Can The TDP's New Executive Director Lead Us To Flipping The State?

A shake up in Texas politics as the Texas Democratic Party hires Monique Alcala, a young, progressive leader with a vision of change.

Today, the Texas Democratic Party announced that Monique Alcala will be its permanent Executive Director. Alcala brings over a decade of political, nonprofit, and government experience to the Party – including high-profile roles as a Congressional aide, on the Biden for President campaign in 2020, and most recently as the Southwest Regional Director for EMILY’s List. 

The TDP’s announcement didn’t include all of Alcala’s accolades, but I looked them up. Earlier this summer, she participated in a Q&A with Rachel Maddow, which of course, is not a qualification, but we all love Rachel. So I, for one, was impressed. Aside from that, she was once acting chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Latino Caucus and helped flip several seats blue. I also found several interviews and forums she participated in on YouTube.

My takeaway? She’s young, progressive, and has a firm grasp on Democratic politics. I also think Alcala understands how important getting the vote out is if we want Texas to flip.

What is she up against?

In 2022, Anglo people only made up 38% of the population, but they made up 62% of the vote.

Source: NBC News

Another graph about 2022. Beto won the Black, Latino, and Asian votes. In a state where Anglos are a minority, but since it was mostly only white people that voted, Abbott won.

Even though Black and brown people make up the majority of Texas, they haven’t turned out to vote in the numbers that Anglos are, which is one of the reasons why we have a white supremacist government.

So, the Texas Democratic Party must show up in Hispanic and Black communities to win Texas.

In February, Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said he had planned a precinct strategy. Yet, six months later, we still haven’t seen it rolled out. Most County Parties are still sitting at a precinct chair vacancy rate of 70% or higher.

While the TDP hasn’t said (and probably won’t) what Alcala’s focus will be on, let’s hope she is given the ability to push a precinct chair strategy out to the county parties.

Only 25% of voters under 30 during the last election made it to the polls. That has to change. Gen Z and Millennial voters could carry an entire election if they showed out in force. The youth vote must also be one of the top priorities as Alcala transitions into her new role.

The TDP’s new Executive Director has a tall order to fill.

Monique Alcala seems up for the task and has proven herself a solid progressive leader. With over a decade of political, nonprofit, and government experience, she brings valuable expertise to the Texas Democratic Party. Her previous work demonstrates her dedication to advancing Democratic values. Her appointment as the Executive Director of the TDP could be the breath of fresh air that the Party needs to revolutionize its approach.

With youthful energy and progressive vision, Alcala has the potential to challenge the old, stale, and outdated methods that may have hindered the Party’s progress in the past. Her background experience could bring innovative ideas and help the Party connect with a broader and more diverse audience.

We have the numbers.

Democrats outnumber Republicans in Texas. We have to get people to the polls to vote. Let’s hope our new Executive Director has what it takes to turn our state party around. Stay tuned.