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Chair: Ginger Blair
Deputy Chair: Kimberly Valdez
Secretary: Carmen McZeal
Treasurer: Natalie Ward
Sergeant At Arms: Marc Meyer
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Click on the Contribute button to help turn Montgomery County Blue!
Please consider becoming a sustaining member at $10 per month (or more!).
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Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters
704 N. Thompson St. #195
Conroe, Texas 77301
936-703-5841
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We wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season! |
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Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters Hours
Hours of operation: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Monday through Friday
Due to the continuing spread of COVID, our policy now is for staff and visitors to comply with social distancing guidelines & masks are optional. The best way to reach someone at the MCDP headquarters is to call or leave a message at 936-703-5841 or send an email to office@mcdptx.org. For urgent matters, please text 713-256-1420 or email chair@mcdptx.org outside of office hours.
HOLIDAY OFFICE CLOSURE:
The MCDP office will be closed from
Thursday, December 15th through Monday, January 2nd.
We wish you and yours a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday seaon!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Mental Health Resources - MOCO
Election De-brief Meetings and Strategic Planning
Message from TDP Chair - Respect for Marriage Act
2022 Midterm Election Results – Early Analysis from TDP
News from the SDEC
Thanks to our Democratic Candidates
Message from Mike Midler - Why Run?
The Sad Facts - TX Youth Voter Turn-out
We are so Grateful for all our Volunteers
Events Around the County
Joe and Kamala's Corner
Tweets
We Need Precinct Chairs
Volunteer Coordinator Needed!!!
Blue Store - Show Your Commitment to Democracy!
Upcoming Party & Community Events
Other Groups and Community Events
This newsletter is published on or about the 1st and the 15th of every month.
no later than 3 days before publication.
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The Holiday Season Can be Difficult
MOCO Resources
We are inundated with joyful messages during the holidays, many of which include portrayals of happy families and people and lots of pressure to spend money. Those messages often do not reflect our reality and can lead to anxiety, depression and other issues.
Montgomery County has many mental health resources to help. Please consider reaching out if you or someone you know needs help. It takes courage and strength to seek help but that is often the first step on the road to a better life.
Domestic Abuse or Sexual Assault
Montgomery County Women’s Center (MCWC)
24-hour Hotline 936-441-7273
Suicide Prevention
1-800-273-8255 ~ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call or Text 988
LGBTQ+
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Montgomery County Democratic Party
Hard at Work
Strategic Planning for 2023 - 2024
The leadership of MCDP has not rested much since the mid-term elections. There was disappointment in the results but analysis is showing that we have made progress. The first step in strategic planning for the future is analyzing what worked and what didn't - in order to realistically make changes that will work!
To that end, the MCDP has been holding a series of de-brief meetings to gather input about getting out the vote (GOTV), working the polls both inside and outside, and to analyze the voting turnout and trending in Montgomery County.
The results of the debriefing sessions and strategic plans will be shared when the reports are complete. We will continue to ask for your input and help as we gear up for 2024 elections.
MCDP Leadership
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Message from Texas Democratic Party Chair
Gilberto Hinojosa
Respect for Marriage Act
December 13, 2022
Today, Texans across the state are breathing a sigh of relief knowing that one of their most fundamental rights -- the right to be married to the person they love, regardless of race or gender identity -- is no longer under direct threat by an extremist Supreme Court or a radical far-right Republican-majority Texas Legislature. As President Biden said, Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families.
We express unending gratitude to the Biden-Harris Administration and our courageous Texas Democrats in the U.S. House for working so doggedly to enshrine our freedoms and protect us from the predations of off-the-rails authoritarian Republicans at all levels of government.
But we must also be clear about where we are in Texas, if Obergefell is overturned by this extremist Supreme Court, a nightmare that’s not at all out of the question, the Texas Legislature can still act to ban same-sex marriages from being performed in Texas. The idea of overturning Obergefell was explicitly mentioned by Justice Clarence Thomas this summer -- and the Republican Party of Texas this summer voted to officially deem being gay as an “abnormal lifestyle choice.” It’s true that Texas will now have to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages from other states, but the idea that so many millions of Texans may still have to flee our state just to get married is a degradation of our basic dignities and freedoms.
