FEATURED: Candidates hoping to become Interim Chair of the Texas Democratic Party will participate in a public forum at the Art Village on Main in McAllen on Saturday, February 1, 2025, beginning at 2 p.m., Richard Gonzales, Chair of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party, has announced. “Bringing the candidates who wish to become interim Chair of the Texas Democratic Party is one of the ways the Hidalgo County Democratic Party is building bridges to our communities and creating opportunities, through bold initiatives and unwavering dedication, to serve the people of Hidalgo County,” he said.
Photograph Courtesy RICHARD GONZALES FACEBOOK
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Hopefuls who want to lead the Texas Democratic Party will participate in a forum, free and open to the public, at the Art Village on Main in McAllen on Saturday, February 1, 2025 beginning at 2 p.m.
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
Candidates hoping to become Interim Chair of the Texas Democratic Party will participate in a public forum at the Art Village on Main in McAllen on Saturday, February 1, 2025, beginning at 2 p.m., Richard Gonzales, Chair of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party, has announced.
A forum is generally defined as a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
The event, known as the South Texas State Chair Forum, is free and open to the public.
The Art Village on Main in McAllen is located at 800 North Main Street.
“We are excited to be the only location south of San Antonio holding a candidate forum,” said Gonzales, who was elected Chair of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party in 2022. “Bringing the candidates who wish to become Interim Chair of the Texas Democratic Party is one of the ways the Hidalgo County Democratic Party is building bridges to our communities and creating opportunities, through bold initiatives and unwavering dedication, to serve the people of Hidalgo County.”
The county chair is the chair of the county executive committee for a political party in a given county. The county chair is responsible for performing several duties in the course of the primary election process.
A primary election is an election held by a political party to select that party’s nominees for public office and to elect the officers of that political party.
https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/county-chair-handbook.pdf
“It pleases me that there is so much energy and enthusiasm for the only South Texas forum. It goes to demonstrate how with the right participation and organizing, South Texas is a formidable and necessary voter base for Democrats,” added Julio Salinas, co-chair of the Hispanic Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party.
According to Ben Whitman, a member from the 34th Congressional District of the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC (txdem.co/SDEC), the SDEC leadership group will meet in Austin on Saturday, March 29, 2025 to elect the interim leader until the new chair is elected at its June 2026 biennial convention in Corpus Christi.
Texas’s 34th congressional district is composed of the area on the Gulf Coast between Brownsville and Corpus Christi, the latter of which being situated in the neighboring 27th congressional district. It extends westward to include the northeastern portion of McAllen and surrounds, with the rest of the McAllen area being in the 15th. In addition to the City of Brownsville, other major towns in the district include Alice, Beeville, Harlingen, Kingsville and San Benito.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas’s_34th_congressional_district
Kenna Giffin, a 34th Congressional District member of the SDEC, further explained “the state party rules provide that the members of the SDEC elect the interim chair.”
The South Texas State Chair Forum will provide the candidates with the opportunity to detail their visions and strategies to help lead the Texas Democratic Party, said Johnathan Weisfeld-Hinojosa, a member of the SDEC from Congressional District 15.
“Audience members also will have the opportunity to submit written questions to be addressed by the candidates,” he noted.
The 15th Congressional District is composed of a narrow strip of land running from western Hidalgo County northwards to eastern Guadalupe County, to the east of San Antonio. The district includes the entirety of Brooks, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Karnes and Wilson counties between Hidalgo and Guadalupe counties.
Rio Grande Valley major cities in the 15th Congressional District include portions or all of Mission (100 percent); McAllen (99 percent); and Edinburg (84 percent). Other key communities outside of the Rio Grande Valley are Falfurrias (100 percent); Seguin (100 percent); and Alice (100 percent).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas’s_15th_congressional_district
The State Democratic Executive Committee carries on the activities of the party in communities across Texas and conducts party business in committees, according to Laurel McLeaish, a member of SDEC from Congressional District 15.
“The SDEC is composed of leaders from Texas’ 38 congressional districts, who are elected at every state convention along with official caucus representatives elected by their caucuses/caucus affiliated organizations, as well as party officers who are elected at gubernatorial year state conventions or appointed by the State Chair,” she added.
The forum in McAllen is being hosted by:
• Texas Democratic Party Hispanic Caucus;
• Texas Progressive Caucus;
• Tejano Democrats;
• Hispanic Caucus Chairs: Julio Salinas and Daphne Tenorio;
• Democratic National Committee Hispanic Caucus Member Celina Vásquez;
• SDEC CD-28 Member Joshua García; and
• SDEC CD-34 Member Ben Whitman.
Eric Holguin will serve as the moderator for the event.
The candidates, along with their respective contact information, and in alphabetical order, are:
• Aaron Arguijo
Entrepreneur
Bexar County
• Rabbi Misha ben-David
Retired
Travis County
• Meri Gómez
Taxation and Compliance Consultant
956/946-9564
Hidalgo County
https://www.facebook.com/TrackQueen1
• Patsy Woods Martin
Rancher
Dallas County
512/633-3232
• Rev. Steve Miller
Non-Profit Executive and Pastor
Rusk County
713/557-6520
• Delia Parker-Mims
Attorney
Denton County
469/464-9427
• Patricia Olivares
Government Affairs Advocate
Harris County
• Lillie Schechter
Strategic Consultant and Fundraiser
Harris County
832/899-5390
• Kendall Scudder
Business Owner
Dallas County
903/243-2555
• Darceal Tobey
Self-Employed IT Technician
Travis County
“Political parties are coalitions of like-minded people who organize to elect candidates and attempt to win control of the government in order to implement their policies. Basically, they are organizations of people who work to win elections,” W. David Griggs, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas College of Law explains in his essay, “Political Parties: What They Are, and Why They Matter”, published in the spring of 2024.
https://www.accessiblelaw.untdallas.edu/post/political-parties-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter
“State and national parties recruit candidates to run for office, help them raise money to get elected, and work to get out the vote (GOTV) for their respective races,” Griggs continued. “They also provide grassroots leadership opportunities for thousands of party volunteers eager to help their parties gain and maintain power.”
For more information, interested individuals may contact Julio Salinas at:
The State Democratic Executive Committee members from the Valley and their contact information follow:
• Kenna Giffin – [email protected]
• Meri Gómez – [email protected]
• Laurel McLeaish – [email protected]
• Julio Salinas – [email protected]
• Johnathan Weisfeld-Hinojosa – [email protected]
• Ben Whitman – [email protected]
The upcoming election for Interim Chair of the Texas Democratic Party comes after current Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, announced that he would be resigning in March 2025 after a 12-year run. He was the county judge in Cameron County from 1995 to 2006.
In his letter on Friday, November 8, 2024, Hinojosa offered his views and advice on how Texas Democratic Party officials and other activists should move forward.
“On Tuesday (November 5, 2024), the Democratic Party suffered devastating defeats up and down the ballot in Texas and across the country. Voters sent a clear message to our party and our country that they want our leaders to talk to them about issues that they care about most, including the economy,” Hinojosa reflected. “Democrats delivered infrastructure funds to rebuild roads, bridges, port and airports. Democrats passed the most important climate investment in history. And though Democrats delivered one of the best economies our country has had, Americans just aren’t feeling it.”
The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state.
The party’s headquarters are in Austin.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Texas Democrat. 39 out of the 48 politicians who have served as Governor of Texas have been Texas Democrats.
Similar to the national Democratic Party, the Texas Democratic Party currently supports abortion access, cannabis legalization, LGBT rights, environmentalism, gun control, Medicaid expansion, and raising the minimum wage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Democratic_Party
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