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Ep. 26: Marcos Velez on the Texas Lt. Governor Runoff and Working-Class Politics
77 Plays23 days ago
What does it take to run for Texas Lieutenant Governor as a union negotiator and not a career politician? In this episode of Mission: Texas, Kate and Alex sit down with Marcos Velez, Democratic candidate for Texas Lieutenant Governor and Assistant Director of United Steelworkers District 13, ahead of the 2026 runoff election.
Marcos brings a background unlike anyone else in the race: raised by a hotel housekeeper who made $4.25 an hour before a union job changed their family's trajectory, Marcos has spent his career negotiating with multinational corporations for better wages, safer working conditions, and equal pay for women on job sites across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Now he's taking that same fight to the race for Lieutenant Governor.
In this conversation, Marcos and the hosts dig into:
• Why he jumped into the Lt. Governor's race and what his teenage daughter said that shook him to his core
• His top legislative priorities: raising the state minimum wage, restoring public education funding, and expanding labor rights for public sector workers
• How Dan Patrick has weaponized the Lt. Governor's office, blocking popular bills, sidelining newly elected Senator Taylor Rehmet, and running Texas government behind closed doors
• The working-class voter problem and why Latinos and Black Texans are drifting from the Democratic Party and what the party must do to earn back their trust
• Mike Collier's independent bid and why Marcos isn't worried
• His theory of victory: economic populism, unapologetic progressive values, and a union-style organizing model targeting voters from the RGV to rural Texas
Marcos also explains why the Lt. Governor's role is mainly about bargaining and setting priorities, and why his experience at the labor negotiations makes him the right fit, regardless of what the political scene expects.
The runoff election is approaching. If you're a Texas Democrat trying to understand what a working-class, Houston-based, labor-supported candidate looks like at the top of the ticket, this episode is essential listening.
Follow Marcos: @velezfortx on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook | velezfortexas.com
Support Mission: Texas on Patreon: patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Mission Texas'
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?
00:00:28
Speaker
Hey, welcome back, everybody, to Mission Texas.
Marcos Velez's Political Journey
00:00:31
Speaker
We're so excited to have our our next guest with us, Marcos Velez, a Democratic candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, trying to do something pretty unusual in Texas politics, run statewide campaign, not as a politician.
00:00:45
Speaker
ah He's coming out of the oil and gas industry and the United Steel Workers Union, where he's built his campaign around a core argument. Texas government isn't working for people who work for a living.
00:00:56
Speaker
He's positioning himself in the race as someone who understands the day-to-day economic pressures that Texans actually face. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so glad we get to do a ah proper episode because ah we got you on like an Instagram live before the race, but welcome to the show.
00:01:13
Speaker
Hey, thank you guys so much for having me. It's my first time to get to talk to you, so I'm really excited about this conversation. Yeah, so i kind of alluded to your your origin story. And we talked about it a little bit, um just down the road from where I live um at at an event at the people's last stand.
00:01:31
Speaker
um But tell us, what is your origin story? Like, how did you come into the labor movement? How did you decide you wanted to run for lieutenant governor? And take us through the the beginning steps.
00:01:43
Speaker
you know, it's kind of interesting. ah Everything in life is a bit unexpected. ah as a kid, ah my mom cleaned hotel rooms. She made $4.25 an hour. And anybody that's met me on the campaign trail has probably heard that.
00:01:55
Speaker
But when you talk about origin stories, my mother got a union job and that changed
Economic Challenges in Texas
00:02:00
Speaker
our lives. It uplifted us into the middle class. And all of a sudden that that it was like a light switch had been flipped. And so I always understood that unions did really good things for working class people.
00:02:10
Speaker
But then when I found myself looking for a career, always had a passion for anything mechanical. I wanted to seek out a career in industrial repair. And so I went to work in the same oil industry that my mother was working in.
00:02:22
Speaker
And I found myself in a union job. And it was in that job that I thought, hey, this is the best job I've ever had. I've made it. ah you You kind of get complacent. And then very quickly, I realized that that advocacy never stops. The same people that fought to create spaces for people like my mother to uplift them into the middle class are the same people that actually started off fighting for safer workplaces and better treatment for the middle class.
00:02:46
Speaker
And It was after a particularly, i guess, jarring workplace fatality, mass casualty event that I started realizing that I needed to participate in that advocacy. And so as the years went on, I got more and more involved.
00:03:00
Speaker
um I became a labor activist, you know, really fighting for like safer working conditions for me and my coworkers, making sure that the company treated everybody with dignity, that they didn't discriminate against my coworkers.
00:03:11
Speaker
And then that grew into a platform where all of a sudden I was I was, you know, leading my group in the local union hall. And then I went to go work for the district, work for the international union. And now I work as the assistant director for the United Steelworkers District 13.
00:03:23
Speaker
You know, we cover all of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Aruba. And we bargained for better, so you know, better, better wages, safer working conditions. We have some of the only job sites in the state of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, where women make dollar for dollar what men make. We have some of the only job sites where we have very expansive summary plan description, health care plans that that cover not just you, but your domestic partner and your adopted children. And and those are things that I think all Texans need.
00:03:49
Speaker
But it's something that as i was I was talking to my children about the economic opportunities available to them. i have two daughters that are graduating high school this year. And one of them, she kind of, she kind of, she concerned me because all of her school choices were outside of the United States. She was emailing with schools in Japan. She was emailing with a school in Canada. Then we took her up to Canada to visit the school. And I said, hey, I said, ah you know, obviously love you a lot. ah Support your decisions. But why so far? And and I'm telling you, it was like an earth shattering moment. She said, dad,
00:04:19
Speaker
She goes, if you were a 17 year old woman living in the state of Texas, would you build your life here? And it really made me question my privilege. It made me question, ah hey, I mean, once your kids move and they meet people and they start lives, you know, they're not coming back.