It’s also a tragic matter of fact that Texans today still face brutal state governmental control over another critical aspect of starting or building a family: if, when, and with whom to get pregnant.
So today, we celebrate this historic victory and thank all our Democrats in Washington for fighting for justice. But we remain dedicated to the cause of fighting to ensure that all Texans are able to realize the full rights and freedoms they deserve -- right here in Texas.
Adelante,
Gilberto Hinojosa
Chair, Texas Democratic Party
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2022 Midterm Election Results – Early Analysis
from Texas Democratic Party
Click here to read the Early Analysis Memo from Jamarr Brown, Executive Director, Texas Democratic Party dated November 10, 2022. It is an early report after the election and we will continue to share State Party information as it is available.
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News from the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC)
Mary Hamm and Chris Powell, your SDEC committee members for Senate District (SD) 4, attended the quarterly Texas SDEC meeting in Taylor, TX on Dec. 10th.
The day started with three subcommittee meetings. The Conventions Committee, the Campaigns Committee, and the Messaging Committee each met for 80 minutes to start their new terms. The groups worked to fill vacancies on their respective leadership teams and to lay out the priorities for the SDEC for 2023 and beyond.
After a normal opening including a call to order, pledges of allegiances (US and Texas), the reading of the preamble to the US Constitution, the Invocation, followed by roll call and then the approval of minutes from our last meeting, we voted on the approval of the day’s agenda. After the opening, we had a moving speech from the Chairman himself, Gilberto Hinojosa.
The Chairman reviewed the voting results from the 2022 Texas General election. He told the group that though we lost many Statewide races, we fared pretty well throughout the state. Harris County was held up as an example as was the Rio Grande Valley.
The Chairman always recognizes local elected officials, and a few came up and welcomed us. Mike Collier was there and he spoke to the group as well.
We then launched into the bulk of the day’s agenda, first talking about budgets, and then moving to fundraising. One topic of particular interest was the State’s plans to better support Texas candidates running for office.
It was a full day of inspiring presentations from most of the staff that supports the Texas State Democratic party. Both Mary and Chris look forward to serving on our subcommittees and to attending our next quarterly meeting.
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Thanks to Our Democratic Candidates
Running for political office is always a big deal - especially as a Democrat in very red Montgomery County. Candidates put themselves and their positions out in the public for all to see and hear - as representatives of those of us who share their positions. They (and their families) commit time, money, resources and much more to what is often (at least for now) a losing battle. Not so long ago there were only a few brave souls committed enough to run for office to represent Democrats in MOCO. Although there were many positions uncontested by Democratic candidates in the November election, the following stepped up and made the commitment, running serious campaigns on our behalf.
We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of these candidates. They lost a lot of sleep, worked tirelessly to meet constituents, spent a lot of money, gave up family and leisure time, neglected life, work and family, endured negative encounters, drew on every ounce of patience, listened, and generally committed themselves to make this a better county, state and country.
Each would also probably tell you how much joy and support they felt from each and every person who donated, walked, wrote letters, texted, emailed, phoned, put out signs, talked to them, voted for them, and smiled when they saw them!
It's not too late to thank them if you care to reach out. And if you are so inclined, many are still (and will be for a while) paying campaign debt, if you would like to donate.
TX Court of Appeals District 9 Place 2 - Bob Mabry
Montgomery County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 - April Prim
Conroe ISD Board of Trustees - Mike Midler
MCDP will be working hard to recruit more Democratic candidates for 2024 and will continue to support each and every one. Your individual help to the Party and to candidates can make all the difference in the ongoing battles to turn MOCO and Texas Blue.
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Message from Mike Midler
Former Candidate for
Conroe ISD Board of Trustees
Why Run?
