Transcript
Speaker: This is Mission Texas. All right. Welcome back to Mission Texas. Each episode, we not only explore what it takes to flip the state, but we are also trying to prove that Democrats are the party of families and the party of patriots, which is why we are so thrilled to have our next guest, a mom, a veteran, a business leader running for Congress.
Speaker: Welcome to the podcast, Caitlin Rourke. Thank you for having me. all right, Caitlin, we like to give our guests the ability to, or the you know introduction of yourself, your origin story. We've all heard like the Marvel origin stories. Apparently the whole world is watching Spider-Man right now. It's doing, it's crushing at the box office. So we want to give you the ability to tell your origin story. So what is that radioactive spider bite that gave you the superpower to run as a mom for Congress?
Speaker: Well, yeah, we'll go way back. I think my origin story starts where I grew up, which is right outside of Washington, D.C. I grew up in Northern Virginia. not part of the political class by any means, but my parents were both public school teachers. We grew up probably about 20 minutes away from downtown d c And, you know, public service was just in my blood. i mean, they were both public school teachers for more than 40 years. But even farther back than that, ah both my grandfathers were World War II veterans. My dad was also in the army. And I remember going to my grandfather's house, right? and And I would just sit fascinated at their kitchen table, listening to these war stories that as a, I don't know,
Speaker: five, six, seven, eight-year-old, I probably had no business listening to, ah but it it really shaped public service early on for me. and I was brought up with the belief that you do more for this country than just show up. You work to leave it better than you found it. and so For me, that has really guided my my life, but there were a few other milestones. right I grew up, you know as I said, a couple of miles outside of DC. I was a freshman in high school, We had just started classes and September 11th happened. and That was a transformative moment for me because I was watching my generation, our generation, right go off in and those subsequent years. and where you know People who are joining the military, they're they're going off, they're fighting and and and dying or being injured overseas. and and It really drove that that feeling like I had to do something. and so That, of course, shaped my path to service. But when I decided to run for Congress, i I think it was a very similar feeling that I couldn't sit on the sidelines. And I was looking around and I was thinking, okay, I've done hard things. I can do hard things. And this moment feels like it demands ah somebody who's got the the stamina and the grit and the the servant leader mindset to go and try to fix what's wrong with ah with Washington.
Speaker: Let's press rewind a little bit. I want focus in on that time right between... you know, your, your desire to serve after nine 11 and jumping into this race for Congress. I want to know, cause just out of personal curiosity, I always am very curious in people's service, especially when it comes to the military.
Speaker: i think it's so easy for people to say, thank you for your service, but they don't actually really care to know what you did. Like you don't, would I'd be be much more happy on veterans day if someone tells, tell me what you did in the air force.
Speaker: What did we were like you do? who did you work with? What kind of missions did you support? That shows a real interest. so I want to know, ah tell us about your time in the military. Well, my time was very unconventional and my path was very unconventional. So i graduated from high school in 2005. My parents said, please go to college, like make us that promise. ah And I went to a college that didn't have an r ROTC program ah from the rumors. He's similar to me right now.
Speaker: Yeah, it was. Well, the rumor was, and I can't substantiate it, but it's it's a pretty well-known rumor. um I went to the University of Chicago and they now have an r ROTC program, which is awesome. But you could go to some of the other schools like Northwestern and the University of Illinois at Chicago. They had r ROTC programs. But supposedly Bernie Sanders um in the 60s when he was a student there successfully led the movement to eradicate ROTC during Vietnam, all off-campus. And so that was always the rumor why we didn't have the ROTC program. But regardless, my parents said, you know graduate from college, like give us that. And so when I graduated from college in 2009, I knew I wanted to serve. And I had a really tough time joining.
Speaker: I initially wanted to join the Marine Corps. And so I went to a Marine Corps recruiter near, like an officer recruiter near my house in Northern Virginia. And um And at the time, right, we were drawing down in Iraq and we were about to surge in Afghanistan. So it was a really hard time to go in and earn a commission. So I spent about a year or so just navigating paperwork and and and trying to get my foot in the door. And it was a different time. it was just hard to do it. And then I remember i I switched to an army recruiter because that seemed like a more viable path. And the army recruiter got me all set up. We were all squared away. Everything was good. And then I get to MEPS.
Speaker: And everything's going great at MEPS. And I went through the final… Time out. For the civilians listening, explain what MEPS is. It's the first one worst thing ever. Yeah. Yeah. It's ah yeah it's basically where you where you… go to do your initial entry physical. So it's it's a bunch of people poking and prodding to to see if you were medically physically. love the trace memories from MEPS.
Speaker: I know, right? Things that make you do. We had a horror story. I personally the worst. I mean, was a nightmare. But anyways, this is not about me. I didn't realize I was ah a not allergic to peanut butter until I went to MEPS because my whole childhood I thought that I was because I had like this one moment where the thickness, the viscosity of peanut butter, I thought my throat was closing.
Speaker: Turns out peanut butter just thick. And so I get to MEPS they're like, well, that could be a deal breaker. You might not be able to join the military if you're allergic to peanut butter. And so they tested me and it turns out I'm not. So I've been making up for lost time ever since. wow At least there was one good thing that came out of MEPS.
Speaker: Yeah. Getting peanut butter. Back to your story. Tell me about it. It's pretty great. um Yeah. It's not a gentle experience. There's a lot of hurry up and wait, which is a good motto. I think if you're joining the military to get familiar with, but I go through the the process and there I'm with the, you know, at the end there's, you've got all your paperwork, you've gone through all these stations and I get to the doctor and, or the provider and he, he looks at my feet and he says, you have bunions. Has anybody ever told you that?
Speaker: And I remember thinking, wait a second, i don't have bunions. Like, what are you talking about? And he said, I don't think that you are going to be able to wear military footwear. And so I was immediately disqualified from military service on the spot. It was so devastating because I'm physically fit. I'm like off the charts, like able to do all the the PT tests and everything was great.
Speaker: So it was really devastating. And I worked to try to get that overturned. I mean, it was just, it was a whole debacle. And at a certain point, you know, almost three years into this, I had to say, I got to move on with my life, right? Maybe it's not meant to be that I can't join the military. And so a few years went by. i met my husband. I was still working in in DC doing...
