Tag Archives: Battleground Texas

Where BGTX stands today

It’s not quite where they thought they’d be when things first started up, but that’s in large part because so much has happened since then. Jeremy Bird, Barack Obama’s former national field organizer, told The Texas Tribune that nearly a … Continue reading

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The counties we aren’t going to win are just as important as the counties we will win

Collin County is a Republican stronghold. It’s also the kind of place that Democrats need to make gains in order to be competitive. That’s a tough thing to do when there’s little hope for winning the county or taking a … Continue reading

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Davis outraises Abbott

Nice. Democrat Wendy Davis pulled $8.7 million into her gubernatorial campaign coffers in the last half of 2013, and another group committed to her election as governor raised $3.5 million over the same period, the Davis campaign announced Tuesday. Minutes … Continue reading

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Son Of Ortiz/Farenthold?

Maybe. A grudge match could be brewing in South Texas. On Tuesday, the Democrats’ top congressional strategist hinted that he’s been trying to recruit someone to challenge two-term Rep. Blake Farenthold, a tea party Republican from Corpus Christi. Turns out, … Continue reading

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A tale of two demographics

The Chronicle looks at one group of voters Wendy Davis will need to excel with in order to win. Getting Democrats – Hispanics, in particular – to the ballot box in record numbers is essential if the party hopes to … Continue reading

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The people want Wendy to run for Governor

The Democratic people certainly do. Though speculation is still rampant on state Sen. Wendy Davis’ possible run for governor, some Democratic groups aren’t waiting for her call before pledging their support. Annie’s List, a political group that supports Democratic female … Continue reading

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Davis reportedly running for Governor

At least according to Robert Miller. Credible sources tell me that Sen. Wendy Davis will run for Governor in 2014 and not seek reelection to Texas Senate District 10. It will set up a high stakes match-up with Attorney General … Continue reading

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More on FreedomWorks as anti-BGTX

Texas Monthly takes a look. Texas Democrats have, as we all know, been flailing over the past few decades. They are the minority party in both houses of the Lege and haven’t won a statewide race since 1994. Underdogs, we … Continue reading

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BGTX and Anglo women voters

The San Antonio Current has a great story on what Battleground Texas is up to, and why more than just increasing turnout is needed to turn Texas blue. The Democrats can take Texas in 2016 if they can tap into … Continue reading

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What it takes to win statewide

Via Ed Kilgore comes this analysis that tries to paint an especially bleak picture for Texas Democrats in 2014. First of all, Democrats have yet to win more than 44 percent of the total vote in any recent statewide election … Continue reading

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Davis raises $1 million, BGTX raises $1.1 million

Considering she had only two weeks to do it, that’s not too shabby. State Sen. Wendy Davis, the new star of the Texas Democratic Party, raised nearly $1 million in the final two weeks of June, much of it from … Continue reading

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NPR’s odd claim about Latino voting in Texas

NPR takes its turn with the obligatory “can Texas turn blue” story, and in doing some provides a number I had not heard before. A new group called Battleground Texas is planning to spend tens of millions of dollars trying … Continue reading

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Interview with BGTX Summer Fellow Elizabeth Garcia

I trust by now you are familiar with the mission on Battleground Texas. With the Wendy Davis filibuster and all that’s been going on in the Legislature lately, it feels like they arrived at just the right time. But Battleground … Continue reading

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Who else is afraid of Battleground Texas?

FreedomWorks, that’s who. The conservative outside group FreedomWorks has drawn up plans to spend nearly $8 million mobilizing and expanding the GOP base in Texas, in a move to counter state and national Democratic efforts to make the state more … Continue reading

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Targeting Farenthold

Yes, please. Democrats are trying to exact a political price for Texas Republicans’ votes to restart deportations of so-called “DREAMers” — the children illegally brought into the U.S. by their parents. The target of the latest ad buy is Corpus … Continue reading

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Getting out the “hard-to-motivate Latino vote” in Farmers Branch

Great story about Ana Reyes, the first Hispanic person elected to City Council in Farmers Branch, in the first election after a lawsuit forced the city to adopt single-member Council districts, and how she actually got elected. “What happened here … Continue reading

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PAC Plus polls Latinos in Texas

BOR reported last week on a poll of Texas Latinos conducted by PAC Plus. They zeroed in on the questions that had to do with Latinos’ impressions of Republicans and Democrats. For the survey PAC+ interviewed 2,685 randomly selected registered … Continue reading

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Another Battleground Texas story

There are three points of interest in this Statesman story about Battleground Texas. Point One: They’ve convinced the people who most needed convincing, the money people and the dedicated volunteers. Battleground Texas quickly won the allegiance of Steve Mostyn and … Continue reading

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Not just Austin, dammit

What Flavia Isabel says: The single purpose of this post is to eradicate the phrase “Oh yeah, Austin is a blue dot in a sea of red” from the vocabulary of anybody who cares about turning Texas blue. I am … Continue reading

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Who’s afraid of Battleground Texas?

The Republican Party of Texas for one, if you believe their fundraising appeals. In a heated fundraising letter sent this week to donors statewide, the Texas GOP calls the new Democratic voter-mobilization effort “a clear and present threat to you … Continue reading

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At the Battleground Texas kickoff meeting

I attended the Battleground Texas kickoff meeting for Houston on Saturday. Houston was one of the last stops on their statewide introduction tour. I estimated about 300 people in attendance; BGTX gives it as 350, which is probably the more … Continue reading

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From the “Turning out more Democratic voters will mean more Democratic votes” department

I think that’s a fair way of characterizing this Texas on the Potomac post. Last November, the Houston Chronicle completed a database analysis of the changing population patterns of the state and the changing voting proclivities of key demographic blocs. … Continue reading

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Don’t forget about apartments

On the subject of how Battleground Texas can achieve its aims, Greg adds a note and some numbers about apartment complexes. I opted to look at one of the most GOP-friendly places in Harris County: HD130 in the northwestern corner … Continue reading

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A word with Bird

The Observer interviews Jeremy Bird, the head honcho of Battleground Texas. Texas Observer: Why Texas? Why not Battleground Georgia or Battleground Indiana? Jeremy Bird: One reason is staffers from Texas, whether it’s organizers in battleground states who are from Texas … Continue reading

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Nate Silver takes another look at Texas

It’s always about the numbers. Since President Obama’s re-election in 2012, Republicans have worried about what an increasingly diverse electorate will mean for their future as a national party. Democrats, meanwhile, have started talking about turning ruby red states like … Continue reading

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Battlegound Texas officially launches

You have probably heard by now that Battleground Texas has officially launched. Spearheaded by organizers of Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 — when Republican nominee Mitt Romney handily carried the Lone Star State — a new push, called “Battleground Texas,” … Continue reading

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Optimism abounds at inauguration time

Inauguration time is always a good time to be optimistic. Texas Democrats haven’t had a lot to cheer about in recent years. As San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is quick to remind you, the political score in Texas is 29-0. … Continue reading

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