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Episode 2: The Life of Candidate (feat. Kristian Carranza)
50 Plays1 month ago
On the same day Taylor Swift drops The Life of a Showgirl, we’re bringing you The Life of a Candidate.
In this ladies-only episode of Mission: Texas, host Kate Rumsey sits down with Kristian Carranza, a San Antonio organizer and candidate for Texas House District 118, to talk about the real backstage life of running for office — the heartbreak, the hope, and the hustle.
Kristian opens up about losing a race, getting back up, and finding her voice again at a town hall microphone. From knocking on 10,000 doors to fighting for public schools and working-class families, she shares what it takes to stay in the arena — and why this cycle might finally be the turning point for Texas Democrats.
They discuss:
🎵 Taylor Swift, resilience, and the art of reinvention
🏫 School closures and public education as a lifeline
🚪 Why door-knocking and local organizers still matter
💰 Fundraising myths, recurring donors, and candidate life balance
🗳️ How precinct chairs and everyday volunteers build lasting power
It’s The Life of a Candidate — Texas-style.
Guest: Kristian Carranza — Candidate for Texas House District 118
Host: Kate Rumsey
Podcast: Mission: Texas
Follow Kristian at kristianfortexas.com or on socials @KristianForTexas.
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Howdy. This is Mission Texas. A political podcast about winning Texas by 2032 or else we may lose the White House for a generation. I'm one of your hosts, Alex Clark.
00:00:13
Speaker
And I am Kate Rumsey. Other podcasts may focus on the day-to-day the next election. But we are keeping the eyes of Texas on the bigger prize. What happens after the next census?
00:00:27
Speaker
All right. Welcome to the podcast, a very special ladies only podcast with Christian Carranza, who's running for office again in San Antonio. ah Welcome. I'm so happy to have you. I'm so excited. i know. And I love the feminine energy today. um And it's a big day. It's Taylor Swift's album launch today. So i'm I know you're a big Swifty like me. That's not all I'm going to talk about, but I am excited to talk about it. And and I'm just really excited to run again for 118.
00:00:52
Speaker
Yeah. Well, i we are not purposefully excluding Alex. He's got a family thing today. But I think it is appropriate that you and I are talking on Taylor Swift day on the day of her release because we can talk about that. um But also because you know Alex outside of or from politics, I believe. And I didn't really know you much um until recently when we're starting this podcast. So I think it's a great conversation for us to have because it'll be like me just getting to know you like anybody else.
00:01:21
Speaker
And think that'll be great. yeah I love it. and And it's so full circle because when I first met Alex, we were both baby organizers, um just starting off our our political organizing careers. And I know that Alex has done other things since then. But um for me, it was my very first time ah getting to organize my community. We were both field organizers for Wendy Davis when she ran for governor in 2014.
00:01:45
Speaker
I don't know if you can see it, but I had this Cruz Ortiz. You can see if it's Wendy right there. Oh, my gosh. Yes. It's an old school Cruz Ortiz poster and that Wendy actually signed.
00:01:56
Speaker
And so um anyway, but it was for me the most empowering experience of my life. And we did so me and Alex were actually specifically campus organizers for her. And so we did a lot of voter registration. Voter registration is still um the thing that I'm most passionate about when it comes to organizing. So it's just really exciting that I get to be on this podcast and and get to talk about, you know, how I got started in this work.
00:02:19
Speaker
Yeah, well, can you speak a little bit? Well, I don't think we can go any farther until we talk about Taylor Swift and her album, who she herself is a political person and tried to weigh in last year on some of the races, which to me, it was interesting. I heard a lot of friends, a la Swifties, who said, ah, Swift Nation's going to come and rescue all of us and we're all going to vote, um you know, the same way. and I don't know. i don't know what happened if it was if if they did all vote or they just didn't vote with Taylor. But um regardless, what do you have any reflections first on her album?
00:02:52
Speaker
Anything that stands out? Oh my gosh. I, so I am what they call a glitter gel pen, Swifty, glitter pen, Swifty. And so I love the pop hits. I know that she works with Max Martin on this album and so and he's done like, you know, Britney and Backstreet Boys and like all the best, like millennial pop hits that we love. So I was really excited about it. And so I stayed up till 11 o'clock last night to listen to the album and I'm in love with it. I'm completely obsessed.
00:03:20
Speaker
um I want to know what your favorite song is, but mine right now is Wood. W-O-O-D. It is just such a banger. it kind of reminds me like the rift of it kind of reminds me of ABC um by the Jackson Hole. It's nostalgic, it's fun, it's groovy. And um I don't know, it just it just sparks joy.
00:03:43
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, know. I tried to stay up and I fell asleep right before 11 central, but I got up at like five or five thirty because that's what we do nowadays with my three year old. And i was playing some of the songs and some of them are explicit. bless it so i was like, whoa, five thirty in the morning. ah you know like um You know, there was one. But one of the ones I really like to your point, is almost romantic because it the beginning has this really cool guitar riff that really sounds like Weezer or Green Day. And i i love that track um once I got to it. And of course, Opalite, because I believe that's ah about Travis Kelsey.
00:04:24
Speaker
um My friends and I are just texting all day long about this. ah So i'm I'm so happy that you're a Swifty as well. um But getting back to the, getting back.
00:04:35
Speaker
I wonder what Alex would say if he was on this podcast right now. But but my husband, when I woke up, hes he was like, what's going on Taylor Swift? I don't understand. Like something's happening. And I, first of all, I was just, my jaw was on the floor. How can you not understand what's going on or even know have the wherewithal about what's happening with Taylor Swift? um But also how dare you not know um as well?
00:04:57
Speaker
So I was telling him quickly, like what's going on. Because my friends and I are going crazy. um Yeah, I love it. um And just to wrap up our little Taylor section, I didn't want to say that, you know, because I ran last cycle and it was ah a really close race and it was a heart a heartbreaking loss. But I learned a lot throughout the campaign. I'm seriously so grateful. i think that's the thing is like I woke up the next morning with so much gratitude in my heart.
00:05:24
Speaker
um And i and i i didn't cry the entire night. i woke up and i was feeling hopeful. And I, you know, as one does, put on Taylor Swift. And the first song that came up was Only the Young, if you remember from her Miss America. Yes. Yes.
00:05:40
Speaker
and and and and You know, like like running for office and um and it was just, it you know, it it really touched my heart. And that's like when the tears actually started to flow and I let it all out. But no, I'm a big fan of Taylor Swift's music and I'm so happy that she's gotten political and is like using her platform for good.