Speaker: doing my you know civilian job. And we relocated to Texas, and this was in 2015. And when we got here, i i had this this itch that I couldn't scratch. And so I told my husband, I know I'm about to turn 28, and I know it sounds kind of wild, but I think I need to pursue this again and see if it's possible. I don't feel like I've fully exhausted all my options.
Speaker: So I went to a recruiter, a Texas Army National Guard recruiter, and Really quick, ah got pushed through the process, went to MEPS and everything was great. ah And I was able to enlist. I enlisted on an office, like an 09 Sierra contract. So I went to basic training at 28 years old. I went to officer candidate school. I commissioned. i I went to military intelligence training. So I was just, I mean, I really wouldn't allow...
Speaker: no as an answer because I knew if I didn't have a chance to serve in uniform and serve my country in this way, there was going to be a piece of me that was missing. And so I had kind of an unconventional path being the, you know, the mom of all the young kids at basic training. um And, you know, my my back didn't didn't love it. um But it was also maybe the greatest time to get to go because I had really made the choice to do it. And I knew what I was doing
Speaker: i knew i knew the gravity of the decision that I made when I raised my right hand. And when I got back to Texas, ah was right before I went to Intel training,
Speaker: i I had heard about some full-time job opportunities over at Camp Mabry in Austin, which is the headquarters of like the Texas military department, the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. And I met this colonel and it was just before Hurricane Harvey. So this was 2017, 2016, 2017. And, and I get this phone call from him and he's like, Hey, Lieutenant, newly minted Lieutenant, we heard that you have some media skills and you know a little bit about public affairs and some other stuff. And I'd done that in my civilian career. And he's like, we have CNN calling us and New York times and people want to come in bed with us. And, I think I might need your help. And so I, as this newly minted lieutenant, had never even, i don't think I'd shown up to my unit to even drill yet in the National Guard. I came in and provided support and was like briefing, you know, two, three-star generals and um handling all the logistics and media prepping these these these senior leaders to talk about the incredible work that the Guard did during Hurricane Harvey. And all that to say it led to a full-time role um on on the staff and the the joint staff at ah the Texas Military Department. And so served there for four years in addition to doing all my, you know, one weekend a year or one weekend a month, two week a year commitment as a National Guardsman. um And then... ah
Speaker: Worked in public affairs, worked in finance, had some Intel slots, didn't do as much cool Intel stuff as I would have liked. but um But it was really fulfilling to really get to be a citizen soldier and use this skill set that I had and maybe being a little bit older and a little more seasoned. um i was in the middle of business school. So my, you know, 06 boss was talking to me about things I was learning there and trying to apply them to our team. And so it was just ah It was not only the greatest um career and probably life experience of my life, but it was also to me just embodied how incredible the reserve component is in the United States that we take people who have incredible civilian skill sets and they're also out mobilizing, supporting domestic missions and deploying overseas to to keep us safe. And so truly the the honor of my life, but also, again, like really shaped a lot of my leadership philosophy that ive I brought into this race.
Speaker: That's a really cool experience, yeah. And I can relate to your being the old guy at ah basic training experience. I was like our our flight's academic coordinator because I had been a teacher and they called me and called me teach.
Speaker: And I would help them train for their their test at the end basic. um We had the most honored graduates, no big deal. How old were you when you went to basic? Oh, gosh. I guess I would have been like... 24 because I had graduated college and ah and then done two years of Teach for America. And it was it was the December after my second year teaching that I went.
Speaker: um So maybe i was already 25 at that point. But yeah, I was in the Air Force Reserve, also intelligence, ah before law school, during law school, and for the first half of a two-year federal clerkship.
Speaker: And yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Like you went to UT for business, right? I went to UT for law school and while I was in law school and I'd be coming back for my drill weekends or my, you mentioned the two weeks throughout the year, it's called the annual tour.
Speaker: Um, people would always be curious about that experience. You know, what am I learning in school? How could that be applied? Suddenly the, officers that I would be briefing, you know, we, we made jokes that, uh, you've heard of power Rangers. I was a PowerPoint Ranger, right? Yeah.
Speaker: making all these briefings. um Suddenly, I feel like all of the generals and the colonels and things that I was briefing, my favorite briefing was the current intelligence briefing. I feel like they they stood up and paid attention a little more when they knew I was going to UT law school.
Speaker: ah Oh, okay. This guy is smart. He knows what he's talking about. Well, I was just going to say also your story resonates with me too because I went to officer school in my 30s. I was one of the older officers in the entire school.
Speaker: And I ended up getting the highest PT score and my whole flight was making fun of me. They were like, guess who got the highest PT score? You would never guess. and um And we're all like, ah and they're like, it's Rumsey. And i'm I'm like, why is this a joke? Like, why are you so surprised that I got the higher PT score? I'm really offended. Um,
Speaker: But i this is it's incredible your story. And I i love the fact that you're a guard member because I don't think as many people know much about the guard. And can you just give our listeners I know we're a political podcast, but just like the two roles that you have, in the two hats that you have as a guard member, you're truly not just serving the United States, but the state.
Speaker: Yeah. Well, and I think, and i'll I'll give a shout out, there's an amazing organization that any of your listeners should check out It's called Friendly Forces. And my my buddy, Eric Evans, runs it. He's based in the DC area, but he advocates for employers being more supportive, not just saying we support veterans, right? But we support reservists and creating policies and, um you know, employment environments that really go beyond just you, Sarah, but allow those those guardsmen and those reservists to go and and be true citizen soldiers. Yeah. And dear listener, USERA, she just mentioned, is ah as a federal statute that provides workplace protections to members of the Guard and Reserve.
