Mission: Texas

Kate Rumsey & Alex Clark

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

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

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

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

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

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Thursday · 1 hr 3 min· Video
Ep. 56: How Texas Democrats Are Protecting the Vote (Voter Protection Director Liza Hameline)
With Election Day less than a week away, Kate sits down solo with Liza Hameline, the Texas Democratic Party’s voter protection director since August, to talk about what happens if Republicans try to steal the election and how Democrats are defending the vote before, during, and after November 3rd. Liza, a longtime attorney, former election judge, and Dallas County precinct chair, explains how she built the largest voter protection operation in state party history from the ground up: an 844-TX-VOTES hotline that had to be rebuilt from scratch, more than 3,000 recruited volunteers, and five regional boiler rooms. She also walks through how Texas elections actually work, from paper ballots to marking devices that never touch the internet, to help calm the fears and conspiracies circulating this cycle. What we cover: Liza’s path from commercial litigation and in-house regulatory work to election judge in 2020, and how Kendall Scudder asked her to lead the largest voter protection program the state party has ever built Building from zero: a disconnected hotline, a first-ever midterm-scale program, and the “ground-up” strategy of training precinct chairs, county chairs, and caucus groups across all 254 counties The 844-TX-VOTES hotline, poll watcher training, and the logging system that turns anecdotes into usable data, plus one-pagers and graphics to counter social media rumors Recruiting more than 3,000 volunteers statewide, and why that matters compared to Trump’s talk of sending a thousand people The suspense list: why voters land on it, the statewide phone bank to fix registrations before the October 5 deadline, and how limited ballots work for voters who moved How Texas voting really works: every county uses paper ballots, marking devices are not connected to the internet, only the electronic poll book is, and why votes can’t be “switched” by hackers Why voting in Texas is hyper-local and decentralized, and why no president can federalize or nationalize it ICE and the polls: why federal officers are barred from polling sites, and why Liza worries more about enforcement in neighborhoods around them What the boiler rooms will do on Election Day, and how Liza will run the North Texas room out of Dallas County Legislative asks for 2027: three weeks of early voting, 24-hour and drive-through voting, same-day registration, and limited ballots on Election Day The off-season plan: training Democratic election judges, teaching county chairs to demand returns and show up at commissioners court, and scaling voter protection to every election Good news segment: Liza’s son’s wedding the weekend before early voting, and Kate’s Vegas trip after launching her own law firm Voter resources: call the Texas Democratic Party voter protection hotline at 844-TX-VOTES, and visit mytexasvotes.com and texasdemocrats.org. Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠
October 22 · 58 min· Video
Ep. 55: Excuse Me, "His" Congressional Seat? (Evan Hunt, Congressional Candidate TX-3)
Alex flies solo this week to sit down with Evan Hunt, Air Force veteran and Democratic nominee for Congress in Texas’s 3rd District, as early voting kicks off against Republican incumbent Keith Self. Evan traces his path from B-1 bomber missions over Iraq and Afghanistan to a defense industry career to political anger reignited by Trump’s reelection, and lays out why he thinks this ruby-red Collin County-anchored district — one of the fastest-growing in the country — is more winnable than the maps suggest. We also get into a viral clip of Self admitting he sees the district as “his seat,” and Evan’s platform built around anti-corruption reform: anti-gerrymandering legislation, congressional term limits, and a ban on stock trading for lawmakers. What we cover: Evan’s path from a 9/11-driven enlistment and 20-year Air Force career flying B-1 bombers to a defense industry career at Raytheon, and the furlough that pushed him toward private sector stability How Trump’s 2024 reelection and frustration with Keith Self’s record pulled him back into politics after years of political disillusionment The redrawn TX-3 map: 80% of voters still in Collin County, with Frisco carved out and five rural counties to the east (Hunt, Greenville, Sulphur Springs, Mount Pleasant) added — and why that dilutes rural representation Keith Self’s record: founding an “Anti-Sharia Caucus,” refusing to debate, declining to bring home earmarked federal funding despite representing one of the fastest-growing districts in the country, and his on-air admission that “it’s not my constituency, it’s my seat” A shared critique of wealth inequality and the tax code — why closing loopholes that let the ultra-wealthy pay lower effective rates than firefighters and teachers isn’t about “taxing the rich,” per Evan Evan’s definition of “working class” (anyone who has to earn income from labor) and how that reframes who the Democratic coalition should include Campaign field data: over 30,000 doors knocked with a 60% favorable response rate, texting hundreds of thousands of voters, and why Evan believes a Tallarico-level swing could flip every competitive seat in Collin County Evan’s proposed first-term agenda: nationwide anti-gerrymandering reform (with a Senate partner in James Talarico), 12-year term limits, individual stock trading bans for Congress, and a Supreme Court code of ethics His critique of national Democratic Party fundraising strategy — concentrating money in the top 40-50 races instead of investing in grassroots-driven campaigns like his own Good news segment: watching his teenage kids go from politically apathetic to genuinely engaged over the course of the campaign, and Alex’s annual Beavers Bend, Oklahoma trip marking how fast time moves with young kids Early voting runs through October 30th; Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Check your registration and polling location at VoteTexas.gov. Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠
October 15 · 47 min· Video
Ep. 54: The Houston Mom Suing Texas Over the Ten Commandments (Emily Roth, Microactivism)
This week Mission: Texas sits down with Emily Roth, a Houston mom suing the state and Spring Branch ISD after Ten Commandments posters went up in her kindergartner’s classroom. Emily walks through her exhaustion of the school district’s grievance process, the decision to ground her lawsuit in Texas law — the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the newly passed parental rights constitutional amendment — rather than a federal establishment clause claim, and why she sees this as fundamentally a parental rights issue rather than an anti-religion one. We also talk about Microactivism, the platform she built to turn overwhelmed parents into organized, two-minutes-a-week activists. What we cover: How a single email objecting to the posters escalated into three grievance hearings, a unanimous school board rejection, and ultimately a lawsuit Why the posters’ language (kill, adultery, manservant) raised concerns for a five-year-old learning to read, and the broader argument about age-appropriate content in classrooms The strategic decision to sue under TRFRA and the parental rights amendment — both championed by Republican lawmakers — rather than bring a traditional establishment clause case The current state of the case: a denied temporary restraining order, the state’s procedural “plea to the jurisdiction,” and Emily’s attorneys preparing a motion for summary judgment Why the specific Ten Commandments version posted isn’t even the Catholic version, and the pushback Emily has received from religious parents across denominations, not just secular ones The broader pattern connecting the posters to Texas’s social studies TEKS requiring the Ten Commandments be taught as a source of American law, alongside book bans and curriculum changes Microactivisms.org: Emily’s platform delivering a weekly, location-filtered two-minute civic action, plus a tool that generates official TRFRA legal notice letters — used by parents in more than 100 Texas school districts The parallel to Bo French and the Railroad Commission race — why conservative voters should also be wary of the precedent this sets for any future majority-religion community Good news segment: the overwhelming, mostly positive public response to the lawsuit; Emily’s Hill Country fall break with her daughters; Kate’s trip to Notre Dame’s campus with her daughter; Alex’s raffle-won Puerto Vallarta trip narrowly dodging a hurricane, and his Election Day plans driving to Austin for GOTV work Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠 Support Emily and sign up at microactivism.org
October 8 · 47 min· Video
Ep. 53 - South Asian Texans - Hate, Hope, and Their Voting Power (Chanda Parbhoo, SAAVETX)
This week Mission: Texas sits down with Chanda Parbhoo, a longtime South Asian community organizer in Dallas who built SAAVETX (the state's largest South Asian voter outreach organization) from five moms into a grassroots force with nearly 600 volunteers and over half a million voter touches heading into this election. Chanda traces the decade-long effort to build civic infrastructure for a community that didn't have any, unpacks the fallout from Bo French's attacks on UT Austin students, and makes the case that South Asian Texans — roughly 2% of the electorate in a state Beto lost by 2.5 points — are an underinvested, up-for-grabs constituency that could decide close races. What we cover: SAAVETX's origin story: a 2017 Facebook post asking for 200 South Asian Texans to organize that drew 6,000 signups in six weeks, built on zero funding The data gap SAAVETX uncovered — officials claiming only 10,000 South Asian voters existed in a community far larger than that — and building the state's first South Asian civic infrastructure from scratch Growth from grassroots group to C3/C4 nonprofit, a White House invitation during the 2024 gun violence initiative, and becoming the largest South Asian outreach operation in Texas Turnout numbers: from 20% in 2014 to 60% in 2018 to roughly 70% today — consistently two to three points above the state average McKinney's Islamic center city council fight and the broader pattern of "storming" local government meetings that started in Frisco Why South Asian voters are an effective target for the GOP's "boogeyman" strategy, and the community's historical instinct to "put your head down" rather than engage politically Why door-to-door outreach works best when canvassers share community identity, and the importance of leading with empathy and specific issues rather than generic appeals ("I like butter chicken" doesn't cut it) The diversity within "South Asian" and "AAPI" as categories, and why blanket outreach strategies fail Top issues for the community: public education funding, property taxes, healthcare access (22% of the community works in healthcare, 6% owns small businesses), and rising medical misinformation driving providers toward early retirement The Bo French controversy — his comments on UT Austin students on top of a documented history of racist statements — and Chanda's frustration that Republicans who criticized him are still planning to vote for him Voter suspense lists, re-registration efforts, and SAAVETX's work tracking patterns in voter roll purges Good news segment: being recognized unprompted at a convention by people who follow SAAVETX's work, and Kate's ACL Fest trip with her daughter, spotting Talarico merchandise throughout the crowd Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠 Support SAAVETX: https://saavetx.org
October 1 · 44 min· Video
Ep. 52: Kendall Scudder, One Year Later (Chair of TDP)
