This week, Mission: Texas sits down with two working parents who decided the "someone else will run" strategy wasn't working anymore. Katie O'Brien Duzan is taking on HD-94 in Tarrant County, and Zach Herbert — a Marine Corps veteran and trial attorney — is running for HD-112 in the Dallas area.  Both are in highly competitive state house districts that have a likelihood of flipping. 

Both candidates talk through their "flux capacitor moment" of deciding to run, the steep learning curve of campaign finance and call time, and how they're building family-friendly campaigns that bring their own kids into the process. They dig into fundraising disparities against well-funded incumbents, the value of door-knocking over ad spend, and why authenticity beats political polish every time.

Plus: our new Good News segment covers gym gains, a Tonal million-pound milestone, a birthday, and a half-marathon commitment in the works.

What we cover:

 * Katie's and Zach's origin stories — stepping up when no one else had filed
 * Building a campaign from scratch: checklists, core teams, and campaign schools
 * The brutal reality of fundraising against opponents backed by PACs and billionaires
 * Call time, Oath.vote, and rethinking how campaigns reach small donors
 * Why door-knocking beats mailers and TV ads for reaching moderate voters
 * Making campaigns family-friendly — kid-friendly kickoffs, "Scoops with Zach," and block walking with your kids
 * Balancing a day job, a campaign, and parenting without losing yourself
 * Advice for anyone who wants to get involved but doesn't know where to start

Follow and support Katie and Zach: 

https://www.katiefor94.com/

https://zach4texas.com/

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠


#MissionTexas #TexasPolitics #FlipTexas #TexasDemocrats #HD94 #HD112 #TarrantCounty #DallasCounty #WorkingParents #VeteransInPolitics #RunForOffice #HowToRunForOffice #GrassrootsCampaign #TexasHouse #BlockWalking #TexasLegislature2026

Ep. 42: "How To" Run For Office (from two working parents)

This week we're joined by two newly elected members of the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) the governing board of the state party: Liza Hameline, a longtime North Texas election judge and Irving-based organizer; and Chris Servin, a Tarrant County field organizer who is the co-chair of the statewide Hispanic Caucus. Both bring a data-driven, door-knocking ethos to the party's infrastructure. They discuss their surprise elections and what the SDEC really does within the Texas Democratic Party.  

Plus: Alex's good news is filing a motion to intervene in federal court to help defend Texas's open primary law; Liza's is watching 85% of her SDEC delegation turn out as brand-new faces; and Chris's is launching the Senate District 9 Tejano Democrats chapter in Fort Worth.

What we cover:

 * Liza's path from corporate lawyer to precinct-chair recruiter after 2021 redistricting split Irving into four school districts
 * Chris's phone-banking marathon to win the statewide Hispanic Caucus seat — and why "can I count on your support" is the most underused question in politics
 * Chris's work on the coordinated campaign's VAN-based outreach strategy and how it identifies persuadable general-election-only voters
 * Liza's take on what "progressive" means on the ground: down-ballot races, city council wins in Irving (District 6 and District 3), and voter registration at faith communities
 * Chris's plans for the new Senate District 9 Tejano Democrats chapter and reaching underserved rural counties
 * Why Dallas and Tarrant Counties are the highest-ROI turnout targets in the state
 * Building "fun," inclusive local party infrastructure as the real 2030 strategy

Follow both: 

@liza_hameline

@chrisisserving

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

#texaspolitics #texasdemocrats #bluetexas #fliptexas 

Ep. 41: The Surprise Shake Up Within the Texas Democratic Party (Liza Hameline & Chris Servin)

We're kicking off a series of episodes with leaders within the Texas Democratic Party infrastructure, hearing what's going on within the party from the inside. 

Recorded coming off the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi and heading straight into the Fourth of July weekend, this first installment is about reclaiming patriotism as Democratic territory. 

Kate and Alex sit down with Frederick "Nic" Nickens, chair of the Texas Democratic Veterans Caucus and a leader within the Black Caucus, a 23-year Army veteran who retired as a First Sergeant and Tank Master Gunner. He makes the case that veterans, and the party that champions them, are the ones who actually define what patriotism means, and that Democrats have let the other side write that narrative for too long.