Speaker: Yeah. Again, I need a... So many... ah all Citizen translator. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Civilian translator. i But yeah, the Guard is such an interesting um organization in the sense that in Texas, we have a ah ah really large National Guard and you have all these different hats, right? You are not only having to fulfill all your federal... requirements. So you're going to your schools, you can be mobilized. i mean, the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard is is deployed overseas right now. now They serve a a bunch of different roles during the global war on terror. I mean, the the operational tempo of guard units, especially combat arms units, were extraordinarily high. And then in addition to that, you are bracing for every domestic event. So anytime there's a weather event, whether there's a you know, large scale, like the World Cup, for instance, right, being in Texas or being in another state. ah
Speaker: Then on top of that, um here in Texas, we have a governor that has mobilized for the past few years, guardsmen to the border. And it's been happening between the federal government, the state government,
Speaker: for for decades. um But you know you have people that are basically permanently assigned to the southern border, which brings them away from their families. It brings them away from their employer. So um the demands on guardsmen are especially high. It varies by state, but I'd say in Texas, I have a tremendous amount of respect for for the the work that the National Guard does. And I go back to that Hurricane Harvey story. for For me, that was really a transformative experience to see not only the work we were doing at the headquarters to facilitate and and really tell the good news stories of what we were doing, but on top of that, i mean, you have just this this unprecedented response to literally save people, to ah reunite families,
Speaker: pet owners and their pets. I mean, it was it was incredible. And I'll also say one thing. My husband was actually in the Texas State Guard, which is a whole other military element. He, he during COVID, went to get ah his EMT certification. was a medic in the Texas State Guard. And that is basically ah a state militia force that provides a lot of the domestic response support um that the governor oversees. um But they do a lot of incredible work too. he He went down to the border and was doing health support for you for people who live there, you know no requirement of ID being provided. um And they were doing physicals, they were doing you know basic medical care, they were doing procedures. I mean, it's just incredible work. And a lot of that happens so quietly and we don't even know that those people are our neighbors. So ah again, I can't talk enough about what an important role that played in in my service. But it also really equipped me for this campaign in the sense that you know I've served, I've supported the border operations, i've I've supported a lot of these missions that are so political in nature. but ultimately are things you just put on the uniform and you just go and do because that's what the mission demands.
Speaker: Just touching on that, I think I just got an alert that it's been a year since Trump sent the National Guard into D.C. And I don't know about you, but I would see these TikToks or Instagram reels of people like taunting these guardsmen and because they were upset that they were there, which I get. I understand why people would be upset that the guard is in or any military is occupying D.C. I mean, talking about what domestic operations are and posse comitatus. But I mean, it just seemed to me, I wanted to tell people, look, they don't want to be there. They're being commanded to do that. They're on orders. These are human beings who have lives just like you, just like your husband, who are really signing up to help out in these just really tragic circumstances. They don't necessarily want to be in DC. If you're mad, you should be aiming your ire to the government or to the people in charge of our military, which is our governor or our president. And I'm wondering, know,
Speaker: After all of that, being in the guard, like what was then the the moment that, and people talk about like you're radicalized, you know, like you are not maybe radicalized, but like the thing that got you to the place where you're like I need to run for office or I want to be more political. So I took a year and a half or so off. I was in business school. I just started a new civilian job. I just had my second kid. And so I went into the IRR and then I came out and I went to- The inactive ready reserve.
Speaker: The IRR. yeah exactly the i the individual ready reserve which effectively didn't require me to go do anything right i wasn't assigned to a unit i didn't have to do my one week and a month two week a year commitment but i was still deployable if needed and it sort of allowed me to to you know still have a foot in because I still knew I had that drive and that urge to do it. It just wasn't a terribly convenient time. And so I switched over to the U.S. Army Reserve. And so I was in an intel unit um in San Antonio and then in Austin. And as I was looking around, and now I was in a fully federal force, right? We didn't touch the state government. We had no interface with with Governor Abbott.
Speaker: And the 2024 election was happening. And I was watching just with such frustration at what was happening. And and I felt sort of so removed from that world, especially as ah as a reservist who was going every weekend to um you know to to see my colleagues. And I'm watching these young people. I i mean, I had a ah a number of soldiers in my you know um section that were Cameroon, and they were still awaiting their citizenship. And they had gone to their initial entry training like three to four years prior. And I'm thinking, how is it that like the government can be this dysfunctional and backed up? And how we sort of, you know, we're just spending hundreds of millions of dollars on TV and finger pointing, and we're not actually going out and and advocating for people. So for me, the moment was
Speaker: right before the 2024 election. It was like early fall of 2024. And I had heard about an organization called New Politics. And worked- Yeah. Yeah. and I did New Politics. yeah Did you? Awesome. Yeah. An amazing organization. And I think they really helped me reframe, okay, you're currently in the military. You're You are thinking about this new, this next step, this new dimension of service. What does that look like? So I did their initial boot camp and, you know, of course it's a boot camp. And they're a great organization that works with people with service backgrounds, not just military, but, you know, Teach for America, AmeriCorps, ah medical professionals. i mean, people who who are, were you know, public servants and, And who want to figure out if if if they can continue serving and in this new way. And I went through the boot camp and I immediately, a few people walked away and like, I don't really want this much public scrutiny. I don't know that this is right for me. Some people were like, I want to go run for school board. And I walked away just thinking, okay, this is a challenge that I have to take on because i am i am almost drawn to the dysfunction of Congress. And how having worked in Washington and seen how it can be functional, I felt like I'd reached my breaking point. And so new politics really helped me, i think, reframe that. But I think it also gave me those
Speaker: tangible next steps to actually build a meaningful campaign to go out and try to compete and win. And I think the other thing for me at this point, you know having lived in Texas for over a decade, I was watching and I hadn't really paid that much attention. I mean, I was in basic training in 2016. We were doing a live fire night exercise when on election night in 2016. And so I didn't even know who had won the presidency until our drill sergeants told us the next day. ah and You know, i looked at, i was starting to pay more attention to living in Texas. And I was looking at these red, unwinnable districts, and people were just writing them off. And I was looking at these candidates who are severely under-resourced, who didn't have the opportunity to go out and communicate and meet voters and show that they were a great alternative. And it was a little bit heartbreaking because I'm thinking, gosh, I think we can go meet people where they are, but we need the right messengers and we need people who have the resources to go and try to compete and win some of these seats. Because um to me, it's not a, oh, do we have a Democrat sitting here a Republican, right? It's are we moving to ah to a world where we have more servant leaders and more people who are who are going to Washington to try to fix problems instead of create them? And so that really under underpinned my decision to run for Congress. um And then, you know, I also knew that it was going to take a lot of, um like, I had to do it fully and be all in. And I think, you know, we can talk a little bit about that. but ah
Speaker: But that all all really kind of came together. And I also have a really supportive husband. And so we grabbed lunch and I said, hey, I'm thinking about running for running for Congress. And he was like, okay, that sounds sounds great, right? I mean, it just we we we very much support each other just like when I was 28 and we were I went off to basic training and training for 10 months and didn't really see him. We just support each other in that way. And so once I got you know his kind of support and and knew that I'd have the support at home, it it became really clear what I had to do. Incredible.
