In March 2018 when Beto O’Rourke ran in the Democratic
Primary he faced only two other candidates both of whom were unknowns with no background
suggesting they understood campaigns or even government. His near miss in the
general election prompted pundits to claim that Texas was turning purple from
its long time red status. In 2020 we see the fruit of that close race with a
dozen candidates, three hold or have held public office, three lead community
or labor organizations, one other ran for office in 2018 and came about as
close to beating their Republican opponent as Beto did. Two more ran for office
in 2018 but didn’t make it out of the primary. The field is crowded with some
really interesting candidates and I think we have a tremendous opportunity to
win this Senate seat.
To me the most important issue is climate change because the
window for holding back the worst effects of our greenhouse gases is fast
approaching yet our federal and state governments are doing next to nothing to
address it. I’ve found that the candidates who recognize the urgency of that
issue also generally hold views similar to mine on a wide range of other issues
as well. Healthcare, a living wage, education, criminal justice reform, and immigration
are important to them too though some don’t go as far as I wish with their
proposed solutions.
My top two are both women, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez and MJ
Hegar. Ramirez is a labor organizer and working mother who co-founded the Workers
Defense Project, serving as its Executive Director from 2006 until 2016 when
she started Jolt. Jolt is a civil rights organization that works to amplify the
voice Texas Latinos on issues impacting them. Jolt organizes communities on issues
and elections ranging from local school boards all the way to Congress. Jolt works to accomplish this through voter
engagement, leadership development and community and student organizing.
Remember that a certain former President by the name of Barack Obama was once a
community organizer.
Hegar is a retired Air Force major and working mother who
ran for U.S. Congress in 2018. She is a former combat search-and-rescue pilot,
served three tours in Afghanistan and was awarded a Purple Heart after she was
shot down by enemy fire, protecting her crew and patients. She was also part of
a 2012 lawsuit against then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta challenging the ban
on women in ground combat. Hegar has a compelling personal story told in a
video created for her 2018 U.S. House campaign, check it out on Youtube search
for MJ Hegar Doors.
Other major candidates include: Amanda Edwards who is a
current Houston City Council member and former member of Senator Elizabeth
Warren’s staff; Royce West who is a long time Texas state senator out of Dallas
with a solid track record; Chris Bell who is a former U.S. Representative for
Texas's 25th congressional district, Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas
in 2006, and candidate for mayor of Houston in 2015; Sema Hernandez who is a
community organizer for the Poor People's Campaign and Democratic primary candidate
for U.S. Senate in 2018; and Michael Cooper who is a pastor, NAACP chapter head,
and Democratic primary candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2018.
Early voting for the Primary starts February 18 so you don’t
have much time left to do your homework and decide which candidate ticks the
most boxes for you so get started soon because there are other contested races
you need to check out besides President and U.S. Senate.
Published in the Seguin Gazette - January 15, 2020
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