November 7, 2012-
Dear Democrat,
You have a lot to be proud of today. I know you share my great joy and excitement around the re-election of President Obama and the Democratic control of the Senate.
And in Texas, we added three new Democratic seats to our Congressional delegation in DC, and seven more Democrats to our State House, breaking the Republican supermajority. We turned the Fourth Court of Appeals Democratic. And virtually every large urban county in the State turned Blue. We also won Wendy Davis’ crucial State Senate race, which shows that Texans understand the importance of Democrats in the Senate being able to block the most reckless parts of the Republican’s extreme agenda.
Throughout the nation, we also saw what the future of our democracy looks like. It is a democracy that supports women’s rights, healthcare, protecting education, caring for our seniors, and equality for the LGBT community. It is a democracy of increased turnout among progressive young voters, and incredibly strong and Democratic-leaning turnout in African-American, Hispanic and Asian communities.
That is what we saw in the country last night, and that is what we see in where Texas is headed. Seventy percent of Latinos in Texas voted for President Obama. And the gains we made in the State are a direct result of the progress of our growing Democratic coalition.
The numbers have always been on our side, and are even more so now than ever before. But I’ll be honest with you, we still have a lot of hard work before us.
Last night also showed the importance of grassroots organizing and engaging our full populace in the vote. And this is what we need to do. We also have a legislative session set to begin in 2013, and a voucher fight to take on there, among other battles. We have a 2014 Gubernatorial race, where the new strength of Democrats in Texas can change the game around who we send to the Capitol.
Celebrate today. Be proud. And then channel that enthusiasm – and frustration over crazy Tea Partier Ted Cruz representing us in the Senate – and get ready to continue in our progress. There’s a lot of work still to be done, and we are fired up and ready to go.
This is what it feels like to be on the brink of a turning point for Texas. And you are the Texas Democrats who will make history by continuing the push to turn our State Blue.
Thank you for everything you have done thus far. And I look forward to continuing the fight, shoulder to shoulder, as we move Texas even more Forward.
Yours,
Gilberto Hinojosa, www.txdemocrats.org