Speaker: Love that he's just down for the ride. We know a little bit about you, your motivations, your call to action. So now you've jumped in. You have to to get past your primary first.
Speaker: It's even more crowded on the Republican side. Tell me a little bit about the lay of the land. Like, how did get to this space now? And how redistricting played a piece. Oh, yeah.
Speaker: us about that. Yeah. No, it's ah it's a good – it's interesting. I think the number one question, especially when I'm talking to people out of Texas, their first question is always, so how did the new maps affect your district in Perseco? And I tell them, like, they've affected everybody. I mean, I don't think anybody kept an identical boundary as they had in the prior maps. And so, yeah, we we had a really – we had a very truly grassroots approach to our primary. We won overwhelmingly in a three-way race. And a lot of that was, I mean, true 10, 12-hour days knocking doors. i mean it was pure sweat equity. We had some great volunteers, but it was also literally me out there doing 25,000, 30,000 steps a day knocking on doors. And people are a little shocked to see like –
Speaker: i see Wait, that's you on that literature that you're giving me, right? You're just rucking out there. love that. Yeah, it was great. I mean, yeah, my my waistline thanked me. I'm excited to get back into that because i'm sitting i sit at I sit at my my my dining table a little bit too much here as we're in like fundraising season. So I'm excited to get back out and do more of the walking. But um you know we we really ran a really nimble and very targeted campaign.
Speaker: And once we woke up, we had a watch party here in Austin, and then we woke up the next day and literally, I mean, my now campaign manager and i were just on Slack, like already ready to go. We literally haven't taken our our foot off the gas since then. ah But it's really interesting on the Republican side compared to the Democratic side because they had a crowded primary. And I think a lot of that was because it was an open seat. you know Mike McCall, who is a longtime incumbent here in Congressional District 10, announced his retirement a couple of weeks after the new maps were announced and the redistricting effort was announced.
Speaker: um And I think that was unexpected for a lot of people. I've talked to some insiders and they've said we weren't expecting him to retire. And when he did retire, of course, you know i think Republicans sit there and they say, well, this is a safe red seat, right? This is this is the kind of seat that if you can win the primary,
Speaker: you're a shoe-in, right? You'll skate to victory. And i think you know when you look at the maps... They changed in some interesting ways, but they've also really benefited us. And we have been laser focused on really getting out and not only talking to the electorate, but understanding the electorate. And on paper, ah the new maps gave us a little bit of an advantage, right? Just in sheer r versus D voters. Right.
Speaker: But the new maps also added about 92,000 new Travis County voters. So, you know, Austin, Austin suburb voters. So now all of downtown Austin, a lot of the central Austin neighborhoods are in the district. um Most of the, a good chunk of the Western and and Northwest and Southwest suburbs are in the district. And then there's this little teeny, very gerrymandered strip of maybe a mile and a half long. And then it just juts out, right? And so when you look at the map, people are like, this is this is crazy. It's just a lot of rural land. I can't believe they did that. But the majority of our voters are in Travis County and Brazos County, which is where Bryan and College Station and Texas A&M University are. And so about 65% of voters are are spread out between Travis. That's about 40%, about 25% in Brazos County. And then there's 11 other counties that extend into East Texas. um And I think a lot of the conventional wisdom about the district we found to be completely wrong. And part of that is putting in the time to go talk to voters. So I put about 24, well over 24,000 miles, that was like my last count, on my vehicle to go out and and visit people in the district and go and have listening sessions and talk to people. But it's also come with nearing 20,000 doors canvassed just this summer. ah
Speaker: And we deliberately don't target just strong Democrats. We go out and we talk to independents. We talk to people who on paper probably don't seem terribly aligned with a Democrat. But we have been using this incredible method called deep canvassing that was really successful in Prop 8 in California. And it was really successful in um Appalachia.
Speaker: And going and just having conversations with people. It's not, hi, I'm Caitlin Rourke. I'm here canvassing for this Democrat who's running for Congress. It's going and doing the work of actually building the trust and just and just giving them an opportunity to listen, you know, to be to be to be heard. um And so our canvassers go out and... They just listen and they ask you know unassuming questions to just give people a chance to talk about what's going on in their day. And it's so telling because most people, you know you might start from a point where it's a little contentious and then by the end they're sharing an anecdote about a sick kid or a um you know being worried about making rent that month or i mean the like the the real life inner workings of American families and how left behind they feel. So, you know, for us, our district is is exciting because people have felt so underrepresented and so disconnected from politics for so long. But we also know that we have to go out and earn every single one of those votes because being a, you know, Republican district on paper, um i look at it as it's just a lot of constituents that need a representative and they they want a change. And so we are going out and trying to earn every single one of those votes. And I will say Congressional District 10 has a really storied history. LBJ represented this district. J.J. Pickle represented this district. Lloyd Doggett represented this district before he got, you know, gerrymandered out. And I'm really, i'm I'm drawn to it because I think, as you know, as a veteran, right, and as somebody who has had to work with people who have radically different views as as you might and where you might really disagree, i mean, you come together and
Speaker: and worked for it a common goal. And it's not ah a loud or performative job. It's a kind of job where you you put your head down and um you're willing to talk to everybody because that's who's sending you to Washington to represent them. So I have been just blown away at what an incredible and diverse district, Congressional District 10 is. And people are sort of shocked when they live in downtown Austin that they can share a district with someone in Crockett and someone who lives in, you know, College Station is like, how the heck do i share a congressional district with someone in, you know, Lake Livingston? But ultimately, you start realizing when you strip away the the the partisan labels, people have a heck of a lot more in common, regardless of where they where they live. And a lot of the same issues are just universal when we when we talk to people at the doors. And your task is to unite the Longhorns and the Aggies.
