Fellow Democrats,

You may be one of the many Travis County citizens facing the possibility of being represented by a Tea Party Congressman instead of your current Congressman Lloyd Doggett. The new Congressional map is terrible for Travis County. We’ve been torn apart, and almost four out of five of you could be represented by a right-wing Republican Congressman.

Instead of three districts, we will be split into five. Instead of one strong Democratic district based in Austin, we will have four Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic district based in San Antonio. Be sure to read “On the Record with Diane Holloway” today for the latest redistricting update .

Today is Super Tuesday, and we should be voting. But we’re not voting until May 29, because we’ve been under attack. Rick Perry and his Republican minions have been trying to muzzle Travis County Democrats for years. They can’t stand it that we vote overwhelmingly Democratic and reliably elect our own progressive state legislators. Read More »

There’s nothing like a big gathering of Democratic voters and candidates to get us pumped up for an election, and Thursday’s event promises to be just that. Mark your calendars, plan to come and bring lots of friends! Make your voice heard!

The TCDP 2012 Primary Candidate Forum kicks off at 5:45 p.m. at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex (1156 Hargrave Street), with 11 of our great Democratic clubs participating. Candidates for U.S. Senate, Travis County District Attorney, Travis County Sheriff, Travis County Tax Assessor, 167th District Court Judge, County Commissioners in Precincts 1 and 3 and Constables in Precinct 1, 2, 3 and 4 will introduce themselves and speak briefly. About half of the clubs will vote their endorsements the same night.

In today’s “On the Record with Diane Holloway,” Event Coordinator Nicholas Chu, an active member of three clubs, talks about the goal of the Forum, the importance of Travis County’s many Democratic clubs and the impact of club endorsements in our primary elections. Besides learning about the candidates, non-members can join a club or two. Read More »

First, redistricting negotiations and arguments continued in San Antonio last week, with breaking news almost every day. Be sure to read our new interview with State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, one of the Travis County plaintiffs seeking to thwart Republican efforts, in today’s “On the Record with Diane Holloway.”

We may not know when we’ll have a primary — or even who will be running where. But we know that eventually we will be voting in a primary, and it’s a good idea to learn as much as we can about our candidates.

So on Thursday, March 1, whether we have interim redistricting maps or not, we are hosting our Travis County Democratic Party Primary Candidate Forum at the Millennium Youth Center (1156 Hargrave Street). Mark your calendars and plan to join us. The facility is provided for us by a generous donation from Senator Kirk Watson. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

Most of you know I’m not a mushy guy, but because today is Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to send out some love. If I had gotten my act together, I might have sent flowers, candy and cards, but I didn’t so this mass email will have to do!

A big thank you goes out to our TCDP precinct chairs. These hard-working folks organize and turn out voters. They also make up our County Executive Committee, which meets monthly to take care of Party business. We wouldn’t be the proud blue county we are without them.

The steady flow of contributions from our finance council and sustaining members keeps our lights on and our office door open year-round. Thanks to you, our Coordinated Campaign is the envy of every county in the state. Whether it’s an election cycle or the legislative session, the TCDP is working hard for you. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

Many of us grumble every time Facebook, Gmail or Twitter changes. I usually just find it confusing — by the way, can someone please educate me on Google+?

But social media is a powerful force for positive change, and we witnessed an awesome display of that power last week. Right triumphed over wrong in just a few short days.

To recap: On Tuesday, Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced that it would sever funding for Planned Parenthood, the largest reproductive and sexual health service provider in the U.S. Although Komen’s Nancy Brinker denied that political influence from anti-abortion forces prompted the decision, the news spread quickly that Planned Parenthood was under attack by right-wing extremists.

Online protests exploded. Komen took a direct hit from furious women and men who strongly aligned with Planned Parenthood. Money and support poured in to Planned Parenthood from all over the country. More than $400,000 was raised online from 6,000 donors in the first 24 hours. Within little more than a day, the $650,000 cut by Komen had been replaced by generous donors. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

The winding road to our primary elections just keeps turning and twisting. We are still in a holding period, with federal courts in Washington, D.C., and San Antonio ultimately charged with deciding our fate.

One thing we do know for certain is that we need to elect more Democrats in 2012 to prevent the Republicans from disenfranchising our fellow Texas voters. Thanks to all of you, Travis County has been a beacon to Democrats around the state, so I hope you will continue to support us with your time and donations.

As you may know, the three-judge panel in San Antonio met last Friday to wrestle with primary dates, election deadlines and new maps for our legislative and congressional districts. In Travis County, we hope the congressional map going forward will uphold a coalition district anchored in Austin.

