Putting on Our Big Girl or Big Boy Pants

By Faith Chatham - Sept. 26, 2018
I think part of the break down in the American political system rests with too many people demanding that the CANDIDATE do all the work in reaching them with enough information to inspire them to vote. 

There is one candidate and 28.3 million other Texans. There is only so far one person can go in reaching 28.3 million people. Texans must take responsibility to exert some effort to find out about the candidates.

 We should research and actually SEARCH for the necessary information to make our decision and then TELL others. 

We have a RESPONSIBILITY to exert our VOICE to confront the darkness. Sitting on our hands and complaining because the candidate we suspect more closely shares our values does not run as many TV ads, or we do not see them as frequently on social media or get as many mailers is IRRESPONSIBLE and IMMATURE. Being a grown up means finding out what we need to know and doing what we need to do to get the best outcome for our families. We can sit in a corner and wait and we will be stuck with the same outcome.

More Texas Democrats are active in GOTV efforts this year than every in the history of this state. More individuals have  done their homework and are actually working to get out the vote for Democratic nominees in Texas than ever before. .Use of the Democratic Party's MiniVan mobile app is one indicator. In 2016, there were 153,513 Texans who logged into the MiniVan, We have already exceeded 218,189 people have logging  onto the app  

Numbers of Texans showing up at Town Hall meetings and rallies for Democratic candidates in 2018 are consistently higher than in previous midterm election cycles. Giving to Democratic challengers running in districts in Texas where there are few Democratic incumbents is higher also. Even with these indicators, the likelihood of every Texan being reached with enough messages to persuade them to vote is unlikely.However, there is enough information out there for people to make informed decisions. 

It is my opinion that we -- the citizens -- are responsible for our electoral process. it is our responsibility to recognize the realities and work to combat the irregularities, the gerrymandering, the incumbent advantage. It is our responsibility to research whether the policies the incumbents impose actually work for Texans. It is our responsibility to discern between photo ops and sound clips and actually support or opposition to adequately funding our schools, fiscal priorities, ethics,  diversion of dedicated funds to other uses, failure to address life threatening issues while wasting legislative time on wedge issues.

I had a woman who alleged that she is a PhD, activists, precinct chair with degrees in political science complain on a Facebook thread this week that she does not know Lupe Valdez's position on healthcare, immigration or education. I asked: "What planet have you been on!  Use google!"  If she is an educated activist precinct chair, it is her responsibility to communicate about the Democratic nominees to others in her precinct. Not understanding the Democratic Governor Nominee's position on key issues this late in the election cycle is dereliction of her duty as an elected precinct chair. The candidate can only do so much. It is the responsibility of the rest of us to do our part.

Those who complain about not receiving enough messages to understand the candidates' position on issues are slackers. In the age of the internet and search engines, it is out there and if you are reading this post you have the information only few key strokes away.  This nation was not founded on the premise that good government would be handed to us. It is our responsibility to PARTICIPATE to improve and preserve it! If you are reading this, you are on the internet. If you are complaining on Facebook, you are on the internet. Type something into the scroll bar and hit "Enter". Then read, evaluate, decided. Then COMMUNICATE with your family, friends and neighbors. This is what MATURE CITIZENS do in a Democracy.

If you are in the category I have branded "slacker", you can catch up. Please do because we are all in the same boat and we'll end up with the same fate.

Some websites of Democratic Nominees in Texas:

www.lupevaldez.com

www.collierfortexas.com

www.betofortexas.org

www.joifortexas.com

US Congressional Democratic Nominees are:
US TX 1 - Shirley McKellar
US TX 2 - Todd Litton
US TX 3 - Lori Bunch
US TX 4 - Catherine Krantz
US TX -5 -Dan Wood
US TX-6 - Jana SanchezUS TX-7 - Lizzie Fletcher
US TX 8 - Steven David
US TX 9 - Al Green
US TX 10 - Mike Siegel
US TX 11 - Jennie Lou Leeder
US TX 12 - Vanessa Adi
US TX 13 - Greg Sagan
US TX-14 - Adrienne Bell
US TX-15 - Vicente Gonzales
US TX-16 - Veronica Escobar
US TX-17 - Rick Kennedy
US TX-18 - Shelia Jackson Lee
US TX-19 - Miguel Levario
US TX-20 - Joaquin Castro
US TX-21 - Joseph Kopser
US TX-22 -  Sri Preston Kulkarni
US TX-23 - Gina Ortiz Jones
US TX-24 - Jan McDowell
US TX-25 - Julie Oliiver
US TX-26 - Lindsey Fagan
US TX-27 - Eric Holguin
US TX-28 - Henry Cuellar 
US TX-29 - Sylvia Garcia
US TX-30 - Eddie Bernice Johnson
US TX-31 - MJ Hegar (Mary Jennings Hegar)
US TX -32 - Colin Allred
US TX 33 - Marc Veasey
US TX-34 - Filemon Vela
US TX-35 - Lloyd Doggett
US TX 36 - Dayna Steele

Eleanor to my mother's generation

By Faith Chatham Sept. 25, 2018

Watching the Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelts brings back to mind memories of comments and conversations by and with my Mother. I think there was probably no woman in public life who exceeded Mrs. Roosevelt in my mother's admiration and appreciation. Mrs. Roosevelt used to write regular columns and Mother always took them the day they arrived and read them before she fell asleep. Mother described her "as beautiful and gracious in every way that truly matters."

The role model of Mrs Roosevelt showed women of my mother's generation that they need not merely sit silently, that mothers could have lives beyond their hearth and family. that being constructive in endeavoring to make the world better was not neglecting their children but truly a means of nurturing a family.

