Our Plan
Our Mission – Saving Our Democracy
The Democratic Party is on the ropes. After the Red Wave of 2024, Republicans control all three branches of the federal government and all three branches of the Texas government. While this is not new in Texas, it is new at the federal level. The Republicans have not controlled all three branches of government since 2018. The damage being done to our republic is not yet irreparable, but it is significant and could become fatal over the next 18 months.
The 2026 election is critically important. The people of the United States and Texas must rise up and make their voices heard, and they will face significant obstacles in doing so thanks to the monopoly on government that Republicans possess. It will be harder to register to vote. It will be harder to vote. It will be harder to ensure that all votes are fairly counted.
These times call for action. That’s where we come in.
The purpose of the Travis County Democratic Party is to elect more Democrats in Travis County, in legislative and judicial districts that include Travis County, and in the State of Texas and the United States of America. It must organize to register, activate, and turn out voters who will vote for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.
The TCDP cannot waver in this mission. It cannot rest. It cannot cede ground or allow for complacency. The Party must begin organizing now, fundraising now, and preparing for the battles ahead. Make no mistake – this is a battle. This is a battle for the heart and soul of our country. This is a battle for democracy.
Our Values and Principles – We Are America
The Travis County Democratic Party must lead by example. The TCDP must be committed to full transparency. It must stand for the rule of law. It must stand for fairness. For equity. For diversity. For inclusion. For accessibility. It must be committed to fostering an environment of respect, and inclusion. It must be welcoming, and it must allow for differing opinions. We will win by being the party of working people, and the party that stands up for basic rights.
It must stand against hate. It must stand against division. It must stand against inequality. And it must stand against fascism in all its forms. It must promote democracy and promote our republic. It must stand up for the values enshrined in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. It cannot allow Republicans to co-opt the nationalism of our Democratic Republic. There is only one political party in our country that stands for the Constitution – the Democratic Party.
How We Win – Organizing Our Way to Victory
The Travis County Democratic Party has a reputation as one of the most organized and productive county parties in the state. We must build on that reputation.
The TCDP must lead the Democratic vanguard, as we have historically done. We must lead the state of Texas in voter turnout, not ceding it to suburban counties. We must lead the state in youth turnout. We must lead the state in Democratic margin of victory. We must be the example to the state, and indeed the nation, on how to organize, how to register, and how to turn out voters. We must show that we don’t need out of state saviors or Washington, DC consultants to save us. We can lead here, and we can show the state, the country, and the world how we organize and how we stand up for our values at the ballot box. To do this, we must fire on all cylinders.
We must:
- Organize all the time, not just during elections.
- Reflect our diverse county, be essentially integrated into our communities, and act as a community member and support our community even when there isn’t an election.
- Register voters all the time. Be a constant presence. Actively recruit and train VDRs and explore partnerships with local organizations like the LWV.
- Collect and store data constantly, in line with today’s best practices. Data allows for better communication. Communication facilitates voting.
- Partner with precinct chairs and other party members to organize in the ways that have proved effective for them, building upon the power in our party.
- Provide the resources, tools, and materials for persuasion conversations throughout the county. Help with social media and relational organizing tools.
- Avoid a “one size fits all” model for our organizing efforts. Travis County is urban, suburban, and rural. There is also a great deal of cultural diversity. Multiple approaches are necessary.
- Run a professional Coordinated Campaign and GOTV operation that establishes and amplifies relationships and voting.
- Prioritize organizing with county party staff, as well as the Chair, and expand organizing staff as we grow resources.
- Follow best practices and standards in campaigning when organizing to better support our precinct chairs, elected officials, and candidates.
Constant and Consistent Organizing
How the TCDP engages with the community will have a great impact on the number of people who vote for Democrats. The Party must engage in more community service projects and be more consistently present during community volunteer events. It is at these types of events that the party can demonstrate its commitment to our community, and through these events that we can meet current and future Democrats, collect their information, and bring them into the party.
The TCDP can’t just organize around politics – Democrats need to be seen as a constant presence in all communities through Travis County. We engage with a much broader group of community members when we partner with existing organizations to demonstrate the power of our party, help to clean up parks, deliver meals to those who are in need, and join together to build playgrounds and homes. We can build relationships with non-profits and volunteer groups that share common cause. We must live our values and demonstrate them consistently as we seek to engage and build our party.
