The Texas Democratic Party announced that two top staffers are stepping down, Executive Director Manny Garcia and Deputy Executive Director Cliff Walker.
Both officials have helped lead the party since 2019. The party announced Thursday that they would be stepping down and exploring new opportunities.
In a prepared statement, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa thanked both Garcia and Walker for their work and said the future of both operatives was bright.
“Texas is better off because of the hard work they put in to build the Texas Democratic Party into the premier state party in the country,” Hinojosa said. “Their leadership, their vision, and their commitment to turning Texas blue is unmatched by anybody in the country.”
The change in leadership comes after a disappointing election cycle for Democrats that saw little to no change on the electoral map when expectations were high.
In December, the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee called for the removal of both Garcia and Walker, but Hinojosa and TDP staff balked at the suggestion and the party eventually decided on conducting a deep dive analysis of the election instead.
“Years ago, it was unheard of to think about Texas as a battleground,” said Garcia, who joined the party in 2013 as communications director and became its executive director in 2019. “Today, because of the hard work of so many volunteers, candidates, and staffers, Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country.”
Walker joined the state party in 2015 as its candidate recruitment and services director and took Garcia’s old post as deputy executive director in 2019.
“I have always believed that building sustainable Democratic infrastructure in Texas, my home state, is a crucial priority, a necessity,” Walker said. “Playing a leadership role in helping build that infrastructure within the Texas Democratic Party has been a dream come true.”
Both operatives have yet to announce where they will go next and the party has yet to reveal who will replace them.
Photo: Texas Democratic Party/Wikimedia Commons
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