00:05:59
Speaker
i think that even the power of Taylor Swift, but it was hard to combat um a lot of what was going on last year and with the political rhetoric, um with the just the political environment. But I think that this year um we're seeing a shift and I feel like cycle is going to be one of the best cycles for Democrats in the next, you know, I would say five or six years. So I'm actually still feeling really hopeful.
00:06:25
Speaker
um and And I think that people are a lot more leaned in right now. I love that. i want to talk about that some more. But getting back to the fact that you ran before in last cycle, you and I both ran, me in the primary, you and you got to the general, and it was a flip. You were trying to flip the seat. But as I understand it, this time around, you this is an open seat.
00:06:48
Speaker
And so you have even more of an opportunity. you don't have to go against an incumbent. That's right. um So my my my statehouse seat 118, it's all within Bexar County um here in San Antonio.
00:07:01
Speaker
And so the incumbent is actually going to run for Congress under the the new lines, um which is the only silver lining to all this BS. ah So an open seat, which and I and I announced back in ah june And so I've been running now for a few months and and I've been knocking doors.
00:07:23
Speaker
I knocked 10,000 doors last cycle and I'm continuing to knock doors now. And so people are really excited. You know, when I tell them it's open um there, you know, it was a really close house race. It came down to three points.
00:07:35
Speaker
last November, which was the closest state house race that we had in Texas in the general. And so, um you know, I'm just getting everybody excited again. think that this cycle, like I mentioned, is going to be really good for us.
00:07:46
Speaker
um A lot of what I do on the doors is just talk to folks about issues that they care about. It's a really working class community. So that's what our conversations look like.
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah, I know. I think when we talked to Kendall Scudder, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party, he was saying it's not just about knocking doors. We have to knock doors, obviously. And I want to ask you more about that, but also what we're saying at the doors and being ah party for the working class, a party that is talking to their issues at the door in what they're experiencing in their homes and One of the things that Alex and I were reflecting on when we were starting this is that, look, this isn't we have to define ourselves as a party and not just in contravention to the president and what's going on, you know, especially in D.C. So like what is affecting people
00:08:34
Speaker
in their homes. um But how did it go from you lost, you were listening to Taylor Swift, you're feeling hopeful. Did you know right away that you wanted to run again? Because for me, i was having a moment when I lost that I just wanted to stay in bed and listen to like the sadder Taylor Swift stuff. so um how did that come for you?
00:08:54
Speaker
it was a it was a roller coaster emotions. um You know, was i was you like you, I think I stayed in bed for about solid two weeks. And then, um, I think the first place I went to after i got up and out of my apartment was the Dollar Tree, like around the corner of my neighborhood.
00:09:13
Speaker
And i got immediately recognized, um, by by this older gentleman. And he told me like, Oh, there she is, you know, and like this big smile on his face. And, um, it just made me feel like, you know, um, feel good and feel seen. And,
00:09:28
Speaker
And I think that um a lot of people supported me and i and I'm really grateful for that. there I think the hardest thing to get over was, like I said, it it wasn't it wasn't that I was like ashamed of of losing or because i I thought I might feel that. I was like, oh, I wonder if i ah i'm going to feel like so embarrassed. And and it wasn't that. Right. But um I think that there was this feeling of like, oh, I let i let so many people down.
00:09:55
Speaker
you know, all that, you know, had a lot of hope for, for not just me, but what I represented and, and just doing doing the best for our community. And so that was a hard part to get over for me.
00:10:07
Speaker
um But how I knew I was ready to run for office again, was there was a town hall that ma the the incumbent um was was was was there, but he wasn't participating in, and he was in the and the audience.
00:10:22
Speaker
And there was like the the last 10 minutes, there was like a Q&A. And so and i hadn't even planned to do this. was kind of like my body was just kind of had a mind of its own. i They were like, if anyone wants to come up, there's a mic in the aisle.
00:10:35
Speaker
And I got up, and I was the first, and I grabbed the mic, and I thanked folks for putting on this public education town hall. And then I thanked my state rep for being there. And I said, thank you, sir, for being here, part of conversation.
00:10:48
Speaker
um Will you commit today right now to hosting a town hall yourself? Because you're conscientious. When we want to talk to you, we're bracing ourselves for more school closures. And he was completely caught off guard.
00:10:59
Speaker
um You know, ah he he's never held a town hall before. And, ah you know, he gave this like bumbling answer. and And I realized in that moment, like i I'm back in the fight. I'm ready to do it again. um This is a platform that that anyone can can have.
00:11:16
Speaker
um But for me, it's a big responsibility. And I don't take it lightly having the opportunity to represent my community. and So, you know, once I had the fire back, I knew I was ready to come back again.
00:11:27
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So when I was running, everyone asked me, well why are you doing it? Like, why are you running? yeah And it was this thing of what's your why? And has your why evolved? Like what got you from Wendy Davis days to today?
00:11:44
Speaker
Wendy Davis, is starting organizing, like I mentioned earlier, it really was an empowering experience for myself. um i I didn't know that you could just like ask for things you need.
00:11:55
Speaker
I know it's just like, right? um No, but like you know being an organizer really does push you. um to to kind of get out of your comfort zone, right? And it's all about, you know, identifying a problem and pulling people together because, you know, when you're a single voice, people may not hear you, but when you have, you know, a room full of people, ah no one can ignore you.
00:12:17
Speaker
So um i you know i've learned to I've learned how to be able to to work with people and talk to people about the issues that matter most to them um throughout my career. But the the the catalyst to me running for office, ands and i'm and I'm running for the same reasons,
00:12:33
Speaker
is a around public education in Texas. So San Antonio is the epicenter for school closures in our state. um We've had around 30 schools close just since I started running your office.
00:12:46
Speaker
And these are schools, right? These are schools that neighborhoods like mine absolutely rely on. So I was raised by a single mom and you know we relied on the before school program the after school program, the summer meal programs like that was that was just a part ah of life.
00:13:04
Speaker
And so and I think that that part of the of how we kind of see our schools not just as as as places to to get educated, but as as safety nets, and for many of us, our last remaining safety nets, I think that sometimes that conversation gets lost um because a lot of people who run for office don't come from working class backgrounds or don't come from backgrounds where parents have to rely on things like childhood programs and afterschool programs. So um that that's why I did this, right? Because I knew that families like mine were going to be
00:13:41
Speaker
Devastated. um So I put my name in the hat and I'm doing this again because although private school vouchers have have passed in Texas, um that doesn't mean that we have to let go of this fight and that there's not work we can do.
