The results are in. Our reflections on what's next for Texas and Blue Horizon.
To everyone who ran, voted, volunteered, donated, and left it all on the field, thank you. It matters.
Are Texas Democrats disappointed? Yes, and understandably so. Our hugely talented, hard-working, and caring slate of statewide candidates came up short, an especially hard result for those most vulnerable to far-right attacks on our rights.
We share your disappointment, but we are not demoralized. We see the road ahead for what it is. Hard work that must continue in urban, suburban, and rural areas to turn the tide. We are encouraged by results across the country. In Texas, we held ground in the Texas legislature and US Congress. We also had some important local wins, including defeating anti-CRT, anti-LGBTQ+ school board candidates.
The fact of the matter is that Texas remains a low voter-turnout state. The barriers of gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts are real.
More than half of Texas counties had zero Democrats on the ballot for county office. Dozens of state legislative races were uncontested. Meaning no local candidates working in communities day in and day out. No one showing up to be the face and voice of the party. When there is no Democratic candidate, the messengers of the Democratic party are the Republicans.
Until there is strategic, system-wide support for Democrats in every county, we will continue to struggle. But that doesn’t mean we give up. In fact, the opposite—we see where the work needs to be done, where the opportunities are, and we pursue them.
Change doesn’t happen overnight. Republicans didn’t win their lock on power in one, two, or three election cycles. It took them decades. Democrats must be just as committed to investing the time, money, and talent where the road is hard.
That’s what we are doing here at Blue Horizon Texas. It’s why we launched a year ago, and it’s why, through our new 501c4, we’ve expanded our mission to include recruiting high-quality candidates to run in areas Democrats have neglected for decades, building a pipeline of talented leaders who will be ready to win local, regional, and statewide office.
Take a listen, get some rest, and know we’re already working on 2023, 2024, and beyond.
The Blue Horizon Texas Team