Speaker: No small task. but so So in your deep ah canvassing conversations, what are what are you starting to learn? I mean, don't want you to give any free intel to the other side necessarily, but I don't think they're really listening to our podcast. I think it's safe. Well, and it might I talk about it pretty openly because I i don't see a lot of Democrats talking about this. And I think um you know ultimately, I'll also say our approach is different. We ah participated in this national program that represented Jamie Raskin and Marilyn sponsors. So they they cover the infrastructure, but we pay these kids a stipend, ah a modest stipend for the summer. And so we had over 20 college and high school students in Travis and Brazos County, and they were out in this insane Texas heat knocking doors every single day. They are why we were able to be on track to hit 20,000 doors by the end of this month. And it was extraordinary because – I think these kids coming to people's doors made them a lot more willing to talk to them versus a grownup or somebody who's like, oh it's a Democrat that lives down the street. Oh, it's my precinct chair, right? These kids are relatable to people, right? And I think they're so encouraged to see, oh, there's a young person on my doorstep and they're willing to come here and have this hard conversation with me. And when we have conversations with people, I mean, again, we don't lead. my My literature doesn't even say Democrat. And it's not to be misleading. It's just so that people can understand me and my profile and my my qualifications, but also what I stand for and my values. And so the things we hear at the doors are...
Speaker: A, most people are incredibly disengaged. Most people are literally just thinking about what's for dinner because that's what they have the luxury of thinking about that day. They're not thinking about corruption. They're not thinking about the last thing that Donald Trump did. They're not thinking about the SAFE act. they're i mean, they're literally just getting through the day. And so i think that really has shaped what I talk about and and how we try to get people engaged with our campaign. But we hear a lot about the war in Iran, I'd say, especially among men.
Speaker: I've been blown away at how many people are frustrated. And it's people who are really supportive of the America First doctrine and they feel like they've been left behind. And in rural communities, I mean, who do you think is going to be enlisting and and getting mobilized if we go to like a large scale war, right? It's... They know it. They saw it in the 2000s. They're not naive to this. And so I think feeling like they – and seeing the picture of me in uniform, again, it's not meant to be performative. It's not meant to like bait them. it's It's just meant to show like, hey, there's somebody who understands this and understands the stakes and gets it and – who ah you can trust to be the adult in the room when we're making decisions about foreign policy. But I think the other things that we hear about are just local things. It's, hey, my school is shutting down. Hey, I have a kid with special needs and they cut our um you know the AIDS back. So now my kid only gets ah one hour a day of support from one of the special ed teachers in the school. And so he's really struggling. It's, I mean, it is truly, i have this problem and I need you to help me solve it and advocate for me. And can I do that at scale, right, in Congress? I mean, no, I can't go and and and address your individual medical bill. But it gives you that ability to kind of lift up and be like, man, we are so ah misaligned with the priorities that people have. ah And we have to do a better job of talking about the things and building trust so that they know that you're going to go and
Speaker: ah can't fix everything, right? But that you can go and be willing to try to advance policies that are going to make their life better in in one way or another. So it's been really remarkable, the conversations. We've had tears. We've had people who just are incredibly angry. And I give these kids just immense credit for being brave enough to go out because I think a ah a lot of it adults are not willing to go out and talk to their neighbors who disagree with them. So it's been it's been a remarkable program and it's something we're going to continue into the um into the into the fall toward election day.
Speaker: I love doing a deep dive on canvassing because as much as Alex brings up that he's from Sherman, I also bring up that I was a candidate and I also knocked doors and that was a huge part of my campaign. i didn't win, but I was also not trying to flip a seat. I was were trying to maintain it.
Speaker: Um, but I, you, you talk about cutting turfs and you're going to go talk to these kind of, you're like, okay, i want to talk to this kind of voter. And then you cut a turf, which is the area. And mine, it was like, okay, I have to go to this neighborhood and this street and there's kind of my voters are a little bit far apart because they're like a block apart.
Speaker: I'm imagining you're telling me that like you have such a wide breadth of an area that your turf's supposed to be massive. Like you're you're like knocking a door like miles apart. Is that what you're saying? Like, and then you're also doing a deep, like I'm not just, hey, my name is Kate. I'm running for state house. I'd love to have your vote onto the next. And you're trying to do this within a couple hours. It seems like you're telling us that you are having these like true one-on-one deep conversations with these people.
Speaker: Yeah. it's Well, for us, it's quality over quantity. I mean, it is going and it is truly earning the trust. And for a lot of people, they're really skeptical of the letter next to my name. And I'm very realistic about that. And I think that shaped our approach. My now campaign manager was my field and targeting director. And she and I have just had a very, I'd say, ah we we differ from conventional wisdom on who we should be targeting, who we should be talking to, and how we should be talking to them. And that comes from, I mean, she has ah a long experience in in government, in in some you know aid operation. She's worked closely with the Department of Defense. So have I. So I think we just come at it from a different approach. and so
Speaker: so um But in rural communities, it's different. We have been doing listening sessions. So it looks different than you know i mean, you can canvas those folks, and we we plan to do a lot of that. But a lot of it, too, is gathering people, kind of, again, not just going to the Democratic clubs, but having conversations with people who are...
