and Hindi)
• Come See Us LIVE! We’re getting ready for our 16th anniversary celebration in Dallas with drinks, light bites, and a fun review of the highlights of our successes over the last few years! Save the date, which is Tuesday June 16. Your support now for Progress Texas primary fundraiser of the year increases the amplification of all these candidates and their values and actions, towards our key demographic: Millennials and Gen Z'ers.