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Ep 6: The Texas County That Could Save Democrats? (Allison Campolo)
53 Plays15 days ago
On a Friday night, three parents sit down to talk about the future of Texas politics — and the one county that could change everything. Allison Campolo, Chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, joins Mission: Texas to explain why Tarrant — the last major urban county in Texas still voting Republican — might be the key to finally flipping the state.
The episode opens on a hopeful note: how Tarrant has quietly built momentum, made measurable progress, and become one of the few places where Democrats are actually growing cycle after cycle.
We also discuss how Democratic candidates like Taylor Rehmet are helping to reshape the political map. (This conversation was recorded before the November 2025 special election, where Rehmet went on to advance to a runoff in Texas Senate District 9.)
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why Tarrant County is ground zero for Texas Democrats
- The local power players shaping Fort Worth politics, including County Judge Tim O’Hare
- How data, infrastructure, and long-term investment can rebuild trust
- How we can include parents and kids in politics
🎧 Follow us at @MissionTexasPodcast on all platforms.
#MissionTexasPodcast #TexasPolitics #TarrantCounty #Democrats #Texas #FortWorth
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Transcript
Introduction & Mission of the Podcast
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.
00:00:11
Speaker
I'm one of your hosts, Alex Clark. 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.
00:00:23
Speaker
What happens after the next census?
Introducing Alison Campolo & Tarrant County Politics
00:00:28
Speaker
We've heard that if Tarrant County flips to Democrat, then so goes the state of Texas. So I am very interested in talking to our next guest, Alison Campolo, the chair of the Tarrant County Democrats. Welcome to the podcast. How are you?
00:00:41
Speaker
I am great. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really pleased to be able to join you. Sorry, I was just going to say for the geographically challenged, when we say Tarrant County, ah let's let's orient our listeners who might not all and understand that we're talking about like the area around Fort Worth. But you explain more. That's not just Fort Worth, right? but that is the, you know, the seat of our, our major city here in Tarrant County. And I'm so glad you mentioned that because the name of the County is not really relatable to the cities here for most people.
00:01:09
Speaker
So Fort Worth our biggest city followed closely by Arlington, who I think a lot of people would know about Arlington, given all those, the sports that go on in Arlington for us. um And then we have a lot of other wonderful municipalities, but we'll leave it at Fort Worth and Arlington to orient folks.
00:01:23
Speaker
It gives me a good idea. Yeah. And I'm, i was going to say that you're, we're, recording on a Friday night, so I appreciate you, Alison. We're all parents here, so if you hear a young one, that's what's going on.
Alison's Political Journey & Tarrant County's Issues
00:01:35
Speaker
um But I know that you recently were elected to be chair this summer. Can you give us a sense of where you've come from before that? Like, how did you get into the chair position? Yes. OK, so that actually starts a a little farther back than that. So I um was one of those people that got really inspired by the election of Donald Trump before. So I came from a political background. My dad is a judge in Dallas County and I've been political my whole life. But um When Trump got elected the first time, I felt really called to like personally put my hat in the ring. So I ran for state Senate here in Tarrant County and I lost, but I lost to an amazing candidate who was Beverly Powell in the SD10 election. She flipped that seat that year.
00:02:10
Speaker
And because I lost the primary, i got the chance to run the coordinated campaign for the county and I felt really good about that and i really enjoyed that experience. So I launched a ah countywide voter registration, voter activation um initiative called Tarrant Together 2019.
00:02:26
Speaker
um This is largely because Tarrant County actually has the lowest voter participation of any urban county in the United States. um You know, Beto wrote back to say about Texas, it's not a red state, it's a non-voting state. And that is exactly the same thing for Tarrant County. We are right in line with that um that' saying really here in Tarrant County. So anyway, registered a lot of voters in the 2020 cycle.
00:02:48
Speaker
In 2021, our county chair stepped away. And so I ran for chair then and I became the chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, after municipal elections, I took little break, focused on local elections around me here in HEB and Herstius-Bedford.
00:03:04
Speaker
um you know just helping get city councilors elected, you know working on a school bond issues. And then um I got really reactivated in countywide politics thanks to our county judge, Tim O'Hare, who people I think in our Metroplex really know.
00:03:19
Speaker
Yeah, but fixes i think now has no name too. So I got really active with the um Tarrant County Commissioner's Court redistricting, the big racial gerrymander they did here between April and June.
Challenges & Opportunities in Tarrant County Politics
00:03:31
Speaker
And then it just so happened that our county chair and happened to resign two days before the big vote at Commissioner's Court. And so I got home from that brutal day at Commissioner's Court, seven hours of testimony, like our tim o'hare just being awful to our commissioners and i was like screw it i'm throwing my hat back in the ring we have to get these people out like i know i can do this job let's get it done there's nothing more important than flipping this county saving the state saving this country and tarrant county is how we do that so i jumped back in and got elected in july and here i am okay so can we translate just a little bit for the for the uninitiated
00:04:06
Speaker
um First, when we say Tarrant County judge, we don't mean an actual judicial officer. and This is not an officer of the court. They're not wearing robes and making those kinds of rulings. This is like the the mayor of the county, basically, right?
00:04:20
Speaker
That's a great analogy. Yes. So he's kind of the king over the commissioner's court. he Every county commissioner and the commissioner's court, for those who don't know, because it it is unfortunately a fairly niche topic. you know the commissioner's court votes on things like the tax rate and the ten and the in the county, um kind of oversees the county run hospital, ah you know, make sure we get our roads fixed that are countywide, runs the sheriff's office. So so all the countywide services are run by our commissioners because it doesn't belong to a single city.
00:04:47
Speaker
um And so we have a lot of, like a lot of counties, we have four commissioners that that kind of divide the, well, they used to divide the county up into quadrants and now it's totally gerrymandered and gross, but it used to be in quadrants. And then the judge has a countywide seat.
00:04:59
Speaker
And so my memory is that Beto has flipped Tarrant County, at least in one of his races. Yeah. And that also Joe Biden 2020. Yeah. So we've had a really good run of years. So you your memory exactly right. 2018 Beto carried the county when he ran against Ted Cruz.
00:05:16
Speaker
And then in 2020, Biden carried the county against Trump. And in 2022, we didn't have a county wide flip, but we did flip a really important state house seat, which was State District 92. And that's when we looked at our first Muslim American to the state house was right here in Tarrant County.
00:05:30
Speaker
And we held on to all the flips that we made in 2018, which is also really, really, we were so excited about that. um And then in 2024, Colin Allred carried the county when he ran against Ted Cruz. So this is not a red county. You know, people like to say it's red it's just not. It's it's very purple. It's very, if it could easily flip all the way to Democrat anytime. Okay. but So is it still, and I promise I'll stop my my string of questions here.
00:05:54
Speaker
Is it still the lowest turnout of any urban county? I think so. And it it is improving. You know, it is it is going up. We are making a difference. Yes, the trend line's in the right direction. But the last time I checked, we are still the lowest of any urban county in the United States. And I would like that to be wrong. I hope that's wrong.
00:06:10
Speaker
And I hope that's not true by 2026. But that is the trend's in the right direction. But I believe it's still true. Yeah, I mean, so it just you're going back to what you mentioned earlier, that if we can flip Tarrant, we can flip Texas. And if we flip Texas, we can save our country, hopeful hopefully, which is what our entire podcast is about. But it also feels very on brand of us as Texans to feel like,
00:06:28
Speaker
Yes, we're going to save the country and we're here in North Texas in Tarrant County. And I love it. um Or is it the hubris of Texans or is this our Obi Wan Kenobi? You're our only hope ah era. ah Is that what we're going for right now with Tarrant County? oh Well, you know, I'm a scientist by day. I'm only a chair by hobby because they don't pay me to do chair stuff. um But so I'll say it's not um it's nothing but math. Right. So like.