00:13:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Look, we have a school around the block from me in Coppell, which is a suburb of Dallas that is they're talking about closing. And there's already yard signs going up saying save town center, which is a big elementary school here. And in my public school district in Carrollton Farmers Branch, which is also in North Texas,
00:14:15
Speaker
we already had closures. And I saw people who were not political suddenly pop up and say, whoa, wait, what's going on? How are these closing? yeah And so I'm wondering, you mentioned earlier knocking on thousands of doors.
00:14:28
Speaker
Was that something that was on people's minds? Because something that I did whenever I knocked a door was not just talk about myself, but ask them, what's on your mind? Like, what is affecting you? And how can we, like, let's talk about it and instead of just being like, hi, I'm Kate, like I'm running for office. Like, so what did you hear when you were knocking on all those doors?
00:14:45
Speaker
I mean, public schools is one of the number one, if not number one, number two issue. It's, you know, for, for a lot of families in my, where I live, it's public, public schools are kind of how you, okay, let me, let me start over.
00:15:00
Speaker
it comes to San Antonio, we have this thing called the burning question. Have you heard about this? So the burning question is, so when you find out somebody is from San Antonio, the first thing you ask them is what high school did you go to?
00:15:15
Speaker
Because oh my gosh yeah it tells you literally everything you need to know about somebody. um they like like Like where they're from, where how they grew up, you know, and and we're all like one or two degrees away from everybody. So, you know, when I knock on doors, the first thing I say is, hi, I'm Christian Carranza. I went to McCollum High School. And then they usually stop me. They're like, wait, I went to McCollum or my grandkids go to McCollum, right? It's kind of that instant connection.
00:15:40
Speaker
um But, you know, More to the point is that our public schools are really the heart of our communities. So it really is one of the you know most important issues for people.
00:15:51
Speaker
So folks were absolutely leaned into the issue of private school vouchers. I mean, it's purposefully ah ah a complicated issue to understand sometimes just because there's just a lot, a lot going on with it.
00:16:05
Speaker
um But people understand that it's not okay to take money away from poor kids and give that money to to rich kids on the other side of town, then that's not right.
00:16:16
Speaker
And so a lot of the conversations that I had were around, you know, like voter education about the issue, but also just talking about like what, how it would directly impact us.
00:16:28
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's interesting talking about cultural differences because and when we're talking about the big picture of our podcast, which is flipping Texas and messaging and how we do it, we have to recognize that we have some of the largest cities in the nation and Dallas, San Antonio, Houston are of those. And We cannot. They're not the same. And Dallas, I would think, is basically the opposite. I know more people not originally from Dallas than are from Dallas. And so when you talk about that cultural, like what who are they wanting to vote for?
00:17:02
Speaker
I don't think ties to your high school or where you're from are necessarily what drives people to the ballot box, at least not from when I was you know talking to people and you've got people running for office. So it was never like, oh, where'd you grow up? It was it it it was more like, what can you do for our community? Like, how do you how do you prove that you you care about it?
00:17:21
Speaker
And so it's interesting to hear the cultural differences and And when I think about San Antonio and our mission here at Mission Texas, you know, we're we're both, um I'm Catholic, my host is Christian, we've got the Spanish missions in San Antonio, we both have a military background, and San Antonio is one of the largest military installations in the United States. My husband was stationed there. Most airmen go through basic military training in San Antonio,
00:17:48
Speaker
And then, of course, you've got the the most famous of Spanish missions. So it's like if there was an embodiment of a city with our podcast, I think it would be San Antonio. And so I'm wondering, are there any other cultural influences there with the city based on those kind of aspects and what its identity is?
00:18:05
Speaker
Well, the the nickname of San Antonio is Military City USA. um Because of how many how many bases we have, ah we have one of the largest military slash veteran populations in the country. And so the district that I'm running in, we do have a base, Air Force, ah excuse me, ah Randolph Air Force Base.
00:18:25
Speaker
And so there are military families that that live there. And these are people who are absolutely voting and are very vocal about how they feel. And I've had a lot of those conversations. You know, it's funny because you we talk about the military.
00:18:40
Speaker
you talk You talk about in terms of like they're they're a really transient community. and But I've also found that a lot of folks who who do come from a military backgrounds often stay um in the in the Bexar County area. um So and San Antonio itself, you know, it's a really old city. We turned 300 a few years ago. We have some of, you know, the oldest missions and that in the country.
00:19:05
Speaker
um One of them mission to spot is actually in District 118. But ah but it's yeah. and And it's and it's it's a beautiful area. Right. And you can just see the culture um on every street. I mean, people really like love where they live.
00:19:20
Speaker
And it's you're really rooted. Right. Like it's not we I mean, you obviously, there's a ah pretty big immigrant community. You see a lot of first generation, second generation. But like for myself, I'm fourth generation. You see fifth generation, sixth generation, seven. So I've been here for for a really long time.
00:19:38
Speaker
Um, and you know, it so when you say things like, you know, where you went to high school or, you know, for me, I, I coached T-ball at five diamonds. and if I mentioned things like that, you know, people people understand that and they're kind of able to get an idea of who you are. And that's really what it is, right? It's people just wanting to understand that, like, you're someone they can trust and someone that can do the right thing when it counts.
00:20:02
Speaker
Right. Right. Well, so going back to door knocking, I don't know about you, but whenever I'm at a group, there's a lot of activists and they will say, Kate, I'm fearful for democracy. I believe fascism is on the rise. And then we talk about what they're what we're both doing to stay active. And then then they'll draw the line in the sand and say, well, I don't knock doors, Kate.
00:20:23
Speaker
I just don't knock doors. and i'm And I remember being scared as well because, and I think that's where it's coming from. People are nervous to go knock on a stranger's door. They have no idea what's going to happen. And I had that nervousness too. And I got my dad and my mom to start door knocking with me. And some of my friends have come along as well who are just not political, but grew up in this area. And I think we had just such the such a good time.
00:20:45
Speaker
How would you respond to somebody who has who's so politically active and or just cares? and because to me, it really, and my opinion, works. Like I've had so many great conversations with people at the doors.
00:20:59
Speaker
And I think it also generates... some enthusiasm and awareness of what is going on in a race. So do you have that experience? Like, how would you how would you answer that? um i agree. i think it's it's really effective. Face to face conversations is like the number one way to turn out people.
00:21:17
Speaker
to have a conversation with somebody who's undecided or who maybe is you know is like someone who's going to go turn out to vote but just needs a little bit more information about the candidate um and it's how we help make sure that people down the ballot get elected as well Because, you know, when you have your your big you know statewide elections or your presidentials like those people, people tend to to know their names.