Speaker: um maybe not inclined to typically come to listen to a Democrat and deliberately inviting them and saying, just just come, right? Come for an hour of your Tuesday night and listen to what we have to say. And the listening sessions flip the script, right? I'm doing a lot of talking here, but the way I do it is it's almost like a focus group. um We've been doing it on data centers and AI infrastructure growth. We've been targeting, um you know, areas that feel, and we can see it online. You can see how frustrated people are that they don't feel like they have a voice. So giving them a place to go and talk to maybe their future representative in Washington. and um And I'd say in rural communities, people are a lot more willing to come meet you, regardless of political affiliation. I think in these more suburban areas, people, it's so oversaturated with events and candidate opportunities. And it's like, it's not novel or unique. And so we we have you know we we we intentionally invite people who might
Speaker: result in a tough conversation or a lot of skepticism or a lot of really hard conversations or questions for me. And I don't shy away from that. So I'd say our our approach is different. But i ah it's been and it's been really remarkable just watching people. Again, they're not just abandoning their political party, but they're open to considering individual candidates, regardless of party, because they, for whatever reason on X issue or Y issue, are feeling, again, really left behind and and ready for change. And so that is a huge part of our our campaign. And again, it's not just targeting Democrats, it's talking to everybody, because In our district and so many others, it's not just the people that voted for you that you're representing. It's it's everybody. And that is important for me to not just talk the talk, but actually walk the walk.
Speaker: Well, yeah, that's the mission and the hard work of growing the tent. I mean, if it was just a matter of whipping up all the Democrats, then we would have been in power already. and so we have to come out of the wilderness and we have to build a new coalition. So I think you're doing exactly the right thing. I'm really glad you brought up the data center AI issue because um talking about local issues, David De La Fuente, who's been our guest on our podcast before, he's a political consultant. And I just think one of the brightest minds in that kind of work.
Speaker: He has identified this data center issue as one of the most important just passionate, overwhelmingly unpopular things that is being hung around the neck of a lot of these statewide Republican candidates.
Speaker: And I would imagine giving your opponents ties to Elon Musk and the like and AI packs and things. I imagine that gives you an opening in your district. Oh, it it certainly does. And we have, I mean, you know, we we have Grimes County in our district and Grimes County is where the new ah TerraFab chip factory. So the first chip factory that Elon Musk is building for his portfolio companies is going in Grimes County. And I mean, it made national news. It's it's a big deal. And
Speaker: i help Is it just a coincidence that it's Grimes County? Isn't that one of his like mini ex-wives? Yes. Who who lives in the district. as No. Either the way. I know. that Okay. The Elon haver vote network is is remarkable. county The county had the name before she lived there though.
Speaker: I would imagine so. Okay. Okay. um Yeah, I know. never know billionaires are out there buying counties or something. I don't know. Well, there's a grime song that's like a trending audio for some social stuff. And part of me is like, we should totally do ah um just to be provocative. um Just get her on on your side.
Speaker: Get her to donate. She has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. But it is, yeah, it is ironic. It it did cross my mind. um But we have held two listening sessions there. And for me, like not to oversimplify it, but at the end of these conversations, I always ask one final question. And it's, if you could ask these, and in Grimes County, right, it's not just data centers, it's AI infrastructure growth, it's tech growth. And it's these big, you know, capital intensive, environmental intensive, energy intensive projects where these communities don't feel equipped
Speaker: to handle the David versus Goliath battle that's happening. And I think there's an acceptance. I think a lot of them are also really pragmatic. There's a point at which they're like, if this is coming, we need to get the best deal. We need to make sure that our you know they they pay to improve our roads and they invest in our schools and they they they do things that are going to make our community better.
Speaker: And I think in the case of Grimes County, people feel like so much was done so secretly and that the county commissioners were not only withholding information, but ended up with a deal that really left them with the short end of the stick. And I think that now the local community there is just, they're they're frustrated. And it is a sort of galvanizing issue there and I think across Texas. But the the last question that I ask these listening sessions is if you could ask these tech companies or these people trying to build the data centers or you know these these these big corporate interests that are coming in and you know and and putting on an act and then trying to take your land to build the facilities that they need to continue
Speaker: growing their companies, what would you ask them if you could get a no BS answer from them? And they had to be honest. And I got a lot, you know, why does this have to happen so quickly, right? Or, um you know, why our community? What's so so great about it? And there was a mom that asked me, would you let your family live next to one of these facilities?
Speaker: And what she was asking was, in 20 years, is there going to be a cancer cluster in our towns? And again, the gravity of what we're talking about really clipped for me because she looks at someone like my opponent who has, to you know, took hundreds of thousands of dollars from a lot of these AI aligned packs and in the primary and hasn't taken a clear position on any issue, particularly data centers, and has been really waffling about it. And she's,
Speaker: is like, gosh, who's going to actually advocate for me and keep my kids safe and my family healthy? And that distrust and just feeling like you're so powerless and helpless is really devastating.
Speaker: And so i think the data center issue, it it feels like for me, It's not about do you support a moratorium? Do you support slowing things down? I think people are interested in those policy positions who are really connected to this, but I think it's more feeling like who is going to be clear-minded to go advocate for our community and who is going to be beholden to the special interests of that are writing the checks and it's as clear as day i think in this instance it's not it's not muddied like it is out there in the open and Yeah, my research shows that he was
Speaker: helping lead elon musk's america pack Correct. Yeah. he was um el and and they mean His firm continues to to to to be involved in a lot of Elon Musk activities.
Speaker: and A lot of the things that I see as being fundamentally broken about Washington and American government And you know for me, I've worked in Washington. I've worked with and alongside a lot of these special interests. And I know Washington just like Chris Gober does. I know the inner workings. I know the political machinery. I know how these – I'm not naive about it. you know i'm'm I'm savvy about it. But I think the difference between us is for me, I'm using that knowledge to try to go fix a broken system. He's using that knowledge to try to protect that system and insulate that system. and help these special interests continue to operate with impunity um by being on the right congressional committees, by having the right connections. And it also doesn't escape me that if you look at a lot of Elon Musk's
Speaker: um other projects in Central Texas before redistricting. a lot of those projects are in the current Congressional District 10. So in Bastrop, a lot of the sort of outlying like Southeast Austin facilities. And ah i mean, now we're moving into like the new dimension of Congressional District 10. And Chris Gober was also the lawyer that was retained by the RNC to draw the districts during redistricting last year.