The Power of Data
Data must be at the center of all that we do. The more data we have, the more effective our organizing efforts will be. Building our party’s database of contact information is crucial to allowing us to turn out inconsistent voters and to persuade other voters to vote for Democrats.
I will use party resources to acquire accurate data, and I will use that data to contact voters and non-voters alike to speak with them about our party’s values. All of our efforts will be put into the VAN so that Democratic candidates and organizations can build upon the data that we input. We will use public survey questions to identify partisanship in the VAN and we will collect as much data as possible to maintain relationships with every voter in the county who might vote for a Democrat.
At the same time, every employee of the TCDP will center data collection efforts in their daily workday. We must be meticulous in the collection of data and meticulous in the cataloguing of it. Republicans have been using data for years to mislead voters. We must use it to fight back.
We must also ensure that those who organize in our party and for our party understand how to use data to our advantage, so I’ll ensure that every precinct chair has access to high quality VAN training and technical support.
How We Organize – Invest in Grassroots Leadership and Building Relationships
Organizing is one of the most broadly used terms in politics, describing everything from community engagement, mobilization, protests, digital engagement, and even event planning. While all of these things are necessary to effective political organizations, organizing, as I’ve learned it, is really only about one thing at its core: identifying, training, and developing grassroots leaders. Organizing is the faith that in every community, notwithstanding the pressures, challenges, and disparities a community faces, there is strength and talent. The work of organizing is to constantly be on a search for talent and leadership, to be curious, to not only listen for stories and issues community members are facing, but to invite them to get involved and become leaders within our party.
The best organizers, whether paid or volunteer (i.e. precinct chairs/precinct leaders), are more like talent scouts, recruiters, or general managers of sports teams. They are always on a search for talent and potential leaders, not necessarily in elected or appointed positions, but through block walks, house parties, schools, congregations, and social service organizations. A goal for 2025 should be to double the ranks of our collective grassroots leadership serving on precinct teams heading into the 2026 election year.
How we organize is critical to the success of our mission. We need to expand our organizing staff to fully support Precinct Chairs and Super Precinct Chairs in their work. It is imperative that we combine innovation with tried-and-true tactics to turn out the most Democrats in all elections. I want to bring my two decades of experience organizing to the party.
Organizing is also about relationships. It is about forming lasting bonds over shared values and a shared mission. It is a justifiable criticism of our party when some communities say we only show up at election time. We can and will change this.
Beginning here within the party, I want to form deep and lasting relationships with the CEC, volunteers, and employees. I want to understand aspirations, hopes, frustrations, and desires. Empowering our party officers and volunteers means understanding what gets them excited, how they want to engage, and what their personal goals are. Successful organizing isn’t about a “top down” approach. It’s about agreeing on a goal and helping each other get there.
Each person that engages with our party has different ideas and desires related to the work they want to do. The important thing to understand is that each person wants to work. I want to support each person and their desire to work – that’s what builds power and what leads to lasting change.
Of course, direct voter contact is critical, knocking on doors and making phone calls is important and necessary work, and I will ensure that it is done in the most efficient and effective way possible with hands on support for each individual desiring to do the work.
But that’s not the only way to engage and not the only way to organize voters and community members, especially outside of campaign cycles. House meetings, events, building relationships, using social media, and political and non-political direct action are all ways that we can engage in our community, and I want to support them all with party staff and party organizers, and of course, my own time and work.
I am committed to recruiting more Precinct Chairs to fill vacancies across the county, and through that work, I want to ensure the makeup of the CEC fully reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of our county.
I also think it is critical for the TCDP to have a good working relationship with all of the various Democratic clubs and organizations throughout the county. I want the party to support and enhance the work of those entities.
The Coordinated Campaign – A Million Dollar Strategy
The Coordinated Campaign is the “Big Show” when it comes to how we spend money. It’s the county-wide effort to register and turn out Democrats, and to persuade non-Democrat identifying voters to vote for Democrats, that begins in the spring and summer of even-numbered years. In years past, it’s been the biggest election-related organizing effort in the county; typically, it showcases the best organizers and campaign talent in Travis County, working in close coordination with our core leadership: Super Precinct Chairs, Precinct Chairs, and staff. Together, we fan out and run a professional GOTV and persuasion organizing effort that is the crown jewel of the state.