Mother enjoyed what Mrs. Roosevelt said and did. Growing up on the farm in East Texas, my mother was impressed with the clothes Mrs. Roosevelt wore. That surprised me. By the time I was aware of Mrs. Roosevelt, she was elderly. My mother grew up seeing her as a young woman, a young wife, an Eastern urban woman of the world. The Ken Burns documentary brings this family to life and shows us the "steel" of a tender woman who fought for what was compassionate, what was decent, what was fair, what was necessary, no matter how unpopular or difficult.

I think that my Mother passed along to me some of the values she shared with her heroine Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. I was never allowed to think that anything which was worth while would be easy or necessarily pleasant or popular to accomplish. It was instilled in me to listen to the heart within me, and go for what I knew to be "right", without regard for the opinions or nay saying of siblings or others.

This documentary reminds me that women shape the path of other women, often without our every encountering each other in person. What one generation receives, is passed on to subsequent generations. The struggle and triumph of others fuels generations who may newer know the names of those who mentored and inspired those who nurtured and shaped us.

Governor Abbott owes Lupe Valdez a public apology. Let's make it happen!

By Faith Chatham - August 22, 2018

Governor Abbott blasted Sheriff Valdez, accusing her of "not securing her firearm." His campaign tweeted and produced an accusatory video when they learned that the Dallas Sheriff's Department had misplaced a firearm which was issued to her.

The gun was in the Dallas Sheriff Department Property Room. Common sense should have alerted the Governor and his campaign staff, but they barreled ahead full-steam in their attempts to distort the incident and smear a highly respected law enforcement officer. When an employee retires, they turn in the items issued by the department. Then it is the department's responsibility, not the retiree's, to property store and track those items. Instead of using reasonable forbearance, the Governor issued unsubstantiated accusatory tweets and PR releases attempting to smear former Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

Governor Abbott owes Lupe Valdez a public apology. Let's make it happen.
I contacted him on the official Governor's contact link today.

I wrote:

Dear Gov. Abbott,
You should apologize to former Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez for the video and tweets your campaign put out in your name accusing her of not securing the gun she had returned to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. Your comments are beneath the office you hold. As a citizen of Texas, I am disappointed in you for this unmerited attack  on the very highly regarded former Sheriff of Dallas, Texas.
 Your apology should be as public and as widely disseminated as were your inappropriate comments accusing her of not securing the gun which was in the Dallas Sheriff Department Property Room.
 Sincerely,
Faith Chatham

Please join me. Contact him and demand that he apologize to Lupe Valdez for accusing her of not securing her firearm.  The Contact Link is: https://gov.texas.gov/contact

When tweeting about this please include #ValdezGun

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018-elections/2018/08/21/lupe-valdezs-missing-gun-found-dallas-county-sheriffs-department-property-room

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Former-Sheriff-Lupe-Valdezs-Gun-Found-in-Sheriffs-Department-Property-Room-491370061.html

Valdez was born in San Antonio, Texas. She worked two and three jobs to pay her own way through college, earning her Bachelor Degree in Business. She entered the US Army and rose to the rank of Captain serving over a tank battalion. In Federal Service for almost two decades, Valdez served as an Investigator with the General Service Administration. When she left Federal Service she was a Senior Agent, having worked fraud and money laundering cases in the USA and undercover in Central America on drug interdiction cases.  Valdez was the first woman and the first person of color to be elected Sheriff in Dallas, Texas. Her performance, and diligence in bringing the department into compliance, and implementation of community law enforcement, giving pathways to promotion to women and minorities led to her being re-elected twice. Valdez retired from the Dallas County Sheriff Department in December 2017. She won the Democratic Party's nomination for Governor and will face incumbent Republican Greg Abbott in the November 2018 General Election.

For more information visit:  https://lupevaldez.com

To donate to her campaign: https://bit.ly/helpLupe

We are DONE.

By Faith Chatham - August 20, 2018

When I was a young college girl it appeared that we would get the ERA passed and ratified. I am no longer young. I am not a college girl with most of my life ahead of me. We are fighting the same battles. We cannot continue doing the same things in the same old way. We have been there. Already done that.

I saw Hillary Clinton get more votes in Texas than any Democratic Presidential Nominee in Texas History and to see more American vote for her than for her opponent(s) yet pundits refer to her as "one of the most unpopular candidates in history!" Unpopular with whom? The minority/ Not the Majority.

I sat in the gallery of the Texas Capitol watching the Electoral College (90% comprised of Republican Women) cast all of our electoral votes for Trump. There is nothing in the Constitutions about Winner Take All but most Americans are oblivious.

.It is easier to rail against the Electoral College than to understand the Constitution and refuse to have it hijacked!

I have heard folks say that Women's current activism is all because of Donald Trump. They are WRONG. We were pissed before Trump. Rape kits sat untested in store rooms across America. Women suffered sexual harassment or were siloed or fired when we objected. We worked for 50 cent or 60 cents or if we were fortunate, 70 cents to our male co-workers dollar. We survived by working harder, being smarter, and helping less deserving male co-workers pull in bonuses and get promotions.

We are in the streets. We are no longer silent. Trump is merely the ribbon. The package is much greater than he could ever be. It is institutional systematic misogyistic oppression. We are no longer patient. We will not be silent. We are DONE.

2016 PAC Advertisement. The numbers are EXACTLY THE SAME IN 2018! There were strong, qualified women running for Congress in 2016 too. The quality of the candidate does not determine the outcome of elections - - especially when the most qualified candidate is a woman!