00:21:40
Speaker
But when it comes down to the down ballot, the folks that maybe affect um their lives more on a day to day basis, they may not know. So those conversations are so crucial um also because.
00:21:51
Speaker
you're the best validator for your neighborhood and your community, right? People, um you know, they can hear from a candidate or, you know, an organ or I should say like ah like a staffer of the campaign. um and And that's great and that's wonderful. But to hear somebody like from your own neighborhood talk about the issues that are important to them and connecting on those values, like that's priceless, right? So there's nothing that is more helpful to a campaign or to be a pushing an issue than having somebody who's like from the community talk about why they're supporting or or not supporting it.
00:22:26
Speaker
Yeah. Have you ever had moments where someone said, oh you're the candidate? Like, i I didn't realize you're I'm talking to the candidate. Yeah, it's yeah. And it's funny because, you I'll have like the the little walk card with me and it's it's it's like professional photo. Right. And my my hair is all done. And then by the time I get to their door, I'm like, you know, four hours in my my hair. is and and go It's like to the side and my face is flushed.
00:22:49
Speaker
That's good. I had that but too. I had that too where I'm like, I am out here working for it and i don't look like my photo anymore. i don't have makeup on. My hair is a mess.
00:23:02
Speaker
ah Yes, that's me, ma'am. I am the candidate. That's my name. um Maybe it doesn't look like me. um But I'm well, one of the things that we're trying to hypothesize on this podcast is, does that work? Like, does door knocking and how do we spend our time? And I remember thinking, do I spend more time raising money or do I spend more time knocking on doors and talking to people? Like, how does that come out for you? i mean because I know you have to raise money at the same time.
00:23:27
Speaker
Yes. and And they're both really important. And it's like it's it's making sure that you're carving out enough time to do both. um and And it's easier said than done. Right. Because we all have lives. We all have people we take care of. We all have you know things we have to jobs.
00:23:45
Speaker
um in your case, children to to take care of. So, you know, it's it's tough. But um I would say that in a in a district like mine that's highly competitive, it's so important that you're fundraising. um It's really how you're able to be able to get out the word, um especially as we get closer to election time, ah because campaigns um communication is is is very expensive.
00:24:10
Speaker
Right. And so it's important that you're, you're raising really early. So that way later down the line, um, you don't have to be so stressed out when it comes to to that kind of stuff. Um, that way you can kind of get out your message, um, and, and amplify it in a way.
00:24:23
Speaker
But I would say that, that, you know, having a candidate out there knocking doors is so valuable. Um, know you have that, you have to kind of like weigh things like what time of the day you go right. Making sure that you're kind of getting, The most like face to face conversations possible.
00:24:39
Speaker
So I think about that stuff like like i I don't go knock door Sunday mornings. Right. Because there's a lot of church at that time. I try to connect people, you know, maybe when they're coming home from work or picking up their kids, that kind of stuff.
00:24:52
Speaker
Try to be really smart with your time. Yeah, I know I would go door knock immediately after work and i would catch people when they're making dinner and they're kind of caught off guard. I'm like, hi, and I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm a candidate.
00:25:04
Speaker
And they'd be OK, like you could just tell they're like, who is this person? and And you'd have really great conversations. And then also here in Dallas, I knew when the Cowboys game was going on because people were either not opening their door or they were like annoyed and in their Cowboys gear. And I would say like, oh, yeah, because I'm just so focused on the the campaign that I have totally forgot football was happening.
00:25:26
Speaker
Does that ever happen to you? yeah I knocked doors in Super Bowl Sunday. No. Lowest contact rate ever. ah but you know, I'm just like, well, it's, you know, it's afternoon. It should be fine.
00:25:38
Speaker
yeah all day Yeah. No, no. We got a lot of Cowboys fans in San Antonio and Spurs fans, obviously. So i try to, I try to be smart about that. But, you know, um these people that are on, on the the list of, of voters that we have, they're very used to getting people coming to their doors.
00:25:55
Speaker
Maybe not always the candidates. So, yeah, they're really good conversations, right? Because they're with people who who do vote, who do have these conversations. So they're generally really helpful. And for me, hopeful it's how I'm able to really craft the communication of my campaign is because it's based off those conversations.
00:26:15
Speaker
And like those issues, like my campaign isn't just about the issues that, you know, I care about. It's really about addressing the issues that are most important to the neighborhood that I'm trying to represent.
00:26:26
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. um Well, i think it's important because we've gotten comments from people saying like, oh, if I'm not really a political person, well, I understand what you're even talking about. And and i had never knocked doors before, so I didn't even know what that process was like. So for the people that don't know and are thinking maybe I should, i signed up for a campaign like yours.
00:26:46
Speaker
and they usually put out links like on Mobilize. And then you we downloaded ah an app called Minivan. And what you're saying is that in that, the campaign has targeted specific people that they want to talk to based on data and voter history. And so you're not just knocking every random door in your neighborhood. You're really being like...
00:27:06
Speaker
strategic and analytical about the doors that you're trying to knock. Like maybe in a general election, you're looking at people who have flipped both sides. Maybe they've worked like they voted for a Republican in a primary and they voted for a Democrat in a primary.
00:27:20
Speaker
They usually turn out in general elections. And so you're you're looking at those people are not really random. Right. Yeah. Yeah. and And that's because, you know, time is the most valuable resource that we have on the campaign. So although it would be like amazing if I could knock every single door on every single street, but this district is huge, right? Like it's just it's not possible. You know, I you try to be really smart with your time. And so just like you said, like when you're in your primary, you talk to folks who um typically to vote vote in that in those primaries.
00:27:54
Speaker
And then versus the general election where you kind of want to talk to a bigger pool of people, undecided people, people who who ah tend to kind of waver. So and and when you're the candidate like those are that's like one of the most important places to be because you're going to be able to have that conversation in a way that no one else can.
00:28:13
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And like some people focus on voter registration of people who've never voted before. And that's great. We want to turn out those people. But in ours, it's like, OK, who's a likely voter? And I have a finite amount of time, finite amount of money.
00:28:27
Speaker
You're trying to figure out, OK, this person has always voted in a general election. i need to talk to that person. And And it's interesting because we have that data from the Texas party and, uh, which is odd for me as somebody used to protect data as a prosecutor to think that we have all this data out there, but it really is. and it's really helpful as from a candidate perspective to be able to say, okay, I know that person at that door votes in every election and I, it's smart for me to start there. And I really need to talk to that person. And maybe I send mailers and texts out to like a broader universe. But when I'm actually like
00:28:58
Speaker
knocking on a door, I'm going to spend 30 minutes with somebody or however long some people, but you know, chew your ear off. It's just makes sense. You're right. Like, like it's really important that we're, we're talking to all the right people and it's all public data.
