It appears that the Democrats are successfully holding their coalition together and intend to pass the clock for this special session.
DALLAS – Big political news stays in the House of Representatives Chamber at the State Capitol.
We are entering week three of the Texas House Democrats in Washington, DC
COVID has become a distraction now, but it seems that the Democrats are successfully holding their coalition together and intend to cut the clock at this special session to kill another Republican law to change how and when Texans vote.
Dems in DC
State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) spoke to Inside Texas Politics from the Washington hotel, where he and his colleagues are staying in their self-imposed exile.
He said the Democrats’ goal was to “wake up” the public to what he called the slow erosion of public suffrage, and at this halfway point in the special session, Wu said he believed that goal has been achieved.
“When we started here … we said we have to change the narrative of what is happening across the country, we have to make the situation aware, we have to wake people up to what is going on,” said Wu.
However, last week that news was messed up after headlines were directed at the handful of Texas Democrats who tested positive for COVID-19.
“It destroyed their news,” said Ross Ramsey of The Texas Tribune. “They tried to focus on getting Congress to pass a voting bill that would preempt what they dislike in Texas and instead spent the week talking about COVID.”
“You need to get your attention back in order to get anywhere with your program,” added Ramsey.
But the next tweak in the Texas House Democratic escape to DC could be in the state Supreme Court. Judges will be asked to determine whether Governor Greg Abbott can veto salaries for the legislature. Abbott did that because the Democrats left in May.
Whatever the Texas Supreme Court decides, it will have political implications. Will the Supreme Court do Abbott a favor by upholding its veto? Or by giving him a way out of this stalemate?
Changing political landscape
The Republican Party of Texas is officially under new leadership.
Lt. Col. Allen West resigned to run for governor. The new chairman is a household name among Texas Conservatives: Matt Rinaldi. He is a former Dallas County State Representative.
Rinaldi originally supported one of Abbott’s challengers and asked the question, how will he work with the governor?
Rinaldi acknowledged that there are “splinters” in the Texas GOP, but said that the same splinters exist in any organization or business. He said that these differences can be overcome by “treating people with respect, hearing their views and allowing everyone to have a voice”.
This approach could be crucial in future elections.
But there is a ray of hope for Republicans here: the Rio Grande Valley – the southern tip of Texas.
We’ve talked a lot at Inside Texas Politics about how the presidential races in Texas are getting closer. But for the past three to four years, Republicans have been hacking this Democratic stronghold.
And the city of McAllen has just elected its first Republican mayor in decades. Mayor Javier Villalobos spoke to us from McAllen City Hall about the change his election will mean and whether Republicans will make a mistake if they no longer include them in the party.
“I can’t speak for it, but I can speak for what I’ve done,” said Villalobos. “And what worked for me was being inclusive for everyone. If you’re a Republican and you’re trying to get support, you’re not going to get it from other Republicans, you’re going to get it by bringing in people.” . ”
“There is no need to be adversarial,” he added.
COVID-19
The Delta variant begins to take young Texans to the hospital. But Governor Abbott says masks will no longer be required in public schools either. Do counties, cities and schools have many options? Does this hard talk help him politically with the extreme right of the party?
“I think what you’re going to see is these district officers and councilors and all of these who are going to get the message across to get vaccinated and encourage schools and teachers to encourage parents to wear masks.” on their children and put on masks because there is not much that government agencies can do because of what Abbott has done, “said WFAA political producer Berna Dean Steptoe.
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