This year (2018) more women are the nominees than ever in our nation's history. Some will win. Will it make enough of a difference? No. Not nearly. But we are DONE with patience. We are DONE with silence. We are DONE with making men look good and get promotions and bonuses. 

There is no way that any piss ant like Donald Trump could scratch the surface of our anger. It has been simmering from the beginning of Time. It is 100 years since Women in Texas got the right to vote in the Democratic Primary. Then some judge dared to call their votes unconstitutional and demand a recount using only the votes of men. The US Constitution was written 242 years ago. Women were not included except as chattel. My first American ancestress landed on these shore in 1630. That is 388 years and we live in a nation where 100 years after women first voted the US Congress is only 20% female and from Texas less than 8% of the state's federal delegation is female.

Too Little. Too Slow. Too Patient.  Too accommodating.

We must stop doing the same ole thing in the the same old ways. The price is too high to just "get along."

Donate: Lupe Valdez for Texas Governor  https://bit.ly/helpLupe

Read about Gov. Race: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/8/8/1786892/-TX-GOV-Abbott-utilizes-the-state-s-Faith-Based-Partnership-to-peel-off-Black-Democratic-voters

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/8/9/1787070/-TX-GOV-How-you-can-help-flip-the-Texas-Governor-s-seat

Read about Texas Democratic Women Congressional Challengers: 

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/8/7/1786290/-Texas-Women-dominate-Congressional-landscape-in-General-Election

Donate to Texas Women Dem. Nominees challenging for GOP controlled seats:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/txwomentopr2b

Valdez and Abbott differ on importance of Health Care

By Faith Chatham  - Aug. 13, 2018

Former Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the Democratic Nominee for Governor challenging GOP incumbent Gregg Abbott is determined to change that!. She sees affordable health care as a necessity for all Texans. Unlike Abbott, and the majority of the Texas Legislature, Valdez says that uninsured Texans is not  cost-saving measure but a cruel, inhumane economic blight on the state's economy.

Debt from mounting health care cost buries families under debt. Sick people cannot work. Absenteeism from work and default on debt hurts the uninsured and the business community. There is no win  win to Texas having the highest percent of uninsured adults in the nation.

There are a lot of issues in this campaign. One clear-cut black and white point of delineation between the positions of the GOP incumbent and Valdez, who served four terms as Sheriff of Dallas County is the necessity for Texans to have access to affordable health care.

Valdez has a reputation for facing the tough questions and finding solutions to challenges which defied her predecessors. She is noted for making decisions based on the necessity for positive outcomes for the people served by the office she headed. Unlike Abbott who is noted for creating photo ops which create the appearance of addressing important issues while not actually acting on those issues, Valdez rarely "played to the camera's" for sound bites.

Another issue that the former Sheriff and current Governor disagree on is how to address Gun Violence. Abbott receives the highest rating by the NRA and their PACs campaign donations. After mounting public outcry following the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, Abbott convened  session with parents teachers to discuss school shooting. Sheriff Valdez, also someone who favors licensed concealed carry, favors legislation to strengthen gun background checks and to remove firearms from those who are charged with domestic violence and other violent crimes. Abbott opposes the legislation. He proposes arming teachers with rifles and says that these arms should not be kept in lock cases but handy in the classroom. Valdez and most teachers strongly oppose having unlocked firearms around children except in the hands of licensed law enforcement /trained security personnel.

More children and teachers have been killed in school shootings in the USA in the past year than in military service at home or in combat zones around the world. The health of children and teachers is at risk and Greg Abbott is not willing to examine any proposed solution which may displease the NRA. He has used anti-health care rhetoric for several election cycles and now the state, under his administration has the highest percentage of uninsured adults in the nation.

Teacher in Texas pay very high premiums for health insurance which requires each covered member of their family to meet a $1500 a year deduction before the insurance pays one cent of their health care cost. These teachers are now in a high risk profession where they have a greater risk of being shot or killed than most active duty military personnel. Greg Abbott fails at leading the state in finding solutions which work for all Texans.

To donate to the Lupe Valdez for Governor campaign:  https://bit.ly/helpLupe

TX Democratic Women Fight to Claim Congressional Seats

By Faith Chatham - August 9, 2018

These women are challenging GOP incumbents or are fighting to claim seats vacant Congressional seats. It is down to the final stretch and they need money for their gas tanks and for literature and advertising. No contribution is too small.

You can give one gift and have it splt evenly between these heroic women Challengers. If you prefer, you can click the link above the dollar amounts and distribute your gift differently. You may give all to one or select two or more from the list and select a few candidates from the list to support.

Shirley McKellar (TX US 1) challenging Louie Gohmert (R-I)

Jan McDowell (TX US 24) challenging Kenny Marchant (R-I)

Lorie Burch (TX US 3) Running for open seat vacated by Republican Sam Johnson (R-I)

Lizzie Fletcher (TX US 7) challenging John Culberson (R-I)

Jennie Lou Leeder (TX US 11) challenging Michael Conway (R-I)

Vanessa Adia (TX US 12) challenging Kay Granger (R-I)

Adrienne Bell (TX US 14) challenging Randy Weber (R-I)

Veronica Escobar (TX US 16) running to keep seat vacated by Beto O’Rourke blue

Gina Ortiz Jones (TX US 23) – challenging Will Hurd (R-i)

Julie Oliver (TX US 25) -- challenging for seat of Republican Roger Williams (R-I)

Sylvia Garcia (TX US 27) Running to keep seat vacated by Gene Green blue

Mary J (MJ) Hegar (TX US 31) – challenging John Carter (R-I)

Dayna Steele (TX US 36)– challenging Brian Babin (R-I)

TO DONATE: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/txwomen18congress

How You Can Help Flip the Texas Governor's Seat

By Faith Chatham - August 9, 2018

Help Texas Voters Know Lupe

We are in the final stretch before Election Day.