00:06:53
Speaker
were and I know it sounds hyperbolic to say, you know, Tarrant County or Texas could save the country, um but it's true. I mean, if you look at the, I'm sorry, I have dogs barking. um If you look at the electoral math of the state, um I mean, we obviously will carry the country in whichever direction we go.
00:07:09
Speaker
um And then when you look at the Tarrant County turnout, this this is where the magic happens. So a lot of the counties that surround us that are especially Democratic leaning like Dallas, Harris, um Travis, they ah already are kind of at a high, not a high level. not like supremely high, there's always more Democrats to find, but they're at a high turnout rate already. Whereas Tarrant County, because people have said we're Red County for so long, because we've been historically under invested in, um we have tons of Democrats who just aren't contacted and they're just sitting around waiting to be activated. And that means we have so much potential and and every dollar goes such a long way because you can knock on every door in a block and you're hitting Democrats.
00:07:49
Speaker
we We don't even have to persuade a single Republican. And this county could flip big if we can invest in Democrats like they should be invested in. And if we get that many Democrats out to vote in Tarrant, that flips the state. That carries the state. The math is here. We just have to find the people. So then how would you describe the organizing in Tarrant County? Because we're hearing from Kendall Scudder, our chair of the Texas State Party, that we need precinct chairs. We need county. Obviously, we have a county chair in you. But what are you needing as far as organization to get people to knock on doors?
Roles & Strategies for Democratic Engagement
00:08:18
Speaker
Yeah.
00:08:18
Speaker
So really just investment at every level. So like I said a second ago, we've had historically underinvested in Democrats in Tarrant County, right? So when people keep saying it's red, then nobody invests monetarily or time wise or in infrastructure. it just goes undone. and And so Democratic infrastructure just goes on. It just goes empty.
00:08:36
Speaker
Yeah. And so we finally have a chance to bring that up and and and it is coming up. So the things that we need, I mean, obviously money helps, right? That means we get to put mails in people's boxes. We get to buy ads on radio and TV. it It means we can communicate with the the voting population we need to communicate with. but you know On the other side is the volunteer activist um activation, really. So we you know we're on our way up with precinct chairs, but we need at least 300 more, um which sounds insane to say, but it's true.
00:09:06
Speaker
um And we need you know more volunteers. we need more activists in every part of the county. We have 41 municipalities here. We need to work. um We just need volunteers. of people talking to their neighbors. You know, that's how we get this done is relational organizing. And yeah, I can block walk and mail people and text them, but nothing is as impactful as us talking to our neighbors as talking to your PTA or your Boy Scout troop or your church group or whatever it is.
00:09:31
Speaker
That's where the impact happens. And that's the investment we need is people talking about it. All right, so so make the pitch. Assume you have 300 people in Tarrant County listening to us right now.
00:09:43
Speaker
They've all gathered in a room. that They're sharing one speaker on Spotify, and and they're going to hear you explain to them why they can do this job, even if they're parents like us and they have a busy work life. and Why is it that they can actually be qualified and able to do the job?
00:10:04
Speaker
I love that question because so many people think they are not qualified to be precinct chairs and so they don't sign up. And I absolutely am so grateful for this question. So anybody can be a precinct chair. Your only qualification is, are you willing to talk to your neighbors? Will you knock on their door or give that phone call or you know set up a ah house party so your neighbors can come meet you?
00:10:22
Speaker
That's all it needs. And ah the party will train you to the rest. And i'm I'm sure I speak for the other county parties when I say the county party is happy to train you and give you all the materials you need. Certainly the Tarrant County Democratic Party is.
00:10:33
Speaker
We will give you step-by-step instructions and every piece of literature you need. But all you need to do is be willing to talk to your neighbors on your street and on the street over. And like, that's it. And so anybody can become a precinct chair. And this is where the magic happens. This is how we win elections is talking to our neighbors.
00:10:49
Speaker
And you can't be worse than an empty seat. Exactly. No kidding. Yes. Everybody can do this. If you talk to just five people, great. That's effort. That's, you know, more than zero. I'm into it. That's right.
00:11:01
Speaker
Well, so on that, though, I've heard so many people when I go to groups, and I'll say, okay, what i and I've said this on the other podcast episodes, but I want to hear your answer, which is, People don't want to block walk.
00:11:12
Speaker
They don't want to go knock on doors. They are like, i Kate, I'll do anything else. I'll go write postcards. I'll go text. And they're like, I, you know, I'm like, you just told me you thought fashion, fascism is on the rise. You don't want to go knock on a door.
00:11:25
Speaker
Uh, so what do you say to that? Like, how do you respond? It's so funny. It reminds me like a very common, like trope in standup comedy where they'll say like, look, I hate breast cancer, but I'm not running 5k. Can I write a check? Yeah. I'll take that check because can turn that check into doors knocked.
00:11:42
Speaker
Whatever. money yeah Yes. I mean, so block walking is, of course, our number one king, best thing we can do to turn out the counties for Democrats between here and the midterms. um But there's so many levels of effort. You know, there's tons of different ways to engage. So, um of course, phone banking is really helpful. People are pretty overstimulated on text messages and social media. But, um we you know, postcard writing is helpful. And then we also have tons of jobs. And I know, again i'm I'm sure I'm speaking for every other organization and county party out there. But There's tons of jobs you can do that are helpful, but not quite on the scene. So like if um you know, if if we need you to pull a phone, a phone call list for somebody else to call those people like or if we need you to go put pitch pins on a map so we know which precincts to hit.
00:12:26
Speaker
Like there's tons of small jobs that we need that help run the county party and they are important jobs. They're just not the sexy in your face ones, but they are critical. And I think there's a lot of people who are nervous or introverted or haven't done this before who might, you know, find a easier time getting getting into politics for the first time or getting, you know, becoming an activist for the first time by holding a sign on a bridge or pulling that call time list or coming and helping us color maps to give out to volunteers or whatever it is. We have so many behind the scenes jobs that help us inadvertently knock those doors in the end of the day. Yeah, that's so true. I mean, my my wife,
00:13:02
Speaker
she is She wants to help. She wants to do all the things. she's just so Her heart is in the right place, but she's got a three-year-old and one-year-old. She's not knocking doors. She's not happening. But she she enters all the data in for her Moms Demand Action group.
00:13:19
Speaker
You know, that's she does what she can, but with the bandwidth she
Unity & Messaging Challenges for Democrats
00:13:23
Speaker
has. And that's exactly what i'm talking about That's exactly right. It's like, if do any data entry people, absolutely. We need data entry people. And if something that's something you do between 930 p.m. and 1015 p.m. when your brain's trying to decompress from your long day and your million children, definitely like we'll take it. So going back to your history, though, as a candidate and chair before and chair now, have you seen things evolve or change in the county? either Other than just not talking to Democrats, is there anything else that's affecting the county that is showing that lower voter turnout?
00:13:52
Speaker
So of course the the historic underinvestment in infrastructure is big, but yeah, I mean, there's always other issues. And I think there's, um you know, one thing that always talk about, and and I know this is true in many places, but one thing they talk about in Tarrant is like, people have often felt like all of our, we have tons of clubs, which is wonderful.
00:14:09
Speaker
So people feel like our clubs or our community leaders and our party and the candidates and the elected officials are all siloed and not communicating with each other, you know, and that really hinders collaboration and efficient effort.
