Dear John,
I just spent 49 days on the road, holding more than 70 events across the state of Texas to meet the voters who will decide this election right where they are.
From Greenville in Hunt County — where we filled the school gym to its 500-person capacity only to find more than 300 additional attendees waiting outside after we finished — to Austin, Houston and Dallas where we met voters in greater numbers than in 2018 or anytime that I can remember, it’s clear that something big is happening in Texas.
Fort Worth, TX
Pampa, TXPeople want change. They’re sick and tired of a governor who attacks women, who attacks teachers, who attacks immigrants and who attacks the very right to vote. They won’t accept losing power for days in the energy capital of the world or paying higher utility bills as a result because the man in charge decided to stick ratepayers with the bill for his failure.
They want to get past the extremism and chaos, the incompetence and cruelty, and focus our resources and attention on the big things that bring us together — world-class public schools, creating better and higher-paying jobs and bringing $10 billion of our federal income taxes back to Texas to connect more people to health care.
Waxahachie, TX
Laredo, TXAnd I’m not talking about what I’m hearing from Democrats. I’m talking about what I’m hearing from Texans. Because in Hemphill, at least half of the attendees were Republicans, many wearing MAGA hats and shirts. But they came out because they want something better. It was the same in Dumas and Pampa, Quanah and Pecos, Pittsburg and Palestine. Everywhere we went, people of good faith and conscience came together not for themselves or their political party, but for this state. Democrats, Republicans and Independents who define themselves as Texans before anything else.
Quanah, TXAnd in each town I visited, it was clear that Abbott had never shown up to meet with, listen to and learn from the people he’s supposed to be serving. In rural Texas, it’s because he thinks he’s got those voters in the bag. In bigger cities, it’s because he’s written them off. That leaves a Texas-sized opportunity for us and our campaign.
To everyone who came out to see us during these 49 days — from Eagle Pass to Amarillo, Port Arthur to El Paso, and all points in between — thank you for choosing to meet this moment with your energy, your enthusiasm and your action. We now have more than 90,000 volunteers — many who joined during these events — signed up to knock on doors and meet voters where they are.
Abilene, TXI’m looking forward to pushing even harder during these last 50+ days of the campaign, and winning it for you and with you.
See you on the trail,
Beto