My goal is to grow the Coordinated Campaign to approach a $1 million effort (in addition to growing our general TCDP operating budget) – an army of organizers spreading out across the county to register and activate the voters that we have been organizing year-round. We must offer good wages and benefits, employing dozens of organizers to do the difficult work in the late spring, summer, and into the fall. We must maintain multiple offices to ensure adequate reach in all parts of the county.
We will invest heavily in organizing and voter engagement in communities of color, working class communities, and rural communities throughout the county.
Under my leadership, the Coordinated Campaign will register thousands of difficult to register voters, like those who don’t own transportation or are home-bound. We’ll invest in the work of University Democrats on and around the UT campus, and student organizing groups at Huston-Tillotson University, ACC, St. Edwards University and around other campuses in Travis County.
I will also work with every Democratic elected official to ensure that we are communicating their achievements and their platforms – that we highlight their accomplishments in our party communications at the doors, on the phones, in mailboxes, and online.
We will conduct a robust vote by mail operation, sending applications to every voter that is eligible and chasing those applications with calls, texts, and door knocks.
We will highlight education and understanding of the processes involved in voting, producing materials in multiple languages that describe the process of registering and voting. We will ensure that voters understand the requirements for photo identification and, if necessary, work to facilitate that acquisition of photo identification.
In order to produce the highest margin possible in Travis County so as to contribute to the statewide margins, the coordinated campaign must focus on persuasion, identification, and activation.
Persuasion
Precinct Chairs, volunteers, and paid organizers need to be properly trained on the most persuasive talking points and possess campaign collateral to enhance and support communication efforts. Persuasion efforts must be centered in battleground and Republican-majority precincts, cutting into margins and winning precincts that Democrats have previously lost.
We will use the most up to date strategies, studies, and tactics to persuade voters to vote for our candidates, in relational organizing, in direct voter contact, and in earned media.
Identification
The TCDP must endeavor to apply a partisan identification to every voter without a primary history, building upon data throughout the years in the VAN so as to benefit every Democratic official in the county and the state. The more voters the party is able to identify with public survey questions, the more effective our campaigns will be.
Activation
Sporadic and unlikely voters have a high propensity for voting for Democrats. Activating them is a core function of the coordinated campaign, especially in base precincts throughout the county. Education, strong messaging, and consistent contacts so as to form a relationship with sporadic voters is important. Collecting accurate contact information, including cell phone numbers, is key to turning out these voters.
I will also work to ensure that there are adequate voting locations and voting hours throughout the county, especially on campus. I’ll work with the County Clerk and the Elections Division early in the process so that we aren’t caught off guard by changes in usual polling places.
Finally, if our capacity allows, I will use our robust campaign apparatus to help our neighboring counties. There will be several extremely competitive countywide races in Williamson and Hays counties, and perhaps other counties, as well. If we can pour calls in or knock a few thousand doors one weekend for our neighbors, we can help our fellow Democrats win.
Fundraising
Fundraising is the bedrock of a strong Coordinated Campaign and a well-funded year-round operation. Our goal for 2026 should be to double the combined budget of both. The party chair must lead all fundraising operations and spend the majority of their time doing personal outreach through phone, email, and meetings to all types of donors.
As chair, I commit to:
- Consistent call time
- One-on-One meetings with new donors who have a history of giving to the national party, federal candidates, statewide candidates, and progressive organizations
- Leveraging the significant fundraising experience of many precinct chairs and party leaders across all fundraising strategies
- Training all precinct chairs and staff on fundraising techniques so that more people are making more asks to others, including for small dollar recurring contributions
- Transparent and Regular Reporting on our Finances to the CEC with no fluff or padding
Sustaining Members
Monthly donors, also known as Sustaining Members or Leadership Council members, allow us to plan, maintain a year-round office with full-time staff, and organize outside of election seasons. The more individuals contributing $10, $84, or any amount each month, the better. I will have a robust re-engagement campaign for our monthly donors who have lapsed, and I will work to grow this share of our revenue significantly.
Growing the number of recurring monthly donors is key to a year-round organizing model, and I will invest in using organizing power to do so. Our precinct chairs make up a large number of our sustaining members and I will make sure they have the tools to bring in more recurring donors. I’ll prioritize that toolkit for chairs that want to help with fundraising.