To mark Mission: Texas's one-year anniversary, we bring back our very first guest, reelected Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder, to check in on everything that's changed since our debut episode. Kendall reflects on a grueling year and a half in the chair, reports back on the three goals he laid out in that first conversation — message discipline, infrastructure, and statewide presence — and walks through the actual math behind flipping the Texas Senate. We also get real talk on why he ignores public polling, what a full statewide-to-county candidate slate could look like in 2028, and the massive voter protection operation the party is standing up before and after Election Day. What we cover: A one-year reflection: the toll of a nonstop news cycle, the RNC in Dallas, and gratitude for his wife's patience while he ran the party Grading his three original 2026 goals — on-message candidates, precinct chair recruitment (1,000+ trained, aiming to outnumber Republicans), and decentralizing party offices into five regional hubs across the state The first full federal-and-state Democratic ballot slate since 1972, the filing-fee barrier for down-ballot recruitment, and plans to go even deeper into county races next cycle Giving red-district candidates free access to the voter file this cycle — an $800K budget hit — and using post-election data to decide whether to do it again The actual math on flipping the Texas Senate: holding Reamit's seat and flipping three more, with internal numbers showing Bob Hall down to Keenan Colbert and other close races in Bryan-College Station and Harris County Why Kendall refuses to trust public polling, rooted in the brutal 2010 midterm "shellacking" he lived through organizing in East Texas The case against writing off "unwinnable" districts — using his own 2018 Senate run and Keenan Colbert's redrawn SD2 as proof that candidates and redistricting math can shift a seat's viability Why Texas Democrats matter nationally regardless of outcome: forcing Republicans to spend an estimated $220 million defending Texas that they'd otherwise deploy in other Senate battlegrounds The party's post-election plan: the country's largest state voter protection program, five regional "boiler rooms," a 24/7 voter protection hotline (844-TX-VOTES), and bracing for Republican legal challenges and a possible special session if Democrats win Good news segment: Mission: Texas hitting 52 episodes and an ACL Fest trip with Kate's daughter; Alex's son's second birthday, a school-bus-themed party, and a State Fair trip to complete the family's "iconic Dallas landmarks" photo tradition with Big Tex. Kendall shares news about his relaunch of his podcast. Kendall's closing marching orders: talk to the people closest to you, vote early (October 19th) to get off campaign contact lists, and become a monthly recurring donor to sustain a year-round party Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠
September 24 · 20 min· Video
Ep. 51: Beto
To mark our one-year anniversary, Mission: Texas sits down with Beto O'Rourke — founder of Powered by People and the Democrat who's come closest to flipping a statewide race in a generation. Beto lays out exactly what has to happen between now and 2030 for Texas Democrats to hold the state Senate, the Speaker's gavel, and the governor's mansion: winning big in 2026, not waiting on national money to arrive, and doing the unglamorous relational-organizing work year-round rather than just during election season. We also go back to 2018 to compare that Trump midterm to this one, and Beto shares what he tells skeptical young voters who've concluded that voting simply doesn't work. What we cover: Why Beto believes Texas can no longer wait for national Democratic donors and has to build its own infrastructure first — and why 2026 is the hinge year for everything that follows The full 2026 wish list: winning competitive congressional seats, flipping R+5 to R+12 state house districts, James Tallarico's Senate race, and even the governor's mansion How winning majorities in the state legislature by 2030 sets up Democrats for a real seat at the table during 2031 redistricting ahead of 2032 Powered by People's relational organizing model: training volunteer deputy registrars, meeting young voters on campuses and at concerts, and staying in daily contact through early voting until a ballot is confirmed cast The stark turnout gap: 39% turnout among Texas 18-29 year-olds overall in 2024 versus 79% among those in Powered by People's program Comparing the 2018 and 2026 Trump midterms — family separation policy then, a Middle East war and $6/gallon diesel now — and what carried over from the 2018 Senate race into the current wave (12 flipped state house seats, Harris County Commissioners Court, judicial races down-ballot) The origin of Powered by People: the direct lesson Beto drew from asking "what could we have done differently?" after 2018 Rio Grande Valley organizing and the cost of Democrats taking the region for granted in 2020 and 2024 Beto's answer to young voters who've concluded the system doesn't work, and why he treats in-person organizing as "the antidote to despair" A one-year anniversary reflection on the podcast's own mission: meeting people where they are Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠
September 17 · 1 hr 7 min· Video
Ep. 50: What Winning Looks Like (Cora Black & Tsion Amare, Dallas County Young Dems)