Critique of Current Political Focus
00:04:32
Speaker
And so that was really something for me that I was like, hey, we we have to do something different. But even more so, I've been really bitter when I look at the state of politics in Texas, like so angry. ah you You look at what we do. We go out, we knock on doors, talk. We those of us that are politically active, like we fight really hard for candidates and they always forget about us. They leave us behind. When you look at the state of manufacturing in this country, we have eliminated manufacturing jobs through poor trade deals and bad political decisions to the point that we're forcing everyone into the service industry. But now we are eroding service industry jobs with the advent of A.I. and the rise of of technology. Where are normal people supposed to work to support themselves?
00:05:11
Speaker
Yeah. Amen. Kate I both have young daughters and yeah ah it it cuts to the bone because I think we both have a sense of like, we have to fix Texas that we don't.
00:05:21
Speaker
Yes. That's why I'm doing this. Yeah. We got to have these girls grow up in a better, a better Texas. Yeah. but I'm curious, what made you want to jump in to the lieutenant governor race? Like, what were you seeing? i ah I'm guessing it's a mutual loathing for Dan Patrick and what he does for the state. So tell us about that.
00:05:44
Speaker
When you look at what's going on in Texas government, it's really frustrating. You go to these local union halls or you out in your community, you're talking to parents and you have parents that are moving out of state because they're worried about their kids.
00:05:56
Speaker
You have people that can't afford the basic cost of housing. You have young people that can't find family sustaining jobs. And then we have a lieutenant governor that's more concerned with what hangs on the walls of classrooms and whether or not we can fund classes. We have a lieutenant governor that's more worried about who our neighbor chooses to love. than whether or not our neighbor can be housed or whether they can afford health care. And it's super frustrating as a normal everyday person, because what I believe should be prioritized in the Texas Senate is bills that advance the interest of working class people that make housing more affordable, that raise wages, that improve life for everyday Texans. And instead, we're focusing on things that that only benefit the uber wealthy or divide the masses to the point that they don't realize that collectively we can change the system.
Velez's Policy Proposals
00:06:41
Speaker
No, I think that's great. And I think you kind of at least hinted at it. You know, the lieutenant governor is a very powerful position in Texas government. and We talked about this a little bit, is that they are the president of the Senate. They set the agenda.
00:06:55
Speaker
They decide what gets voted on and what doesn't. I mean, there are currently bills languishing that have majority support. They'll never come up for a vote because Dan Patrick personally doesn't like it.
00:07:07
Speaker
I think about like casino style gambling or any kind of marijuana legalization at all. If you are suddenly given the gavel and you control the Senate agenda, what are like the first two or three bills you're going to prioritize?
00:07:22
Speaker
The very, very first one is raising the state minimum wage. And I've had a couple of people reach out and say, hey, that does nothing for me. I don't make minimum wage. But I think people lose sight of the fact that especially as someone that bargains wages for a living, any time you lower wages at the bottom, there's a certain gap that has to be maintained between what you earn and what the guy at McDonald's makes, between what you earn and what the guy that's. And so it's really one of those things where there is always going to be an adjustment for all working people. And then you get an argument that says, hey, but then the cost of everything will go up. Wages do not account for 100% of the cost of a product. So even though cost may go up 1% to 2%, it's not going to be the same as what your wage increase was. You're still going to come out ahead. And so raising the state minimum wage is a big thing for me. I believe that all people that work a full-time job should make a living wage, and they should be able to afford to pay their bills and afford housing. And so that's that's the number one priority for me because I believe that that's something that immediately improves conditions for all working people. And then when you get beyond raising ah the state minimum wage, we have to look at improving the amount of funding we have for for things like our public education.
00:08:28
Speaker
Teachers should not have to work two and three jobs to pay their bills. We just took a billion dollars out of public education and shifted into a voucher scheme. And so we have to make sure that we we work really, really hard to ensure that our public schools can thrive. I'm a public ah product of public education. I had some of the best teachers that that you could think of. and And honestly, if you look, I graduated from high school, actually a year early, I graduated in 2003.
00:08:52
Speaker
I think of the caliber of education that we had back in the early 2000s. And then you look at like what my kids are receiving now. And I'm not knocking the teachers, I'm knocking the system. There's been a reduction in the the the what we're putting into our schools. A lot of people talk about the total dollar amount, but they don't look at the dollars per student.
00:09:10
Speaker
We have to increase the dollars per student that we spend. And we have to make sure that we're we're paying teachers for the profession that they do and not treating it like a vocation that, you know, is like a part-time job.
Historical Political Alignment
00:09:21
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I think when I was campaigning, I read a stat that we're like $4,000 per pupil below the average in this state. And that's insane, like how much money you could have for each student. And now we have reports about what the voucher system has actually gone towards, which is towards a lot of private school students.
00:09:39
Speaker
kids who are already in the system. So it's definitely, I'm glad to hear that that is a priority for you. But just even talking about teachers, I recall my, I don't know if you were growing up in Texas, but I'm curious, is your mom like a ah LBJ Democrat? Like, cause I think a lot of working people,
00:09:55
Speaker
back in the 50s and 60s, consider themselves LBJ Democrats, including my grandparents who grew up in or were working as school teachers, public school teacher and librarian, and and they always considered it themselves an LBJ Democrat. But then I think you've said in other interviews that, you know, the working class has turned more to Republican and Trump agenda. So um how do you reflect on that? i mean, tell us about your mom and also how we can get working class people back.
Criticism of Political Parties
00:10:22
Speaker
Yes. You know, it's funny. You're right. My mom did fall into that LBJ Democrat category. I think the shift from lg LBJ Democrats to Reagan Democrats really occurred as we saw manufacturing you know start to curtail in this country. i always tell people everyone talks about a just transition, but no one accepts the fact that one has never existed. When you talk about the decline of the auto industry in Detroit,
00:10:46
Speaker
Where did those people transition to? Right. They transitioned out of good family sustaining jobs into jobs that didn't pay what they were making in their previous jobs. And so people were suffering. When you talk to the guys in the union halls now, they're angry and they're upset and they feel like opportunity is being stolen from them. And I always have to remind them an immigrant did not take your job.
