SB2, TDP Chair Debate, And The Fight For Texas’ Future

How vouchers, party leadership, and non-voters will shape the next chapter in Texas politics.

Late last week, Senator Brandon Creighton (R-SD04) filed SB2, his version of the voucher scheme, and promptly scheduled a committee hearing to explain it. The bill is 33 pages long, just as bad as expected. However, the Senate is championing it, so it’s worth paying attention to. The Senate passed a voucher scheme in the last session but never made it through the House. 

The House may push another voucher bill, and they won’t agree. Or the House could love SB2 and try to slide it through quickly. Either way, SB2 is one I’ll be monitoring. Tomorrow, I’ll have a full breakdown of the bill. Still, since the Senate Committee on Education scheduled a hearing for SB2 on Tuesday, I wanted to make sure the information on the committee hearing got out ASAP.

Many grassroots groups, teacher organizations, and concerned parents have kept their eyes peeled on the voucher issue. We should expect to see a lot of anti-voucher proponents testifying against this bill. If the voucher issue is something you’re passionate about and if you are in the Austin area or can travel, here is the info:

They’re limiting public testimony to two minutes per witness.

The Committee on Finance also meets to discuss many critical things, like border funding. I’ll have the full rundown of what happened in both committees afterward, if it goes too late, then Wednesday morning.

Since we’ll discuss the Legislature all week, I wanted to ensure everyone saw yesterday’s debate for the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) Chair.

The first Texas Democratic Party Chair debate.

The LBJ Ranch is in Gillespie County, and from what I understand, the internet isn’t great there. Some parts of the video are bad, but most is just fine.

What happened to that $4 billion the Legislature allocated for rural broadband? A discussion for another day.

The candidates who participated were:

• Aaron Arguijo

• Kendall Scudder

• Delia Parker-Mims

• Patsy Woods Martin

• Patricia Olivares

Four of the candidates who have filed were not present yesterday. Meri Gomez just filed on Friday, and I’ve heard two more were planning on filing next week. As it turns out, Beto is not running.

I’m not sure if I have an opinion yet, but I hope the party’s future forums are also live-streamed so we can all see the candidates, especially the ones who didn’t make it yesterday. Five forums are planned across the state in the next few months.

While the livestream was happening, about 250 other people watched with me, and there was a lot of conversation in the chat. Some people had already picked their favorites, while others shared their concerns about the party’s direction.

Rural vs. Urban.

This has been an ongoing debate in Texas for many years, and I can only tell you what I’ve seen from my perspective. Although my city has 400,000 residents, it is not the county seat, and the SDEC districts are shared with my town and 12 rural counties. My city has been blue for a while, but nobody votes. The turnout here has been dismal.

Arlington is the seventh-biggest city in Texas, and it’s blue. However, we’ve never had a state-wide candidate here. In 2022, Beto and Luke Warford came to UT Arlington, but UT Arlington is a commuter college, and Arlington isn’t a college town, so I’m not sure it counts. Colin Allred came out for a small, invite-only event (remember when I stuck my foot in my mouth), but I’m not sure that counted either.

The County Party has experienced considerable leadership turnover but has improved and is building a more substantial presence. However, I wonder how many other mid-size blue cities in blue counties are overshadowed by their more populated county seats.

The number one thing I hear county party chairs say (from all over the state) is that they haven’t had the support or resources from the state party.

Many rural Democrats think that the state party doesn’t support rural Texas as well as they should. But from my perspective, there hasn’t been any support in blue, urban Texas either. Nor do I believe Texas will be flipped by pouring more resources into rural counties, especially when I have 100,000 non-voters in my backyard.

Several candidates spoke about rural Texas, and many comments in the live chat were more focused on rural Texas. The TDP needs to figure out how to support all counties and not let anyone feel ignored, but it shouldn’t be an either/or.

Maybe the new chair can heal this divide. Voter turnout in urban Texas, where most of the population lives, has been abysmal. So, I disagree with those who say there needs to be a more significant focus on rural Texas.

What else were others saying?

The Texas Progressive Caucus, the largest caucus within the TDP, hosted the debate. Some mentioned how progressive Texas Democrats were. This is crucial to consider when the SDEC picks the new chair, which I’ve discussed extensively on Lone Star Left. Texas Democrats are the most progressive Democrats in the country, primarily because they are fighting as the opposition in one of the most conservative states.

This uphill battle has pushed them to adopt bold, unapologetic platforms that address the state’s inequalities. Texas faces some of the highest rates of uninsured residents, extreme income inequality, and growing climate risks, which demand systemic solutions like universal healthcare, robust public school funding, and environmental justice.

The diversity of the state also plays a role. With a young, racially diverse population, Texas Democrats have embraced progressive policies that resonate with Hispanic, Black, and young voters, groups disproportionately affected by the state’s Republican policies. They also counter the extremism of Texas Republicans, from defending reproductive rights against harsh abortion bans to advocating for voting rights and LGBTQ+ protections.

There are so many non-voting leftists in this state that if they only knew or took the time to read the TDP platform and listen to our leaders and (most) of our elected officials, they would realize that Team Blue is trying to give them everything they want.

One of the biggest problems is that too many people only hear about the establishment Democrats in DC and don’t see a difference between the establishment pushovers in DC and the Democrats here at home. One thing I didn’t hear in today’s debate was about messaging.

How do we get the non-voters to know that the TDP stands for universal healthcare, comprehensive immigration reform, climate justice, and ending mass incarceration?

I hope to see them discuss this in a future forum.

Texas Democrats are at a crossroads.

Texas Democrats have some of the nation’s boldest ideas and most progressive policies, but the party’s biggest challenge isn’t the Republicans. It’s the voters who aren’t showing up. Whether in rural counties or urban centers like Arlington, the TDP has to figure out how to connect with the millions of non-voting Texans who could change the state’s future.

This isn’t just about flipping Texas blue. It’s about building a movement that energizes voters by showing them what’s at stake, better healthcare, stronger public schools, fairer wages, and a sustainable future. The next TDP chair has a lot of work to do: bridging divides, boosting turnout, and reminding people that Texas Democrats are fighting for them.

The solutions are here, and the fight is worth it. Now, we need leadership that will bring the message home and inspire Texans to take action.

• January 28: Senate Finance Committee - Article V (Border security funding) and Senate Education Committee (Vouchers)

• January 31: Left In Texas Podcast - Representative Christina Morales

• February 2: Senate Finance Committee - Article III (Education and voucher scheme funding)

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

LoneStarLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Follow me on Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.