This week Mission: Texas sits down with two leaders of Dallas County Young Democrats: Cora Black, community advocate, HR professional, and the club's first Black female president, and Tsion Amare, DCYD's current co-president, former Texas House staffer and 2024 candidate, and political affairs leader at Environmental Defense Fund. We trace DCYD's rebuild out of the pandemic, the club's early and controversial call for Biden to step aside, and what actually makes a youth political organization effective versus performative. Cora and Tsion also get candid about intra-party accountability, the RNC's recent stop in Dallas, and what it will take for Democrats to remember, as they put it, "what winning looks like." What we cover: Cora and Tsion's origin stories: growing up around Dallas political fundraisers and Ron Kirk, and organizing against food insecurity as a child in Ethiopia before landing in Rep. Rafael Anchía's office and eventually EDF's political affairs team Rebuilding DCYD's leadership and fundraising infrastructure during COVID, and Cora becoming the club's first Black female president Lowering the price point for young donor engagement and trading volunteer labor (block walking) for access to traditional fundraisers DCYD's early, controversial 2024 vote calling on President Biden to step down — the backlash, the hate mail, and being proven right Why young Democrats who came of age entirely during the Trump era have a different relationship to political hope than older generations Critiques of Democratic messaging strategy: avoiding narrow culture-war fights, addressing "pocketbook anxieties" directly, and holding elected Democrats to the same accountability standard applied to Republicans The RNC's stop in Dallas, the Grindr outage jokes, the Hasan Piker Jumbotron moment, and Trump's $5,000-if-Republicans-win pledge The case for investing in younger, more relatable candidates — and for employers to protect paychecks for employees who run for office Good news segment: a $250,000 fundraising haul for the Christopher Barkley Foundation featured on Good Morning Texas, Tsion's appointment to the Dallas Environmental Commission and Ethiopian New Year celebrations, Kate's family trip to El Paso, and Alex organizing a Social Security town hall with former Gov. Martin O'Malley Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠 Support DCYD: https://dallasyoungdems.org/
September 10 · 58 min· Video
Ep. 49: Flipping Rural Texas (Chelsey Hockett, congressional candidate)
This week Mission: Texas sits down with Chelsey Hockett, the Democratic nominee challenging Congressman Lance Gooden in a district that Decision Desk HQ still rates as a 12-to-14-point Republican lean — even in a good year for Democrats. Chelsey makes the case for why TX-5 isn't as out of reach as it looks: explosive population growth in Kauffman County the 2020-census maps didn't account for, a swelling Democratic primary turnout, and a data center and land-use backlash pulling in voters who've never crossed party lines before. We also get into the healthcare crises and childcare costs that pushed this Terrell-based mom of two into organizing in the first place. What we cover: Chelsey's path into politics: pregnancy loss, a COVID-era insurance gap with a $100,000 hospital bill, and leaving the workforce over childcare costs before getting heavily involved with county Democratic parties Normalizing bringing kids to political events and organizing, and the extra scrutiny working moms face as candidates Lance Gooden's $750,000 in taxpayer-reimbursed travel (more than double the next-highest member of Congress) and the murky ethics investigation surrounding him The land-grab fight in Kauffman County: zero zoning regulation, MUD districts, four proposed data centers, and Build-to-Rent development tied to campaign donors The math behind "flipping rural Texas": how 2020-census-based redistricting missed explosive growth in Forney/Kauffman County, rising turnout in Palestine, Athens, and Terrell, and why Chelsey thinks the real district lean is closer to plus-10 than plus-20 Flock camera surveillance backlash and the odd-bedfellows coalition of privacy-minded conservatives and Democrats pushing back on it Campaign targeting strategy using L2 modeled partisanship data instead of VAN, and the 123,000 base Democratic voters she needs to turn out Reflections on Cherokee family history, the Trail of Tears, and how personal history shapes her approach to organizing in rural East Texas Good news segment: a cinnamon-roll-crust apple pie, a quarter cow order that aged well given the beef supply headlines, Notre Dame's season opener, and Alex's new ambassador role with Volition America Chelsey's closing call to action: full-time, year-round organizing and treating every local election — city council, county commissioner — as a battleground worth showing up for Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠 Support Chelsey: https://chelseyhockettforcongress.com/
September 3 · 1 hr 1 min· Video
Ep. 48: Is West Texas Actually Red or Turning Blue? (Kyle Rable)
This week Mission: Texas heads to West Texas for the first time, sitting down with Kyle Rable — Army Reserve civil affairs officer, PhD candidate at Texas Tech, union member, and Democratic candidate for Congress in one of the reddest districts in the country (Trump +52 in 2024). Kyle traces his path from accidentally getting pulled into local politics over Section 8 housing without AC, to becoming the first candidate in Texas to file for ballot access by signature this cycle. We dig into what makes a "West Texas Democrat" different, the history of how the district flipped red in the first place, door-knocking strategy in a place with almost no existing Democratic infrastructure, and why he sees the fight over data centers, rural healthcare deserts, and the farm economy as the real battleground issues — not culture war fights. What we cover: Kyle's winding path from Army quartermaster officer to civil affairs officer to Texas Tech PhD candidate studying psychological warfare in Vietnam How a Section 8 housing/AC crisis pulled him into Lubbock County Democratic Party leadership, and his decision to run for Congress after the 2024 election Being the first Texas candidate this cycle to file for ballot access by signature, launching on his wife's first Mother's Day Union roots with CWA Local 6186 (Texas State Employees Union) and why he sees labor as central to rural organizing What distinguishes a "West Texas Democrat" — carrying a firearm, going to church, and why that combination hasn't drawn scrutiny locally The history of how CD19 flipped Republican, including the story of Charlie Stenholm and redistricting that targeted him out Data center fallout in Taylor County/Abilene — housing costs, infrastructure strain, and Texas Tech selling its football stadium naming rights to a data center company Rural healthcare deserts, OB-GYN access, and the threat to rural clinics from Medicare/Medicaid cuts tied to the "Big Beautiful Bill" Field strategy: targeting "Triple D" primary voters, VAN scoring, and persuasion phone banking aimed at people who've stopped voting Why Kyle believes a Democratic win in West Texas would fundamentally reshape both parties, and what he wants to see from the 2028 presidential nominee (a real farm plan, real time spent in "flyover" country) Good news segment: Kyle's first "Top Block" military eval, his second child due October 20th, and half-marathon training plans for Kate and Alex. Follow and support Kyle: https://www.rableforwesttexas.com/ Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review — it helps more than you'd think. God bless Texas. 🤠