Elected Officials
Travis County has the best elected officials in Texas. Cycle after cycle, our elected officials make up at least 50% of our coordinated campaign budget. Their investment is critical to our organizing program and communicating with more voters.
I commit to coming to our elected officials early in 2026 with a robust coordinated campaign plan and budget that is going to maximize turnout in Travis County. Our elected officials will know exactly how and when we plan to invest their money. They will receive regular briefings from our Coordinated Campaign manager and will have intimate knowledge of our field reports.
Individual Major Donors
The Travis County Democratic Party has an impressive database of cell phones and emails for individual donors who have given $1,000 or much more throughout the years. In larger coordinated campaigns the individual major donors have comprised 50% of the budget raised. But this is an area we need to rebuild and substantially grow. I commit to personally calling each past, present, and prospective major donor, introducing myself and telling them about our plans to overperform in 2026.
Additionally, I will seek and solicit new individual donors here in Travis County, but also elsewhere. There are many donors that are interested in seeing effective organizing in Texas counties that can cut into Republican statewide margins. I’ll aggressively seek them out and solicit their donations by presenting detailed plans to let them know how their contributions will be used.
Individual donors need more than just one phone conversation if they are going to invest big. They need regular and consistent one-on-one communication from the party chair. The chair must be able to get into the weeds on budget priorities, electioneering tactics and reports from the field.
I have more than 20 years of experience leading grassroots organizing, raising million dollar plus annual budgets and winning campaigns. I know how to communicate with donors about their contributions, and I know how to keep them contributing on an ongoing basis.
Events
In-person fundraisers are a great way for us to come together as Democrats, in celebration, solidarity and resolve to raise the money needed to maximize turnout in Travis County. For some time now, the party has been fortunate to have three hallmark events that have grown in popularity and that many people look forward to.
The Johnson Bentsen Richards dinner: traditionally in January or February of the election year, this event was previously known as the filing day dinner. This event serves to bring everyone together at the start of the election year and galvanize us around our shared goal of maximizing turnout in Travis County. Historically, the chair brings in a high-profile National Democratic Leader to encourage donors to sponsor the event. I will work to bring in a National Democrat who can fill up and sell out a large hotel ballroom once again.
The Trio of Stars: this event was created to honor three women who have worked hard for our Democratic community. I want to grow this bi-annual event and explore moving it back to the spring of the off-year so that the Party can have the resources to do year-round organizing outside of the general election.
The Judicial Retirement Celebration: this event has always been a great way to honor our retiring judges and bring our legal community together in support of the local party. I want to explore bringing this event back to a reception-style format that will minimize overhead costs while still bringing in high-dollar sponsors who wish to honor our retiring judges.
We must remember that large events carry a heavier hard cost burden through food and venue fees. These hard costs eat into the overall profit the party brings in from the event. Fewer large events that donors can plan to sponsor and attend will net more profit for the party and thus more money for our organizing efforts.
House Parties
House parties have always been a great way to bring neighbors and friends together in a relaxed setting. I will have a detailed yet easy to follow house party toolkit for anyone interested in hosting a fundraiser for the local party in their home. The goal of these gatherings will be to bring in more small dollar donors, collect contact information, and build out precinct infrastructure year-round.
My Pledge to You and Our Party
As Chair, I pledge to be honest, fair, and forthright. I will not use the TCDP to enrich my friends, provide privilege for political allies, or to favor any one group over another. I will run CEC meetings in strict accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, and I will maintain respect and decorum during all meetings.
I will handle all resolutions and requests for party action in a fair manner and in accordance with party rules, and when the CEC seeks to revise or create rules, I will manage the process in a fair and unbiased way.
I will work with all Democratic elected officials in the county, whether in partisan or nonpartisan offices, and strive to keep them informed and involved in party activity.
I will wake up every day centering my service to the party and with the goal of electing more Democrats at the front of my mind, and I will work to empower all members of the party to help me achieve that goal. I will solicit and listen to feedback from the CEC, party officials, and elected officials.
When I learned organizing, I was taught that power comes in two forms – organized money and organized people. We will do both when I’m Chair.
I firmly believe that, when we organize with our values as a party, center compassion, dignity, and respect, and fight like Hell to preserve our Democracy, we will win back the White House, Congress, and the State of Texas. It starts right here in Travis County.