Which Of The Gilead Wives Club Can Be Voted Out This Year?
There is a lot of opportunity for change this election cycle.
Correction: Candy Noble (HD89-Collin County) does have a Democratic challenger. His name is Darrel Evans.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Marget Atwood, both in its book form and TV adaptation, narrates the plight of women in a dystopian world that eerily mirrors potential realities. Set in Gilead, a nation born from the collapse of America due to the rise of far-right extremists, the society is a strict patriarchy, stripping women of any rights. Women are categorized into distinct roles within this regime.
Handmaids, identified for their fertility, are allocated to Commanders and their spouses for forced impregnation and childbirth, with their offspring subsequently removed from their care. Marthas serve as domestic workers and laborers. Aunts enforce discipline among the Handmaids. As for the wives, they actively participate by holding the Handmaids down during the acts of rape by their husbands.
Republican women in the Texas House play similar roles to the wives of Gilead. These are the women who author and push bills to strip the women in Texas of bodily autonomy. This is why they are the Gilead Wives Club because if it were Gilead, they undoubtedly would hold other women down as they were raped, similarly to how they use their time in the Legislature to oppress and violate the women of Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for getting abortions banned in Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for the high maternal mortality in Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for blocking insurance access to women in Texas.
Republican men in the Texas House use these women to push all the bills that harm women.
That’s how it’s been for the last two legislative sessions. I believe it’s an optics thing. Perhaps the Republican men feel as if oppression against women should come from other women to make the debates easier as they make it through the House. And the women of the Gilead Wives Club happily comply.
You can read more about the Gilead Wives Club from my expose last year:
Some have already been voted out by losing their primaries against other Republicans. Others are on thin ice in their swing districts. So, let’s get into it.
Valoree Swanson - the HBIC.
Representative Valoree Swanson (HD150-Harris County) is the puppet master of these ladies. She’s the Regina George, the Tony Soprano, the Cersei Lannister of these women. She should be the number one target to vote because the entire club would fall apart without her.
Most women who follow her around like little puppy dogs do so because they aren’t smart enough to handle the legislative process independently. Swanson directs them on legislation and what to say during debates.
Taking out Valoree Swanson would completely cripple Republican women in the Texas House.
Running against Swanson is Democrat Marisela “MJ” Jimenez.
Jimenez became a US citizen in 2005 after pledging to support and defend the Constitution. She’s received endorsements from the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation and the Climate Cabinet.
You can find out more about MJ Jimenez on her website or Twitter.
Geanie Morrison - Stephanie Klick - Candy Noble.
Thankfully, Geanie Morrison (HD30-Victoria County) is retiring this year. After 25 years in the Texas House, during which time she pushed patriarchal legislation to harm Texas women, the 73-year-old Morrison is finally calling it quits. She won’t be missed.
Two Republicans, both men, are running in Morrison’s place. They’re in a runoff next month, where one will face the Democrat for this seat in November. This is over a +40 Trump district, so it’s probable this seat won’t flip, but it’s still essential to have a Democrat there, pushing the district left.
The Democrat running for HD30 is Stephanie Bassham.
Bassham is a real coal miner’s daughter who isn’t afraid to fight for sustainable jobs with fair wages, affordable housing, public education, and reproductive freedom.
You can find more about Stephanie Bassham on her Facebook.
Stephanie Klick (HD91-Tarrant County) faces a primary runoff against David Lowe (R). Neither is the lesser of two evils.
No Democrats are running against Stephanie Klick or Candy Noble (HD89-Collin County), which is unfortunate. Still, if voters can remove Valoree Swanson, these two ladies would be completely lost without her.
Have you ever seen the movie, “What Women Want?” Stephanie Klick and Candy Nobel are these women:
Shelby Slawson - Lacey Hull.
As far as these two ladies go, it’s important to remember that we don’t slut-shame, no matter how many of their married co-workers they sleep with (and the two of them together have racked up quite the numbers).
The two follow Swanson around the way a baby duck follows a mama duck. Thankfully, neither is running unopposed.
Under the direction of Valoree Swanson, Shelby Slawson (HD59-Coryell County) authored the bill that ended abortions in Texas.
Although HD59 is a solidly red district, Swanson has a Democratic opponent. Hannah Bohm will certainly give Slawson some competition.
However, Representative Lacey Hull (HD138-Harris County) is far from safe.
HD138 has been identified previously as one of the seats that have the potential to flip.
Stephanie Morales is the Democrat running for HD138.
This was only a +5 Trump district in 2020. The Democrat running for this office, Stephanie Morales, will need a lot of volunteers and support, so if you live in Harris County, consider volunteering for her campaign.