00:14:22
Speaker
And they're right, it has historically been like that. But um I will tell you that in reference to your question is like, this is so much better than it used to be. People are collaborating organically so much better than they used to be.
00:14:33
Speaker
And I see so much less infighting and so much less nitpicking and so much more willingness to get along no matter what. and the the you know And some of this is very intentional. i you know I think some people are working really hard. I definitely want this to be the case. and I really try to foster collaborative environments and and relationships.
00:14:49
Speaker
um And I think that that folks are seeing the the magic of... the the wisdom and the something that Republicans do, which is the unity. So like, you know, after every horrible primary, after every Angela Paxton versus whoever has primary, which is brutal and awful, they unify immediately the day after the They're all in on whoever the winner is.
00:15:12
Speaker
And that's something that Democrats can do better at And i and i I want to keep talking about we own this culture. We are in charge of how unified we are. We all are in charge Nobody else is in charge of that. They can't tell us how to be.
00:15:24
Speaker
And so if we commit to being unified, then we will be. And we just have to keep spreading that message. Like, I know your favorite candidate didn't win the primary. That's OK. They are so many leagues better than the fascists running against them.
00:15:34
Speaker
And we we just need to band together. And I think I am seeing an upswing of that behavior of that unity and that collaboration. and i I hope that that continues to increase through the midterms. it's ah It's a mission mindset, right? There's a bigger goal here. It's not about one person. It's about the overall effort.
00:15:51
Speaker
I think that's important. I mean, the the old line is that ah Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line. Yeah. That's a great line. I don't know if I've heard that or if I forgot it, but that's a great line. And I, i you know, I want to, we can still love our candidates. We can still love our candidates. We just need to, you know, love the winners too, you know, of of our primaries.
00:16:12
Speaker
Well, it's interesting because I think the observation I also had was that we're very decentralized in the state that our counties are far apart, especially the big urban ones. And also our groups, especially in North Texas are divided by geography.
00:16:27
Speaker
uh, And I do wonder, how do we unify? Who is the unifier? Is that do you see that as your role as the chair of Tarrant County? Definitely, definitely. i I definitely take some ownership of that. And I think every county chair and county party should own some of that.
00:16:42
Speaker
And i I look at ah two ways that are maybe in conflict, but maybe not, which is, um yes, we we should be trying to bring us together and increase that collaboration and the communication On the other hand, i have a tremendous amount of respect for everyone working in their area and running their own race. So, you know, if we have 41 municipalities and all these school boards and all these geographical areas and neighborhoods and um interest groups in Tarrant County, we have so many groups.
00:17:10
Speaker
And that's important. So like, you know, whether you're finding a local Democratic group because it's close to you or because, you know, you're LGBTQ and you want to go to the Stonewall Dems or it speaks to your community in the South Side where we have a larger African-American population, whoever it is that's speaking to your things are important to you or it's close to your house, that's important. And those groups.
00:17:29
Speaker
are good. Like, that's what we need them for is to speak their communities and work towards those issues that are important. And then, you know, we we just have to find that common ground in the between time to work together and pull in the same direction.
00:17:41
Speaker
um and the same thing for the candidates. Every candidate has to run their own race and speak to the issues important to that race or to their their area. um And then the the county party, I think, is just responsible for kind of tying all those ends together and giving a vision to the county that we all go in the same direction instead of do our own thing.
00:17:57
Speaker
I mean, inherently, the Democratic Party is... harder to wrangle, uh, harder to, we're a very big tent singing from the same sheet of music because we're, we're a big tent, you know,
00:18:11
Speaker
geographically different, ah racially, religiously, class. I mean, it's just kind of all over the map. It is, i would imagine, a lot easier if you are suddenly to wake up in a bizarro world and now you are the chair of the Republican Party and your job is to get all of them aligned. I feel like that job would be easier. Yeah, you you say this, you say abortion, immigration, taxes. You're done. That's your whole messaging. You're done if you're a Republican, right?
00:18:37
Speaker
But for us, it's, and we have every other single issue plus those three that are important to us. and And that's hard to message. I mean, everybody's always, for years, I know you guys know that we're, everybody's like, the Democratic Party is not good at messaging. And like,
00:18:51
Speaker
They are right. Yes, they're right. However, we have such a harder job because we're dealing with the entire everything instead of minutia little list that's an extremist agenda. You know, it's not easy. We'll get there.
Key Democratic Issues & Influential Figures
00:19:04
Speaker
I mean, speaking of, do you see messaging as something that is different in Tarrant County versus other areas of the state or wherever you've been? i mean, are there issues that are top of mind that you say we got to talk about this in Tarrant County?
00:19:15
Speaker
You know, yes and no. So I'd say our brand of Democrat is different. You know, if you go to Portland or something, it's going to be a different kind of Democrat. The things you talk about are going different. And that's cool. That's fine. um But then at the end of the day, um it's the same thing, right? We want good public education. We want health care that's accessible. We want, um you know, matern maternity mortality rates to not be skyrocketing.
00:19:38
Speaker
Basics, you know, and we want to feel safe in the school pickup line without getting profiled by ICE, whatever it is Those are the basics. And i don't think those things change county to county or state to state. Those are the same. I think the difference here in Texas and also in Fort Worth, where we breed a lot of of extremists who and they this is the testing ground for horrible things that happen in Texas. They do it here in Tarrant County first, very intentionally. um You know, I think I think that's the only thing that other that changes is because we're.
00:20:04
Speaker
we And I know that the other Texans feel us, too. We often feel like we're fighting for our lives. Like there's no books in our kids' classrooms. There's you know people are getting raided by ICE all the time. We don't have any health care. It goes on and on and on. Right.
00:20:17
Speaker
And so I think that sets us apart maybe from other Democrats in other places in the country just because we're it's I want to say that we're desperate. i don't want to use the word desperate, but it does feel desperate. It does feel desperate, doesn't it?
00:20:29
Speaker
And so that that is something i think we talk about a little bit more as Texan Democrats versus other places. Drawing on the lessons that we've gotten from some of our previous guests, i think we got to create kind of a ah sense that we're the Democratic Party.
00:20:45
Speaker
P-A-R-T-Y. Because I gotta.
00:20:51
Speaker
but like It should be a fun thing. we If we're giving off the desperate stank, no one wants to be a part of that. It's like, oh, those Democrats can't get their shit together. Yeah.
00:21:03
Speaker
ah Yeah, they're weird. and I don't want to be with them. I might vote for them, but i don't I'm not going to identify. um So we kind of kind of create this this' a joy and winning pluck attitude. But also, um and this is something Kendall said in our first ah episode with a guest, is that we have to give them something worth voting for.
00:21:25
Speaker
like we We are busy people. Our lives are hard things. to make the effort to, whether it's to block walk or to enter data or just to make the time to go and vote, like to what end, like what is the animating thing? And I know that's more of a question for candidates than a party chair, but I wonder if you have views on like, what is it that we need to be doing to give that sense of this is going to matter for me and like materially in my life.
00:21:54
Speaker
Yeah, I'm really glad you mentioned that because i was thinking and as you started this thought was, you know, i was sitting there like a foot away from Bernie Sanders and Kendall Scudder when they came to Fort Worth on their fighting oligarchy tour. her And they said the same thing. Right. And they're so right. They're so right that like we can't just be against Republicans or against Trump or against MAGA. We have to be four things. And that is absolutely true.
00:22:13
Speaker
And so then I think the challenge ah on candidates and on the parties and the organizations is to find a balance because we need to be talking about things we're for. Yes. And that is um a lot to talk about. There's a lot of things we need to be doing um and that are good things to talk about.