August 27 · 1 hr· Video
Ep. 47: Courier Texas - How Independent Media Is Reaching Voters Fox News Can't
This week on Mission: Texas, we're joined by Katie Serrano, DFW political correspondent for Courier Texas, a digital-first, values-driven newsroom covering progressive politics across battleground states. Katie walks us through her path from a University of Arkansas journalism program to covering the 2024 Dallas debate watch parties to breaking major accountability stories on Ken Paxton's finances. We talk about how Courier is building trust with younger, less news-engaged Texans through social-first storytelling, why education has become a defining issue heading into the midterms, and what she's seeing on the ground as Democratic candidates outwork their Republican opponents in the community. What we cover: Katie's path into political journalism, from a college newspaper covering the 2014 Wendy Davis race to her master's thesis on objectivity in the Trump era What makes Courier's "mission and values based" model different from legacy political coverage, and how the Texas team has grown from a two-person DFW hub since launching in 2024 Courier's social-first, presenter-led approach to reaching readers who'll never open a newspaper — and how the national Courier brand (1.1 million Instagram followers) supports state-level reporting Why public education, private school vouchers, the Ten Commandments classroom mandate, and Bible-as-required-reading are shaping up as top midterm issues, including the Senate District 9 special election where education drove Taylor Rehmet's flip of a red seat The reporting behind two of Courier's biggest recent scoops: Ken Paxton's $9 million, 15-property real estate portfolio on a $153K salary, and the New York Times investigation into his Frisco cell tower conflict of interest How "no-bid contract" stories connect to broader patterns of insider grifting from Paxton to Trump-era border wall contracts Katie's read on why Texas Democratic candidates are out-campaigning Republican incumbents in the community, and where she thinks the party still needs to grow Plus: Katie's two-year Courier anniversary and reporting on the Houston mom suing over the Ten Commandments law; Kate's return to Orange Theory and half-marathon training; a Secretary of State update confirming Texas will keep defending its election law in the primary lawsuit Don't forget to sign up for Katie's free weekly education newsletter at couriertexas.com/newsletter Support the show: Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast, or leave us a five-star review. God bless Texas. 🤠
August 20 · 1 hr 1 min· Video
Ep. 46: A New Way to Reach Voters (Congressional Candidate Caitlin Rourk)
This week on Mission: Texas, we sit down with Caitlin Rourk — a mom, Army National Guard officer, business leader, and Democratic candidate for Texas's 10th Congressional District. Caitlin shares her unconventional path to service (including a medical disqualification that took her nearly a decade to overcome), her work supporting Hurricane Harvey response with the Texas Military Department, and what pushed her from the sidelines into the race for Congress. We dig into a new way to reach voters called deep canvassing, the youth organizing program powering her campaign, and why the data center and AI infrastructure boom has become a defining issue in her district — especially given her opponent's ties to Elon Musk's America PAC and the redistricting process itself. Plus: back-to-school season hits Mission: Texas and Caitlin. What we cover: Caitlin's winding road to military service, from a disqualifying MEPS exam to enlisting in the Texas Army National Guard at 28 Supporting senior leadership and public affairs during Hurricane Harvey as a newly commissioned lieutenant The dual federal/state mission of the National Guard, and a shoutout to Friendly Forces and USERRA protections for guardsmen and reservists Her decision to run for Congress after going through New Politics' training program How Texas's new congressional maps reshaped TX-10, adding roughly 92,000 Travis County voters Deep canvassing strategy, a paid student canvasser program modeled on Jamie Raskin's Maryland operation, and nearly 20,000 doors knocked this summer The data center and AI infrastructure fight in Grimes County, Elon Musk's chip facility, and her opponent Chris Gober's ties to America PAC and to drawing the very district he's running in Why individual candidate trust — not party-wide messaging — is what she believes will flip red seats Good news segment: first days of school, Camp Mom, and a Secretary of State update on defending Texas voting law in federal court Support and follow Caitlin: https://www.caitlinrourk.com/ Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
August 13 · 52 min· Video
Ep. 45: Vikki Goodwin on Data Centers, THC, and the Fight to Unseat Dan Patrick