Abbott has millions of dollars and Lupe has a few hundred thousand to run a statewide race in the

second largest state in the nation.

The more people know her, the higher the percentage of voters who say they will vote her. A significant number of Texans say they do not know enough about Lupe to decide whether to vote for her. We have to change that!

The mission is to get more Texans to know her, to recognize her name, to tell their friends and neighbors about her, and to go vote for her.

NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL

To Donate:
https://bit.ly/helpLupe

Please share this message with friends you think might help!

Abbott utilizes the state's Faith Based Partnership to peel off Black Democratic voters

Gov. Greg Abbott met with East Texas community leaders Wednesday afternoon Aug. 8, 2018 in Tyler to discuss how the state of Texas can help the churches and faith based organizations. This occurred 90 days before the General Election and the audience was predominately leaders among the ethnic group polls show are the least likely to vote for him in November.

By Faith Chatham - August 9, 2018
Certain women leaders were not welcome at Abbott's East Texas Black Pastor's meeting in Tyler today. Hosted at New Days Community Church in Tyler, Texas and organized by former Dallas ISD Board member Ron Price, many attendees were neither pastors nor black. Pastor Reginald Garrett was quoted in event promotional materials saying:

"I'm honored to host this historic meeting for Governor Greg Abbott and the Honorable Ron Price as they send the message that we are all God's children, regardless of race or political party."

Rev. Garrett did not live up to his statement. Tyler community leader/educator and former US Army officer Dr. Shirley J. McKellar got her name on the list Tuesday to be in the audience. This morning she was notified that she would not be welcome at the meeting because "It was only for pastors and you are a politician." The problem must be that Dr. McKellar is not of the "right" political party. Dr. McKellar is the Democratic Nominee for US Congress challenging Freedom Caucus Louie Gohmert. Dr. McKellar is also a pastor's wife. She is African American. She is a native daughter of Tyler. She was not admitted to sit in the audience and hear what Governor Abbott discussed with what was advertised to be about 300 area pastors, school board members, business owners, and local elected officials. She showed up anyway. She noted many people who were not members of the clergy being seated in the audience but she was turned away and not admitted.

Why is Abbott having semi-private meetings with Black Pastors within three months of the election? That it IS within three months of the election is probably the answer.

Why would a gracious, highly respected, decorated retired military officer, an anchor in the community be prohibited from sitting in the audience at this meeting when numerous other educators and non pastors were admitted? There is no prohibition against Congressional Nominees attending meetings as members of the audience, that is unless it is Greg Abbott's and Ron Price's meeting and the nominee is not a Republican. There were plenty of politicians in the room. Shirley McKellar was kept outside. Democrats who are community leaders are not welcome in Greg Abbott's "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" meeting for Black Leaders. Smart, articulate, female Democratic Nominees for Congress especially are not welcome. The Governor, is, after all, a friend of Louie Gohmert and an ally and defender of Donald Trump.

Under George W. Bush, the Faith Based private public partnerships were launched. Under Bush, it was mainly the large mega churches (White and Black) congregations who received financial backing or state contracts. The initiative was designed to demonstrate how friendly the GOP was to the Christians mainstream congregations.Separation of Church and State was secondary to endearing folks in the pews to the man whose name would be on the top of the ballot for Governor. Perhaps Abbott is targeting Black Pastors just before the election because African Americans, especially Black Women, are the least likely to vote for him. Polling shows that the African Americana community is the most faithful Democratic voting bloc in the state. African American women are polling as being the most likely voters for Lupe Valdez. So perhaps that is what these regional black pastors meetings that Ron Price is organizing for the GOP -- oops that was a slip -- featuring GOP elected officials are truly about. They don't say they are for the GOP. However, when you look at the VIP speakers or moderators at these events, there is an absence of Black Democratic elected officials. A similar meeting was organized by Price recently and held in Mesquite. Dallas is a Democratic majority city, but the feature speaker at that meeting was the black Republican District Attorney. In Tyler, they featured Greg Abbott. 

The Governor and Price seem to be really selective about which black women are admitted. Just being a pastor's wife (Dr. McKellar is a pastor's wife) or a leader in the Black Community, (Dr. McKellar is definitely a leader in the Black Community) is not sufficient to get you seated. Well, it probably would have been had she been a Republican Nominee or office holder. But she's a Democrat. Can't be trusted. She might let something slip about the Governor using the Faith Based Public Private Partnerships as campaign tools to peel off probable Democratic Voters in the General Election.

That's fine. She doesn't have to say it. I will. Governor Abbott went to East Texas on a campaign speaking tour. He closed the meeting and excluded citizens who had every right to be in the room. He is dangling potential state contracts and grants out to entice impressionable Black Men into leading their congregations into ignoring Abbott's deplorable record on Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, voting discrimination and racial profiling. Some of them will fall under his spell. The Governor has paid attention to them. Some (such as Ron Price) think hanging out with Abbott makes them important. So sad. The only person who is truly important to Greg Abbott is Greg Abbott himself.

This Tyler trip should be classified as a campaign junket. That is precisely why he went to Tyler. He wants to peel off African American voters from the Democratic Party. He knows that most Black Women are too smart to fall for his line. Black men, especially, Black Preachers, that just might be a different story. Pastor Garrett said that the meeting was non partisan yet they barred Dr. Shirley McKellar from entering their church today at the direction of the Governor's staff. They might as well put up a sign: "Smart black female community leaders not welcome."