00:22:29
Speaker
But we also can't stop calling out the injustices that are happening now. Right. We can't like give away our airtime so that it seems like we're not complicit, but we're not calling out like, this is crazy. Like, like you can't have, you can't have the national guard marching on Chicago. Like this is wild.
00:22:45
Speaker
And so like, if I'm, I'm trying personally and I'm, I'm sure other people too are too, and I don't have a perfect answer to this, but like, I'm trying to find that balance between like, okay, this is actually fascism and we need to be talking about that. And other people need to recognize how dire this is.
00:23:01
Speaker
And also here is what we could be doing and should be doing and what you should vote for and why you should vote for us, which is, you know, healthcare, care immigration, whatever, you know, all the things that we need to do books in our schools, being my kid, being able to be called by their nickname, if they want to, whatever it is, we have so many things to vote for that are, you know, normal kitchen table, bread and butter issues that we need to talk about. And so we try to find that line between, and also the line of like, okay, we'll do this, please give me money. And also here's another event to go to. And you know, all the other communication things that we do too.
00:23:31
Speaker
And I think finding that line is tough. And I i hope, I hope every person, party chair and every candidate is able to like guide you know navigate that fine line yeah it's it's ah it's a crazy time and we yeah got to talk about the crazy stuff i mean even oklahoma the governor of oklahoma a republican has spoken up and said look if if jb pritzker had sent the illinois national guard to oklahoma during the biden years we would have all lost our minds right like and This isn't normal. this Yeah. And so I appreciate the governor speaking up and you got to speak up. I mean, this, these are not normal times. so
00:24:08
Speaker
Uh, the same token though, we gotta, we gotta win. can We gotta, we gotta, we gotta win power. And what I like about this podcast as opposed to others and and other shows on TV is that while they're typically saying, Oh, did you see what Trump said today?
00:24:23
Speaker
ah do you see what he did this time? We're really trying to step back, widen the aperture a bit and say, okay, what are what are we doing here? What's the big picture? Because if we don't get this figured out by the next census, we're gonna have, this is the new, this will be the new normal. Right now it feels very not normal, but by then, then going forward, this is what we can expect. And I don't wanna be expecting this.
00:24:51
Speaker
I don't want my kids to grow up like this. And so we gotta figure out how to win. Yeah. And, uh, it's money and effort. I think that's the the magic sauce, right? And obviously messaging. I mean, we need to connect. And not to be glib, but it's, it's vibe.
00:25:05
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Whenever I was a senior in high school, I mentioned to you, I think before we started recording that, uh, Kendall and I were East Texas Obama boys. Right. um When I was in high school, I skipped class to go to reunion arena to hear ah Barack Obama speak.
00:25:24
Speaker
I drove an hour from Sherman, Texas, and I was standing there in the stands next to total strangers. But it felt like one big party, and I was a part of something huge and new and different, and we were going to change the country, and we were going to pass healthcare reform, and we were going to hope and change, right? Yeah.
00:25:46
Speaker
That was an exciting time. And i and and again, i was not a voter. That was the first time voting. My family wasn't political. like we That's the kind of thing that activates people who are not currently already in the fight.
00:26:01
Speaker
And we got to get them all into the mission here. And that's part of the magic of Beto's first run, right? I mean, he carried that out for his other runs. But I mean, that was part of the big magic was he would just like you're saying, like he would turn out, he would just show up in a field. I mean, he okay, he'd be Facebook living all day, right? didn And so everybody knew where he was because they were following him in his truck while he ate his granola bar whatever.
00:26:20
Speaker
And then he'd show up in a field. And then there's ah magically 300 people watching him stand in a field with a megaphone. And like, that's exactly right. That's the energy that we need. And the the vibe is exactly right. That's a great way to put it. I mean, we can't always wait, though, for that candidate. Like, we're not always going to have a Beto.
00:26:36
Speaker
And like, do we need to wait for the exciting candidate? And what I harp on every episode is that in 2028, we are not going to have a top of the ticket in the state. Like, we are going to have the presidential race and we're going congressional.
00:26:48
Speaker
So what are we going to do? i mean, we I want vibes. I'm hoping we have a great Democratic nominee in our presidential races and obviously in our congressional. But that's redistrict. So maybe i don't know, given the litigation, but I mean, what what are we going to do? I don't know. Do you have any thoughts on that long term for Tarrant County on how we're going to create that vibe or win ah by 2028, 2030?
00:27:11
Speaker
twenty thirty That's an amazing question, especially about the lack of a statewide candidate. Well, but we'll have statewide candidates, but it just won't be a ah big top race. You know, governor won't be on the ballot. Senate won't be on the ballot. Right.
00:27:22
Speaker
um Amazing question. just Just the presidential ticket will be the only statewide election we'll have in 2028, right? What a weird... um You know, every so often there's a gap.
00:27:33
Speaker
So unusual. But I'll say, you know, to your point about not every candidate can be that way. It doesn't. Well, I guess have two thoughts, which is it doesn't matter to me that um somebody is necessarily statewide. But like the thing the thing that I hear a lot of people talk about when they're talking about they're considering their next Senate candidate, next gubernatorial candidate.
00:27:50
Speaker
They just want. And this is what Beto did so well, was they just want somebody to show up like they don't particularly need you to be. ah a rock star in a box or anything but they just want to know that you're there for them which means physically being there and in the state as big as texas that's horrifically difficult i definitely give them that you know 254 counties is not easy through you know over 30 million people not easy nonetheless that's that's the challenge right is is showing up and so i think i think just showing up goes so far that even if you're not perfectly charismatic that's okay like they just want to know you're there for them
00:28:23
Speaker
um And then the other my other thought on that is like, man, don't we even non-statewide, don't we have some Texas rock stars though? Like wouldn't you do anything for Jasmine Crockett right now? Like, i mean, we have we have so many rock stars right here in Texas who are making national headlines.
00:28:37
Speaker
And like, it's if if it's just, you know, I think if just Jasmine just stayed in, if she ended up staying in her congressional seat, I don't know what her plans are, but if she stays there and in 2028, she's running for the same seat again, like, like so charismatic, so interesting. So I'm so willing to like, you know, come to a fundraiser, go to an event.
00:28:55
Speaker
And so if we keep getting candidates like this, even local ones, new ones that are willing to show up, willing to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said, you know, I think we're okay. I think we'll get the vibe. Yeah. And I think there is a trend amongst seat flippers and the people I'm most interested in talking to on this podcast, as far as elected officials go.
00:29:12
Speaker
um where whenever they took a seat that was currently held by a Republican, the way they took it was they were very present in the district physically.
00:29:25
Speaker
They saw the the ah full parameters. a If you're like James Tallarico, right, like you walked literally the entire geography of your district, nearly nearly killed himself doing it because he didn't know he had diabetes at the time.
00:29:39
Speaker
Nonetheless, at times. but but But it shows like a commitment, right? And that's what I think people appreciated so much about Beto, especially in his statewide runs. But here's the thing, like even after his statewide runs, the man continues to show He's still out there. Yeah. You will never get a bad word about Beto out of me ever because every time he's run for office statewide, he's come to Sherman, Texas, where I'm from. And nobody goes to Sherman. Right. And think that's great. Right. Super cool. And to your point, I mean, you know, the second he lost his bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018, he launched Powered by People. And like, you know, he's constantly working for the betterment the state, whether or not he's the face, you know, whether not it's about him. And it's not.
