John,
2025. The first year of Trump’s second presidential term. It was staggering, infuriating, and honestly, it could make anyone feel powerless.
But Powered by People chose to fight. Because action is the antidote to despair, and it is the key to victory.
We started by listening, showing up in every part of Texas to bring people together. We held town halls in Republican strongholds, suburbs, and the big cities.
Those community meetings at the start of the year led to unprecedented action in the streets. People coming out in force for the Hands Off march in April and the No Kings protests after that.
That was just the beginning.
In the summer, we hit the road to share a big, bold, positive, unapologetic vision for our future. One that tells people exactly how Democrats will deliver when we win power. A future where you can afford to see a doctor, buy a home, send your kids to world-class public schools, and only have to work one job. A future where we have a real democracy; one where we no longer turn our backs on the world.
Our work was put to the test when Donald Trump ordered Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans to give him five more seats in the House of Representatives… a direct attack on Texas and an effort to seize political power before the first votes of 2026 were even cast.
But we weren’t caught flat-footed. In fact, we chose to aggressively fight the President and take our case to the country.
During TV interviews, podcasts, and out-of-state events, we connected the dots for our fellow Americans about why what happens in Texas matters. We led the call for Democratic-controlled states to fight fire with fire by redrawing their maps to cancel out the Texas gerrymander. We would no longer await the punch thrown by these would-be fascists. Instead we would throw ours first and throw it harder.
Republicans didn’t like when we fought back. For standing against Trump’s Texas gerrymander, Ken Paxton accused me of bribery, tried to shut down Powered by People entirely, and even asked a judge to imprison me.
But it didn’t stop us. We continued to fight aggressively, taking Paxton to court, and winning in front of an all Abbott-appointed appeals court. Though the months-long fight cost us more than $400,000 in legal fees, our supporters stayed with us through the thick of it and helped us emerge stronger than ever.
So strong that we decided to do what’s never been done before—we hit the road to recruit Democratic candidates for every single seat on the ballot.
It was a success: Democrats have filed to run for 39 out of 39 Congressional seats, 16 out of 16 State Senate seats, and 150 out of 150 State House seats this year.
But we know that it’s not enough just to have candidates on the ballot. They have to have our support too. That’s why Powered by People is organizing on the ground and on college campuses throughout the state. Every day, we’re registering voters, sending texts, making calls, hosting community events, and doing everything it will take to build Democratic power across the state.
We’re going to turn it up in 2026. That's how we can win a U.S. Senate Seat, critical Congressional races, state legislative seats... that's how we take back power, and use it to deliver for the people.
Whether you can volunteer, help register voters, show up at events, or simply stay connected and help spread the word, there is a role for you — and we need you in this fight.
With gratitude,
Beto O’Rourke
