Texas Democrats look for new leader

DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports that Texas Democrats are pondering the path forward after a disastrous 2024 election season that bolstered Republican control of the state and left them nearly powerless against a renewed wave of conservative legislation. The deliberations will accelerate Saturday, when members of the Democratic Party’s Executive Committee pick a new leader to replace longtime chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. Hinojosa announced his resignation in November, just days after the disappointing election results. Though chairpersons of Texas political parties don’t have the clout of their counterparts in other states, the Democrats’ next leader will help with messaging, grassroots activity and fundraising to boost candidates up and down the ballot. Perhaps just as essential, many Democrats agree they need someone — whether it’s the next party leader or an elected official — to pull the sometimes disparate factions of the party together in order to win elections.

The November election was the latest reminder that Democrats can’t figure out how to win elections in a red state they haven’t won statewide in 30 years, even as demographic shifts have given them opportunities to break through. The 2024 elections season demonstrated that as Republicans from President Donald Trump to Gov. Greg Abbott push their conservative agenda, Democrats are often powerless to stop them. It ended with Hinojosa’s resignation after he made comments suggesting the party focused on the wrong issues during the most recent campaign. Some Democrats have offered potential solutions that ranged from being prepared to take advantage of Republican missteps, developing messages that are more relevant to average voters and being tougher in countering Trump and the GOP.