Texas Lieutenant Governor nominee Vikki Goodwin returns to Mission: Texas ahead of the general election to talk about her statewide campaign against Dan Patrick. Vikki breaks down why the data center boom has become the surprise unifying issue of the cycle — driving up water and electric bills, spiking rents in cities like Abilene, and pulling even rural Republicans into the fight for regulation. She lays out her plans for childcare and early childhood education, her healthcare proposal to cover the five million uninsured Texans in the state, and why she believes the THC industry should be legalized and regulated rather than banned. Vikki also digs into the fight over religious liberty and the Ten Commandments in public schools, the power of the Lieutenant Governor's office in Texas, and the voter suppression fight unfolding in Tarrant County ahead of Election Day. Plus: Vikki shares the joy of becoming a first-time grandmother, Kate's daughter heads into public school pre-K for the first time, and Alex gets a clean bill of health at the dermatologist. What we cover: Vikki's statewide travel since winning her primary and what she's hearing from voters in every corner of Texas Why data centers have become the rallying issue of the election — water, electric costs, and housing prices in places like Abilene Dan Patrick's rural-only moratorium and why Vikki calls it political theater Affordability pressures on Texas families: groceries, gas, childcare, and rent Vikki's plan for early childhood education and childcare, including lessons from New Mexico's program The fight over religious liberty, the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and the ongoing voucher lawsuit How much real power the Lieutenant Governor holds over the Texas budget and legislative agenda Vikki's healthcare plan: Medicaid-Medicare reimbursement parity, a state-run insurance option, and mobile clinics The economic and medical case for legalizing and regulating THC in Texas Comparing the 2026 map to 2018, and what it will take to flip the Texas Senate Voter suppression concerns in Tarrant County, including the proposed closure of nearly half its polling locations How to get involved with Vikki's campaign and other down-ballot races through Mobilize and Texas Together Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
August 6 · 59 min· Video
Ep. 44: A Family Ticket: Justin & Matthias Early on Running for Congress and the Texas House-Together
Most families argue about politics at the dinner table. The Early family put two names on the ballot instead. Justin Early — Army veteran, cybersecurity architect, and Democrat running in Texas's 31st Congressional District — is challenging 13-term Republican incumbent John Carter. His 21-year-old son, Matthias-Jonah Early, is running for Texas House District 20 against Republican incumbent Terry Wilson. This week, Kate and Alex sit down with both of them to talk about what it's like to run for office as father and son in the same election cycle — and what it'll take to flip two Republican-leaning districts north of Austin. Plus: Kate saw The Odyssey on opening night in IMAX and loved watching audiences root for a flawed hero, Alex is (very carefully) avoiding Spider-Man spoilers ahead of a date night, Justin's summer garden and Sunday family card games are keeping him sane on the trail, and Matthias is just happy his dad lives two minutes away. Plus, a deep dive into the world of anime. What we cover: Justin's path from voting for George W. Bush in his first election to Army veteran and Democratic organizer — and how growing up near Fort Hood during a deployment exodus shaped his politics Matthias's political awakening: a childhood medical crisis that revealed the true cost of healthcare, followed by the 2016 election Why the Early family is "all in" — Matthias volunteering for Justin's campaign, plus a stepmother who gives stump speeches for both candidates, a daughter running social media, and even siblings' girlfriends tracking opponents' primary content The 2025 Texas redistricting fight that pulled a heavily veteran, Black and brown community into TX-31 — and why that makes the district more winnable John Carter's crowded nine-candidate Republican primary, and why more GOP primary voters chose someone other than the incumbent Data centers and hyperscalers as a breakout 2026 campaign issue — water rights, local control, and surveillance capitalism A patient-outcome-based alternative to America's treatment-based healthcare system The "three hats" of running for office: candidate, business owner, and fundraiser — and Matthias's advice for first-time candidates Reaching Gen Z voters when the algorithm buries politics under car content (and neither candidate had social media before running) What it'll actually take to flip Texas by 2030: map, math, and mobilization Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠 Support the Early Family: https://votematthiasearly.com/ https://www.votejustinearly.com/
July 30 · 45 min· Video
Ep. 43 - Trump is Coming To Dallas & Why Dallas County Democrats Aren't Worried
Today on Mission: Texas, we're putting Dallas County under the microscope. Our guests are Kardal Coleman, Chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party, and Yasmin Simon, the party's Vice Chair. Kardal is a Dallas native, Army veteran, licensed minister, former labor organizer, and experienced Democratic strategist. Yasmin is a trial lawyer, voting rights and immigration pro bono advocate, and a former candidate for the Texas House. Together, they're helping steer one of Texas Democrats' most important county organizations through a pivotal 2026 election. Plus: Kardal recommits to early-morning runs on the Katy Trail, Yasmin finds gratitude every day despite the Texas heat, Alex sings the praises of the YMCA's parents' night out program, and Kate celebrates her daughter's fourth birthday and the miracle of IVF. What we cover: How Dallas County has stayed blue for 20 years running (since 2006) and what it would take to help flip Texas statewide Kardal and Yasmin's paths into Democratic politics — from interning for a progressive Dallas County DA to running for the Texas House Inside the chaos of Dallas County's March 2026 primary, when a switch to precinct-assigned voting left over 12,000 voters at the wrong polling place and nearly 2,000 ballots initially uncounted The emergency legal scramble — including a call from Rep. Jasmine Crockett — that led to extended polling hours and a return to countywide voting for the May runoff Why Republicans chose Dallas for their first-ever midterm convention (American Airlines Center, September 9–10) with Trump expected to attend, and what it signals about the battle for turnout Voter protection efforts underway ahead of November, including poll watcher recruitment and coordination with the DNC and state party Precinct chair recruitment strategy, from a unified county convention to "Pilates and Politics" Why Dallas County's roughly 1 million registered Democrats make this a turnout election, and what Beto O'Rourke's 220,000-vote statewide loss means for 2026 James Talarico's $25 million Black voter outreach investment and what effective spending looks like on the ground The only two Dallas County-held Republican Texas House seats — HD-108 and HD-112 — and this cycle's targeting strategy Where the county still needs to grow: South Dallas, West Dallas/Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Garland, Rowlett, and Irving Support Dallas County Democrats: dallasdemocrats.org Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