Speaker: So, I mean, he he literally was responsible for drawing the district in which he is now running. That also does not sit well with people. They don't like the idea of that. They don't like the notion of that. Because, again, I think even if you're a a Republican or somebody who doesn't like Democrats or support Democrats, I think you people are are smart enough to put themselves in the shoes to say, I don't like that on either side. I don't like the idea that that can be how this system works and that doesn't sit well with me. So, I mean, there's there's a lot of problematic elements here and and it's and it's what I hear. the people the The few people that do know who Chris Gober is are are aware of a lot of those, what I consider to be real conflicts of interest. Yeah.
Speaker: Well, may I just say that I'm wondering your thoughts on this. I heard from some friends of mine that there's already data center propaganda advertisements going out as of today. And we also heard that Abbott's like unleashing his war chest of money to. And I'm wondering, we've had such a long period of time. We've heard this from so many candidates about data centers and water.
Speaker: And I think the message that I was receiving from a friend was the the data centers are saying, we're not trying to poison your water. we' We actually help you with your schools. And they're trying to like right the wrong of this and being a PR person. um Given all the time that you've spent with these people and listening to you, do you think that that will resonate or work like this last minute, just triaging of that image? Yeah.
Speaker: Well, again, my experience in D.C. and also working in Intel and like public affairs and information operations, I know this game and i've worked for I've worked for the fossil fuel industry. I've worked for a lot of these interests that have done campaigns like this. And I think in the case of data centers, it feels a little bit different because of the timeline. And because individual counties are starting to see their ah their county commissioners step up and say, hey, we are going to put something you know preemptive in place here to protect us against this. So I think people are seeing through it. But I think ultimately the um this false choice argument of like either we lose the AI race to China and our national security crumbles and we're we're not safe and kids are not going to have opportunity. You're making these claims that are just so outrageous. And it's like this or that, right? And I think people are really tired of that. I think it applies to a lot of things. I think it applies to immigration and border security. I think it applies to the environment, right? It's just, it's like this false choice of like, you're either this or you're that. And I think in the case of like,
Speaker: um rural land and rural Texas land. I think people are distrustful because they've seen this play out in other ways with other industries. um Even if you know Amazon or Walmart or some some large companies are coming in and trying to build a facility there, they've been told and promised things that don't materialize. and so ah Or they hear about the the neighboring county or a county a few ah few counties down that have done. I mean, Things spread really quickly there. And even with Grimes County, when I'm in other rural counties in East Texas, even if there's no active data center proposal in their county, they're keenly aware of what's happening in Grimes because they know they have a friend who owns land there, who has a ranch there. They have a a cousin who lives there. I mean, they're very tuned in. So not to put all rural communities into a block, but they're very aware of that. And I think there's a lot, there's a different kind of skepticism that I think is of of a lot of the interests that are coming in here. And I think ultimately too, it's just a distrust. I mean, like to to take it back, especially with, I think Elon Musk in particular, the agriculture and rural communities
Speaker: have seen the impacts of Doge. um They have seen it with Screwworm. They have seen it with a lot of the programs, the USDA programs that they have invested in. This idea of like you know saving money and scaling down these these programs were really important and integral for them to be able to continue operating programs their farms there timber operation, right? And so the Elon connection, I think, is especially toxic and problematic um because
Speaker: the he has been the architect of so much bad in this country. And that has been something that's really broken through to me um and and just how distrustful people are, particularly of him. And knowing that he has unlimited money to go spend on these blunt force campaigns to try to... convince people. and It's just not credible. And I think people are really seeing through it. And I think people want more transparency than just saying, we are here to do you know give you jobs and do this. There's enough of a track record in his past projects that I've been blown away at how knowledgeable a lot of these rural communities are about what's been happening. They're there'rere they're educating themselves. they're informing themselves.
Speaker: um Because they i mean this is their this is their whole life. This is their heritage. This is their livelihood. And they are ready to fight that fight. And they're also willing to consider candidates who um they may not agree with everything on, but the candidates who are going to um at least not have the special interest weighing heavily on on one shoulder compared to the public interest on this shoulder. Well, speaking of the better angel of our nature, you know, that kind of classic cartoon angel and devil on the shoulder. Let's focus on some good news. My favorite segment of the show. What's something in your life that is just so good?
Speaker: You got to share it and it. could be personal. It could be professional. It could be something completely random. Republicans are great at sharing their gospel. You got to get our reps in Tell us what's going good. You got to tell us, tell us about.
Speaker: Yeah. Well, I hear somebody has a kid in the background. That's me. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. Mine are not here. They um are at their ah last day of summer camp because school starts on Thursday. And after I talk to you guys, I'm off to go pick up my five-year-old who's going to be starting kindergarten. and our Our summer camp ended on Friday. So now we we joke then like these next four weeks before their preschool starts, we call it Camp Mom.
Speaker: Yeah, it is it is brutal. Well, and, you know, i mean, back to this idea, too, of like understanding what people are going through. I mean, for me, it was our our preschool closed. they They're shuttering their doors. And so it was like – and they they provided the after-school care. Thankfully, mine are both in grade school now, so I don't have to worry about it. But watching parents scramble, watching the teachers who are now out of a job and don't have – you know I know they don't have savings. I know they don't have benefits. ah And then for me this week, we were waitlisted on the aftercare program at my kids' elementary. So it was like, well, I mean, it just – the scram – like, it it's just – it's so – I don't know how we haven't figured out things like healthcare and childcare. And um it's really baffling to me. And it really – makes the issues real and relatable for me. But regardless, in in terms of happy news, um my my rising second grader, he's really excited about school, but he's like, I don't even need to go to back to back to school. But watching my kindergartner, who's five and who is so insulated from all the things that we are talking about, my school just had the Ten Commandments posters donated
Speaker: um recently. So those will be posted in the classrooms. But being able to to see the world through her eyes, her excitement, she picked out this really stylish outfit today so she could go meet her teacher. And just her curiosity and just her her innocence, um it's It's so exciting. i I go to some of the things at the school and obviously it's really, it's challenging as a candidate, but um but I am just so excited to see her start this journey and to um know that there are teachers and public servants at the school busting their butt, just like my parents did, who have been there decorating their classrooms and getting things ready and making it perfect and magical. um And I try to focus on that and the goodness and the fact that there are people still out there doing this work and that our kids are worth fighting for. And so that is what has just gotten me really giddy this week. I woke up today, it's back to school day, you know, with meet the teacher. And um I felt myself like giddier than I've been in a really long time. And so I'm i'm excited for her to start this journey, but it also makes this work feel a lot more meaningful.