Plus: the hosts celebrate 40 episodes of Mission: Texas, Alex heads to Rockwall for a July 4th cookout with his Air Force veteran law school best friend, and Nic shouts out his daughter's birthday and the Texas Democratic Veterans' 24th anniversary as an organization, all landing the same holiday weekend.

What we cover:

 * Convention recap from Corpus Christi: the mood in the room, the water concerns that never materialized, and a party lineup built for the big tent
 * How the caucus system works inside the Texas Democratic Party, and what the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) actually does
 * The military oath to the Constitution, not to a party or a person, and why that distinction matters right now
 * Why  72 of 100 veterans in Congress are Republicans 
 * Nic's path from Army private to tank master gunner to first sergeant, and how military leadership training translates directly to political organizing
 * Why Democrats need to define patriotism on their own terms going into 2026 and beyond

Guest: Nic Nickens, Chair, Texas Democratic Veterans Caucus
Websites: txdemvets.org | txblackdems.org
Also mentioned: Texas Black Politics, Texas in Color

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 40: Convention, Texas Democratic Leadership, and Proud Patriots (Nic Nickens)

This week, Kate and Alex sit down with Zack Dunn, Democratic nominee for Texas House District 121 in San Antonio, the second of two House seats in the area that are closest to flipping. His seat is targeted by the DLCC and HDCC, two groups helping flip seats in the Texas legislature. Zack was recording while in Corpus Christi, where the convention was happening. 

Plus: Kate gets back into a courtroom on the defense side; Alex gets hired by Veterans for All Voters to help defend Texas election law in federal court after the Texas GOP moves to close its primaries; and Zack shares he's about to become an uncle for the first time.

What we cover:

 * Zack's path from UTSA student government to the Obama White House to the Bexar County DA's office
 * Zack's connections to the Castros and San Antonio politics
 * Why HD-121 hasn't elected a Democrat since 1981, and what's different this time
 * The $5 million GOP primary in his race pitting two of the biggest donor groups against each other
 * How the voucher fight is showing up at the doors across every part of the district
 * Lessons for Democrats running in "unwinnable" seats
 * Convention week in Corpus Christi and the statewide coordination effort for November

Guest: Zack Dunn for Texas House District 121 

Website: zackdunn.com 

Social: @dunnfortexas

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 39: Is San Antonio the Key to Flipping Texas? (Zack Dunn)

Kate's primary rival turned good friend joins the podcast. State Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (HD-115) beat Kate in the March 2024 Democratic primary, and this episode is the full story of that race, how they built a real friendship out of it, and what it means heading into the general election season. With Texas Democrats gathering in Corpus Christi this week for the state convention, this conversation is a reminder of what it looks like when Democrats come together after a hard primary to fight for the bigger goal: flipping the state.

Plus: Alex is about to become board president of a 75-year-old Dallas preschool, Cassandra's district office officially opens this month, and Kate makes summer plans. 

We discuss:

 * How Cassandra went from losing her first race to becoming a state rep — and the piece of advice from a sitting appellate justice that changed how she handled the loss
 * The "olive branch" pact she and Kate made before the primary even started — and what it actually looked like behind the scenes
 * Inside the quorum break: what it was like meeting governors in New York and organizers in Chicago, and why she says "Texas Democrats have fight — we just need help"
 * The DLCC's new push to target 12 Texas House seats, and why Cassandra says the resources need to come "yesterday"
 * Why the GOP's mid-decade redistricting fight is now baked into every future legislative session
 * Her block-walking philosophy: why door-knocking beats everything else, and how her team is using off-cycle elections to build long-term voter relationships
 * The honor of serving alongside state-wide candidates Vikki Goodwin, James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, and Jon Rosenthal — and what she learned watching them fight up close

Follow Cassandra: @CasForTX | cassandrafortexas.com

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 38: From Political Rivals to Friends (Rep. Cassandra Hernandez)

Alex has told this story before — how a campaign organizer showed up in Sherman, Texas of all places, and changed the trajectory of his life. This week, that organizer is finally on the mic. Scott Mackey recruited Alex as a high school senior during the 2008 Texas Democratic primary, back when the campaign had no budget, no VAN data, and was cutting turf on hand-drawn Google Maps. It's a homecoming conversation and nostalgia journey.