Carrie Isaac - Ellen Troxclair - Caroline Harris.
Last year, we considered whether these newcomers would join the Gilead Wives Club. They did. Each time the woman took to the front mic, her fellow club members stood around her to support her.
Carrie Isaac (HD73-Comal County) gave us everything we expected from her in the Legislative session, if not more.
Sometimes, we try to understand why Republicans vote like they do, and that might be how you feel any time you hear Carrie Isaac speak. Some mysteries we’ll never have the answers to.
Sally Duval is the Democrat running against Carrie Isaac. Any Democrat running in Texas will have an uphill battle, and HD73 isn’t an exception. However, as terrible as Issac was during the legislative session, Duval should be able to get independent voters on her side.
Ellen Troxclair (HD19-Travis County) went through a relatively viscous primary election against ex-Representative Kyle Biedermann, which she won.
During her freshman legislative session, she introduced bills to harm poor people and benefit the wealthy.
Dwain Handley is the Democrat running against Troxclair. He has just opened his campaign office in Burnet County. If you’re in the area, he needs volunteers.
Caroline Harris (HD52-Williamson County) recently married Dan Patrick’s chief of staff. Her votes in the Texas Legislature have aligned completely with Dan Patrick. That’s a mistake in a county like WilCo, which will go blue for Biden in November.
The Democrat running against her is Jennie Birkholz. Birkholz has been showing up for the community in WilCo. I believe this seat can flip this year, which I previously explained here:
Democrats on the ground in Williamson County seem especially ready to vote Harris out, and this is a strong group that can see it through.
Angie Chen Button - Angelia Orr - Kronda Thimesch.
These three Republican women have never been part of the Republican women’s clique behavior. Whether that was their choice or they were intentionally excluded is a mystery to most of us.
This will likely be Angie Chen Button’s last election, as this is one of the seats everyone predicts will flip. Trump only won this district by +0.5 in 2020, and this urban area has seen growth and increased diversity.
Averie Bishop is the 2022 Miss Texas and a viral social media influencer. She has a solid platform and over 1 million followers on TikTok. I have a lot of confidence she can flip this seat.
Angelina Orr (HD13-McLennan County) has taken an anti-feminist position in the Legislature, although she’s mostly been a behind-the-scenes lawmaker. While she’s taken group photos with the Gilead Wives Club, she never chased them up to the mic when it was one of their turns to debate a bill.
Democrats in HD13 are confident that the Democratic nominee, Albert Hunter, can flip this district. There’s no question that this district is trending blue, like much of Texas, but to flip a seat this red would take a lot of work and money. We’ll see if they can pull it off.
Kronda Thimesch (HD65-Denton County) was a good Republican; she voted with them lock-step. But because of that, they called her a Democrat and primaried her with one of Ken Paxton’s attorneys, Mitch Little.
Little is far to the right and in the same camp as Tony Tinderholt and Brian Harrison. Because of the GOP Civil War, the subsequent legislative sessions are shaping up to be a shit show. If Little whens, he will undoubtedly contribute to it.
Luckily for Democrats, this seat is trending blue. Extremists like Mitch Little are not as well-received as they would be in a rural district.
Democrat Detrick Deburr can win if he runs a hard campaign.
There’s so much at stake in 2024.
Texas has been on a slow but steady shift towards blue over the last two decades, driven by diverse demographic growth, changing political attitudes, and an increase in voter mobilization. Although recent elections have disappointed many, persistence and dedication can lead to significant shifts in the political landscape, as we’ve seen in Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona.
These states have shown that it’s possible to overcome historical barriers and change the political course with focused and strategic efforts. With its vast diversity and growing young population, Texas is on the cusp of such change.
The importance of continuing the fight for rights, equity, and representation has never been more critical. Active participation in the political process, from voting to campaign volunteering, can make a decisive difference. Texas’ time will come.
Important 2024 primary RUNOFF election days:
April 29, 2024: Last day to register to vote.
May 17, 2024: Last day to apply by mail
May 20, 2024: First day of early voting.
May 24, 2024: Last day of early voting.
May 28, 2024: Last day to receive a ballot by mail.
May 28, 2024: Election day.
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Caroline Harris has got to go. Jan 10,2024: "Yesterday, the Leadership Institute provided an excellent communications training session for legislative staff in the Texas House. A special thank you to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Cat Parks , Representative Janie Lopez , my team, and everyone else who helped make this possible. Staff are a critical piece of how we get things done in the legislature, and I’m grateful to have hosted the first of many of these leadership sessions." What is the Leadership Institute? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_Institute