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Power the Vote is launching the Blue Texas
project to fight + fund everywhere!
Hey John,
Check out Jared Patterson.
Jared is a Texas Republican and a state Representative – he represents Denton County, just 45 minutes north of Dallas.
Jared has some wacky ideas that he wants to write into Texas law.
Take, for example, House Bill 643.
House Bill 643 targets every venue that hosts a drag show and would classify those venues the same as strip clubs. That’s wild enough – but his language is so broad that it would (as Texas Monthly notes) regulate “any community theater that hosts a performance of Peter Pan” as a strip club, too. And Jared would also “target venues hosting any transgender performers—say, a bar that booked a band with a trans drummer.”
Yikes. But it gets worse.
Jared wants to create a “District of Austin” that would allow the Texas legislature to override local laws passed by the City of Austin (HB 714).
And Jared has introduced legislation to regulate school libraries (HB 1655), allow election judges to carry guns inside of polling places (HB 636), and define gender-affirming care as child abuse (HB 436).
Jared is so extreme that the #1 Google search with his name asks, “Who is running against Jared Patterson”.
I’m not kidding, just look!
So my jaw dropped when I learned that the answer is – nobody.
Jared breezed back into office this year because no Democrat ran against him.
I wish I could say this is rare, but it’s not. In 2022, a whopping 48 Texas Republicans (seven state senators and 41 state representatives) waltzed (or two-stepped) into office without having to try.
Like Jared, they’re some of the most radical of the bunch.
They’re passing anti-voter legislation, criminalizing reproductive care, and trying to gut public education by giving state tax dollars to private schools.
It’s time that someone holds Jared – and lawmakers like him – accountable for their extremism.
That starts today, with Blue Texas.
Our grassroots community makes sure that every Democratic nominee for state legislature has resources to fight. We use a “bottom-up bathtub” method of funding, where we provide help first to those nominees who need it the most.
What happens if we fund these races? We’ll encourage more Democrats to run against Republicans like Jared – and when they do, they’ll have a community of people like you cheering in their corner.
So the next time a local school teacher Googles “Who’s running against Jared Patterson” – maybe they’ll say to themselves, why not me?
But it’s not enough to give people someone to vote for. Texas is the #1 most difficult state for voting in the country. So we also have to make sure they’re able to vote, and that their vote is counted.
That’s why our Blue Texas community also supports permanent voter protection programs.
Together, we’re empowering voters to hold Republicans like Jared accountable.
I hope you’ll join us.
And if you already have, welcome! Help grow our community by forwarding this email to your friends and network.
Let's make sure they know about Texas Republicans like Jared – and how the Blue Texas community is taking them on.
Onward, friend!
Kim
P.S. We’re a grassroots group of people like you who are holding Republicans accountable, lifting Democrats, and making sure every vote is counted. Community members kick in a few dollars a month (our average is $14) to support voter protection efforts and our Democratic nominees for state legislature.
Plus we get together every month to hear from great guest speakers, get updates on what’s new at the state legislature, and find out what we can do to pitch in.
Are you looking for what you can do right now to build Democratic power and fight voter suppression? Then join our Blue Texas community today!
Blue Texas is a joint project of Power the Vote and Every State Blue Texas
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