To donate to Shirley McKellar’s Campaign for US Congress: secure.actblue.com/...

Lupe Endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Gabby Giffords

By Faith Chatham August 8, 2018
Lupe received two high profile endorsements this week:

Lupe was endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week. Sen. Warren wrote: 

In a fundraising letter for Valdez, Warren called the former Dallas County sheriff 

"a new leader emerging who can put Texas back on track.""The daughter of migrant farmworkers, Lupe is ready to fight for all Texans, not just the wealthy few," Warren stated in her message, underscoring the Average Texan theme that Valdez has emphasized in recent weeks.Noting that Valdez won four terms as sheriff in Dallas, where Republicans held most local offices for years, Warren insisted that "with our support, Lupe can make history again and be the first Latina and LGBTQ governor of Texas."

Sen. Warren mentions that Lupe will be the first Latina governor. She will also be the first minority elected Governor in Texas.

Gabby Giffords also endorsed Lupe this week In a letter she stated  

“Lupe Valdez believes the most important duty of Texas' Governor is to ensure the safety of all Texans -- and that’s why I’m proud to endorse her campaign.
As Sheriff, Lupe worked tirelessly to protect Dallas residents, and I know that as Governor, she will work hard, day in and day out, to fight for strong laws that will protect Texas families from senseless gun violence.But this race won’t be easy. Lupe’s opponent, Greg Abbott, is more tied to the gun lobby than almost any other Governor. He’s backed the gun lobby for decades, and in return, they’ve donated thousands of dollars to his campaigns and given him an “A” rating.We desperately need to elect Lupe to fight for Texans’ safety and common-sense gun safety reform. Lupe is a veteran and a seasoned law enforcement officer. She knows we can keep our communities safe from gun violence by keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people while still protecting our Second Amendment rights.She supports common sense gun laws, like universal background checks and closing loopholes that allow convicted domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals to legally purchase firearms.Lupe Valdez is a gun safety champion and the best candidate for the job.”

To donate to Lupe Valdez for Governor of Texas: bit.ly/LupeTXGov

Donate to Lupe

By Faith Chatham Aug. 5, 2018
The best way for a Texan to help ourself is to get Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick out of the Gov. and Lt. Gov.'s seats.
Donate to @LupeValdez http://bit.ly/LupeTXGov 

Lupe Valdez is within 10 points of Abbott in polls

By Faith Chatham 7/29/2018
Valdez says the Texas Governor's race in 2018 "will not be bought, but fought door-to-door, person to person." The former Sheriff of Dallas County, Valdez did not declare for Governor until after she retired from the Dallas Sheriff's department in December 2017. Even if she had taken a year to raise money in preparation for the race, anything any candidate could raise would be dwarfed by Abbott's multi-million dollar campaign war chest. It took someone like Lupe Valdez to be brave enough to face his political machine.

Valdez is accustomed to running (and winning) when everyone says she doesn't have a chance. She has never lost an election and she has always been a candidate that most people said wouldn't win. Fourteen years ago when she declared for Sheriff, Dallas was still a Republican stronghold. She only had one person working on her campaign who had worked on a campaign before. She laughs when she relates the story. She said: "The only person who had campaign experience had only worked on a City Council race in Austin. We made her our campaign expert. When we realized that I was winning, I went  asked her "What do we do now?"  She told Valdez: "I don't know. I've never worked on a winning campaign before."  Valdez won that race and was re-elected three times.

Winning was the least of the challenges she faced in Dallas. As Sheriff, she inherited  a jail system which was out of compliance in most areas. Too little funds had been dedicated to staffing and maintenance for years. It was overcrowded, understaffed, inmates were dying in the jail without getting medical care, and the facility was grossly unsanitary. Major investments in staffing and facility expansion and updates were necessary to bring the jail into compliance. That meant that Valdez had to persuade those who had refused to appropriate funds in the past to up their game. She also went looking for grants. She tackled structural problems and concentrated on better health treatment for mental ill inmates. Her goal was for every person who touched the criminal justice system in Dallas County to be treated with respect and dignity.

Her approach was to bring together a team to attack the highest priority problems (those that cannot be solved without outside help) and to set to work taking care of the "low hanging fruit" (easier to solve improvements) while working on the harder ones.

Dallas County had never had a woman Sheriff before. They had never had a minority in that role either. It was noted for discrimination against minorities. Valadez was determined to change that. She implemented community enforcing and made an upward path for minorities into management. Staffing changes were implemented. The all-white male management team changed. She placed people of color into majority minority neighborhoods. She told her officers: "I do not want the first time a person meets you to be when you arrest them!" She insisted in officers getting involved in community service and community events in the neighborhoods of their beat.

Valdez is accustomed to being underestimated. Shes grew up in the poorest zip code in San Antonio. Her family traveled working the crops as migrant farmworkers. She was the eight child in a large family. There were not many opportunities for children in the neighborhood where she grew up. When she was in Junior High, a substitute teacher changed her life by taking an interest in her. She credits this teacher with setting her on the path she is on today by believing in her and encouraging her to believe in herself. This teacher encouraged her transfer to a High School across town because the school in her neighborhood did not have a college preparatory program. She worked two, and sometimes three, jobs to pay her way through college to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She enlisted in the Army and rose to the rank of Captain in a tank battalion. She worked and used her VA benefits to go to graduate school to earn a Masters in Criminology at the University of Texas at Arlington. Lupe Valdez knows that for her education was her elevator. Because others have helped her, she is paying it forward by opening doors for others, mentoring, and finding ways to give people opportunities to get "a leg up."  She says: "I don't have problems with people doing well. I do have a problem with those who do well and slam others. We have too many people whose attitude is 'Now that I've got mine, too bad about yours!" She is running for Governor to change things for the better for everybody.