00:29:12
Speaker
Um, it's all data that, you know, any, anybody can, can see, cause it's not that we can see like who you voted for. We can just see that you voted. right Um, and, and that's yeah the important piece of it. Yeah.
00:29:23
Speaker
Right. Yeah, this is all not we're not doing this illegally. This is data that Republicans have and the party has. It's protected. We're not. Yeah. As a former prosecutor, I don't you know abide by taking data of people, but it's something that is public. But again, you don't know who you voted for. I couldn't tell you whether you voted in this you know for Colin Allred or James Tallarico or any of the other candidates. like But I know that you voted in a primary.
00:29:47
Speaker
I also know you voted in a general. I don't know if you voted for Trump or Kamala. I just know you voted in that that general election and you're registered. so um But going back to something you said at the beginning, which was that you're feeling a different vibe, like you're out there knocking on doors. Can you talk about that? Like what's going on? Because yeah the closest we got in a in the election but in Texas was in our the midterm for Trump in 2018.
00:30:12
Speaker
And we got within two points for Beto, three points with Justin Nelson in the AG race. so I'm sorry, I think I interrupted you. But the can you speak to that? Like what's going on? Well, for me, you know, I don't just talk to people on the doors. You know, I talk to folks at church um when I'm at the games for T-ball. I'm pointing because the T-ball stadium is literally basicallyally i literally across the street. Yeah.
00:30:36
Speaker
love that. It's easy. um But ah long over folks i I know. And i I actually coach every single Sunday afternoon. um But so I talk to people, you know, every single day. um You know, if I'm not, I also volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Like, you know, I'm having so many different conversations with folks.
00:30:55
Speaker
And um and it's so it's not always like that likely Democratic voter. um But I will say that I've noticed that folks are feeling like, Well, last year, I think there was a lot of economic anxiety and there's like, you know, for example, there's, know, somebody who may be like, who was, know,
00:31:14
Speaker
Their number, their number three, your number two issue was like about all about like abortion access. But their number one issue was making sure that there was enough like food on the table for their kids. And so those people were voting um at the top of the ticket, maybe Republican, um because I think that they felt like there were a lot of promises being made about that were speaking to them. Right. And now people are feeling like a lot of those promises have been broken and like things are are like worse off than they were last year.
00:31:42
Speaker
And so a lot of folks are trying to like understand like, well, who's really going to help people like me. Right. And I think that Democrats understand. And I think you mentioned that the chairman also is, you know, thinking this too, is like, we got to get back to the party of, of being for the working people.
00:32:00
Speaker
Right. Like I I've always been a Democrat. I started voting Democrat in 2008 for Barack Obama. And i remember I called my mom right before I i was going to go vote because there was a lot of down ballot people. And I was just like, Mom, like, who do I vote for? Who are these? like Yeah. Like straight ticket.
00:32:16
Speaker
She's like, she's like, we're Democrats. And she's like, we're too poor for for us not to be Democrats. um So, you know, it was always instilled in me that, like, Democrats are fighting for blue collar people.
00:32:29
Speaker
And I think we got to make sure that people understand that. And this cycle, what I'm doing is I'm really focused on economic issues because that's what people care about. Right. That's that's really what but folks want to know and understand is that I might not just am I going to have enough money for for groceries, but how am I going to be able to put my kids through college? You know, it's it's a lot of like like.
00:32:51
Speaker
bigger conversations. So, you know, I for me, it's like making sure that I'm having those conversations um because folks are are really and trying starting to feel like Republicans have bamboozled them.
00:33:03
Speaker
Mm hmm. I think they have. um But amen. So I think the what's interesting is the messaging shift. Do you have any other takeaways from the last election, maybe as far as people not even coming out to vote or why they may not have voted at all?
00:33:21
Speaker
You know, think, you know, I think that Vice President Harris um didn't bring out the amount of people that we previously expected her to.
00:33:33
Speaker
And for those reasons, i a lot of folks just just stayed home. And i think that people understand that they can't make that mistake again. Um, it's not, it's, it's not a presidential year.
00:33:45
Speaker
And so what we're going to have to figure out is like, what does that look like for a midterm year? And I know that, I know you mentioned James Salarico, we have Colin Allred. Um, I think I just saw that John rose Rosenthal just announced that he's running for, um, railroad commissioner and that there's, there's, it feels like there's like pop like really, really strong people are are like popping up every other week. And I think that that is so key to how we turn out folks by having um a down ballot, but also at the very top of the ticket, like so really big statewide ideal candidates that are going to excite voters um that are going to be able to, you know, just like talk their language. Right. Like the yeah like they see that.
00:34:25
Speaker
see And so I feel like that's going to be so key to this. um You know, and i i love, i I'll just kind of talk about the u Senate race. I love the things that Colin talks about. um i love that he played football.
00:34:38
Speaker
A lot of us love that. I love what James Tolerico talks about. And i think like right now, it sounds like he has a lot of momentum. Like that, like that's exciting. Like we need yeah more of that. um I'm really excited to see who else runs for but governor. I saw that there was a river that, ah Representative Gina Hinojosa might jump in. That would be amazing.
00:34:58
Speaker
Yeah, I heard that too. mean can you imagine having a female statewide candidate and then having her become our next governor? I know.
00:35:10
Speaker
Richards style. Yeah, let's get back to that. that a I know. and we would have Vicky Goodwin for lieutenant governor. yeah who's also running. ah i would prefer to have a female in our Senate race so we could have like a straight ticket but that, you know, hey, we we love Colin and James Alrico and Terry Virts. They seem great.
00:35:30
Speaker
um But yeah, I think you're right. Well, I was wondering how you felt year over year from an organizing perspective, because it felt like in Beto's, that's when I started really knocking doors. He was kind of the person that brought a lot of field organizing together. he opened a field office. There was a lot of coordination with block walking and you saw just a ton of signs, you know, and of course signs don't dictate an election, but it just felt like there was a lot of that infrastructure that was being driven by that kind of race.
00:36:01
Speaker
Whereas in last year's, it didn't seem like that was happening as much and from the Senate race that was happening. And so from a candidate perspective, like who are are you reaching out and relying on the parties? Are you coordinating with other candidates? Like, how do you see that?
00:36:16
Speaker
um For the general election, you know i think it makes sense for there to be a coordinated effort you know from the top of the ticket all the way down and like working with county parties and working with the state party and other big national partners. I think all of that makes sense.