My philosophy has always been, “Why have a political party if their #1 role isn’t to get candidates elected?” We’ve always had difficulties in finding enough candidates to fill our local slate of offices. I have run for office in the last four elections because I believe it is a duty to run if you feel physically, emotionally, financially, and knowledgeably capable of running and serving. I have never felt threatened or “in danger” because I was running for office. Personally, in this last election I ran against 2 Tea Party candidates and two Republicans. I debated against three Tea Party candidates and three Republicans in a televised pro-Republican venue, and I felt I was well-received. No booing or threats; just interested voters weighing their options. Never let fear or apprehension prevent you from putting yourself out there in the interest of your beliefs.
However, running in MoCo unfortunately presents a special problem; as a Democrat, you’re probably going to lose. In the last 10 years since I’ve been politically active here, no Democrat has cracked the 35% barrier. It’s interesting to note that whether you’re running for President or a local office, a Democratic candidate will draw between 30% and 35% of the MoCo vote, no matter how they campaign. It’s also worth noting that 10 years ago we started with only one candidate who got 14% of the vote, so we’re making progress. I think it’s very important to run locally and represent our Democratic values and positions. Do your best to get our ideas out there and encourage discussion of the issues. Closed-mindedness on the part of local voters is a major barrier to getting Democrats elected here. One-on-one campaigning is one key to breaking through. People tend to appreciate the effort and will at least listen to you. They might even vote for you if they can put a face to a position rather than you just being another anonymous Democrat running for some office against a Republican they probably voted for several times.
Running is time-consuming and a candidate never has enough campaign funds or campaign help. Add in the fact that, historically, you’re probably not going to get elected and the negatives are apparent. But you’ll raise some money because Democrats give to help their own. And you’ll have friends who will be just as dedicated as you wanting to help your campaign. And who knows, maybe you’ll be the one who breaks through all the ceilings and becomes our first winning candidate in decades. The excitement of campaigning for ideas you believe in is a reward in and of itself. Trying is much more satisfying than not trying. And knowing in the end that 10,000 - 20,000 MoCo citizens agree with you makes you feel like you’re not as alone in your beliefs as you might have felt 6 months before.
Now we must look to the future. We have some great young and energetic people to pass the baton to for 2024 and beyond. More women, more people of color, and more generational candidates are needed, and I will be happy to assist and encourage anyone among us who decides to run in the future.
As Ben Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or we shall surely hang separately.” There are many takeaways from this election. Beto’s done, Collier is done, I’m done, and unfortunately some candidates that shouldn’t be done will not want to put themselves through all this again. But if we’re to remain a viable Party, we had better come together, stop the bickering, and get some people elected. The COUNTRY may have saved democracy with their votes in this election defeating Trumpism with victories in Senate races by Warnock, Fetterman, and Mark Kelly and the huge win in the Arizona Governor’s race by Katie Hobbs over Trump darling and Fox News anchor Kari Lake, but in Montgomery COUNTY we are living in a dark place politically and it’s getting worse after this election. We got our average vote up above 32% in MoCo in 2020. Now we’ve fallen to about 30% on average.
Much of it is due to the Tea Party and Trumpsters. Granted it’s a midterm election, but we’re talking local politics here and our ballots had two pages of Republican candidates declared “winners” simply because they were unopposed. We must do better y’all.
Mike Midler
Precinct 40 Chair
Former Candidate
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THE SAD FACTS - Linda Evans
Youth Voter Turn-out
Young Texans voted big time in 2018, setting a record and helping Democrats pick up 12 seats in the Texas House. But in 2022 participation of the 18-29-year-olds fell flat. Just 25% of registered young people voted this year. Five times as many voters aged 50 and up voted. The election was won by older voters. Where were the younger voters?
Young voters did come out to elect Democratic candidates in battleground states across the country. But in Texas they mostly stayed home. Why didn’t they vote? Let’s count the ways!
For starters, Texas’ Senate Bill 1, the massive voting bill passed last year, cut voting hours in some areas and introduced new ID requirements. Also, more than 10,000 mail ballots were rejected, and many young Texans vote by mail when they are away at school. Texas A&M did not have an early voting location on campus this year. Texas does not allow student IDs as valid identification for voting. Online voter registration has long been resisted by Republicans, plus Texas requires registration 30 days before the election. Many other states allow registration up to and including election day. And the list goes on.
When you make it harder for young people to vote, fewer of them will show up at the polls. We have worked so hard to get more young people registered to vote. Now, how can we get them to the polls?
