I'm Watching The Texas GOP Convention, So You Don't Have To - Part Three

Texas Democrats Fight Back Against GOP Radicalism

Tomorrow is the last day of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) Convention, but the party said tonight’s general session could go as late as midnight. Today, the party elected its new RPT chair, presented its legislative priorities to the entire delegation, and established its party rules. They’ve gone to a Gala this evening and are supposed to reconvene at 9:00 pm to vote on a Vice Chair and adopt the new platform. We’ll get into all that, but before the Republicans’ day even started this morning, the Texas House Democratic Caucus (HDC) showed up at their convention and held a press conference about their extremism.

This is why I love Texas Democrats. From breaking quorum to prevent voter oppression to Jasmine Crockett taking MAGA extremism to church in Congress and James Talarico confronting white supremacy from the back mic in Austin, you can rest easy knowing that Texas Democrats are going to work hard to protect your rights. (Most of them, anyway.)

In attendance at this press conference were HDC president Trey Martinez Fischer, Representative Vikki Goodwin, Representative Gene Wu, Representative Josey Garcia, Congressman Joaquin Castro, and Adrian Reyna with the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel.

They called out the extremism that was happening in the building behind them, the racism, and the attacks on women, and they showed us the clear-as-day difference between the Republican Party of Texas and the Democratic Party of Texas.

Congressman Castro quoted Congressman Chip Roy (R) when he said, “Come explain to me one meaningful thing the Republican majority has done.” Then, Castro quoted Congressman Tony Gonzalez (R) from when he called his fellow Republicans “Scumbags and Klansmen.”

Representative Gene Wu spoke on how the Republican Party has embraced white supremacy. He spoke on WWII (as it is Memorial Day Weekend) and ended his speech with, “80 years later, if necessary, we will defeat the Nazis again.”

Today is the two-year anniversary of the Uvalde massacre. When HDC began its press conference, they held a moment of silence for the Uvalde victims. It should be noted not once in the Republican convention did anyone mention the slain children of Robb Elementry. On top of that, there was a lengthy debate when the conference went over their legislative priorities on whether or not “securing gun rights” should be added. Some delegates were very concerned about red-flag laws. Democrats fight for red-flag laws so another Uvalde never happens—clear-as-day difference.

Since it is Memorial Day weekend, Representative Josey Garcia, the first woman veteran to serve in the Texas House, spoke about the meaning of Memorial Day and how the Republican Party of Texas isn’t defending or protecting Texans. Inside the convention, there has been no mention of Memorial Day, not today or this week.

The RPT adopted its final Legislative Priorities list.

Before they opened the debate on the legislative priorities, billionaire Tim Dunn’s wife prayed over the convention.

Tim Dunn has essentially bought and corrupted the majority of the Republican Party of Texas. He controls things, decides votes, and he was the one who bought Ken Paxton’s acquittal.

There’s a growing movement in Texas, and maybe America overall, where people assert that there are no ethical billionaires. Since Tim Dunn is essentially an oligarch, one might argue that he lacks ethics. But his wife was praying over the RPT convention. It’s bizarre.

Here are the 15 RPT legislative priorities that were presented to the entire delegation:

• Secure Texas Elections.

• Border Enforcement.

• Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids.

• Abolish Abortion and Promote Adoption.

• Ban Taxpayer Funded Lobbying.

• Ax The Property Tax.

• Judicial Accountability.

• Secure the Electric Grid.

• School Choice and Education Freedom.

• Financial Freedom (silver and gold as legal tender).

• No Democratic Chairs.

• Ban Chinese, Iranian, North Korean, and Russian people from buying property in Texas.

• End Federal Overreach.

• Equal Parenting.

• Ban Casino and Sports Gambling.

The entire convention delegation will vote on these 15 priorities, and the top eight will become the party’s top priorities. I’m not sure when they will vote on it or reveal the results. They haven’t yet, but when they do, we can get into more detail about what each one of those priorities means.

However, even for the seven that fall off, we should still expect to see bills filed regarding the next session. I’ll keep you in the loop.

They’ve banned Democrats from voting in their primaries (sort of), but it’s super hilarious.

This is one of the rules adopted by the party. It’s a party rule, not a state law. They haven’t changed anything under this rule. Check it out:

To vote in a Texas Republican primary election, a person must have voted in the previous Republican primary. The voter must sign a loyalty pledge to vote in the GOP primary if they haven’t.

In heavily Republican-gerrymandered districts, you’re going to have Democrats that vote in Republican primaries, no matter what. Take Dade Phelan’s district, for example; there hasn’t even been a Democrat who has run in that district in almost a decade. They’re going to vote for the Democrats in the general election, but they’re still going to vote in the Republican primaries to try and get the lesser of two evils. That Democrat has used that strategy for years; under this rule, they can keep doing that.

This rule will also make recruiting new voters hard for the GOP. New voters will be turned off or maybe even scared away, which will hurt turnout for the RPT in the long run. However, it will benefit the Democrats.

This rule will be in effect for the 2026 elections. If Democrats don’t flip the House in 2024, we will still close the gap, giving the GOP a slimmer majority. That means we’ll have another shot to flip the House, maybe even the Texas Senate, while the RPT is experiencing low turnout. Of course, the GOP may be long dead by then. From what I’ve seen this week at their convention, it looks like the dying gasps of air of the Republican Party.

The Republican Party of Texas has a new Chairman.

I love this for them. Even though all the candidates were carbon copies of the other, Abraham George was the lucky winner and the only one accused of criminality.

Abraham George is the previous Collin County GOP Chair. As to his success there, Collin County is likely to flip blue in November. George launched a primary challenge against House Representative Candy Noble (89-R) earlier this year, but he lost. George has signed the “abolish abortion” pledge and is a hardcore MAGA extremist.

The Texas Democratic Party put out a statement regarding Abraham George’s new position:

Like me, the state party seems to believe that Abraham George will cause more chaos, which will ultimately help Democrats in November.

“Texas Republicans have not been this vulnerable for decades.” This is something I am in total agreement with Hinojosa about. He sees it. I see it. Everyone sees it.

Tomorrow marks the end of the RPT 2024 Convention, and no one is more excited to see it come to a close than me. This week has been a whirlwind of extremism, from outrageous legislative priorities to controversial new leadership. The GOP has given us much to discuss and, importantly, a clear path forward in fighting their priorities and agenda this November and in the next legislative session.

Despite their attempts to tighten their grip on power, the cracks within their party are showing. The Texas Democrats have shown resilience and commitment to protecting our rights, standing firm against the GOP’s draconian measures. The contrast between the two parties could not be more apparent, and it’s up to all of us to capitalize on this moment.

Stay tuned for more updates as the convention wraps up. Together, we can turn the tide and ensure that Texas moves forward, not backward. Let’s use the insights gained from this week to mobilize, strategize, and ultimately triumph in November and beyond.

Important 2024 primary RUNOFF election days:

• May 28, 2024: Last day to receive a ballot by mail.

• May 28, 2024: Election day.

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