00:36:30
Speaker
um For me, I know that because you went for the state house you You know, it's um it's like that the rules are like a little not I don't want to say different, but it's it's a little like crazy in this in Texas. say We don't have a contribution limits, which is like and courtrk because it's like I could make a crazy ask and ask for what we really need.
00:36:52
Speaker
But I mean, so can the other guy. Right. And so they these can be really, really big races. um You know, I'm really proud to say that last year I raised more than any other first time state rep candidate. Demo Republican has ever done in Texas. So for me, it's like trying to make sure that I'm going to get back there and raise the money. But like ah that that means that like all that, everything that I'm doing um isn't just for my campaign. And I understand that. Right. Because it's not just about electing me. It's about electing Democrats up and down the ballot.
00:37:22
Speaker
Right. And so I always like think about that whenever I'm doing messaging and things like because like I want people to know that I'm Democrat. Right. It's not just about electing Christian Garrenza. It's about electing strong Democrats who are focused on helping working class people like that's what my campaign is about.
00:37:40
Speaker
Yeah. Well, you outraised me for sure. ah But i'm and I'm really I saw that I was following you. we didn't know each other. And I was thinking to myself, how'd she do it? I mean, what's your secret to fundraising?
00:37:52
Speaker
is it time on the phone? Is it ah and how do you feel about this cycle? Because I thought I'd heard from some friends who are also running that they're hearing some donor fatigue, like the people are like, I don't know. I don't know if I want to donate. I donated a ton last cycle.
00:38:07
Speaker
I think people are rearing up to again. Like I think that was just a ah blip. Yeah. um And it's, you know, it's, it's can feel like early days, but now we're kind of getting into it. Right. Or past Labor Day.
00:38:17
Speaker
I would say that, yeah, you got it. But the number one way that I raised money was just doing, doing the call time. Right. And don't get me wrong. It can be a grind to like make those calls um and, you know, get the nose. But when you get the yeses, it, it's just, it's like, it's like the best feeling ever. um yeah And you know, how, how you can be good at calls. Anyone can do call time.
00:38:40
Speaker
It's just about getting comfortable with your ask. Right. And for me, it's like i I don't I don't um have ah ah like a a comfort problem with asking donors um to to invest in in my campaign because it means that I'm investing in my community. Right. Because this this is me. Right. And it's bigger than one election.
00:39:02
Speaker
And then the other piece of it is that, um you know, it's not like I'm asking like the single mom um who has to work two jobs ah for for her time to to volunteer my campaign. Like that's a different type of conversation. Right. Yeah.
00:39:17
Speaker
I'm asking folks who who have the capability. and interest to to help um support a campaign with a contribution, that they they they just want to make sure that that they know you, right? right yeah So it's it's completely different. um And you know i so if you don't have a problem ask you with asking for money, you know you'd be anybody could be a good candidate. It's just making me Yeah. and I wonder whether one of the hypotheses we have a pet project is trying to figure out how we can get more people like you to run. And I wonder if the trepidation is in asking people for money and fundraising and time away from family.
00:39:51
Speaker
But it is it's not rocket science and you can do it. And i when I heard call time, when I before I became a candidate, I was like, what is that? Is that an app? Is this like a like, what is this? What is call time? I need call time. And it's just just time on the phone.
00:40:05
Speaker
You've done some research on donors and you figured out, OK, this person, Bob, donated to Christian last cycle. So I might call Bob and say, like, hey, I love Christian. She and I are friends. ah She and I have the same values.
00:40:19
Speaker
Would you donate to my campaign, too? and getting them on the phone and just convincing them that that's ah worthy of their time. And a a friend of ours, he has told me that we don't have a money problem. Of course, we have a lot of great candidates like you to invest in It's just figuring out where to put your dollars. And you got a lot of people who are we're asking for your money. You get texts every day. Like I think Gavin Newsom, I'm on his list. Like I'm just constantly getting asked by people outside of the state.
00:40:46
Speaker
Apparently every military person has me on their their list because I keep getting their you know their numbers on my phone. And it's like, I'm a veteran in running for Congress. and I'm like, I love that. I want to give to you.
00:40:58
Speaker
But what would you say as far as, you know, if somebody had a nice round number, because you can donate to a candidate, you can donate to your county party, you can donate to the the statewide party. Like, how would you recommend, and obviously, donating to you and a candidate in your area,
00:41:14
Speaker
But do you have any recommendations on and how you should spend your money? Like if you had $100 every month, like how would you recommend somebody spend it? I would say that yeah giving directly to the candidate is always going to be the the best way to to like use your dollar if that is like what your goal is, is to help get that that person elected.
00:41:34
Speaker
um i would say that like if you were going to be a recurring donor, even if it's like not this like you know whatever huge number you have in your head, even if it's like a $20 recurring donation, like that adds up.
00:41:46
Speaker
And like that like recurring donations is what... truly helps so many candidates like me. So, I mean, i like even even if it's a a lower number, becoming a recurring donor is going to be one of the best things you can do.
00:42:00
Speaker
And then in terms of, ah you know, if you want to spread your money, i think like always giving to your county party is always going to be one of the best things you can do as well. Because they what they do is they help support local candidates and they do a lot of good work. Bexar County Democratic Party here, they do wonderful work. And um a big part of what they're doing right now is they're trying to find more precinct chairs.
00:42:22
Speaker
And like I mentioned earlier, we talked about the example of like your friend who is a little nervous about knocking doors. And it's like, oh, like if you're from that neighborhood, it's like you're like the best validator. Precinct chairs are the best validators for candidates.
00:42:36
Speaker
And And in the House District 118 where I'm running, because a lot of is pretty rural, um we don't have, we're missing precinct chairs in those areas. And so Bexar County County Party, what their initiative is right now is they're looking for, but they're like hosting events. They're like having what I mean, they're like trying to find these people and it's like hard to reach areas and they're doing that work. So that work helps candidates like me.
00:42:59
Speaker
So that's why I think like investing in those county parties is also a really, really crucial place to put your money. Yeah, i have a really good friend who just started getting active and I put her in touch with our vice chair or she got in touch with her in this area. And she was like, already I'm being asked be a precinct chair. I'm like, well, girl, you should be. What are you doing? And I think for most people. yeah Yes, exactly. Like, thank God. ah But i I don't think I even really knew what a precinct chair did when I started. And yet somebody, the first thing they said was like, go call your precinct chairs. You got to go talk to them first. Like you got to go out there. And I didn't.