00:30:22
Speaker
It's it's about the greater good. And that's the kind of candidate we need is it's about the greater good. And and yes, this candidate is running to be the the face or voice of that or the pen that signs legislation. But. Nonetheless, it's here for the bigger picture.
00:30:34
Speaker
and And it should inspire all of us to be to be like that, too. Like Beto didn't have to have a ah race that he was campaigning for to do the work. We can all do the work without a without a race.
00:30:45
Speaker
So when when 2028 rolls around, you know, well, we can focus on the presidential, but we also don't have to like we can just focus on us. Yes, yes, we have we have so much power here. And I think that's the other thing, too, in Tarrant County is in one of our lessons is like,
00:31:02
Speaker
every Democrat in Tarrant thinks of the only Democrat in Tarrant. And so that's why keep talking about, and you know, and that depresses the vote because you don't think you're, there's no point, right? It's so much voter apathy because you don't think there's any point.
00:31:14
Speaker
and And so I think the more that we talk about it, and that's I'm harping on this, like you have to talk about it. You have to make it not weird anymore because Republicans passed that line 30 years ago. They talk about all the time. They don't care who's listening. They'll talk about it all the time.
00:31:26
Speaker
we have to get there and talk about it for exactly the reasons that is we can all do the work. We can all own our piece. It's 30 minutes a week of whatever, you know, putting stamps on a postcard or doing data entry or talking to your neighbors at PTA, if that's what you can contribute or sharing on Facebook, whatever that's, we can all own the future of our democracy and still maintain our lifestyles. I understand that everyone was to actually be in politics. That's fine. But like we,
00:31:51
Speaker
you know, freedom isn't actually free. It requires maintenance. so And we're all here to do that work. We need to own that, that we're responsible for if we want that. um And I think, I think the more we talk about the culture of it, I think the better it'll get. yes i mean Yeah. We can have fun. know I went to an event in East Tarrant. It was a women's lunch and with a congressional candidate and it was so much fun. I didn't realize how many Democrats and women, and I'm in Coppell, so I'm more close, I feel like, to Tarrant County than a lot of the Democratic organizations. So I'm like, i'm just going to go to Tarrant County because it seems fun out here
00:32:23
Speaker
They're talking about brunch. They're going to go get mimosas. I was like, this is a great. i want to go with these ladies. ah But I know you're a mom and we all have kids and you're a candidate. One of my pet projects on this podcast is to figure out how to elect more people like you and working class people, people who've got kids, because it is hard, right? Like it's hard to run, do a job and have kids at the same time. and you talk about like, you know Beto and all the people going statewide. I would think like, how could I do that? I don't know if I could because of what I've got going on at home.
00:32:56
Speaker
Um, so how are you doing it right now, Allison? Like, I see you everywhere. i mean, I'm, you're at like school board meetings, commissioner's court, you're at a fundraiser. If you, By the way, follow Allison on social media because incredible.
00:33:07
Speaker
Thank you. That's very sweet. um Yeah, and I'm really glad that you're kind of like bringing light to this and and making it a constant concerted effort because it is important. And i I love it when I see other like really popular social media channels are like moms for politics or whatever. Like I love that. um You know, first answer is i have a wonderful husband who's putting together to bed one of my very tantruming children right now. So, you know, having a village is really helpful because it's not just...
00:33:31
Speaker
him But like, I'm so grateful to have a few friends, a few family members who can step in as needed, which is wonderful. Yeah. And i I can't make that happen for other people. So my next my next point is um to and my kids are still little. They're one, two and four. So like, they're not always includable.
00:33:47
Speaker
But wow yeah, just kidding. I can't stand Tim O'Hare, so I'm back. Anyway, so um they, you know, the other part is I try to include my kids when I can. And so not just because um it's convenient, but like also because like they want to be involved in your life and they want to know what you're doing and they want to get involved with that.
00:34:09
Speaker
And it's OK if they decide they don't agree with you politically later on, but they want to be included in what you're doing as a parent. Like they just like to hang out with you. Right. And then thirdly, like it actually opens doors for you the bit.
00:34:21
Speaker
Literally, like, if you take your four year old and a block walk with you, watch how many doors will open. And like, obviously, you want to be safe and you want to do the right thing and everything. But like, try it, like try including kids in politics. And it's not always simple. it is hard. I'm not gonna say it's not hard because it it is hard, but like it is doable. And I think there's a lot of ways and reasons it actually makes it better to go ahead and include them as possible.
00:34:45
Speaker
And then the last part is just like we as organizers, as the party, as candidates, as community activists can always try to be more mindful of this, of inclusivity when we're putting together events. So like, look, like I know i like to go to a 9 p.m.
00:34:59
Speaker
event at a bar maybe, But like you need you need to have a lot of events that are friendly family friendly. If you look at the Tarrant County, wast is wasn't is a Northeast Tea Party. whatever their current version of that is.
00:35:10
Speaker
And i was looking at their website once and they're like, okay, do you to sign to volunteer? And you know, here's the jobs you can do. And a lot of those normal stuff. They're like, you can put stamps on, or you can take meeting minutes at the meeting.
00:35:21
Speaker
Legit. They had several different kinds of signups for watching other people's kids during the meeting. They make their meetings so family friendly, very intentionally. And that is so smart. very smart get there And like, I, will and if,
00:35:34
Speaker
Who doesn't wanna just come watch somebody's kid while everybody else does what you politically think is right? Like, so fun, right? Like we know so many people who would do that job. And so we we need to be that intentional about including people and being inclusive with our own community. I know we talk about inclusivity in so many ways, but parenting is not really one of them. And I'm so glad that you're bringing this up.
00:35:53
Speaker
That's a huge untapped potential for the for the party. Such a good idea. I mean, i remember how thrilled I was. Guys, do you all know about YMCA Child Watch?
00:36:06
Speaker
No. I'm a free advertisement for the YMCA real quick, y'all. You can go to the YMCA and they will watch your children for 90 minutes. For free?
00:36:17
Speaker
For free? Yeah, it's part of your membership. And you can do this as many times as you want. It pays for itself so fast. No kidding. Yeah. And like, you can go and do a workout class. you can go and lift weights in the gym. you can go take a shower.
00:36:32
Speaker
like Like sometimes, especially in the early days of shower, like when you have a shower, like just to go get a shower. Yes, it's big. It's big. Huge. Yes. Oh, my God. And then the idea, you can work out or if you don't want to work you can sit in the cafe, have a coffee, you know, whatever.
00:36:48
Speaker
That's okay. How much of a membership are we talking about? How much of membership? Is like $4,000 a month? I bet it's like 30. No, it's like a hundred bucks or something. And and because i I'm former military, I'm paying like 80 something dollars a month. Nice.
00:37:02
Speaker
It's so affordable. It's regular, child even drop-in childcare has got to be like $20 an hour or something or for babysitter. Easy, $20 an hour. Yeah. So it pays for itself so fast.
00:37:13
Speaker
Use YMCA to go block walk. Yeah. No. So listen, timeout. You cannot leave the YMCA whenever you drop your child off. You have to stay on the premises.
Criticism of Local Leadership & Flipping Opportunities
00:37:26
Speaker
That's funny. You could park your kid there while you go get on a computer and like, or write your postcard. You can data entry or you can make phone calls or whatever your phone bank, whatever you gotta do. That's really cool. Good to know.
00:37:38
Speaker
See, anyway, so I love this conversation because it's reminding me that I should do this in the party. I need to get more volunteers. So we're like, child writers. That'd be amazing. and You can, ah you know, trailblaze this, you know, do the pilot program and expand it nationally. If it can, if it can work in Tarrant, it can happen anywhere. Right? Right. And Tarrant County can do it. Come on. Yes. Well, and Alex and I met a lot of times at events because we're the only ones with kids. Yeah.
