Texas Voters Face Consequential Choices in Races for Governor and the U.S. Senate
As autumn arrives, it will be to our advantage to conduct a review of the political winds, reflect on what we find, and be prepared to address the need for change. Our scrutiny must focus on the past, measure what we are seeing in the present, and choose a plan of action for the future. These steps are applicable at both the national and state levels. I have found the following issues with some of these selected officials.
Pure Chaos and Confusion at the National Level
The President has been fixated on the passage of the SAVE America Act, for which there aren’t enough votes for passage in the Senate. That legislation would have a significantly negative impact on the eligibility of married women to register and to vote. He has also issued an Executive Order regarding mail-in ballot processing to be handled by USPS. The Supreme Court denied a recent challenge filed by certain blue states, reportedly due to there being no harm as of yet, but it did not rule on whether the Executive Order was lawful.
These are examples of pure “chaos and confusion” designed, in my opinion, to be discouraging for voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Citizens are also suffering from the DOGE cuts to government services, supposedly to “save money” and increase efficiency. Instead, we have been exposed to fewer inspections in the Department of Agriculture, leading to illnesses, as well as cuts to DHHS, which have increased infections of diseases that were eradicated years ago.
Abbott’s History on Voting Rights
At the state level, there’s Governor Greg Abbott, with his own history of undermining voter access, as he previously supported Texas’ Voter ID Law as attorney general in 2014. He made a mocking comment after a ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Nelda Gonzales Ramos, who found that SB 14 had “a discriminatory impact” on women, African Americans, seniors, Latinos, and students. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals called him out and identified, by name, eight of us who were actually harmed by the law. He has also been connected to the Department of Safety’s listing of actual citizens as ineligible to vote who were eligible to register and vote.
Time for a Change in Texas
There’s further history of the governor making questionable decisions regarding school vouchers, welcoming data centers with a 20-year tax break on state taxes, and recently refusing to extradite an ICE agent, as required by the Constitution and requested by Minnesota’s governor. It’s TIME FOR A CHANGE!! State Representative Gina Hinojosa has come within 1 point in some recent polls and appears to be ready to hold the seat as our next governor!
The Race for the U.S. Senate
We now take a cursory look at the race for the open Texas seat in the United States Senate, which is a contest between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Representative James Talarico. Paxton has been described as a staunch conservative with a history of scandals, while Talarico has a background as a middle school teacher and was elected to the state legislature. Polls have shown a steady surge from Talarico, and Paxton has reportedly not been as successful in obtaining donations from GOP donors. Change, from Texas to Washington, D.C., will be great for us all! Talarico is a better candidate who will be much better for Texas!
Vote for a Change
I expect voters, including independents, to make things interesting from the first day of early voting to Election Day and to decide this race.
If you, as a voter, are exhausted with the chaos and confusion, I encourage you to make your voice count—Vote for a Change!