It was not easy to get her foot in the door with law enforcement. Her first job after getting out of the military was as jailer in a county jail. Then she was hired by the General Service Administration as an Inspector.  She transferred to Homeland Security and became a Federal Agent. When she retired from Federal Service she was a Senior Agent and had worked under cover in Central America on drug interdiction and money laundering and in the USA investigating fraud.

As Sheriff of Dallas County, she has headed the 7th largest law Sheriff's Department in the Nation, supervising over 2,500 employees, and was responsible for a jail population larger than the population of most cities.  She demonstrated skill at managing a multi-million dollar budget and persuading elected officials to appropriate necessary funds for critical services.

Valdez says that people say her race against Abbot is "an uphill battle." She asks: "What in life isn't an up hill battle!" She says it was"an uphill battle to get the education I needed. It was an uphill battle to get into college. It was an uphill battle to work three jobs to work my way through college. It was an up hill battle in the military in a battalion with about 50 women and thousands of men." She says: "I'm getting really good at fighting uphill battles."

She says it is an uphill battle for parents to support their families, secure healthcare, help their children get an education. "It is an uphill battle for people when they become ill and cannot get insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Being a woman is a pre-existing condition!" Valdez says: "I don't have a problem with people working and doing well. I do have a problem when the slam the rest of us."

On gun violence: "I have no problem with people having guns. For 40 years I have been in professions where getting dressed was wearing my firearm. I still wear my gun. I do have a problem with stupidity. Anyone who cannot settle their daily affairs without violence has no business having a weapon."

Education is one her highest priorities. She knows that education was her path out of poverty. She lives by the mantra "Educate to educate."  Valdez is a person who opens doors for others, mentors, encourages, gives people a chance. She talks about a "New Texas where there are opportunities for everyone."

If she is elected Governor, she will be the first Democrat to hold state wide office in Texas since Garry Mauro retired from the Texas Land Commission three decades ago. She will be the third woman to be governor, the only person who is not white to be elected Governor and the first openly LGBT statewide elected official. Several news articles include her gender and sexual orientation in the headline as though it is news. She was Hispanic, female and openly LGBT fourteen years ago when she first ran and was elected Sheriff. She was not elected to office or re-elected based on race, gender or sexual orientation. She was elected because she had proven that she could do the job.

That is what she is running on this time as she travels the state in her pickup truck. She transformed the Dallas Sheriff's department for the better. There are many things in the government of Texas which are dysfunctional or broken. Too many of the resources go toward the interest of the big donors of the Governor, Lt. Governor and members of the Legislature and too little attention is paid to solving serious problems for the people of Texas. Funding for public education, teacher pay and retirement, healthcare, and public infrastructure has been diverted. The Governor and State Legislature create non-problems and ignore the hard issues/ Valdez is a person who focuses on the most important hard priorities first. She does not duck and run away from difficulty when  the lives of people depend on better outcomes. She does not waste time "trying to get even" with opponents or colleagues or opponents who unfairly criticize her. Instead, she works to get the best possible job done for the people with as little fan fair or drama possible. Lupe Valdez is a different kind of candidate. She is short on BS. She says: "I like to deal in reality." She is running for Governor because she knows there are things that need doing and she is all about getting the job done!

When she started this race, her 2012 pick-up truck had 101,000 miles on it. After seven months of making 5 to 7 campaign events a day, the more miles she puts on that truck, the higher she climbs in the polls. Her pleasant, confident down-to-earth, ease with people wins folks over. She is genuinely interested in people. She is very comfortable in her own skin. She does not waste energy attempting to manufacture a personae; instead she concentrates of being more precise and clear as she says what she truly feels. Her sincerity resonates with people.  The more that people get to know her, the more people trust her. As more people meet her, she climbs higher in the polls. Since May she has closed 9 points and now is only 10 points away from him. During the last hundred days of the campaign with persistent hard work, it will be interesting to watch and see if that trend continues.

Everyone acknowledges that Greg Abbott is a difficult governor to unseat. However, those who know Lupe Valdez are learning not to underestimate her. She is a person who is persistent, who does her best, who improves as she goes along, who is always opening the door to others, helping them to benefit from some of the opportunities she has had. She is running for Governor of Texas in 2018. This is three-hundred year anniversary of her hometown, San Antonio and 2018 the the 100th year anniversary of suffrage for women in Texas. This may be the year when the third woman and the first minority becomes Governor.


To donate to her campaign: http://bit.ly/LupeTXGov

Turning out more Democratic Voters in East Texas is critical for Dems to win statewide races

Help East TX Trio Turn Texas Blue: McKellar, Brannon & Layton

By Faith Chatham - May 10, 2018

Bill Brannon, Shirley Layton and Shirley McKellar are three Democrats who are building political infrastructure in part of the Lone Star State which had been abandoned to the Republicans for decades. The poverty rate has escalated during the tenures of multi-term small government Tea Party Republicans incumbent to the point that currently at least 30% of the households in this region live below the poverty line.

It takes hard work, persistence, and rebuilding to change out these seats. It takes hard core dedicated Democratic candidates on the campaign trail proclaiming common sense people focused messages. All three of these candidates have deep ties in their communities and are know for community services.

We cannot win statewide up ticket races without closing the gap between the number of Democratic and Republican voters in these hard to win districts.