There were rumors floating around that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, in an effort to salvage an April 3^rd unified primary, is willing to compromise with plaintiffs demanding fair representation for minorities, perhaps because he knows the state cannot win. Lawyers on both sides of the San Antonio case continued to meet over the weekend and are expected to report soon. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

The collapse of Rick Perry’s presidential campaign means he’s coming home to continue his scorched earth policies against the good people of Texas.

The Supreme Court handed a temporary victory to Republicans by rejecting the San Antonio federal court’s interim redistricting map. Times are tough in Texas, but we need to do everything we can to increase Democratic turnout in the 2012 elections.

Will you help combat the Republican machine in Texas by donating right now to help us reach our goal of $300,000 for the 2012 Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign?  When you give, we win! Click below to see our TCDP video!

Let’s keep the momentum going from our hugely successful Johnson Bentsen Richards Dinner, which raised $289,000! [To see photos, click here.] What we accomplished was amazing, but I am asking you now to please consider donating here to help us hit $300,000. With your help, we can do it, and we can help lead Texas out of the red and into Travis County blue. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

We almost hit $300,000!  We raised $287,450 at the JBR Dinner to fund our 2012 Coordinated Campaign.  This is truly amazing, as the most we had ever raised at an event was $180,000 in 2010, which itself broke all previous TCDP fundraising records by a long shot.  But, you can still help us reach that magic $300,000 even if you didn’t come to the dinner by donating here!

Not only did we raise record amounts, we had a great time doing it.  Governor Barnes gave the best, most heartfelt speech I’ve heard in a long time. Loyal Democrats, 652 strong, packed shoulder-to-shoulder into the ballroom to see Lt. Governor Ben Barnes, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Doggett, Senator Watson and Dave Glassco give their thoughts on Barnes and politics. Click here to watch the video tribute to Gov. Barnes from Vice President Joe Biden, Larry Temple and Robert Spellings that we showed at the event. Read More »

Fellow Democrats,

We have sold out our Johnson Bentsen Richards Dinner! January 15 will be the single most successful fundraiser ever for the Travis County Democratic Party — and all of the proceeds go to our 2012 Coordinated Campaign.

Thanks to our hard-working host committee, TCDP office staff  and generous sponsors, we are kicking off our Coordinated Campaign fundraising at the Four Seasons Hotel con ganas. We will hear from U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes (our distinguished honoree), Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Senator Kirk Watson and Representative Wilhelmina Delco.

If you missed our interview with Governor Barnes last week, check it out here. His dedication to the Democratic Party and to the State of Texas continues to be inspiring.

Cappy McGarr will emcee the dinner. He is one the Democratic Party’s premiere donors and fundraisers. He also happens to be a legendary radio deejay, raconteur, toastmaster, money manager, renewable energy entrepreneur and all around funny guy. It’s an understatement to say Cappy has friends in high places. He opened for Paul McCartney at the Obama White House two years ago! We’re in for a very good time Sunday night.

* * *

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Texas redistricting case Monday, and justices indicated they are unhappy with their choices. Here is a transcript of yesterday’s arguments.

It is unclear what will happen next, but some legal experts speculate that SCOTUS will wait to see what happens in the D.C. federal trial scheduled to begin next week. Whether we will be able to proceed with the rescheduled April 3 primary date is up in the air. As always, we will keep you posted on the latest developments on our web site and social media platforms.

* * *

The Martin Luther King Day Community March and Festival is Monday (Jan. 16). As always, Travis County Democrats will be marching with our blue and white banner, and I hope you will join us for this meaningful holiday event. Read More »

Welcome to 2012, everybody! It’s going to be a good year for Democrats, and I’m excited to officially kick off the campaign season with our Johnson Bentsen Richards Dinner.

On January 15, we will gather at the Four Seasons Hotel to honor the legendary Texas lawmaker, Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes, along with our great Democratic candidates and elected officials from Travis County, including Congressman Lloyd Doggett and Senator Kirk Watson.

And, of course, we have a special guest star! U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will join us to speak about her long friendship with Barnes and to fire us up for the next election.

We have a limited number of individual tickets, and we expect this dinner to sell out,  as it did in 2010. Click here to get your tickets now! You do not want to miss this special event, previously known as our Filing Day Dinner. The money raised at this dinner goes towards our Coordinated Campaign, so get your tickets and help build an even bigger campaign in 2012!

This biennial event has been in the planning stages for nearly a year, and I want to personally thank our Host Committee for all their hard work. Read More »