Citizens Urge Unity Around “Lone Star Agenda” for 2020 GOP Victory

by Cary Cheshire

Following the conclusion of the 86th Texas Legislature, grassroots activists across the Lone Star State have been making their frustrations with the state’s elected leaders known.

Since the end of May, activists and donors have been arguing Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, and other Republican leaders’ failure to deliver on conservative policy priorities is jeopardizing Republicans’ ability to win the state in 2020.

Today, Don Dyer, a conservative donor and businessman, announced a plan to unify the state’s Republican leaders and voters behind the Lone Star Agenda.

“Texas is now a Purple State,” writes Dyer. “To turn it Royal Blue, Democrats plan to inspire, excite and ignite Democratic voters. What’s our plan? It’s evident Republican leaders don’t have one that inspires confidence in their grassroots supporters.”

The Lone Star Agenda, as Dyer puts it, is a “common sense plan to unite Texas Republicans and keep Texas Red.” He also describes it as “a legislative package that will inspire, excite and ignite the base.”

The tenets of the Lone Star Agenda read as follows:

𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆

𝙒𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨:

1. Allow families to make mental and physical health decisions for themselves.
2. Stop wrongful removal of children from families by restoring due process rights for parents.
3. Stop local ordinances that interfere in private employer-employee relationships.
4. Increase protections for unborn Texans.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝙒𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚:

5. Improve election integrity (paper ballot backup audit trail; citizenship verification).
6. End taxpayer funded lobbying.
7. End union dues withholding from public sector paychecks.
8. Protect Texas monuments.

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆

𝙒𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚:

9. Secure the southern border (interior enforcement to end the “magnet” effect).
10. Stop human trafficking.
11. Protect the rights of Texans to bear arms.

The grassroots-supported Lone Star Agenda largely reflects the conservative reforms that activists wanted their lawmakers to accomplish in the 86th Texas Legislature. Their failure to do so has demoralized and frustrated those same activists and voters who will be expected to fight on the frontlines to protect the state’s Republican majority in 2020.