This past weekend, Democrats from across Texas trekked to Houston for the Texas Democratic Party Convention. It was hard not to be energized – political friends from all over this massive state were gathered in one place for an entire weekend to network and organize. Attendees were enthusiastic (despite press reports to the contrary).
TDP Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa
The highlight of the weekend was Friday night’s keynote speech by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Mayor Castro was introduced by his (identical twin) brother Joaquin Castro, the presumptive congressman from the new 35th Congressional district. It was great fun watching the two brothers on stage. They share the exact same smile and wave. They also represent the great promise of Democrats in Texas. Mayor Castro’s speech – which focused on education – motivated the crowd to keep up the fight for our kids’, thus our state’s, future.
We were able to attend several caucuses and trainings during the convention. During the Social Media Caucus, moderator Rachel Farris honed in on how Twitter and Facebook have dramatically transformed political communications and how social networks can be leveraged to organize and mobilize supporters. The lunchtime youth panel, “The Young, The Motivated, The Now,” moderated by Bun B and Rocsi Diaz, was packed with eager young Democrats. And there were no empty seats at the Hispanic voter turnout panel, led by the TDP’s Promesa Project in conjunction with Univision.
The convention ended on two high notes. First, Texas Democrats adopted the most progressive platform in years, including advocating for marriage equality. Then, attendees elected Gilberto Hinojosa to be the new Chairman of the TDP, the first Hispanic to hold the position.
We look forward to working with Chairman Hinojosa to ensure Democratic progress in Texas this year and beyond.