00:43:35
Speaker
they are so important that they were the first call like that someone recommended me to because they're really the cheerleader and captain of a neighborhood. I mean, that's just, we call them a precinct, but really it's just a square, you know, so depending on the density of your population, it's just an area of a neighborhood where that person lives and they are in charge to like get out the vote. And some of them are more active than others.
00:43:58
Speaker
And we have a lot of people who are that don't aren't even represented, as you mentioned. I think Kendall talked about in our first episode is that like almost half of our ah state doesn't have a precinct chair. I mean, it's just insane. so I think if I were to, and I should go back to get that data, but, and I'll just refer y'all to our first episode, but it, ah the point was that I didn't even know where to go to begin to even look to see where my precinct chair is, who they are.
00:44:24
Speaker
And I literally just went to Dallas County Democratic, you know, their website and there's a button where you can see who is the precinct chair for your area. And I looked up the voter, because you don't know, like, what's the map, like what my boat my precinct number was. And I could figure out from my county what my precinct number was and then who that chair was.
00:44:42
Speaker
so Totally. arms Yeah, youre you're well, you're you're so savvy with it. um you You already know where where to go look and search. I always tell people, like, if all else fails, just like Google, just Google your way out of it. um Yeah. Call call the the county, the county Democratic Party. They'll like quickly set you up with the right person. Yeah.
00:45:03
Speaker
So whenever I decided to run the first time and the second time, um because you when you're. um when you're a candidate, like obviously like you have to research the district, right. And kind of understand like who are the players.
00:45:16
Speaker
um And so, you know, you make a lot of phone calls but before you even announce, right. And you you have these kind of um conversations with folks and you know who you are. And so when I, you know, I did that with precinct chairs when I ran the first time and um you know, and i I knew a couple, I didn't know everybody, but the second time, um you know, I remember being like, Hey, the gangs came back together. Like these, yeah.
00:45:38
Speaker
Ride or die supporters. volunteer These are my people, right? Like like when I get to heaven, like these are going to be the people I pull in with me and hang out forever. Like these are my people.
00:45:50
Speaker
And so like I was really excited to make those calls because I knew like when I said I was going to run again, like they were going to be like the first to show up and they have been. So that's why I say we have to make sure that we're doing everything to support precinct chairs.
00:46:04
Speaker
Yeah. Be a precinct chair and if you can. And I think people should just look up even if you have one, because I think that's really telling. And I know who my precinct chair is, so I for sure see her every time I go vote. um But i I wanted to ask you,
00:46:20
Speaker
Right now we have you know the redistricting fight that's happening that in our state. And we asked Kendall and other people like, OK, this may not affect your this like the statewide races because you can't gerrymander a statewide race.
00:46:34
Speaker
But we ask whether it is something that is affecting our vote total. and voter apathy and whether people think like, oh, my vote won't matter. So I'm just not going to go out and vote, even though if they, you know, every blue dot matters in a statewide race. Like, do you see that anecdotally from your area in San Antonio? Like, do you see voter apathy in a very gerrymandered? Because yours is a flippable district, I imagine. And it's the most flippable in the state. um And so do you still see that as an issue from the congressional districts that are being redrawn?
00:47:06
Speaker
Well, so um the the state house district that I'm running and in itself is a very gerrymandered district, which is kind of funny because usually when you think about gerrymander districts, you don't think about them being like competitive, right?
00:47:18
Speaker
They're drawn in a way that where it's like never ah it's like absolute that one party will get hurt with the other. But mine was drawn in a way um that made it really hard for the neighborhood that I actually live in to have one solid voice. So...
00:47:35
Speaker
so I grew up in Harlandale. It's ah it's on the south side of San Antonio. It's kind of because I mentioned earlier, there's parts of the rural rural parts of the district. It's a very urban, very working class, ah majority Latino district or but Latino neighborhood. So it's been cut up. So now it's ah it's and it's and it's not a very big neighborhood, but now it's represented by three state represent.
00:48:00
Speaker
Crazy, right? um So and by doing so, they're diluting the Latino, you know, the Latino community and um our ability to pick our preferred candidate and our preferred candidate.
00:48:12
Speaker
but that That doesn't mean you it's a Latino candidate. It could be, you know, anybody. Right. But but you are you're diluting their their ability to be able to to to choose one candidate. um And specifically for my neighborhood, it's historically voted together and solidly Democratic.
00:48:27
Speaker
um But it's also an area that has lower turnout compared to the northern part of the district, um because it's a it's a pretty, pretty big district within Bexar County. So um and they and they do it in this way because they're trying to pick up as many votes while staying at the same time. No, this is still Latino majority district. You didn't see the Latino side. It's like, yeah, but it's a lower turnout area. Right. yeah um So, you know, you got it. You got to watch out for those kind of things.
00:48:56
Speaker
um But anyway, but, you know, it's um it's absolutely affected by the the congressional gerrymandering that's happening um because people don't know who they're voting for. um And that's the problem.
00:49:09
Speaker
When I went to um put out sign yard signs last year, i remember I would like go deliver a yard sign and they'd be like, oh, can you go to my cousin? can can you give her her one too? And I'm like, She lived like literally lived four streets away was not in the district, you know, and it's home yeah like they're they're so confused.
00:49:28
Speaker
Like they don't know who they're voting for. um You know, where I live ah right now, it's ah Congressman Henry Cuellar. But before 2020, it was um Texas. ah It was a Texas House District 23, which which is Tony Gonzalez.
00:49:42
Speaker
And now it's going to be this new Texas 35, Fred Kassar, who is now running in Lloyd Doggett's. But um it's it's that new open congressional seat. So people are just it's confusing.
00:49:54
Speaker
Right. And who is my. Yeah. Yeah. Why should I vote? I don't even know who's going to be on the ticket. Yeah. feel cynical, right, about politics. Right. Yeah, and I wonder if that's what is happening is that people feel cynical, so they just don't want to engage in the process. Plus, they don't maybe they don't think their vote matters, and maybe we're also not messaging to them correctly. And so, you know, when we're talking about your district,
00:50:17
Speaker
Is it a bellwether for the state writ large? You know, the experiences that you're having, I don't think are dissimilar than to the ones that we're experiencing here in the Dallas County area on those. Because some people are like, is who's going to be my next? Who's, you know, Congressional District 33 is going to replace...
00:50:33
Speaker
basically the heart of Dallas, which is Mark Vesey, but Mark Vesey was predominantly in Tarrant County. And so it's like which is Fort Worth. And so there's just like who's going to run who's not going to run. that's just really unfair to our incredible congressional leaders here and also for the people like you who are also down ballot.
