Early voting in the Democratic primary starts on Tuesday February 20th, and Progress Texas has selected FIVE more terrific candidates whom we think deserve your vote!

In addition to Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, whom we have endorsed in his run for the Democratic nomination to face Ted Cruz for Texas' junior U.S. Senate seat...

(2:00) We endorse State Representative Julie Johnson (HD 115) for Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. In the highly contested race for Colin Allred’s seat, with several strong candidates, Johnson’s record as a lawyer and lawmaker stands out, championing women, workers, and LGBTQ+ Texans. Johnson turned HD 115 red to blue back in 2018, and has the experience to turn the tables in Washington D.C., to make the government work for us on reproductive justice, gun violence protection, and affordable healthcare. https://juliejohnson.com/

(10:25) Michelle Vallejo is a small business owner and fierce community advocate from South Texas. In a rematch for TX-15, she will take back her historically blue district running on bringing down healthcare costs, securing good-paying jobs and a thriving economy, and protecting reproductive rights. This is a personal fight for her. Her mother, who passed away several years ago, was forced to travel to Mexico for healthcare due to lack of options here in Texas. https://www.michellefortx15.com/

(18:46) Sam Eppler is our choice for Texas Congressional District 24 in North Texas. The former math teacher and high school principal is the pro-democracy, economic growth, and public education champion his district needs to beat a MAGA extremist incumbent in November.  A top priority of his is to provide a good education in a safe school to build a brighter future for everyone, in every zip code. https://sameppler.com/

(25:27) Bill Burch is a career engineer running for the Texas Railroad Commission. He will bring 23 years of energy industry experience—including time as an emergency responder for the Deepwater Horizon spill—expertise of sustainable energy practices, and a sense of integrity and accountability the agency is critically missing. https://burch4trrc.com/

(36:08) Lauren Ashley Simmons, a challenger running for Texas HD 146, is a mom and union organizer whose platform centers public education, universal and affordable healthcare, workers rights, and defending democracy. Her opponent, the current state representative, Rep. Shawn Thierry, votes with Gov. Abbott to destroy our public schools. She’s also faced public scandals for voting with extremists to attack LGBTQ+ Texans, and creating “abusive” work environments. In contrast, Simmons is a black, queer woman, who will fight for those who are tired, frustrated, and who feel unheard by the people who are supposed to be serving them. https://www.laurenashleysimmons.com/

Thanks for listening! Throughout February, Progress Texas is seeking to add a total of 29 new recurring donors to our lineup - one per day this leap month! Learn more at https://progresstexas.org/donate.