00:11:05
Speaker
bad trade deal took your job. And the reason there's less opportunity for your son than there was for you is because of the politicians that we've elected. When you go to the gas pump and you're buying fuel and you're angry about the cost, you're paying for the political decisions made by our elected leaders. But we've we've had Republicans running this state for so long that a lot of guys forget They can only blame the Democrats for so much. The Democrats haven't really ah had a a meaningful amount of input in the decision in this state for for pretty much as long as those of us on this Zoom call have been adults, you know. And so it's it's it's really one of those things where I think the shift that's come is the guys hear the Democrats say that they support the working class worker. They're here for the blue collar guy.
00:11:47
Speaker
But their pockets don't reflect that. Their job opportunities don't reflect that. And so, look, I'm not going to put all the blame on Republicans because Democrats carry a lot of the blame, too. They have shifted away from being the party of the working class to the party of the elite. And I've seen that more and more as I've run for office. It's an insider's club. ah It's a club of the uber wealthy.
00:12:07
Speaker
Because we don't have campaign finance reform, it really creates a system where you have the super rich Democrats that are running and they want to hold on to power. And then you have the super rich Republicans that want to hold on to power. And I don't know that there's a whole lot of difference between some of the people that sit in the middle of those parties.
Challenges for Working-Class Candidates
00:12:23
Speaker
Yes. And unfortunately, this legislature makes that problem, I think, exponentially worse than it even other parts of the country because it's a part-time legislature and they pay you part-time. They pay you like $7,200 a year.
00:12:39
Speaker
not a month, a year. yeah um And so they really kind of make it where only those who are independently wealthy or are professionals in a place that is going to benefit from that access and will pay you anyways, like lawyers often, unfortunately. We see a lot of lawyers.
00:12:58
Speaker
Kate and I are lawyers. That doesn't mean we're all bad. but Everyone likes their lawyer. That's right. That's right. I guess what I want to know is how do you see yourself as ah jumping in and offering something different?
00:13:12
Speaker
What is your elevator pitch? Look, the lieutenant governor's role is all about prioritization and negotiation. And as someone that negotiates with multinational corporations that have a higher annual revenue than the state's biannual budget, I do this every single day for working class people. And I want to do that for the the working people of Texas. The reason that government is so messed up is because we have elected leaders that don't feel the pain of their decisions. They're never impacted by the legislation
Velez's Campaign Strategy
00:13:39
Speaker
that they pass. As someone that lives in the community and understands the plight of working people and has fought and won, I want to take our normal people perspective to the Texas Senate. And I want to use that perspective to push legislation that will benefit us.
00:13:53
Speaker
I wanted to go back to something ah about being a working class person, feeling the pain of the legislation, because something I reflect on from my race is that there seems to be an expectation versus reality gap in campaigning and also being a candidate.
00:14:10
Speaker
it seems like everyone wants a candidate all over the state all the time. and that really benefits the person who is independently wealthy and retired or doesn't have school-aged children like you and I and Alex. and And it was really hard for me. I was working like 50, 60-hour weeks, had a one-year-old and also trying to campaign at the same time. I wasn't even doing a statewide race. It was a local state house matter. But like how do you see that as an outsider coming in now and then How do we bridge that gap? You know, because I would love to tell like, people because they're always like, well, I haven't seen this person. and They're not at our events. And they, you know, they need to come to our club. And it's like, well, I can't be everywhere at once. And I've got this whole thing. And, you know, so how do you how do you perceive that? And how do we hopefully bridge the gap for working class people to run?
00:14:56
Speaker
I think it's funny because you hear that from like the Democratic clubs, ah but voters not necessarily. And so it's really one of those things where you just have to kind of you have to kind drown out the noise that comes from the Democratic clubs. Here's the reality.
00:15:10
Speaker
um Democratic clubs are accustomed to seeing career politicians because that's their job. But once you explain to them that you're working a normal job, I tell them I start my average day about three thirty four o'clock if I'm running late. I work a full time job like every normal person. But then you're campaigning until 10, 11 o'clock at night. And so when you explain that to them, they're really understanding.
00:15:30
Speaker
ah There's a couple of them that will throw in your face. Well, we've seen your opponent four times and it's like, hey, that may be the case. But let me tell you something. Ask the working people of Texas that just got a pay increase or ask the working people of Texas that, you know, all of a sudden their working conditions got better because I sat at a table with them for 14 hours. And when they understand that you're doing the work that benefits people like them, they're more understanding. But there is an expectation because they're so accustomed to seeing in these career politicians float around to events all day. And that really concerns me. If you have all day to spend at events, what are you doing for me as a voter?
00:16:04
Speaker
Right. Now, that's a
Political Representation in Texas
00:16:06
Speaker
really good point. And I'm glad you mentioned that. And I because I reflect on because I could say to them, I'm a working mom. I know what the cost of formula is right now. I know what Medicaid and TRICARE having being a TRICARE member means ah as a government ah employee. And so it's just I think that's really good to help.
00:16:26
Speaker
put that into perspective for folks. And I think that's especially true in this race. I'm wondering your thoughts because I know Vicky, who was on our podcast and we appreciate her time, but my understanding was that she had been making the circuit, you know, cause that's the expectation. You gotta go to all these clubs and she's going around and, And I know that's a good thing. Like we want our people to to show up right in our communities to the extent they can. But, you know, you jumped in and I don't know if you had heard that, like she had kind of been around. Like, how do you come into this race knowing that she was a state rep and had been kind of circulating? Because that's something a pitch somebody told us after November 2024, like who's going to run in the next statewide, you know, who's going to be running for the next candidates. And Vicki Goodwin was immediately at the top of somebody's list.
00:17:11
Speaker
Yeah, so no, look, I think it's good in democracy for people from different backgrounds to run. i think it's really good for Texas voters to get to decide, do they want a very Austin ticket or do they want a little bit of diversity? Do they want a ah people with different backgrounds?
00:17:27
Speaker
I think people tend to mix up the House and the Senate. ah Hey, look, experience working on writing bills and you know moving legislation through the House is great. But I do believe that when you look at the lieutenant governor's role, it's more of a bargaining role.