July 23 · 55 min· Video
Ep. 42: "How To" Run For Office (from two working parents)
This week, Mission: Texas sits down with two working parents who decided the "someone else will run" strategy wasn't working anymore. Katie O'Brien Duzan is taking on HD-94 in Tarrant County, and Zach Herbert — a Marine Corps veteran and trial attorney — is running for HD-112 in the Dallas area. Both are in highly competitive state house districts that have a likelihood of flipping. Both candidates talk through their "flux capacitor moment" of deciding to run, the steep learning curve of campaign finance and call time, and how they're building family-friendly campaigns that bring their own kids into the process. They dig into fundraising disparities against well-funded incumbents, the value of door-knocking over ad spend, and why authenticity beats political polish every time. Plus: our new Good News segment covers gym gains, a Tonal million-pound milestone, a birthday, and a half-marathon commitment in the works. What we cover: Katie's and Zach's origin stories — stepping up when no one else had filed Building a campaign from scratch: checklists, core teams, and campaign schools The brutal reality of fundraising against opponents backed by PACs and billionaires Call time, Oath.vote, and rethinking how campaigns reach small donors Why door-knocking beats mailers and TV ads for reaching moderate voters Making campaigns family-friendly — kid-friendly kickoffs, "Scoops with Zach," and block walking with your kids Balancing a day job, a campaign, and parenting without losing yourself Advice for anyone who wants to get involved but doesn't know where to start Follow and support Katie and Zach: https://www.katiefor94.com/ https://zach4texas.com/ Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠 #MissionTexas #TexasPolitics #FlipTexas #TexasDemocrats #HD94 #HD112 #TarrantCounty #DallasCounty #WorkingParents #VeteransInPolitics #RunForOffice #HowToRunForOffice #GrassrootsCampaign #TexasHouse #BlockWalking #TexasLegislature2026
July 16 · 53 min· Video
Ep. 41: The Surprise Shake Up Within the Texas Democratic Party (Liza Hameline & Chris Servin)
This week we're joined by two newly elected members of the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) the governing board of the state party: Liza Hameline, a longtime North Texas election judge and Irving-based organizer; and Chris Servin, a Tarrant County field organizer who is the co-chair of the statewide Hispanic Caucus. Both bring a data-driven, door-knocking ethos to the party's infrastructure. They discuss their surprise elections and what the SDEC really does within the Texas Democratic Party. Plus: Alex's good news is filing a motion to intervene in federal court to help defend Texas's open primary law; Liza's is watching 85% of her SDEC delegation turn out as brand-new faces; and Chris's is launching the Senate District 9 Tejano Democrats chapter in Fort Worth. What we cover: Liza's path from corporate lawyer to precinct-chair recruiter after 2021 redistricting split Irving into four school districts Chris's phone-banking marathon to win the statewide Hispanic Caucus seat — and why "can I count on your support" is the most underused question in politics Chris's work on the coordinated campaign's VAN-based outreach strategy and how it identifies persuadable general-election-only voters Liza's take on what "progressive" means on the ground: down-ballot races, city council wins in Irving (District 6 and District 3), and voter registration at faith communities Chris's plans for the new Senate District 9 Tejano Democrats chapter and reaching underserved rural counties Why Dallas and Tarrant Counties are the highest-ROI turnout targets in the state Building "fun," inclusive local party infrastructure as the real 2030 strategy Follow both: @liza_hameline @chrisisserving Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠 #texaspolitics #texasdemocrats #bluetexas #fliptexas
July 9 · 50 min· Video
Ep. 40: Convention, Texas Democratic Leadership, and Proud Patriots (Nic Nickens)
We're kicking off a series of episodes with leaders within the Texas Democratic Party infrastructure, hearing what's going on within the party from the inside. Recorded coming off the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi and heading straight into the Fourth of July weekend, this first installment is about reclaiming patriotism as Democratic territory. Kate and Alex sit down with Frederick "Nic" Nickens, chair of the Texas Democratic Veterans Caucus and a leader within the Black Caucus, a 23-year Army veteran who retired as a First Sergeant and Tank Master Gunner. He makes the case that veterans, and the party that champions them, are the ones who actually define what patriotism means, and that Democrats have let the other side write that narrative for too long. Plus: the hosts celebrate 40 episodes of Mission: Texas, Alex heads to Rockwall for a July 4th cookout with his Air Force veteran law school best friend, and Nic shouts out his daughter's birthday and the Texas Democratic Veterans' 24th anniversary as an organization, all landing the same holiday weekend. What we cover: Convention recap from Corpus Christi: the mood in the room, the water concerns that never materialized, and a party lineup built for the big tent How the caucus system works inside the Texas Democratic Party, and what the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) actually does The military oath to the Constitution, not to a party or a person, and why that distinction matters right now Why 72 of 100 veterans in Congress are Republicans Nic's path from Army private to tank master gunner to first sergeant, and how military leadership training translates directly to political organizing Why Democrats need to define patriotism on their own terms going into 2026 and beyond Guest: Nic Nickens, Chair, Texas Democratic Veterans Caucus Websites: txdemvets.org | txblackdems.org Also mentioned: Texas Black Politics, Texas in Color Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