00:50:53
Speaker
and are going to be impacted by i that. um But it sounds like from the beginning, you're anticipating more turnout, though, in this midterm, which I think we've, if you look at voter data, traditionally, you don't have as many people turning out in a midterm as they do in a presidential year, because they're really excited to vote for a president.
00:51:12
Speaker
This, in the midterm, the president's not on the ticket. And so we see a lot less people coming out. Is that affecting your analysis of what your, like, voter universe is and what you're anticipating?
00:51:23
Speaker
So I think in terms of like overall turnout, it'll um it'll be slightly higher than other midterm, excuse me, other yeah other midterms before. But um so it won't be like the overall number likely won't be bigger than than a presidential.
00:51:38
Speaker
But when it comes to turnout of likely Democrats, I think that percentage wise, that'll be bigger. um And we need it to be bigger, right? Because it's a 50-50. And so we got to get over the finish line. So that's what I meant by, you know, we're going to see increased turnout. We're going to see increased turnout of Democrats and people who, you know, and maybe they, like I mentioned, voted Republican for economic reasons and they didn't feel like Democrats were fighting for them, right? But I think now that people understand that there are a lot of broken promises and that,
00:52:11
Speaker
ah that Trump actually can't change grocery prices. And tariffs are really hurting communities, especially communities like San Antonio, where international trade is is a really big industry.
00:52:24
Speaker
um People, are I think, are going to understand that um Republicans are not going to be doing what they what they said that they were going to do. And they're going to look to Democrats to able to do that for them. Well, I think we're nearing the end of our podcast, but if I'm hearing you correctly, I think the the ah goals and takeaways are, know, we got a message to the people, know, the working class values and what you're saying about grocery prices and that,
00:52:45
Speaker
Republicans did not deliver on their price at their promises about prices. And then precinct chairs, obviously we love precinct chairs. And then recurring donations to our candidates, especially down ballot.
00:52:58
Speaker
Are there any other things that you would recommend that people do at home? they're saying, I'm feeling really hopeless, I'm i'm feeling lost. Like, what do you think they should be doing at home? I think they need to have conversations with their families about like, what are the issues that are really affecting us and who are the people who are actually going to help us.
00:53:16
Speaker
Right. And like, start like looking into some of these candidates. Cause I know that it can be a little overwhelming when you see like um a sample ballot of like 15 names and you don't recognize half of them.
00:53:30
Speaker
Like I get it. Right. But it's a, we got to make sure that we're voting because Oftentimes communities like the one that I come from, we're not not represented well, right? And you can see it. If you like look at the Texas legislature, for example, I mean, out of the 150 seats, only 15 of them are Latinas.
00:53:52
Speaker
And like, and look at the makeup of Texas, especially the makeup of of where I come from. I mean, it's it's not representative. ah The average age of a San Antonian 34 years old.
00:54:03
Speaker
The average age of a Texan is 35 years old. I'm 35 myself. um And that's absolutely not the average age of of a state rep in Texas. And so, you know, we got to really make sure that we're the people, the people that we need in office um look like us. Right. And so we got to make sure that we're voting and we got to make sure that we're doing the research and we're talking to our families um and and get and really just engaging in a way that we haven't done before. Right. Right.
00:54:31
Speaker
Well, thank you so much. I've got only a couple of final questions for you as we wrap up, which is if people want to support you, speaking of recurring donations, where can they find you? And then other than Taylor Swift and T-Ball, what do you got going on outside of politics? Because we got, we're all human beings too. Like politics isn't the whole thing that we do.
00:54:50
Speaker
So um you can go to my website. It's Christian for Texas dot com. My first name is Christian with the k And I know they're always like, what? How do you say that? It's just it's Christian for Texas. I'll spell town dot com. And um like and if you want to also get involved with the campaign in different ways, because we do a lot of volunteering, things like that. Just go to the sign up page there. um You can sign to volunteer.
00:55:13
Speaker
Follow me on social media. and just go to You are prolific. Yeah. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Thank you. I appreciate that. um I'm trying not to go crazy on on on ah album release day and and tweet all about Taylor today.
00:55:25
Speaker
but but But follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I'm on Substack now. i'm I'm constantly posting videos about conversations that I'm having on the doors and issues that matter.
00:55:37
Speaker
And, um you know, in terms of what I do outside of of campaign, I really spend a lot of time with my family. We all still live here in Harlandale in the same neighborhood. My two Thea's and all their their daughters.
00:55:50
Speaker
we We're or a family of girls. I don't know why. um But, you know, it's just we just are. And so I really love spending time. If we're not going to the thrift store, we go to the Texas thrift over here on South Florida is a military like almost every other day. It's what it's what I wear. Like my entire candidate wardrobe is Texas thrift.
00:56:10
Speaker
And my two Tia's are like my my the people that like put together every single outfit I wear. um yeah And so that's what I do. I spend time with my family. And you have a pretty big family, don't you?
00:56:21
Speaker
I do. Yeah. and There's a lot of us, mostly girls, like I said. Yeah. I think that was what we had in common. I come from a big Catholic family and have like 60 cousins. So it's, it's insane. Every, yeah every birthday and ah get together is just ah an event. Yeah.
00:56:35
Speaker
It's the best. Yeah. No, I i often, you know, I'll tell a story about something and then someone's like, dang, you have a lot of cousins. Like it's because there's there's usually a cousin story. They're dang, girl. yeah um but And they're really they're good at door knocking for you. I had a lot of cousins door knocking for me.
00:56:50
Speaker
Yeah, that's Right. Yeah. No, I would, I would hear that all the time. They're like, yes, it's like someone like your aunt or your cousin. Yeah. And that's the best. That's like, that's like, if there's like a hierarchy of like, um, how important it is to like, or who who's voting or who's, excuse me, who is knocking on the doors. It's like, yeah candidate you know, um, spouse slash family of a candidate. Then it's like precinct chair and yeah person who lives in the neighborhood. Like those are the, those are the top people.
00:57:15
Speaker
Yes. I will meet people who will I voted for you, Kate, because of your dad, because I talked to him at the door. and I'm like, oh, thank you so much. um Well, Christian, that is it for today. And thank you so much. um My parents gave me some advice. They said, you should sign off by saying God bless Texas. So that's what I'm going to say. um We will see y'all next week. And God bless Texas.
00:57:38
Speaker
Bye, y'all. You can follow us on all socials at Mission Texas Podcast. Email us at missiontexaspodcast at gmail.com. This episode is edited by Juan Jose Flores.
00:57:51
Speaker
Our music bumper is by Adam Pickerel, and our cover art is by Tino Sohn.