00:17:42
Speaker
It's more of a role of ah prioritization. And I think when you look at relevant experience, what I do in the labor movement, I think it's a good fit. I think people also have to understand that I respect all union leaders, all labor leaders, but they lump everybody together. There's labor leaders that are responsible for different size groups. And when you look at like what I'm responsible for, It's a larger contingent than any of these districts you see in the state of Texas. And so, hey, look, I appreciate the fact that that that you have candidates that have been around the political circuit.
00:18:14
Speaker
But all that time that they've been in the political circuit, I've actually been in normal working class America, watching people have their limbs amputated. watching people be horrifically burned to a crisp, watching people struggle and go from living paycheck to paycheck to living overdraft to overdraft. And so, hey, the experience is great.
00:18:32
Speaker
But the other piece is I'm also one of the people that understand that, hey, where has that experience gotten us? And when I look at the state of Texas, I think we need something different. Yeah. yeah No, you mentioned the the Austin ticket, and that's a really interesting point that I don't think is being talked about a lot.
00:18:48
Speaker
You know, James Alarico, Gina Hinojosa, obviously both Austin-based Democrats. Vicky Goodwin is also an Austin-based Democrat. ah Yeah. Pardon me if I'm wrong. You're based in Houston?
00:18:59
Speaker
I am based in Houston. We've talked about Houston on this podcast. Fun fact, one in six Texans live in Houston. I'm one of those six. Huge, huge, huge important city.
Generational Shift in Politics
00:19:12
Speaker
Putting that out there to to reflect on. Something I wanted to come back to, circle back to, because I did the math on this. You were talking about for our adult lives. 1994, the last time a Democrat won statewide, I was starting kindergarten.
00:19:26
Speaker
um and I think one other distinguishing factor, ah maybe for you and amongst the ticket and in general, I think throughout the country, as we're seeing a lot of younger candidates.
00:19:37
Speaker
You're a young, you're a young guy. 1994, I was, I think I was nine. yeah but thing like no one would guess looking at the two of us that I was the younger one, but ah you have a youthful exuberance about you and you, you in fact, are a young man.
00:19:54
Speaker
I know. I think i'm ah I'm the oldest on this podcast episode. That year, i was in middle school. So I was going into my public school, middle school those years. So we can all reflect on the 90s, the glory days, eighty s and 90s people. But yeah, I mean, you're younger. And I think that that's great We're seeing a lot of young folks back to my point of trying to support younger candidates who might have other lives, you know, kids, as you're mentioning. and speaking of a young person running Taylor Remitt, he won in the Senate District 9 race in Tarrant County.
Partisan Tactics Critique
00:20:26
Speaker
and I don't know if you've heard this news, but the person you're trying to replace, Dan Patrick, he just left him out of committee assignments. And so I'm wondering how you how do you react to that? I mean, that's the kind of guy we have right now who won't even give ah like he's sworn in and he doesn't even have a committee assignment in the Senate.
00:20:46
Speaker
You know, the sad part about that, no Taylor, he's a great guy, phenomenal talent. We would rather play partisan games than allow someone that was overwhelmingly elected by their peers that represents a group of Texans that really feel like they've been left out of the decision-making process that that that brings the support of working class America and, you know, middle-class America to the table. We're going to leave them out because we want to play partisan games. And I mean, it's that level of childishness that that we've've we've felt the pain from in Texas.
00:21:17
Speaker
the The perspective that Taylor brings to the table is a perspective that would benefit all working class people. But because Dan Patrick is more concerned with partisanship, you know, he's not allowing him to participate and it's disappointing.
Independent Candidacy Decision
00:21:30
Speaker
And that's that's so frustrating. Another frustrating thing. Never going to let it go, Kate. Oh, no. My career. I thought he would have been disabused of this dumb idea by now. This reoccurring thing on our podcast. Instagram still has it.
00:21:46
Speaker
The man has forgotten he has an Instagram account, I'm convinced. Because the first word is the word Democrat. He didn't have the courage to run in the primary. He's going to do this independent bid and try to, I don't know what he's thinking. I don't know. do you what do you have to say about this? This guy, call here.
00:22:04
Speaker
You know, honestly, look, it's his right to run. ah i don't have any sense of entitlement where I believe that, like, the field should be easy. If I was concerned about his run, I'd be i'd be in bad, bad shape against Dan Patrick. So while I understand your perspective and it's like, hey, it it splits up some vote, the reality for me is, hey, look, we're going to run our own campaign.
00:22:24
Speaker
ah Hey, I encourage him to run. It's his right. And and I think it's healthy, like a steel sharpened steel. And so, hey look, if it it gets to the point where it's an issue, but I honestly, it's it's not to be arrogant, but I believe that people are looking for progressive Democrats. They're not looking for people that want to straddle the fence and and call themselves like independent Democrats or moderate Democrats. Hey, being moderate has never gotten us anywhere.
Campaign Funding and Fiscal Responsibility
00:22:47
Speaker
We have to be firm and our and and ah unapologetic in our progressive beliefs. And us trying to play to the middle gets us nowhere. Yeah. So, I mean, speaking of, I mean, how do you perceive November? How are you going to get there to get across the finish line? I'm assuming with a slate. So, like, tell us, because Dan Patrick, he's got a war chest, just like Greg Abbott.
00:23:07
Speaker
They got a lot of money. Something that was surprising to me when I ran was that in Texas, we don't really have campaign spending limits, whereas the federal candidates do. So a billionaire could write a million dollar check, which they do often in these races for them.
