Blueprint for Victory: Texas Democrats’ 2024 Convention Recap

How Texas Democrats Are Setting the Stage for a Progressive Future

The 2024 Texas Democratic Convention is a wrap, and there are a few things I can tell you about this year’s Democrats:

1. They aren’t pandering to the right.

2. They are sick of Republican’s shit.

3. They are ready for some wins.

If you missed any of the action and wanted to take a look, here are the full videos:

• Friday’s General Session (4 hours, 40 minutes)

• Saturday’s General Session (7 hours, 30 minutes)

However, I watched it all, and I’ll give you some of the best clips and the details of some of the drama. Yes, there was drama. While some people are still fuming over it, I don’t think it should be part of the overall message.

Here is the online convention report. It links to the Platform, rules, SDEC winners, and other information. It’s worth reading.

How did the SDEC Elections go?

As you might remember, the Progressive Caucus endorsed an entire slate for the SDEC and DNC, which Lone Star Left thoroughly recommended.

We’re waiting on the post-convention report from the Progressive Caucus, but more than 50% of their endorsements did pick up wins. It was a good night for the Progressive Caucus. In the coming days, I’ll have more details of their wins.

One of the best speeches Friday night was from Representative Ann Johnson:

She’s fearless, and her dedication to justice and the truth is inspiring. If Democrats take the House and have reason to impeach Ken Paxton again, Ann Johnson should be leading the charge.

The Texas Democratic Party’s Platform and Resolution passed without a hitch.

According to sources, there wasn’t any pushback for either of these things, even in the Resolutions about Palestine. This shows that the majority of Democrats in the state of Texas are in favor of progressive foreign policy.

The far-left on social media are all abuzz tonight about how progressive the Texas Democratic platform is. I only know that because someone apologized to me for previously giving me crap about Texas Democrats. I’ve been telling people for a long time that Texas Democrats are not the same as DC Democrats. 😉

Here is the 2024 Texas Democratic Party Platform. (We’ll discuss it more in the coming weeks.)

Representative Gina Hinojosa also gave a fantastic speech:

I liked Representative Hinojosa’s speech so much because she talked about the 12 House seats we need to flip, specifically HD37, HD52, HD54, HD55, HD63, HD93, HD94, HD108, HD112, HD118, HD121, and HD138.

All of these are districts you can learn more about here:

Which Texas House Seats Should Democrats Focus On This Year And Beyond

She’s right. There are so many districts that are within reach this year that Democrats have to screw up real bad not to win them. So, what about the drama?

Let’s get into it. But first, check out our newest State Senator, Molly Cook:

What was the drama?

The Platform passed, the Resolutions passed, and some Rules got taken down for debate (or further discussion), but the rest passed.

Which Rules were taken down?

• Ranked Choice Voting for Party Executive Officer

• Proxy Voting at Conventions

• No Preference in Primary Voting

• Removing Precinct Chairs

• Discipline Committee Enhancement

Things began running behind schedules at some point, and there were long intervals between speakers who didn’t seem prepared to speak (although all of them did great).

Allegedly, a few things happened:

1. The DNC nomination committee ran late, and they didn’t have their report until two hours after they were supposed to have it.

2. The Credentials Committee thought they were finished and left, which was a problem because it checked people in and out and kept track of quorum.

I’ve talked to about a dozen people who were there to get a solid timeline of what happened. But first, check out the speech by Representative Venton Jones (another one of the top speeches of the night.

The Convention's General Session was scheduled for Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM.

Timeline of events:

• Around 1 PM (maybe a little sooner), the Convention was waiting for long lags between speeches.

• People began to believe that no business was left to conduct, so travelers who scheduled flights shortly after 3 PM left early.

• The Nominations Committee finally concluded a few minutes after 3 PM.

• The Nominations Committee and remaining uncontested Party Business were laid out without objection. (All that was left were the five rules.)

• When it was time to discuss the remaining business (the five rules), TDP Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa declared there wasn’t a quorum.

With no Credentials Committee left, chaos erupted.

Someone from the floor challenged the chair's ruling. Then, they took a vote to overrule the chair.

• 769 members voted to overrule the chair.

• 135 members voted to sustain.

There were a total of 893 votes. They needed 959 votes to have a quorum.

Then, Hinojosa said, “We don’t have a quorum. This Convention is adjourned.”

Chair Hinojosa was met with boos and name-calling. Unlike Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who Texas Democrats met with love and cheers:

So, what about these five rules?

Many people put a lot of work into every rule that came out of the pipeline. Seeing them fizzle into the unknown was probably a blow to everyone who worked hard for them.

We have to look at the positives:

1. Texas Democratic activists and politicians seem largely united as a party.

2. The grassroots got the things they wanted in the Platform and Resolutions.

3. Most of the rules passed.

There are many wounds within the inner workings of Texas Democrats, and because of that, there are many struggles with trust. It’s fair. We’ve had to take some hard blows as Democrats here in Texas.

Things have to be worked out, and they will, and we’ll surely hear about it in the coming weeks. One message from Democrats that was loud and clear from this Convention is, “We are fed up, and we aren’t going to take it no more.”

That’s why we have to vote for Colin Allred in November.

There will be another Convention in 2026, and we’ll elect a new Chairman (or woman) of the Texas Democratic Party. Until then, Texas Democrats have many opportunities to build and grow despite whatever hinders them.

We shouldn’t be putting all of our eggs in one basket. County Parties, Grassroots Groups, and Candidates have much to do with the bigger picture.

As Representative Trey Martinez Fischer put it, “Victory will not come to us on a silver platter. We must fight for it.”

We know what we need to do:

• Elect Colin Allred.

• Flip at least 12 seats.

• Keep all of our blue counties blue.

• And turn the following blue counties blue in November: Tarrant, Collin, and Williamson.

• We have a huge focus on our battleground counties, Dallas and Bexar.

• We all have to show up in November.

John Bucy’s sentiment was, “I still have hope for better days ahead. I wake up every day dedicated to building a Texas as good as its promise.”

The 2024 Texas Democratic Convention was a testament to Texas Democrats’ determination. Despite some procedural hiccups and a bit of drama, the Texas Democrats emerged with a clear and progressive platform that reflects the values of its members. The commitment to education, healthcare, criminal justice reform, environmental protection, and other critical issues underscores a collective vision for a better and more just Texas.

As we look ahead, it's crucial to build on this momentum. The grassroots energy and dedication of Texas Democrats are vital to achieving our goals. The work is far from over, but the path forward is clear. Vote early, vote often, just vote.

Some other fantastic speeches from the 2024 Texas Democratic Convention:

• Congressman Al Green

• Congressman Joaquin Castro

• Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett

• Senator Carol Alvarado

• Senator Cesar Blanco

• Representative Gene Wu

• Representative Donna Howard and Representative Toni Rose

• Dallas Cunty Judge Clay Jenkins

• Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

• Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee

• Wendy Davis

• David Hogg

• 149 days left until the November 5 election!

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