The districts of these three Democratic Nominees are all located in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas. Dr Shirley McKellar is challenging Tea Party Freedom Caucus US Rep Louie Gohmert for the US TX 1st Seat in the US Congress.

Former Texas Democratic Party Executive Director Bill Brannon is challenging Republican Dan Flynn for the 2nd District Seat in the Texas State House of Representatives.

Former Angelina County Democratic Chair Shirley Layton is challenging Texas State Senator (Rep) Bob Nichols for the Texas State Senate 3rd District seat.

We cannot win top of the ticket statewide races without closing the gap more in our hardest to win Districts.

They need gasoline money to travel through their large districts They need money for flyers and phone banks to get our Democratic Message to people who have not been exposed to many Democrats on their ballots for much too long. They need help to continue building the political infrastructure necessary to attract Democratic voters.

These are warriors who are fighting against formidable opponents in a red part of the state. Every voter they are able to inspire gives our statewide ticket a greater opportunity of winning in November. We cannot win state wide races if we continue to refuse to support candidates who fight for us in the hardest to win areas.

Please give what you can afford to fill their gas tanks and to keep them stocked with push cards for volunteers to distribute to voters who have not heard our message.

Use this link to have your donation split between these three East Texas Candidates. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/etdem18

If you prefer to give everything to one and/or nothing to one and split it between the other two, you can use this link and click on the "Allocate my donation differently" link about the $amount on the form. 

Jan McDowell CPA is a better choice for North Texas than Marchant

By Faith Chatham - May 9, 2018

Jan brings her acumen as a CPA to the floor as she fights for every human being in this country.  About Taxes she says: “Taxes: Income is income. There should not be rules favoring capital gains income (typically earned by the wealthy) over ordinary income (your paycheck, or small business profit).”

She knows what we need.

On Social Security she says: “Social Security: It’s a safety net lifting 14.7 million elderly Americans out of poverty. Benefits are earned through a lifetime of work. While life expectancy has increased dramatically, the very people who are most dependent on Social Security benefits are also more likely to be working in occupations that make it difficult to continue working into their later years. So an increase in the retirement age is not the answer. Raising or eliminating the wage cap for the Social Security tax, as has been done for the Medicare tax, is what I would support. Also, applying the Social Security tax to income currently labeled “capital gains income” would net a huge inflow of funding into the program.”

She views immigration from both the economic and human perspective.

 “No human is illegal. Yes, it’s important to protect safety, which means deporting people convicted of felonies. But we are all immigrants, and the diverse tapestry of America is made better by the contributions of all. Our economy depends on the work being done by all. Our safety relies on people being confident that they can report information to law enforcement without fear for their own safety.”

She is forward thinking and knows the importance of addressing the changes in the international and domestic economy.

“It’s time for a new national goal: to become a nation powered by sustainable, renewable sources rather than by fossil fuels. In the 1800s, we strove to build the Transcontinental Railroad, and in the 1960s we took pride in a national effort to put a man on the moon. This new goal must be what we rally around in the 21st century.”

She knows we must prioritize creating new jobs and advancing new frontier to grow our national economy and give this and future generations jobs with a future.

Jan says: “As we encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, our clean energy revolution will provide the millions of new jobs to put those STEM graduates into great careers.”

She recognizes that we all live together and depend upon our planet. Jan McDowell is a realist She recognizes the pitfalls of deregulation or self-regulation.

 “Protections safeguarding our planet have a higher priority than the ability of a corporation to make ever bigger profits.”

She values fairness and equality.

“ALL citizens of our country deserve protection and equal treatment in all areas of life. If non-discrimination laws do not adequately identify a particular group to be protected, then the designation must be broadened to cover them. Regardless of Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Sexuality, ALL means ALL.”

Jan McDowell will be good for District 24 and she will be good for all Texans. In Congress, her vote will benefit all Americans.

Help send a common-sense, compassionate CPA who will weigh the impact of legislation before she votes to Congress.

Women Nominees in 11 of the 15 most competitive Texas House Districts

By Faith Chatham - May 5, 2018
Women won the Democratic Party's nomination for Texas House in 11 out of the 15 districts where GOP incumbents are the most vulnerable. The nominees in two of these districts (47 and 23) will be decided in the Democratic Primary Run-off on May 22nd. Both run-off candidates in each of these districts are women.

House District 105 ranks as No. 1. Attorney, Civil Rights activist Terry Meza won the nomination and will face the state's most vulnerable Republican Incumbent (Rodney Anderson) in November. Meza is a former public school teacher, and will fight to fix the state's broken public education financing.

Texas slashed the public school budget several sessions ago.  Many teaching positions were slashed and more students were crammed into the classroom. The state does not adequately fund the Teacher's Retirement and only contributes a meager $75 a month toward the escalating health care medical insurance premium. Deductibles have escalated rapidly and many teachers cannot afford to use their health insurance. The State Legislature continues to "kick the can down the road" instead of addressing the tough questions of how to revamp the State's tax code to give equitable tax relief to residential property owners and adequately fund public education. The Lt. Governor and Freedom Caucus demand that school choice (tax credits for private school tuition) is a a prerequisite for considering the complexities of school financing.


Meza prioritizes education, and will help offset the stranglehold of the Freedom Caucus.   Contribute to Meza's campaign  /

 House District 134 - R. Incumbent Sarah. Davis is ranked as the second most vulnerable Republican incumbent. She will face Democratic Nominee  Allison Lami Sawyer in November. This district ranks as the 6th most Democratic on the Partisan Index. It led the state in having the most voters for Hillary Clinton in 2016.  The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board wrote: "Democrats in this race have a qualified and impressive alternative in Allison Lami Sawyer."