00:23:20
Speaker
How do you, what's the theory of the case for you to win and hopefully with an entire ticket, push it over the line. Yeah, so look, ah no illusions of any slate. Everybody's running their own race. And so right now I can only speak for myself. ah but But as far as like the Velez campaign, very proud of the fact that we've been very fiscally responsible, operating. We're normal working people. So like when a normal person hears $10,000, $100,000, half a million dollars, that is a ton of money to a normal working person. And so we've been really good with our money. We're we're not we're not spending frivolously. We're not we're not spending tens of thousands of dollars on consultants or ridiculous stuff like that. And so, hey, look, we are using our money to travel the state to talk to normal everyday people, to go to community events, to to to participate in the rural and the urban communities all over the state. And so we're going to continue to run the same campaign. If money is something that scares you in one of these races, you are never going to be able to beat the incumbent Republican. because you'll never be able
Focus on Policy Over Personal Attacks
00:24:21
Speaker
to outspend them. But I've told everybody this the day of the Democratic conventions, I hit six conventions. I started at four zero in the morning.
00:24:27
Speaker
I was at my first convention by seven, hit five conventions, and then drove three hours to catch Bayer County. And so that's really one those things. I'll be outspent, but I won't be outworked. And I think that's one of the things that we're going use to get us across the finish line We're going to get around. We're going to talk to people where they're at. We're not going to waste a whole lot of time playing partisan games. We're just going to run our own campaign.
00:24:49
Speaker
I like how you're framing it. Like on the one hand, you're saying we need a progressive Democrat who's not afraid to stand up for values, but we're also going to set partisan games aside. And I think those two things can be true at the same time. And I want to kind of hear you kind of articulate the way you think about it. i think Taylor Emmett's a good example of it because he always talks about he wasn't running against Republicans.
00:25:11
Speaker
It doesn't sound like ah from a lot of times i've I've heard you talk, you're not primarily running against Dan Patrick so much as you're running for raising the minimum wage and making housing affordable and public education, right?
00:25:25
Speaker
If I had to pick three things, those are the things I have to say over and over again. So you have campaign discipline, right? i haven't heard all that much about Dan Patrick, honestly. And that's a strategy I think a lot of voters appreciate.
00:25:39
Speaker
Well, and and more than a strategy, it's more of who I am. So people are always quick to whine and complain about their opponent or this or that or how unfair. Hey, look, we live in a world that is incredibly unfair to normal working class people.
00:25:53
Speaker
I am running against policies. I'm running against the system. And that system includes Democrats and Republicans. And So I'm not going to sit here and spend my whole day talking about my opponents, because as a working class person, if I'm going to the grocery store and a car to groceries cost me 400 bucks and it used to cost two, I don't care about any of those people. I care about what it costs me to get out of that store. And that's why I think policies are more important than the specific people. If you're going to sit there and whine and complain about people, you've obviously lost sight of the issues. And to me, the issues are what are driving me to run. And they're what I'm like i'm going to continue to campaign on across the state.
00:26:28
Speaker
Now, the man is horrible, but you know more important than how horrible he is, is what we can do for working people.
Grassroots Leadership Style
00:26:36
Speaker
So can we dig in just a little bit on the the leadership differences, like how you would approach the job, right? Because you want policies to get done. You're not like beating the drum for like Democrats are awesome all the time. Every Democrat is great.
00:26:50
Speaker
You're like, no, we're going to focus on getting things done, which I think people appreciate. So how is your approach to the job going to look different than his? Like he very much, obviously with with Senator Ramet is not even putting him on committees.
00:27:07
Speaker
He is very iron fist. He won't allow certain bills to the floor. How are you going to approach that job so that you can reach Republican senators, but also Republican voters who you might need to be a part of the coalition?
00:27:21
Speaker
and Here's the funny thing about reaching Republican senators. A lot of the Democratic policies are popular across the aisle. It's the fact that these senators are scared of Dan Patrick, and so they won't move on them, right? These bills, they die in committee. One of the biggest things I plan to bring to the Texas legislature ah Senate is the same leadership style that I use in organized labor, a very grassroots, people focused, very accessible.
00:27:45
Speaker
Look, we have to stop operating in darkness behind closed doors. we We need to bring the press back onto the Senate floor. We need to hold these politicians accountable. It's a lot easier to communicate with voters and say, hey, look, we're having some issues with this this this senator. ah You know, he's the holdup. Call him.
00:28:03
Speaker
Ask him what's going on. And that way, the narrative is all coming from from a very unbiased place instead of stuff occurring behind closed doors. The other thing is, I don't plan to run the Texas Senate based on my personal religious beliefs based on it. Look, we're going to run it on things that benefit working class people. And so what is going to benefit the majority? We're not focused on special interests, not funded by special interests. And so. I think that's going the biggest difference. I'm not going to take multi-million dollar bribes, ah you know, to to protect my buddies. And I think that's the biggest difference is like, look, I'm not looking to become a career politician. I've been very clear with people from the start. I love what I do in organized labor. One of the things driving me to run also is the reason that
00:28:43
Speaker
is the fact that organized labor in the state of Texas and the public sector has has very few rights. And so we have to do something to help teachers, ah you know, ah county employees, ah you know, firefighters, police officers. There's so much that we could do for our public sector workers in the state of Texas instead of pushing everything to privatization. And so.
00:29:04
Speaker
Those are going to be my focuses. That's going to be my leadership style, a collaborative leadership style. Now, I'm not going to capitulate. I'm not I'm not playing into these culture wars. I'm not going to lean into because at the end of the day, culture wars don't put food on people's tables. Culture wars don't pay people's astronomically high bills and culture wars do not warm your house when the grid goes down.
Business and Regulation Myths
00:29:23
Speaker
<unk> We're not doing any of that. But what we are going to do is we're going respect all people. We're going to take care of the people of Texas. We're going ensure that opportunity exists for all Texans. and Speaking of, I'm curious of your experience with negotiating with big companies, as you mentioned earlier, because I think a big myth that we have here in Texas is that Democrats are bad for business and that we've got this booming economy because of the less regulations. And ah a common phrase we hear a lot, or at least I do at the doors whenever I'm knocking on during the general election is like, don't California my Texas. And look at all these companies who are coming to Texas because they're trying to move away from regulations. And and part of, yeah I'm wondering your response to that as somebody who's, I think there's a lot of fear. And as you're mentioning, the Republicans wield a lot of fear in politicking.