00:38:05
Speaker
And it was like our daughter's just running around. And I always felt like people were like looking at me like I'm a weirdo. And I'm like, how else am I going to be at this event? I don't have any other choice. Like, what do you want? um Yeah. And I, it does feel like sometimes. You're so right that they want to be, they want to be with Yes.
00:38:21
Speaker
They just want hang out with you. And eventually might get boring if it's whatever, but like they just want to see what you're doing, you know, be part of your life. doesn't have to be riveting. It's okay. Yeah. And I love all the groups. Like there's so many groups and I wish I could go to all their events, but usually it's like a Tuesday night or a Thursday at seven or eight o'clock and it's,
00:38:39
Speaker
virtually impossible. And I'm so sorry to all those that tell me they I need to go. and I'm like, I'm sorry. like Like, as working parents, I really... And that's why this podcast was created, really, because we're trying to meet people where they're at.
00:38:53
Speaker
Maybe it's not at a meeting, but they're going to get the same information probably that they would at a meeting and hopefully more. um But... My hope is to make people feel that they're not alone, um that if they're a blue dot in an area and they got kids and they're busy, they can still like use whatever time they have at night on their couch instead of doom scrolling. They can go do something.
00:39:12
Speaker
How many postcards have I written at 9 p.m.? Because that's when I'm like finally just decompressing and I just want to write my postcards whatever. The other thing I do and that this might be crazy, so maybe don't repeat it, but like. that So the i do was done since other thing I've done since I was chair the first time and which I still do now is I take a ton of meetings while I'm driving to and from work. So like, obviously, it's just on the phone. I'm not looking at anything. um I'll make somebody else drive a Zoom or I'll just make somebody do my call at my dialer for me if I'm doing call time.
00:39:38
Speaker
But like if a reporter wants to talk to me and make them call me at 730 in the morning while I'm on my way to work and they do. And then I do my call time for fundraising or or work or ah party meetings in my car on my way home from work. And like you got to make your time work for you. And and if people want you to run for office to save the world or to run your organization, then they need to like meet you where you're at. And sometimes that's in the car, like doing the meetings on the go.
00:40:02
Speaker
And i I think, you know, as I hate that, I kind of hate hustle culture because it's like the degradation of everything that makes us human. But in in the short term of us trying to save the world, sometimes necessary. And I think we can make it happen, you know? No, it's really efficient, really smart. I mean, you're already going to be driving anyways. Exactly. Yeah.
00:40:22
Speaker
yeah to To Kate's point, though, ah you know, we want people to feel educated, probably more educated than they would if they actually did attend those late night meetings. So ah if you're a Taryn Carony listener and you you just heard the name Tim O'Hare for the first time, ah what do they need to know about this this man?
00:40:40
Speaker
ah Give him the full download. Spare no detail. that tea out. spill spill Spill some tea. He was gifted to us from Farmer's Branch, where he instituted such horrifically unpopular policies, trying to basically be racist, well um that he bankrupted the city because they kept getting sued over it. So I think it was like $6 million dollars in lawsuits.
00:41:06
Speaker
And then he left and came to here. um And so he was the chair of our Tarrant County Republican Party for a bit. And then he um ran for judge, kind judge.
00:41:17
Speaker
and um you know i've heard that He was so horrible to even other candidates in his county judge race that most of them won't ever get back in politics because he was so brutal, so personal on a level that is like, there's a, i don't know, an unspoken rule about how personal you should get in ah in a political race, even though we're all out to win even though people attack each other of it's like off the table you know and so he's he was just absolutely brutal um now he's been the county judge here and he uh maybe the one thing that speaks most to his character is his rules of decorum so he uh it used to be at tarrant county commissioners court
00:41:53
Speaker
You could sign up as you walked into the room, as is true for many public meetings by governments, governmental entities, that you can fill out your slip and sign it in, ah come in, you know, as you as you come in the ah the room, you can fill it out.
00:42:05
Speaker
And ah he not only did away with that, but you have to sign up to to speak, um I think at least 24 hours in advance. And then it cuts off. before the meeting. um And they only post the agenda at Friday, 5 p.m.
00:42:19
Speaker
And then so that's the calendar. They post the agenda Friday, 5 p.m. That's the only way you can start signing up is when they post the agenda. And then they cut off ah the the to sign up Monday, 5 p.m. So you get one business day to sign up to speak.
00:42:33
Speaker
And then the meeting starts at 10 a.m. the next day. So he's completely reduced the even just the accessibility of speaking in his court. I mean, he doesn't want he blatantly does not want you to come.
00:42:43
Speaker
And then he instituted these things called rules of decorum, which if you ever want to include these in your podcast later or for a social clip, you absolutely should, because they are absolutely against your First Amendment rights, like for sure.
00:42:54
Speaker
He has said things in there that are... against the Open Meetings Act, against the First ah Amendment rights. And he's like he basically says, you can't clap, you can't whistle, you can't speak, you can't do anything.
00:43:09
Speaker
um You may bring an eight and a half by 11 sign and hold it up politely if you want to You're allowed to do that. But that's about it. and so
00:43:20
Speaker
You'll get kicked out. You'll get kicked out. You're allowed to have words on your shirt if you absolutely must, but there can't be anything that'll upset him. He can't kick you out. um he has He has arrested and charged people literally for clapping in his court. I mean, literally for clapping.
00:43:37
Speaker
One person cussed because the topic of discussion was cussing, and she also got arrested and charged. And and i think her her trial is now going to the Texas Supreme Court.
00:43:49
Speaker
I mean, this man is ridiculous. And so now, of course, he's carried on. I mean, he's he's reducing taxes much below the rate that we need to even maintain our services. He killed our human services department without even a vote. He fired all the human services employees before there was a vote, um as if like as if our Democratic commissioners votes mattered. Right. He was like, and it won't matter. I'll just fire him first. and It'll be fine.
00:44:13
Speaker
um The racial gerrymander was all him. Adam Kincaid was the same lawyer that redrew our maps for the racial gerrymander that drew the maps for the state of Texas. So Adam Kincaid's name has been in the news all week because he's now in the... Yes, I heard that. El Paso court, yeah. And so Tim O'Hare was the, you know, the open door for that, obviously. it goes on and on. I could go on forever, but he's just a disgusting person. He constantly shuts down our commissioners, even speaking in court. He's... completely dismissive and rude and really vehemently hates people having opinion. Oh, and our amazing election administrator, Heider Garcia, quit under Tim O'Hare because he couldn't function under this man anymore, which know most people have not met Heider, but he was wonderful. And the fact that even he quit means Tim O'Hare was something else behind closed doors.
00:45:04
Speaker
So I think we're all really geared up to get this guy unelected. All right. I'm there. How do I help? How do people help at home? Thanks. um Okay. So go to tarrantdemocrats.org and sign up for anything. So sign up to donate, to volunteer, to help out, whatever.
00:45:20
Speaker
um there's It's an easy, beautiful new website that our volunteers created over the summer. um And so we try to make it really easy to get connected with us. TarrantDemocrats.org. And there's all the links into saving the world via Tarrant County right there with fingertips.
00:45:34
Speaker
Other than ah Tim O'Hare, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for flipping seats? So our county-wides are our most flippable seats. And from the top of the bottom to the ballot, like said at the top of the show, we were talking about how we keep flipping blue just slightly at the very top for the statewide or the national candidate.