Speaker: That's awesome. I was going to say something similar. My daughter is going to the public school pre-K tomorrow. We qualify because then that we're veterans in my district. So we're really excited about that. She similarly picked out a bluey backpack. I got all these new snacks and food from HEB that just opened down the corner from us. And she's like, oh, my new lunch stuff and my new snacks that I got. So it's a very similar vibe in my household. Just the excitement of going to school.
Speaker: for the first time in the public schools, because she's been in daycare. And they've they've been the ones that have just taken care of everything, snacks, food. And so now we have to do it on our own. And I'm very curious to see how a four-year-old goes into the public schools, like how she's going to get to school.
Speaker: I know I can like drop her off on the first day, but it'll be... like She's a four-year-old, so I don't know how she's going to be like going to the classroom. But that's happening tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited about that.
Speaker: That's awesome. it's it's it's just it's such It's exciting. And it's like it's so cool to see your kid grow into this little human. And like they can take i mean they can just take on the world. And it's it's fun to fun to disconnect from all this negativity and bad news sometimes too. And just be like, let's fill up your bluey backpack with some snacks that mom bought. So it's cool. I know. And I got one of those like little...
Speaker: ah chalkboard things. And it says like, what are my favorite things? What do want to be when I grow up? And y'all, i asked, what do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a mommy. And I was like, oh I'm doing something right. She wants to be a mommy. I'm so i'm just thrilled. She might not feel that way in 10 years. yesterday today she' doing that How about you, Alex?
Speaker: Well, yeah, I'll just say quickly that You know, tax free weekend was last weekend. I had planned to go and buy all these clothes, but we had like these, these really large donations from other teachers at the preschool my kids are going to.
Speaker: We got it all sorted. And by time we've like took inventory of everything, we're like, well, we all actually don't need very much anymore. So how great is it that the community stepped up? But we did take my daughter, she's four as well, to pick out some shiny new pink shoes for her first day of school.
Speaker: And she is so pumped about it. We have to like constantly tell her that we have to wait. have to wait. First day. um But my good news um is ah related to a program I just signed up for. i'm going to be a state lead here in Texas for something called Trusted Neighbors.
Speaker: We're going put together a coalition of people who just believe in providing um trustworthy information about elections so that we can all ah believe and trust the results regardless of the winner.
Speaker: um It's a kind of an interesting coalition of traditionally left and right and middle and agnostic political groups who just believe in our democracy.
Speaker: And I find that really encouraging. um It's kind of an eclectic bunch and I'm participating through my, my volunteer world and veterans for all voters, kind of a nonpartisan group who I've been doing some legal work for, but now I'm going to get shift gears and, um,
Speaker: There's a new politics angle though. more organizing work. Traditionally organized work. Alberto, he's a former new politics director. He's he's the new CEO of ah Veterans for All Voters. So you you knew him from, ana rama from from ah you said new politics or from. Yep.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. It's a great, great organization, great leadership. And it's exciting. All right, Caitlin, we're going to send us off. We're going to segue into our last word.
Speaker: This is you're an army officer. Where do your soldiers? What do you think it's going to take? ah The thesis of this podcast is that we have to flip Texas by the next census because we're going to add a lot of congressional seats, a lot more electoral votes. How do we do that in the short term to flip your seat, but also to flip Texas for the long term?
Speaker: I think individual candidates matter a lot. I've seen that um consistently. i think veterans, I think real people with real relatable backgrounds are so important. But if you're a nurse and you're working a full-time job, you don't have often the luxury of going out and running for office. And I think it's a real problem in our politics, but I think also within Texas, I think the way resources are allocated to candidates is really problematic. And I've been pretty upfront about that. ah
Speaker: our Our little field program that's like the most productive in Texas, and we've had the highest contact rate in Texas um from the internal data. It's great, right? But we're not sitting on a multi-million dollar war chest. And so I think that we need to do things that will enable real people to go and run for office. um I think that's that's just critical. And so I think part of it is finding those candidates, whether it's me, whether it's you know somebody running for school board, that you can go individually help ah because they often are not going to have the monetary resources and they really need the support from our community. I think this idea of just wholesale flipping taxes and you know slate-wide like
Speaker: you know ah handouts and things like that, people, at least that I'm talking to, are not responding well to that. They are getting excited by candidates like Clayton Tucker. by candidates like me that are out having these conversations because we're talking about things that make this relatable for them and where they're willing to maybe bring down their wall a little bit because we're we're meeting them where they are and we're validating their concerns and we're not coming after them for, you know, voting for Donald Trump or because we don't feel that way. We're we're like, we're frustrated too. And i think that
Speaker: I think that individual candidates earning trust with voters is how we start getting people more open to considering voting for Democrats. And i think it is done at a very individualized level. And i think it starts with listening, but I also think it starts with us as a state and as a party being able to enable real people to go run for office and have people who you can't just write the biggest check, but who can go and and really do the work and be empowered to be the kind of representatives we need to to try to flip the state. um i i i
Speaker: I hope to be successful in November, but that is one thing that I have walked away with and I feel passionately about channeling my energy into. is helping real people be able to go be the representatives that Texas needs. So we are doing that on the ground by by earning trust about, you know, by me as an individual candidate. ah And I think we need to, as you referenced earlier, Um, just, I mean, the tent needs to be bigger. We need to be more welcoming and we need to talk to people in a way, um, that is from a place of compassion and empathy and, um, solutions and servant leadership, um, instead of finger pointing and vitriol, because, um, I don't think that's getting us anywhere. And I don't think that that is going to earn the kind of trust that we need to, to try to flip some of these seats as we head into, 2030. Um,
Speaker: Amen. You're preaching to us and we love it ah because this is exactly what we talk about. So thank you, Caitlin. You are proving that patriots and moms are Democrats too. We are part of that tent. So thank you so much for joining us. And I will see our listeners next week and say God bless Texas.