July 2 · 51 min· Video
Ep. 39: Is San Antonio the Key to Flipping Texas? (Zack Dunn)
This week, Kate and Alex sit down with Zack Dunn, Democratic nominee for Texas House District 121 in San Antonio, the second of two House seats in the area that are closest to flipping. His seat is targeted by the DLCC and HDCC, two groups helping flip seats in the Texas legislature. Zack was recording while in Corpus Christi, where the convention was happening. Plus: Kate gets back into a courtroom on the defense side; Alex gets hired by Veterans for All Voters to help defend Texas election law in federal court after the Texas GOP moves to close its primaries; and Zack shares he's about to become an uncle for the first time. What we cover: Zack's path from UTSA student government to the Obama White House to the Bexar County DA's office Zack's connections to the Castros and San Antonio politics Why HD-121 hasn't elected a Democrat since 1981, and what's different this time The $5 million GOP primary in his race pitting two of the biggest donor groups against each other How the voucher fight is showing up at the doors across every part of the district Lessons for Democrats running in "unwinnable" seats Convention week in Corpus Christi and the statewide coordination effort for November Guest: Zack Dunn for Texas House District 121 Website: zackdunn.com Social: @dunnfortexas Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
June 25 · 57 min· Video
Ep. 38: From Political Rivals to Friends (Rep. Cassandra Hernandez)
Kate's primary rival turned good friend joins the podcast. State Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (HD-115) beat Kate in the March 2024 Democratic primary, and this episode is the full story of that race, how they built a real friendship out of it, and what it means heading into the general election season. With Texas Democrats gathering in Corpus Christi this week for the state convention, this conversation is a reminder of what it looks like when Democrats come together after a hard primary to fight for the bigger goal: flipping the state. Plus: Alex is about to become board president of a 75-year-old Dallas preschool, Cassandra's district office officially opens this month, and Kate makes summer plans. We discuss: How Cassandra went from losing her first race to becoming a state rep — and the piece of advice from a sitting appellate justice that changed how she handled the loss The "olive branch" pact she and Kate made before the primary even started — and what it actually looked like behind the scenes Inside the quorum break: what it was like meeting governors in New York and organizers in Chicago, and why she says "Texas Democrats have fight — we just need help" The DLCC's new push to target 12 Texas House seats, and why Cassandra says the resources need to come "yesterday" Why the GOP's mid-decade redistricting fight is now baked into every future legislative session Her block-walking philosophy: why door-knocking beats everything else, and how her team is using off-cycle elections to build long-term voter relationships The honor of serving alongside state-wide candidates Vikki Goodwin, James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, and Jon Rosenthal — and what she learned watching them fight up close Follow Cassandra: @CasForTX | cassandrafortexas.com Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠
June 18 · 59 min· Video
Ep. 37 (audio): The Obama Organizer Who Showed Up in Sherman and Changed Alex's Life (Scott Mackey)
Alex has told this story before — how a campaign organizer showed up in Sherman, Texas of all places, and changed the trajectory of his life. This week, that organizer is finally on the mic. Scott Mackey recruited Alex as a high school senior during the 2008 Texas Democratic primary, back when the campaign had no budget, no VAN data, and was cutting turf on hand-drawn Google Maps. It's a homecoming conversation and nostalgia journey. But Scott and the hosts don't just stay in 2008. They use the Obama years as a lens for everything that's happened since — what that campaign got right about organizing and message, where the party has drifted, and what it would actually take to build that kind of coalition again in Texas and beyond. In this conversation: How Scott went from Peace Corps-bound in Guatemala to catching a flight to South Carolina the morning after New Hampshire Organizing Sherman with no data, no staff, and hand-drawn turf maps — and what that scrappy model still teaches The Obama organizing principle of "respect, empower, include" — and how far Democrats have drifted from it Why Trump's rise runs on the same playbook as Obama's, just a different feeling James Talarico's "top vs. bottom" framing and why it's connecting where traditional Democratic messaging hasn't Citizens United, dark money, and how Democrats became the party defending institutions instead of people The 2028 primary field — and why the candidate who changes everything might not be on anyone's radar yet Plus: Scott ran the 2030 census numbers — and even holding Obama's exact 2008 map, Democrats lose seven electoral votes. The old math won't cut it. Follow Scott: @scottmackeywriter on Instagram Scott's novel: Love Is Not The Answer Learn more: Veterans for All Voters — veteransforallvoters.org Support the show: Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠

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