00:45:52
Speaker
So our county-wides are most flippable, which is great for our judicial seats, our district clerk, county clerk, goes on and on. um But we are really excited about some of our House districts are very flippable. So, you know, 94, HD 96, that goes on. But we are there several within striking distance. So we're looking to send quite a few more Democrats the state House.
00:46:12
Speaker
And then maybe most importantly, to the right now, which when the show aired, you guys know? I don't know. Maybe I... Probably in a month. In 2025. OK. So I only ask because we have a special election going on. So ah whether it airs before that, it's OK. But our our our biggest, most important thing going on right now is our special election for state Senate District 9. So Kelly Hancock bailed on his seat. He didn't even say, I won't run again. He he just quit to go be the comptroller for Craig Abbott.
00:46:41
Speaker
um leaving us with no state Senate representation for most of Tarrant County. This is a district that's only in Tarrant County and comprising most of the county. um If you guys remember our state Senate, it's like heavily Republican and um Dan Patrick runs a show and nobody, there's not enough people stand up to him. And SD9 has historically been held by a Republican. We've had a wonderful candidate in the past, Gwen Brood, who's moved that that seat further to the left every year.
00:47:07
Speaker
And this year she has ceded the way to a wonderful guy named Taylor Romette. And he is a veteran, a union president. He's the president of the statewide machinist union. And um we not only is he a great candidate running great campaign, but we have a special opportunity because Kelly Hancock voided his seat in the way he did. We have a jungle primary. So we have two far right MAGA Republicans fighting each other in this primary. And then we have Taylor ah coming up on the for the Democratic side and he's the only Democrat. So um we really have a chance to send somebody great to the state Senate. And not only would it be great to put a Democrat in the state Senate, but can you imagine the message? Can you imagine Fort Worth flipped a seat in the odd year like Fort Worth, Texas? i mean, that would be national stockyards. Yeah, that's that place. Yeah, it's huge. and Cowboys.
00:47:56
Speaker
I can't. How does it how does a jungle primary work compared to a typical election? Great question. Okay, so normal normal years, we have our regular primary. So all of the candidates of each party fight each other, and then they come out with a nominee, and then the nominees of the the parties all go to the general election, right?
00:48:13
Speaker
um In a jungle primary, there's no um there's no none of that pre-work is done. So anybody who files shows up on the same ballot together. um This happened in the CD6 election in 2021. There was a bunch of Republicans, Democrats on the same ballot, and they went to a runoff and it ended up being between two Republicans.
00:48:30
Speaker
um And so we are hoping, since there's only three candidates in this race and only one of them is Democrat, that we get over the edge and there's not even a runoff. That would just be Taylor Wright out would be... a dream. That would be perfect. And I think it's doable.
00:48:43
Speaker
So in addition to that race, what are you trying to do as a chair in the next six months to a year before the general election? Like, what are the things that you're trying to get the county to do?
00:48:54
Speaker
Um, we, well, you know, we're trying to like Democrats, but, um, in In general. So, ah you know, it's really a ah very non um non-sexy, three-pronged approach, which is just hard work, which is sign up precinct chairs. So as we talked about, this is the best way to turn out Democrats because we need people talk to their neighbors.
00:49:13
Speaker
We need to raise a ton of money. Tarrant County typically gone under-invested in for decades. So we just need to create and maintain those donor relationships with Tarrant County. We have the donors here. They just usually donate outside of the county. you know they They donate to statewide, donate to NAC.
00:49:26
Speaker
you and And I know everybody in Texas is trying to keep their money in the state and that's and we're on the way, we're on our way. um And then finally is to like you talked about before is create those collaborations and relationships to to make sure that we solidify the relations between all of our ah community activists, between our organizations, between our candidates, elected officials, so that we're all working together as we pull towards the 2026 midterms. And I think all three of those things are going in the right direction. I see a lot of progress. I feel really good about it, but it it will take a lot of hard work to to see it to
Optimism & Learning from Other States
00:49:56
Speaker
fruition. I know. I just heard from some mutual friends that you had hosted recently, a fundraiser, and you raised a lot of money. And so tell us about that. like what
00:50:03
Speaker
Give us hope. where Where is the progress being made that you see ahead of this midterm? I want to, okay, I'm going to use this as our barometer, which is even like the consultants and even the more establishment Democrats are starting to keep their money in Tarrant County and donate to the party or donate to organizations in the county. doesn't have to be to me, but just to Democrats, you know.
00:50:21
Speaker
um I think that's a huge statement because you know a lot of our a lot of our established consultants or the more established Democrats, you know and I know and the whole world knows and they know too because that's the way their business model works. They don't invest in things that aren't going to win.
00:50:36
Speaker
And so when we start seeing those people keep their money here in Tarrant or donate to the party or donate to candidates here locally, that's huge to me. like that is That means these people who spend all their time looking at predictions and you know their magic gate balls,
00:50:49
Speaker
They are seeing the magic here in Tarrant. And yeah, like our fundraiser in the fall or in the and August went so well. um And it was obviously my first fundraiser back as chair. And I i have to give all the credit to Tiffany Burks, who ran it. And then our fundraising committee, Lynn Patton is my chair um and our fundraising committee who put it on. They made it. They made the magic. You know, I stand up and ask for money in person. But but it's the volunteers that are making things happen.
00:51:13
Speaker
And that's, again, why I'm so, like, optimistic is because all of our committees are, like, bursting with volunteers. And we need more. we have more jobs to do. Please sign up. But, um i like, Tarrant County, Democrats.
00:51:24
Speaker
Please come. Please come. We're very excited. um But it's just that. Mimosas. Did I mention brunch and mimosas? That's right. That's right. We are partying in Tarrant And some people like cowboy boots while i do it.
00:51:37
Speaker
But yes, it it is. It is genuinely very like optimistic. and And like, yeah, we raised I don't know, we raised $70,000 or something at our fundraiser. But and I know that's small potatoes compared to a Dallas fundraiser, but that's so much more ahead of where we were, you know, and it's on the right direction and it's on the right trend and it's going to keep going up. And I'm super anchor encouraged. Do you ever do that kind of comparison of, okay, Dallas has this kind of stuff. I would like to have more of that or Harris County cause I hear like Collin County is kind of up and coming. Like they may start flipping, you know, like I kind of see this as a competition, like which County can flip the most first, you know? And I would love to like have a little competition amongst counties. Like, do you think of it that way?
00:52:20
Speaker
um I don't think of it terms a competition. Like, oh, did you get two more seats than me? drat Like, I know like, every seat that we send to the state Senate or state house, like, thank goodness. Right. Um, but I do, I do, I mean, I have a spreadsheet pulled up that says like, here's how much Dallas raised and here's they spent um for this year. And that's true for like, you know, Harris, Bear, Travis, Colin, Den, like I'm i'm ah constantly comparing because, and then the, the point of that is to be like, well, what are they doing right? That I could be doing better.
00:52:45
Speaker
And, you know, I, I am getting on the phone with, Cardall, who's the Dallas County chair or any of the other chairs around Dallas County or you know the state party to be like like, what are the resources that I'm not taking advantage of or what are the strategies I'm not thinking of? And when you see obvious metrics that tell you how well somebody is doing, it's time to start figuring out what their playbook is. And like, how can I apply that to me?
00:53:06
Speaker
And like, I can't magically make more people vote Democrat with that effort, but like I can see what their process is and and try to replicate that. And that's. no I think that's it. I think that's great. I think that's exactly the kind of thing you ought to be doing.
00:53:18
Speaker
I wonder though, um even do you think it'd be too like different, at two apples to oranges, to maybe do the same thing you're already doing with counties in other states?
