As Texas Democrats gather for their state convention in El Paso, the party finds itself in a familiar position: Out of power and rebuilding.
Texas Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since 1994, putting them on the sidelines while Republicans have passed laws and implemented policies reflecting an increasingly conservative agenda.
Yet for Democrats, hope springs eternal.
This year, they are pinning their hopes on U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, who is taking on Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November. A victory would jolt Texas and the rest of the country.
And as they put their faith in Allred, party leaders are bolstering their infrastructure in urban areas and honing messages to Texas voters. Democrats will discuss their predicament and potential paths to success at the convention, which began with a Thursday night reception and concludes Saturday.
“It’s no big secret. You’ve got to turn out the vote,” said state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas. “We can continue to whine, or we can get people out to vote to change what’s going on in the state of Texas.”
Dallas County Democratic Party Chairman Kardal Coleman said rallying around Allred is the party’s immediate task.
“We’ve got to get behind our Senate nominee, Colin Allred, to work collectively to make sure we get a statewide win,” Coleman said. “It’s going to take all hands on deck. It’s going to take all of our allied organizations and everyone involved to turn out every vote.”
Lisa Turner, state director of the Democratic research group Lone Star Project, said Democrats should contrast themselves with Republicans, who last month approved a party platform that classifies abortion as homicide, seeks to ban transgender teachers in public schools and supports refusing birth certificates for children born to undocumented parents.
“That is just otherworldly. It’s beyond MAGA crazy,” Turner said. “It’s really important that the party highlight our differences with Republicans, and they’ve never been clearer as to what it means for Texans. Our tagline as Democrats should be: ‘Join us. We’re the normal people party.’”
Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George said his party better reflects the values of Texas voters, while state Democrats are weighed down by the policies of President Joe Biden.
“From Joe Biden to the horrible economy and the open borders, the Texas Democrat Party is showing the signs that it isn’t with the people of Texas,” he said.
The GOP platform, George said, was tough on issues like abortion but captured the mood of most Texas voters.
“Those are values that average Texans will align with, regardless of their policies and politics,” he said.
Democrats disagree, and they see an opening to reach voters.
“Republicans have basically vacated the field on common-sense policies,” said state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas. “If Democrats would pledge to run the state like a Fortune 500 company, we would be making so much more progress than Republicans are today.”
Allred, who in March defeated eight other candidates in the Democratic primary, is the keynote speaker at Friday’s general session.
U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, is expected to introduce the congressman. In 2018, both won congressional seats held by Republicans.
A speech by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also highlights Friday’s session.
Rice University political scientist Mark Jones sees Allred as cut from the same cloth as previous Democratic campaigns, including Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 Senate run, Wendy Davis’ 2014 bid for governor and the 2002 Democratic “dream team” ticket that included former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk for Senate.
“He’s the most recent of a long line of latest, greatest hopes,” Jones said.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls show Cruz with an 8.2 percentage point lead over Allred.
Allred’s speech is expected to be biographical. If interviews since his primary win are an indication, his message to Texans will be public service should be about “we” not “me,” and he won’t be shy about attacking Cruz.
“People know Ted Cruz, and they don’t like him,” Turner said, predicting the contest will be a “hard-fought race for every vote.”
Cruz recently told The Dallas Morning News that Allred was too left-leaning for Texas.
“Colin Allred’s first four years in Congress, he voted 100% with Nancy Pelosi,” Cruz said. “He’s still voting hard left, which is great if you want to represent San Francisco like Nancy Pelosi. It just doesn’t happen to reflect the interests of the people of Texas.”
Paige Hutchinson, Allred’s campaign manager, said Allred was the best choice for Texans.
“This November Texans will have a clear choice between Ted Cruz’s extremism and Congressman Colin Allred’s record of bringing people together as the most bipartisan member of the Texas Delegation in Congress,” she said in a text message. “Congressman Allred is excited to join Texans from across the state who are energized to send Ted Cruz packing for good.”
Democratic Party state conventions tend to attract the party’s most liberal wing, so Allred will have to juggle a message that appeals to those Democrats while staying close to the middle, where many Texans are.
He has pointed out his differences with Biden, including calling for tougher border security measures.
Democrats say they need to craft better a message to voters. In doing so, they want to steer away from culture war talking points and focus on bread and butter issues, including education, transportation, water, health care and the economy.
“We have to win the confidence of the public that we’re going to be the party that can better run the state,” said state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. “Republicans have been demonstrating pretty effectively that we shouldn’t put the state in their hands, so it’s time for us to show the public that our hands are capable hands.”
West said Democrats could appeal to rural voters by fighting against school vouchers and education savings accounts being pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans. Abbott’s school choice plan would let some families use tax dollars to attend private schools, and the governor says he has the votes to pass a bill in next year’s legislative session.
“We’ve got to deal with the issue of vouchers,” West said. “It’s an issue that should appeal to both Democrats and Republicans.”
Though Democrats haven’t won a statewide race, they have fortified their position in urban areas.
Take Dallas County. In 2006, Democrats won every contested statewide race en route to flipping the county from red to blue. Today, Democrats control every seat on the five-member county Commissioners Court. Only two Dallas County Republicans — Reps. Morgan Meyer of University Park and Angie Chen Button of Garland — serve in the Legislature.
Democrats have made gains in Harris and Bexar counties. Even in Tarrant County, which is often described as the nation’s largest red county, Democrat O’Rourke received more votes than Cruz in 2018, while Biden topped Donald Trump in 2020.
While keeping an eye on statewide races, Democrats will try to maximize the vote in areas they control.
Coleman said Dallas County Democrats started block walking in January and have knocked on over 30,000 doors.
“We’re going to try to ratchet up that pace, that intensity,” he said.