00:30:11
Speaker
And the fear is that we, if you elect a Democrat, we're going to have a bad economy or we're not going to be good for companies who ah who employ people. So I'm curious your thoughts on how we respond to that and also bust that myth. And I think of us as myth busters over here on this podcast. really want to bust. myths Hey, so look, I think we have to start off by taking responsibility for our part in the myth, right? Republicans do a way better job at messaging than Democrats. I believe we've allowed them to hijack our message with working class people, and we've done very little to combat it. But also you have to accept that some of that myth comes from some issues that they see in states like California.
00:30:48
Speaker
No one wants Texas to become California. But I think all Texans want an environment where corporations respect working people and regulations aren't going to hurt working class people or jobs. You have just as many jobs in those states like California as you do in Texas.
00:31:05
Speaker
When those corporations move to Texas, you ask to you have to ask yourself why they're moving here. They're moving here to exploit our weak labor standards and our relatively weak regulatory environment. And that leads to issues like this groundwater issue that we have right now.
00:31:18
Speaker
We are on the brink of running out of water in several major Texas cities. and But we we're not stopping any of these corporations from coming in and sucking our groundwater dry, from extracting our water and selling it out of state. And so it's really one of those things where I think when you talk to people about the issues and the real impacts on a level that they can understand and you say, hey, look,
00:31:37
Speaker
If I ask you, if a road's being built, do you believe that that road should be built by Texans? Yes. Do you believe that they should be paired to paid a fair wage? Yes. And do you believe that those people should be allowed reasonable sick days? And and they're going to say yes. And so that then you support project labor agreements.
00:31:54
Speaker
Yes. But if you just go in and you talk to someone that doesn't understand what a project labor agreement is, they're going to say, well, I've heard those things are bad and they give unions too much power. And and so it's really about like, look, we have a responsibility and an onus to explain to people what the policies that we support mean and what the effects are going to be. And we also have to make sure that we don't support things that are going to put people out of jobs without having a suitable replacement. I can tell you that a lot of people are scared of green energy because they don't understand that we have wind and solar that's sitting there waiting to be connected because of our current leaders. And so if you explain to them that, hey, there are good paying jobs that people are not being allowed to work because of a regulatory environment in this state, that would upset them.
00:32:35
Speaker
But when you tell them, hey, we need to get rid of fossil fuels, they're going to be like no way I'm not getting rid of fossil fuels. And so the narrative is important. Yeah, how do we get through to them? I mean, it just boggles the mind. I hear these myths all the time. Like, oh like what you're saying or that I don't like government. And you ask them, well, why don't you like government? Well, there's a long line at the DMV. Well, that's that's a state agency that is run by Republicans. So is that really a Democrat issue?
00:33:03
Speaker
Yeah. ah But i'm I'm glad to hear you say that, um because it just seems like we have to get through to people and understand where
Connecting with Working-Class Concerns
00:33:12
Speaker
they're at. And I i hear you because I think that when people think of AOC and the Green New Deal, it's like conjures up Republicans were really good at weaponizing that. fear monologue about that. And if you show them, hey, we were able to weather a lot of the hottest days of the year, because we had wind and solar, and we have a lot of natural ah resources here. And I'm not talking oil and gas. It's we have sun, we have wind, we have coasts.
00:33:36
Speaker
So i'm I'm glad to hear you say that. The other thing is Democrats have to take responsibility for they're always talking about stuff that they don't understand. They they don't understand the oil industry. They don't understand energy. They don't understand guns. They don't. And so they they they use the wrong terminology and it it comes off as very inauthentic. And so, hey, when you talk about some of these progressive ideas, they're really quick to like spout stats, but they rarely have a background where they can say, because I can tell you,
00:34:00
Speaker
I've been in a paper mill. I've been in oil refinery. I've been in a coal burning power plant. I've been in a nuclear power plant. And so those are things that like if you want to talk about those facilities, we can talk about the pros, the cons, the environmental effects. I can tell you how the Republicans stripping all teeth out of ah of regulatory environments like the TCEQ are hurting working class people.
00:34:20
Speaker
But your average Democratic politician wouldn't know what those things were if they bit them on the face. TCEQ. I had to deal with that when I was in the federal government. i don't think people realize the EPA is so deep like decentralized and they really have a lot of regulations that they then push on to the state.
00:34:37
Speaker
No, I was just going to say, I think within the Democratic Party, activist base, the kind of people who are deeply involved and where the the d proudly on their on their back. um Loud and proud Democrats, I think it is very uncomfortable to talk about the oil and gas industry, because it's kind of a you nationally, it's a boogeyman, it's they're the bad guys.
00:35:02
Speaker
But the oil and gas industry is hugely important to the state of Texas, and a lot of people will work in it. These are their livelihoods that we're talking about. I just wanted to share because you're talking about how you've been to an oil refinery, I wanted to show my ah my little badge that Exxon when I had an assignment.
00:35:19
Speaker
yeah He's showing an Exxon Mobil really old ID of Alex. Maybe I'll take a picture. don't know. You look pretty young. ah i'll say You still look exactly the same, Alex. Is this because I shaved? Is this from 2024? Yeah, okay.
00:35:35
Speaker
Well, thank you. I just look a lot younger when I shave.
Importance of Racial Diversity
00:35:40
Speaker
Well, had to get you a USW sticker for your hard hat. That's ah that's a union site. There you go. I have a hard hat. It has the Hanes Boone logo on the front of it.
00:35:51
Speaker
There you go. Alex likes to have show and tell on this podcast. He always has something to everybody. thought it was cool as whenever you and Rep Place ah were in the same yearbook. That was pretty cool. yes. I loved that one. Yeah. That is cool. yeah Everybody knows. It's a small world. The same elementary school.
00:36:08
Speaker
ah Yeah. We went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together. Yeah. ah Okay, so we talked about some distinguishing factors. You're from Houston. ah You're your union, not a politician.
00:36:20
Speaker
ah you're You're a young candidate as a distinguishing factor. And now i I do want to broach what may be a sensitive topic, but I know it's one you've talked about recently. saw you speaking with the political influencer Howdy Politics about this.
