WiseUp TX

United States Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX 7) of Harris County won a historic election in 2018, as the first woman to win the district and the first Democrat to win the district since 1967.  She shares how through partnership great work can be accomplished in Congress.  She reminds our listeners that engaging our democracy can be rewarding and even fun.  Congresswoman Fletcher also talks about her work to honor Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, a police officer who was killed in the line of duty in Harris County and who was a trailblazer for the Sikh community.

Learn more about her on her website.

WiseUp TX is nonpartisan and does not endorse any candidate or party.

Areeba Amer hosts this episode! Areeba is a journalism and economics student at The University of Texas at Austin and a WiseUp TX intern since 2008!

Sana Meghani is on the Get Out the Vote Committee for WiseUp TX and is hosting some podcast interviews this season!  She has been working hard to get how to vote materials done in Telugu, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali, Tamil, Urdu, and Punjabi!  Hear more about her life outside of WiseUp TX and how she landed in her dream job! 

Zohaib Qadri is also on the Get Out the Vote Committee and is working on candidate profiles so our followers can get educated on all the down ballot races!  Zohaib's career includes working on a variety of campaigns and for a Texas State Rep. Tune in to learn more! 

Read more about them on the WiseUp TX website. 

Jeff Whitfield is running for Texas State Rep. as the democratic candidate for District 92.  This district is in the "Mid Cities" between Dallas and Fort Worth, including Hurst, Euless and Bedford.  He is a veteran and an attorney whose work has taken him around the globe, but he was raised in the Mid Cities area, and settled down here with his own family.  Now, he wants to serve this community by improving healthcare, education, and creating jobs post Covid-19 as a State Rep. 

Visit his website to learn more.

WiseUp TX does not endorse any candidate or political party. 

Mike Siegel is a civil rights lawyer and former public school teacher running for Congress in Texas’ 10th Congressional District, which stretches from Houston to Austin.  Mike discusses why he is running again and how he plans to win this time, the importance of relational organizing, the issues his voters are talking about, and the importance of South Asian voters.

Learn about him on his website.

WiseUp TX is a non-partisan nonprofit and does not endorse any candidate or political party. 

In this interview, Representative Gary Gates (R - District 28) talks about how he won his special election runoff in January 2020, and his plans for the district as the Representative if he wins again this November.  Gates discusses the impacts of Covid-19 and why he thinks his business experience makes him suited to bring Texans out of it.  

To learn more about him, visit his website.  

WiseUp TX is a non-partisan nonprofit and does not support any candidate or political party. 

Eliz Markowitz is running for Texas State Representative in District 28 (Suburbs of Houston).  In this interview, she talks about the special election earlier this year that gave her campaign an early start, and why she expects to win this time against the same candidate who won the special election. She says she noticed how her suburban district was changing, but leadership stayed the same.  That need for change sparked her moral obligation to run for this office.  

You can learn more about her on her website.  

WiseUp TX does not endorse any candidate or political party. 

Punam Kaji is a hosting and managing the WiseUp TX Podcast this election cycle, but who is she?  Learn about her biography and the journey that fuels her passion for WiseUp TX and South Asian voter engagement.

Neal Sarkar is a host of the WiseUP TX Podcast.  Tune in to hear his story.  Learn about the research and policy work he is doing with WiseUp TX to better answer the question "What does the South Asian community want and need from elected officials in Texas?"

Learn more about Punam and Neal on the WiseUp TX website. 

Sharon Hirsch is running for Texas State Representative for House District 66, which includes West Plano and far North Dallas. She discusses how after losing by just 391 votes in 2018, she decided to run again in 2020 on a platform of public education, expanding Medicaid access in Texas, gun safety, and ensuring fair maps when it comes to redistricting.

Learn more about her on her website.

WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not endorse any candidate or political party.

Sadaf Haq is running for City Council in Frisco (a suburb of Dallas).  She talks about the leadership positions she has held with various boards before deciding to run for office.  In this interview, she shares how she hopes to pave the way for other South Asians and she talks about how her diverse coalition of supporters inspires her throughout her campaign.  

You can learn more about her on her website.

Host Punam Kaji shares a preview of podcast interviews to come between now and Election Day!  The WiseUp TX Podcast will feature interviews from South Asian candidates running throughout Texas, candidates for Texas State House, and candidates for U.S. Congress!