But Scott and the hosts don't just stay in 2008. They use the Obama years as a lens for everything that's happened since — what that campaign got right about organizing and message, where the party has drifted, and what it would actually take to build that kind of coalition again in Texas and beyond.

In this conversation:

 * How Scott went from Peace Corps-bound in Guatemala to catching a flight to South Carolina the morning after New Hampshire
 * Organizing Sherman with no data, no staff, and hand-drawn turf maps — and what that scrappy model still teaches
 * The Obama organizing principle of "respect, empower, include" — and how far Democrats have drifted from it
 * Why Trump's rise runs on the same playbook as Obama's, just a different feeling
 * James Talarico's "top vs. bottom" framing and why it's connecting where traditional Democratic messaging hasn't
 * Citizens United, dark money, and how Democrats became the party defending institutions instead of people
 * The 2028 primary field — and why the candidate who changes everything might not be on anyone's radar yet

Plus: Scott ran the 2030 census numbers — and even holding Obama's exact 2008 map, Democrats lose seven electoral votes. The old math won't cut it.

Follow Scott: @scottmackeywriter on Instagram
Scott's novel: Love Is Not The Answer
Learn more: Veterans for All Voters — veteransforallvoters.org

Support the show: 

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 37 (audio): The Obama Organizer Who Showed Up in Sherman and Changed Alex's Life (Scott Mackey)

Alex has told this story before — how a campaign organizer showed up in Sherman, Texas of all places, and changed the trajectory of his life. This week, that organizer is finally on the mic. Scott Mackey recruited Alex as a high school senior during the 2008 Texas Democratic primary, back when the campaign had no budget, no VAN data, and was cutting turf on hand-drawn Google Maps. It's a homecoming conversation and nostalgia journey.

But Scott and the hosts don't just stay in 2008. They use the Obama years as a lens for everything that's happened since — what that campaign got right about organizing and message, where the party has drifted, and what it would actually take to build that kind of coalition again in Texas and beyond.

In this conversation:

 * How Scott went from Peace Corps-bound in Guatemala to catching a flight to South Carolina the morning after New Hampshire
 * Organizing Sherman with no data, no staff, and hand-drawn turf maps — and what that scrappy model still teaches
 * The Obama organizing principle of "respect, empower, include" — and how far Democrats have drifted from it
 * Why Trump's rise runs on the same playbook as Obama's, just a different feeling
 * James Talarico's "top vs. bottom" framing and why it's connecting where traditional Democratic messaging hasn't
 * Citizens United, dark money, and how Democrats became the party defending institutions instead of people
 * The 2028 primary field — and why the candidate who changes everything might not be on anyone's radar yet

Plus: Scott ran the 2030 census numbers — and even holding Obama's exact 2008 map, Democrats lose seven electoral votes. The old math won't cut it.

Follow Scott: @scottmackeywriter on Instagram
Scott's novel: Love Is Not The Answer
Learn more: Veterans for All Voters — veteransforallvoters.org

Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 37 (video): The Obama Organizer Who Showed Up in Sherman and Changed Alex's life (Scott Mackey)

The primaries are over. The runoffs are done. What Texas Republicans just sent to the general election ballot may be the most corrupt and radical slate this state has ever seen. This week, Kate and Alex rank all eight GOP statewide nominees — scored on corruption and radicalism — and break down what Democrats need to know before November.

Plus: Alex is back from a week off with a new look and good news to share.

We discuss:

 * The Paxton-Cornyn runoff is a postmortem on the Texas GOP establishment. Paxton won by nearly 30 points. Cook Political Report has shifted the Senate race to "Lean Republican" — real signal for the fall.
 * The rankings, from least to most corrupt and radical:

#8 Nate Sheets (Agriculture Commissioner nominee)  

#7 Dawn Buckingham (Land Commissioner)  

#6 Mayes Middleton (Attorney General nominee)  

#5 Greg Abbott (Governor)  

#4 Bo French (Railroad Commissioner nominee)  

#3 Don Huffines (Comptroller nominee)  

#2 Dan Patrick (Lieutenant Governor) 

#1 Ken Paxton (U.S. Senate nominee)

How did we do? Agree or disagree? 

Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 36 (audio only): Texas Republicans Ranked From Least to Most Corrupt and Radical

The primaries are over. The runoffs are done. What Texas Republicans just sent to the general election ballot may be the most corrupt and radical slate this state has ever seen. This week, Kate and Alex rank all eight GOP statewide nominees — scored on corruption and radicalism — and break down what Democrats need to know before November.

Plus: Alex is back from a week off with a new look and good news to share.

We discuss: 

 * The Paxton-Cornyn runoff is a postmortem on the Texas GOP establishment. Paxton won by nearly 30 points. Cook Political Report has shifted the Senate race to "Lean Republican" — real signal for the fall.
 * The rankings, from least to most corrupt and radical:

#8 Nate Sheets (Agriculture Commissioner)
#7 Dawn Buckingham (Land Commissioner)
#6 Mayes Middleton (AG nominee)
#5 Greg Abbott (Governor)
#4 Bo French (Railroad Commissioner nominee)
#3 Don Huffines (Comptroller nominee)
#2 Dan Patrick (Lieutenant Governor)
#1 Ken Paxton (U.S. Senate nominee)


Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠



Ep. 36 (Video): Texas Republicans Ranked From Least to Most Corrupt and Radical

Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt joins Kate to break down the race for Texas Comptroller — one of the most powerful offices in state government that almost nobody's talking about. Eckhardt, the Democratic nominee, faces Don Huffines, the multimillionaire who purchased the Epstein Ranch and is promising to gut public education and "DOGE" state government. Kate and Senator Eckhardt make the case for why this race could determine the future of Texas.

Plus: Senator Eckhardt heads to an LGBTQ-founded food bank in Amarillo after the interview — a community effort that's grown into a lifeline for Panhandle families struggling with the rising cost of living.

We cover:

 * Why the Texas Comptroller is the most powerful office you've never heard of — and why it matters who holds it
 * The case against Don Huffines: the Epstein Ranch, a history of buying seats, and a plan to weaponize the comptroller's office
 * Public education as the greatest engine of prosperity ever created — and what vouchers are really doing to Texas schools
 * What Eckhardt would actually do as Comptroller: transparent voucher audits, economic impact reporting, raising the basic allotment, and indexing it to inflation
 * Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation — including double-digit uninsured rates for children — and what Medicaid non-expansion is actually costing insured Texans
 * No-bid state contracts up fourfold since 2019, TEA takeovers funneling schools to private contractors, and the normalization of corruption
 * The "don't California my Texas" myth — and the actual numbers
 * Amarillo staring down the world's largest data center next door while 17 of 26 Panhandle counties are maternity deserts
 * Why 2026 could outperform 2018 — and what grassroots organizing can do that MAGA millions can't buy
 * Last Word: if you don't do politics, politics will do you

Support Senator Eckhardt: SarahEckhardt.com [http://saraheckhardttx.com/] | Volunteer, donate, and follow @SarahEckhardtTX

Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

Ep. 35 (audio): Sarah Eckhardt on the Comptroller Race, One-Party Rule, and How the GOP Is Gutting Your Public Schools

Texas is growing faster than anywhere else — and that growth means more electoral power. As blue strongholds lose seats, the road to protecting the White House must run through the Lone Star State.  If we do not flip Texas by the next census, we risk losing the White House for a generation. 

“Mission: Texas” dives into the strategy, people, and stories needed to flip the state. 

Hosted by two Texas lawyers and parents — a former candidate and a long-time organizer, both with military roots — we mix mission-driven focus with a dose of pop-culture fun. 

Think of us as your Democratic club while you cook, commute, or go for a walk.  And don’t worry: this mission is serious, but it’s definitely not impossible.

(Viewpoints expressed are those of the hosts and not of their employers or of the U.S. Department of Defense)

Kate Rumsey

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