00:53:33
Speaker
Sorry, can you restart? I think about like my dream kind of guests for this podcast would be like folks who flipped seats, statewide seats in other states. Right. um Because everybody's done it more recently than we have. Yeah. What are they doing? Right. like I would love to have an Andy Beshear, Ruben Gallego, a John Ossoff, a Raphael Warnock. Who are these people who are getting elected on the same ballot as Donald Trump?
00:54:02
Speaker
Right. That is a good question. I want I want to I want to talk to these people. What are they doing? Because we need some of that. I totally agree. you know, hadn't really thought about it. It's like the space jam whenever you get Mike's secret stuff. Maybe it's not all that different. It's just water. But I want to believe it is because that's what's going to get us playing like we need to against the Monstars. Yes.
00:54:22
Speaker
It's all about your mental attitude. That's right. But um yeah, I'm glad you said because I hadn't really thought about it that way in a while. You know, back when I ran Taren Together, which is our voter registration initiative, um we did we did try to get in contact quite a bit with Stacey Abrams and her organization because they did so well in Georgia. I mean, what they did in Georgia was magical.
00:54:42
Speaker
And we we absolutely wanted to copy that. And same thing, you know, I became chair. Same thing. we're kind of like looking at the voter registration side of things. um But I hadn't thought about that in a while. I'm like glad you mentioned that because like now need to be like chasing down some phone numbers. Like,
00:54:54
Speaker
Let's see who we can talk to. You know, that's a great point. Cool. Going about to that earlier, though, it seems like i I feel like it's a matrix of what do we do? Do we turn out more persuadable voters? Do we register new voters or do we try to get the voters we already have? And it sounded like before we were talking that It seems like there we have voters in Tarrant County. We just need to remind them to vote or get them out and make sure they understand that they should be voting. Is that how you're seeing things like data wise or even precinct level? like You're like, OK, this precinct, I need to like turn these people out. like Is that something that you're doing? Yeah.
00:55:28
Speaker
Yeah, great question. And so, um you know, I think on a lot of candidates ah feel like they need to talk to those persuasion voters, those independents or moderate Republicans, which is fine. But like my only sole focus, whether it be as a party chair or as, ah um you know, ah a PAC leader or whatever, like is to turn out Democrats because we have so many. And that's like...
00:55:49
Speaker
would make such a huge impact if we just even if we didn't register our new voter even if we got the people who are registered to vote just to vote i mean that would be massive so in tarrant county usually worth it's in thirds so a third of the county votes and is registered to vote and votes and a third of the county is registered and doesn't vote and then a third of the county doesn't isn't registered doesn't vote and so only a third is actually active i mean that's wild if we just got the best out to vote it doesn't even matter if i knew what their partisanship was by demographics it would be a democratic majority um And so I think, you know, we as as we keep going into this is um we just need to keep investing in those
00:56:29
Speaker
And in the turning out your neighborhoods, and doesn't I don't even care what their persuasion is. I don't care if we ever know. it' is it is Because statistically, it's likely that if we talk to enough people, we're going to be turning out a a Democratic majority here in Tarrant.
00:56:41
Speaker
And that's going to have a huge impact on the state, ah obviously the county, but a huge and impact statewide and countrywide if we can you know achieve that mission. And now I'm thinking that I didn't really answer your question.
00:56:52
Speaker
Please restate it if I totally lost the plot. No. Yeah. Are there specific areas that you're thinking of in Tarrant County that you're OK, this is a lower turnout than other places? And I would imagine maybe I'm thinking of ah and maybe suburbs or areas that care a lot about public schools, South Lake, Keller.
00:57:11
Speaker
yeah Is that sort of a target? Do you have? So fortunately, this is where some of those organizations come into play, which is we have really strong Democrats that work in like House District 98, which is like South Lake, Keller, Grapevine.
00:57:23
Speaker
And they are super motivated because they live in such a red area. They are our top performing Democrats all the time. And so like they consistently move their district bluer, even even though it's like from 32 to 34%, we're still seeing like districts like that and cities like that move bluer while the rest of county, you know, in a given year might be static or regress.
00:57:43
Speaker
And so like in some of those areas, I know that they're kind of taken care of, right? Like they have great networks in those areas. And so that leaves the focus for me, which I've been saying since about 2017 is the, our three gerrymandered blue districts, which we have wonderful state houses, state house representatives in. I mean, they're just awesome, but um they need, I mean, that the infrastructure has been undone for so long that these Democrats don't vote. So it's HD 95 101. And so That is our our urban core of Fort Worth and then our southeast Tarrant, which is like Arlington, Mansfield.
00:58:15
Speaker
um And these are really diverse areas, ah definitely majority minority. And they just, you know, there's never any investment and in in, from outside of their own state reps who do invest in their communities, of course, but there's never any outside investment to get these people to vote.
00:58:31
Speaker
And so like just investing in those areas would be a huge benefit, not only to those communities to be civically engaged, but to, you know, democratic politics in general. And which which state representatives are those? um Nicole Collier is 95, Ramon Romero is 90, and Chris Turner is 101.
00:58:48
Speaker
and they're all amazing and I'm so grateful for them. and We just need to keep boosting their districts. I mean, they're they have walked the walk and worked the the districts, but and we need to keep investing. um And then Salman Bojani is in HD92. He's our other a democratic representative. And he like I said, we just flipped his seat in 2022.
00:59:06
Speaker
um So fortunately, it's not quite as like, it hasn't had the historic underinvestment that the other three have had. So you would say they're not resting on their laurels or they're they're activating their turf and putting the work in, not just because they can win their primary and be done. They're actually doing work in the general. as well They could sit back if they wanted to. i mean, they're wildly popular, but they um they don't. They work super hard. They're always around their communities. They're always investing in their communities and standing up for them.
00:59:33
Speaker
um They're always attending events. They're always like holding town halls like they are. They are engaged, awesome representatives. who I'm so grateful for. And so it's our duty. I feel like to like give back and and not only to them, but to their communities and the districts they represent and to help turn out those voters.
00:59:49
Speaker
All right. Well, Allison, thank you so much. This has been an incredible evening and I appreciate you. I'll give you the last word. What, where can people follow you? Cause I, I ah plugged you earlier. So where can they follow you? And, and we heard your kids them in the background. So what do you got going on outside of this big job that you got?
01:00:05
Speaker
um Okay. So if you want to follow me, I'm the only Allison Campolo, I think on earth, good for better or worse. It's really hard, easy to find me. So um any platform to search for my name, I'm the only one, um unless I now have a doppelganger is taking over, but ah usually you'll find me really easily. ah you can also just Google me.
01:00:23
Speaker
And then tarrantdemocrats.org is where I live on the party. um And then ah what do I have going on outside of this? Well, I have a thousand little children, so they're just feel like a thousand. but Effort magnifies when you have kids. It's like exponential.
01:00:37
Speaker
um so It's cheaper by the dozen level children. Yes. So, you know, i i play I play mom, I play wife, I play politics, I play work. and I mean, it's it's it's a full life, you know, but I'm really grateful for all the help. I mean, it takes a community to do anything you're doing. And certainly politics is part of that. it takes all of us to do what we want. So I'm grateful for everybody. and now the reason why we we're doing it.
01:00:59
Speaker
Well, thank you, Allison. going to, we're going sign off and I'll say, see all next week and God bless Texas. You can follow us on all socials at Mission Texas Podcast.
01:01:11
Speaker
Email us at missiontexaspodcast.gmail.com. This episode is edited by Juan Jose Flores. Our music bumper is by Adam Pickerel and our cover art is by Tino So.
01:01:26
Speaker
you