00:36:35
Speaker
Our ticket would not have a black candidate should you lose this runoff. You want to talk about how you see that as being one of the important considerations as primary voters head back out to the runoff election.
00:36:51
Speaker
Yeah, look, I think it's interesting. And and the topic really surfaced after the the Senate race wrapped. um Not taking a stance on the Senate race, just looking at the ticket overall, because there were several black candidates up and down the ballot. Yeah, I mean, when when you look at the ticket, I think it's funny that the Democratic Party bills themselves as this big tent party. But when it comes to African-American or candidates of color, there's always this very dog whistle racist ah narrative of they're not qualified. They they don't have the requisite experience. it it It always seems like those candidates are always immediately...
00:37:28
Speaker
yeah they're not electable. They're like they they impeach these candidates before they ever get a chance. And then I know it impacts the way a lot of people vote because they're like, no one wants to be on the losing side. But here's the reality we' we've had roughly. and and And if I get the number wrong, people are going to burn me down. But we've had roughly 48 governors, ah roughly 42 lieutenant governors, over a thousand Texas state senators. And when you go through those numbers, you know how many black governors we've had? Zero. You know how many black lieutenant governors we've had? Zero. And out of over a thousand Texas state senators, we've had under 20.
00:38:00
Speaker
under 20 black Texas state senators, but African American women consistently show up and do the heavy lifting for Texas, which is a minority majority state. Latinos do a a huge amount of the lifting in this state. And the Democratic Party wonders why they're losing votes from people of color. There's no representation and people are sick and tired of this. Like we say that we don't have dynasties or there's no kings in America. But the reality is,
00:38:26
Speaker
The Texas political system is very much a family affair. It's family business. And if you're not part of that circle, it's really hard to break into. And if you're a person of color, it's pretty much impossible. And so I think when we we go and we ask black black people to show up and vote for a ticket of candidates that don't represent them and and really don't understand their struggle, what are they voting for?
00:38:47
Speaker
they're They're showing up, they're doing the lifting and they're getting nothing in
Engaging Diverse Communities
00:38:50
Speaker
return. It's very reminiscent of the days of slavery, doing all the work for free. And so, i mean, I think that's what bothers me about the the Democratic Party as a whole. I'm not saying that we should select our candidates based off of race, but if we're going to be the big tent party and it's going to be everybody's party. There should be representation for everybody. And and we have to stop telling people, we'll just suck it up.
00:39:10
Speaker
This is the most important election of your life. No, it's the most important election of your life because you're running. It's not the most important election of their life. And that's why no to November is a very real possibility right now for a lot of people.
00:39:22
Speaker
I think that was ah the biggest takeaway that I heard. And I'm trying to listen and be conscientious about that, that after the primary, a lot of black and people of color in Texas felt like they're not they're being taken for granted, that they're not being heard, they're not being supported, and that they're not a monolith, especially the Latino community. And we have the largest population of black people in our country. Right. So especially in the Houston. the largest population. The largest in, in, especially in the Houston area. So if you're going to be running in November, and you're going to have a slate, I know you're saying not a slate, but you're gonna have a lot of people on your ticket that are not people of color. And how do you, what advice would you give to them to show, like that they're showing up for those communities to listen to hear them to address their concerns, and also to say that I'm, that you are heard, I guess, is the biggest takeaway, and that they're not being taken for granted.
00:40:17
Speaker
I think the biggest thing is actually showing up where people are at and and not expecting people to come to you. I think when you're speaking in a room full of people, look at the room and and look and see what like demographics are making up your crowds. and And I know if I go and I talk to a room full of union members and I know that the plant is 20 percent female, but women are not represented in the room.
00:40:40
Speaker
I have a conversation when I leave with the leadership and I ask them, hey, why do we have no representation from our union sisters in this room? And if there's some kind of impediment to that participation, then we need to move the meeting to a different time or you you have to work to create those spaces of inclusion. It's not people's job to show up and find you. It's your job to go where they're at and make sure you're connecting with them. The other thing is that one of the most frustrating things I've learned on the campaign trail is that politicians pay a whole lot of attention to polls. And ah I've never been polled. I've never been at an event with working people where they've been polled. And here's what I'll tell you. I don't believe polls at all. And I think if you say, hey, we're polling OK with this demographic, you're missing the point. Hey, it's not about polls. It's about sincerely seeking those people out and understanding their issues and going into their communities and actually helping them understand how you're going to improve their day to day lives.
00:41:30
Speaker
Yeah, as a campaigner, you got to fish where the fish are. i love i love that. You got to be the one going out. It's almost like ah the analogy would be like a church who just expects people to come in the doors as opposed to going out and trying to be fishers of men.
00:41:45
Speaker
You've heard that expression before.
Targeting Low-Propensity Voters
00:41:46
Speaker
Yes. yeah No, I think that's exactly right. Well, speaking of, I was at the Dallas County Convention. Were you there, Marcus? I know you said you made the rounds, but at at the Dallas County Convention, it was at a church, a black church in South Dallas, I believe, Eibach, and they have an aquarium.
00:42:05
Speaker
And they make that analogy that they we have to be the fishermen. And it's incredible. and It's very kid-friendly. I they have like scuba divers who are there greeting us, like cleaning the tank. So It's a huge, massive thing. um it was really cool.
00:42:21
Speaker
Let's talk about good news. So something we like to do on the podcast, Marcos, is we like to get the the muscle of sharing something positive. Because I think as Texas Democrats, we can get so focused on the negative.
00:42:32
Speaker
um Republicans are so good at sharing their their gospel, their good news. We need to get better at it. So what is something from your life, either personally or professionally, that is just good and you want to share it?
00:42:45
Speaker
ah Hey, look, it's not relevant to a whole lot of people, but my daughter's coming home from her senior retreat today. Super excited. Missed her a lot. And so that's probably the most positive thing I can think of for this this particular day. so That's amazing.
