It has been almost a week since the election and I want to say thank you one more time to all the supporters, the staff, and especially the volunteers who worked their heart out over the last three years. Some of you have asked for my reflections on the campaign and...
Politics
back to archiveCandace Valenzuela concedes after close race with Beth Van Duyne
Democratic congressional candidate Candace Valenzuela conceded her race against Beth Van Duyne on Tuesday. Valenzuela, a former school board member, came 2,133 votes short of defeating Van Duyne in Texas 24. The contest in the Dallas suburbs was the last chance...
Let’s Talk About the Polls in Texas
Excitement and optimism was everywhere in the leadup to Election Day for Democrats in Texas. But as the returns came in Tuesday night, it was clear that things were not going how people imagined. All those polls that looked so promising were, to put it bluntly, dead...
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez: Young voters of color are key to flipping Texas
To discuss last week’s results, the Signal recently spoke with Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, a former U.S. Senate candidate, founder of the Latino progressive organization Jolt, and cohost of the Three Righteous Mamas podcast. What are your overall thoughts on...
Don’t Buy the Great White Hype
So, hey, I called it wrong. In the final weeks of the 2020 election, friends of mine working on races around the country would periodically text me to ask if it was real. Could it be? Are y’all about to flip Texas? I fielded the same texts in the final days of the...
Mike Siegel: Dems needed to organize more and spend less on TV
On Friday, the Signal spoke to Mike Siegel, a former attorney for the city of Austin and one of 10 congressional Democratic candidates who came up short in flipping targeted Republican seats on Tuesday. Siegel’s race with Rep. Michael McCaul in Texas’ 10th Austin to...
What went right for Texas Democrats signals bright future
I will freely admit that in many ways I’m still picking myself up off the mat. The results from Election Night in many ways continue to confound me. While Signal has begun to unpack what exactly happened in Texas this cycle, I was struck this morning by the fact that...
Biden Wins
Early this morning Joe Biden overtook Donald Trump in Georgia, and began to close in on the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Donald Trump. Shortly after 9 AM CT, he moved into the lead in Pennsylvania and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Biden. Joe Biden will...
Joe Deshotel talks Democratic messaging in the Valley
On Thursday, the Signal spoke with Joe Deshotel, a veteran Democratic political consultant and a contributing writer to the Signal. The following is an edited transcript of our discussion about the results, Democratic messaging in the state, and Latino voters. Texas...