This is a summary of an article written by Cayla Harris in the Houston Chronicle. For the
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We are so Grateful for all our Volunteers
The MCDP could not function without all our wonderful volunteers. In 2022 we saw a large increase in people helping and we hope to keep that trend going.
In addition to all the leaders and committee volunteers, we have lots of people helping with things like texting, emailing, calling, block walking, manning the polls, organizing events, fundraising, writing and mailing letters and postcards, answering phones, working in the office, delivering, putting out signs, and much more.
There are 38 regular volunteers that spend time every week in the Headquarters Office helping out. That's a lot of volunteer hours! Knowing that those folks will show up reliably to work on projects has helped so much with planning and executing.
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Democratic Party Events Around the County |
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Women's Outreach Group
December Meeting
On December 11th, we got together for a presentation from Linda Quiroz, Outreach Manager, of the Montgomery County Women's Center. Linda provided a lot of very interesting information (see the Resources article in this newsletter for more info). We also had a fun sock exchange and collected donations for the MCWC. Join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mcdptxwomensoutreach and join us for our monthly meetings!
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West Magnolia Precinct Get Together
On December 14th Democrats living in the precincts in West Magnolia got together for the second time at Lone Pint Brewery. It was fun to connect with fellow Democrats. We brought toys for Lone Pint's toy drive, too!
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JOE and KAMALA'S CORNER !
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We Need Precinct Chairs!
Help us Fill Every Precinct!
The listed precincts are currently vacant. If you don't know your precinct number, you may look it up by running a Street Search on the Montgomery County Elections website. To identify the area, check the maps also posted on the same website. MAPS Scroll all the way down to Individual Precinct Maps.
2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 34, 37, 38, 41, 42, 51, 52, 54, 55, 59, 60, 66, 74, 80, 83, 84, 89, 91, 94, 98, 99, 102, 104, 106, 107, 111
To apply for a Precinct Chair Vacancy, please download, print, and complete this application form, and submit it to us by U.S. mail, email as an attachment to office@mcdptx.org, or drop it off in person at 704 N. Thompson St. #195, Conroe, TX 77301. We would be delighted to meet you!
If your precinct is not listed here as vacant, you may find out who your Precinct Chair is by going to the Secretary of State website. Please call or email the MCDP HQ Office to get in touch with your Precinct Chairperson.
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MCDP Needs Help!
We Want to Help You in the Process!
We have created a new program to connect volunteers (Mentorees) to work on our specific needs with a Mentor to train and support those volunteers. Mentorees will be mentored by people with expertise to share and support to provide.
It’s a win-win – Volunteers learn valuable skills and gain experience that will look great on a resume and MCDP gets more help with our processes and tools.
Some of these projects will involve learning new technologies; others will involve learning effective leadership and organizational skills. If you don’t know what some of these projects involve, reach out and talk with us about them.
We seek Mentors to lead the team for each project and Mentorees to work with the Mentors to learn the necessary technical skills and help with the work.
See below for info about our first two opportunities! Reach out to us TODAY to learn what this is all about!
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Check out our Blue Store at Headquarters
Lots of great bling to show your commitment to Democracy!
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Event Calendar - For more details, click on the image and follow link to the MCDPTX.org website; click on the date to view event.
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Other Groups & Community Events: |
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IMMIGRATION CLINIC REOPENED- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! - Lorena Perez McGill |
Can you help?
- Legal consultation
- Set up, clean up, organize
- Speaker
Third Thursdays
5:00 to 9:00pm
24803 Oakhurst Dr. 77386
Questions and Information:
contact Lorena Perez McGill at
email or 202-294-4473.
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JAN 10 - TEXAS 88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION OPENS, Austin
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Democrats and Progressives of Montgomery County
Morning Breakfast MEETUP
Every 2nd Saturday of the month – New Location!
January 14, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Start the New Year right - with friends and breakfast!
11133 Interstate 45 S · Conroe, TX
Hosted by Karen Cavanagh
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Paid for by the Montgomery County Texas Democratic Party, www.mcdptx.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |
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