00:43:02
Speaker
Yeah, I have an almost four-year-old, so thinking about her and going to college, I just, I don't know. I'm going to start crying already. Yeah. but key out She like comes wanders into our bedroom every night. ah Like she just wants to like cuddle and scared. So she can't imagine the days when she's not going to be doing that. But I guess some good news I'll share. i'm just it's springtime. Easter is around the corner. It's gonna be Holy Week. And I'm just really excited. Blue bonnets are everywhere. It's my mom's favorite thing. And I just think that it's such a great thing for us as Texans to remind ourselves and and also gear up for a Holy Week. My family, we're Catholic and We do a big Easter egg hunt at my uncle's place out in Forney, which is southeast Dallas area. And he's got a lot of land. So there's a lot of like eggs to be hunted and it's going to be really exciting. So I'm i'm looking forward to that.
00:43:52
Speaker
That's awesome. I was going to make mine ah kind of policy related because Dallas ISD just voted to offer free pre-K starting next school year. Wow. That's awesome. Yeah.
00:44:04
Speaker
Incredible. um But now i want to talk about Easter because, yeah, it's coming up. Actually, actually just yesterday, um i got my my brother on the phone. He lives in the Houston area now, too.
00:44:14
Speaker
He used to be closer to home. And so I'm glad he's coming up for Easter. get to see him and and and his kids. He's got two two little boys, Wolf. who was born on Halloween and a Luca.
00:44:25
Speaker
This was, he was named before the trade. And then my mom will be joining us for modern worship at my church, First United Methodist Dallas. And then we're going to go up to Denton to my wife's extended side of the family and do a ah Easter egg hunt and a big smorgasbord with everybody's different foods.
00:44:45
Speaker
So I'm very excited about that. For Easter, we usually we usually boil crawfish. Oh, nice. Crawfish. I love that. Oh, wow. Yeah. do you have any other Easter or spring plans? mark We mentioned before we started recording that as a candidate, you don't have a life. So it's like every Sunday you got to like, you're still knocking doors if you can. So what do you got going on outside of that?
00:45:07
Speaker
If you have anything. I honestly I'd have to ask my campaign manager before I fully committed to knowing what I'm going to do. But I'd like to boil crawfish, you know, yeah can I take a break. Yeah, you're campaign overlord. All right. Well, that's our good news. And before we go into our last segment, I want to put a plug in for our Patreon. If you would like to support us as independent media and help us to free the cost of our podcast, you can become a member of our Patreon for a few dollars a month.
00:45:31
Speaker
Or you can support us by giving us a five-star review wherever you get your podcast and share us on social media. You can also join our sub stack, which we will have a written summary of what's going on on this podcast episode. But now, okay, Marcus, for our last segment, it's called The Last Word. it's kind of like the last stand at the Alamo. The last thing you're going to leave us with.
00:45:50
Speaker
We haven't really talked about this. So I think this will be really curious as an outsider looking in now and then from the inside. What do you think it's going to take? What do we need to improve on to really flip the state? Like, how are you perceiving the party and what we need to be doing to get us across the finish line and really do this thing?
00:46:07
Speaker
I think as a party, this isn't about any specific person, but in general, I think Democrats have to do a better job at finding candidates that normal people can relate to. When you look at ah the ticket as a normal person, and I see politician A, B, and C, they're all politicians to me. But if I saw a teacher, if I saw a doctor, if I saw... someone from my community that I could relate to, it'd be a lot easier for me to get excited and turn out to vote. I think that the the Democratic Party spends a lot of time focusing on turning out high propensity voters that already vote anyways. You you know, you're getting those votes.
00:46:41
Speaker
you're You're not going to win an election based on anger or people, you know, react those things help. They expand the electorate slightly. But really, like, I think you have to focus on those low propensity voters, that it takes something special to get them off that couch. And I think that's something special as candidates that can relate to their lived experiences.
00:46:59
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, in that it seemed like there was a different theory of the case between James Tallarico and Jasmine Crockett about that. Like, do you turn out the Democratic voters who are just not voting or do we try to reach across to the independents? And and I think you mentioned earlier about the rural areas, too. I mean, so how do you perceive that? Like, how are you?
00:47:17
Speaker
Is there a strategy involved in who you're targeting or who they say your universe is of folks that you're trying to communicate to? I'll be honest with you. I look at this campaign very much like a union organizing drive. You have like, let's say a one through five system where one are people that are definitely going to vote for you and five are people that are never, ever, ever going to vote for you.
00:47:38
Speaker
Anyone from a one to a four That's our initial focus. And then as we get into that final stretch, we're going to focus on the fives. And so when you look at like hardcore MAGA Republicans that like get all their news from Fox, those probably aren't people that we're going spend a whole lot of time on. But we've done really, really well with your your normal everyday Republicans that are like, look, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:48:01
Speaker
I believe in hard work. And I believe in the concept of family and I'm upset. Let's talk about why you're upset. And let's talk about what contributed to this system that's crushing you. and and and And those are the people that we're working to bring into the fold. when you look at like disaffected Latinos and people in the RGV, look at the map from the primary. And I think it'll kind of give you an idea of what voters we went after in the, in the first part of this election, we're going to broaden that approach because I believe that if you travel the state and you talk to as many people as possible, we're not going to isolate people down to just Democrats or, or just look, <unk>'re we're, we're, we're going to argue a message of economic populism, We're going to stay unapologetically progressive, but we're going to try to share that message with as many people as possible. And and that's the path to victory. Amen.
00:48:46
Speaker
Okay, well, thank you so much, Marcus. How can we support you? How can we follow you? Where would you like us to go? Yeah, look, it it'd be awesome people check out the campaign on social media. We're on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Velez for Texas, just V-E-L-E-Z-F-O-R-T-X on all social media platforms. And then we have a website, velezfortexas.com. You can go and learn more about us. If anybody wants more information, wants to reach out, info at velezfortexas.com. So very, very simple, but really would mean a lot of people would come check out the campaign.
00:49:16
Speaker
which we are doing. Great. Thank you so much, Marcus. We will see our listeners next week and God bless Texas. You can follow us on all socials at Mission Texas Podcast.
00:49:27
Speaker
Email us at missiontexaspodcast at 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.