"Sawyer says Davis voted for the big state school funding cuts that have caused property taxes to soar and was a sponsor last session for SB4 — the so-called "show me your papers" bill — as well as the Blue Tarp bill, which made it harder to receive just compensation from insurance companies after Hurricane Harvey." 

Sawyer is a business woman who earned her MBA from Rice. She runs an international business which uses "Optics to detect gas leaks at oil and gas installations in the USA and abroad."  The 134th  district includes Rice University and the Texas Medical Center 

 To donate to Allison: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/134sawyer

House District 102 - R - Incumbent Koop is ranked as the 3rd most vulnerable GOP Incumbent in the Texas House. This district is ranked 2th in Partisan Index (most Democratic) and is 4th as the Republican district having the lowest number votes cast for Donald Trump in 2016.  Ana-Maria Ramos is the Democratic Nominee.

Ana-Maria is an attorney, professor and strong advocate for school safety and public education. She prioritizes the safety of school children and denounces the intrusion of the NRA into school politics. She pledges not to place loyalty to the NRA above the safety of our school children.

The Texas Legislature has cut back on school funding and placed the future of this generation in peril. The current House refuses to address the tough questions and find equitable ways to fund public education. Ana-Maria will prioritize education, affordable health care.  Her son is a public school student and her daughter is a Science Teacher who teaches in the Dallas Independent School District. She will be a good match for this North Dallas district which is bounded on the South by LBJ and which also includes Garland, Addison and Richardson.

House District 136 ties with District 113 for the 4th most likely district to go blue. R incumbent Dale will face Democratic Nominee John H. Bucy III in November in a district which is ranked the 4th most Democratic district of districts with GvOP incumbents and as 7th with the lowest number of voters for Donald Trump in '16.

House District 113 - An Open Seat (R Burkett) iis ranked as tied with District 52 for the 5th most likely seat for a Democrat to claim in 2018.  Rhetta Andrews Bowers is the Democratic Nominee. This district is ranked as 3rd on the Partisan Index (3rd most Democratic) and was ranked 11th in the seats controlled by Republicans with the fewest voters for Trump.

House District 52 - An open district which was represented by R. Gonzales is tied with District 113   as the 5th most likely district to go blue. The Democratic Nominee is James Talarico. This district is the 7th most Democratic on the Partisan Index and ranked 8th in the lowest number of voters for Trump in '16/

House District 114 is an open district and is ranked  as the 6rh Most Vulnerable Texas State House District for a GOP Candidate to win., The Democratic nominee is John Turner. This district ranks had the third fewest vote for Trump in '16 and ranks as the 13th most Democratic out of the top 15 Republican controlled Texas House Seats.

House District 115 - R Incumbent Rinaldi is ranked as the Republican incumbent who is the 7th most likely to lose his seat to his Democratic opponent in November. The Democratic Nominee is Julie Johnson.

 It is surprising to see Carrollton included in a district where the Republican incumbent is ranked as vulnerable. Multi-term GOP incumbent Rinaldi is ranked as the 7th most vulnerable Republican in the Texas House of Representatives.

In 2016, this district ranked 5th in having the fewest votes cast for Donald Trump and  is currently ranked as the 9th most Democratic district in the Texas House on the partisan index. The Democratic Nominee is Carrollton attorney Julie Johnson.  Julie is a solid pro-public education advocate and is needed in Austin to help break the stranglehold of the Freedom Caucus.  To learn more about Julie Johnson: https://www.juliejohnsonfortexas.com/

House District 43 - Four term R Incumbent Lozano is ranked as the 9th most vulnerable Republican in the Texas House. He will face Democratic Nominee  Dee Ann Torres Miller in the General Election. This district ranks as the second most Democratic on the Partisan Index, Torres is an attorney who practices law in partnership with her brother in Corpus Christi.

House District 47 - This is a central Texas Austin area swing district which was drawn to favor conservative candidates. This year R incumbent Workman is ranked as the 10th most vulnerable Republican in the Texas House. Democratic business woman Vikki Goodwin faces Elaina Fowler in a May 22nd Run-off for the Democratic Nomination. This district ranked 9th in having the fewest votes cast for Trump and is the 11th most Democratic on the partisan index. To donate to Vikki Goodwin https://secure.actblue.com/donate/47goodwin

House District 112 - R incumbent Chen Button is ranked as the 11th most vulnerable Republican in the Texas House. This district ranks as the 12th most Democratic on the Partisan Index and was tenth in having the most votes cast against Donald Trump. Button will face Democratic Nominee Brandy K. Chambers in the General Election

House District 108 - R Meyer is ranked as the 12th most vulnerable member of the GOP delegation the Texas House. This district ranked 6th in having the fewest votes cast for Donald Trump. The Democratic Nominee is Joanna Cattanach.

House District 23 - An open district (R- Faircloth) is ranked as the 13th most likely Republican seat to go Blue in 2018. The Democratic Nominee is Amanda Jamrok. This district is the 10th most Democratic on the partisan index.

House District 45 - An open district (R- (Isaac) is ranked as the 14th most likely red seat to go blue in 2018.  It is the 8th most Democratic on the Partisan Index. Rebecca Bell-Metereau faces Erin Zwiener in the May 22nd Democratic Primary Run-off for the Democratic Nomination.

House District 138 - Incumbent Bohc is ranked as the 15th most vulnerable Republican in the Texas House. The district was 12th in having the least votes cast for Donald Trump. The Democratic Nominee is Adam Milasincic.