Texas is Moving

What a week! 
 
I visited Dallas, Austin and Houston this past week to meet with Forward Party leaders and those who want to build a brighter future in the Lone Star State.  I met with people who had just arrived in the state a few years ago to those who have been there for generations. 

Everywhere I went, there was a massive appetite for change.  People know that politics in Texas is not serving them and isn’t representative of what most want.  The current political system is dividing the state up into noncompetitive red and blue zones, suppressing popular will.    
 
Yet there is a path; 43% of local races in Texas go uncontested and the majority of county seats, school board seats and other posts are nonpartisan.  If we take our blue and red hats off and make common cause, we can give rise to a new force in Texas that doesn’t subscribe to the ideological back and forth that serves to divide us rather than solve problems.    
 
You know how many Texans it takes to start a new major party?  82,000.  That’s very doable.  With that many people signed up, candidates could run for any post in the state under a new banner that doesn’t turn 50% of people off from the get-go.  People would have to listen to the candidate and regard them as an individual rather than just a team jersey. 
 
At the same time, the Forwardists of Texas will back reform-minded Democrats and Republicans who back measures like Ranked Choice Voting.  We are open-minded and practical; many people who have joined Forward remain registered Democrats and Republicans. 
 
Will this be easy?  No.  But imagine running 50 candidates in local races and having 10 of them win.  And then do it again.  Before you know it, you have a real coalition of change-making leaders who can be a fulcrum at every level. 
 
I came away from Texas 100% confident that there is an enormous need and hunger for reform.  The people who joined Forward at these events were phenomenal.  Our state leaders are revved up.  I’ll be back in September and I expect the movement will only be bigger and stronger.   
 
Does this sound like you?  Please do check out TexasForwardParty.org to connect with the incredible people in Texas fighting for a better future.  Even signing up for the mailing list will be a plus. 
 
What is the path toward better politics in Texas? 
 
It’s not left or right, but Forward.  Let’s lead the way.