| Texas Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Boyd Richie |
| Senate leader | Kirk Watson |
| House leader | Jessica Farrar |
| Founded | 1846 |
| Headquarters | 505 West 12th Street, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78701 |
| Student wing | Texas College Democrats |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Seats in State Upper Houses |
12 / 31
|
| Seats in State Lower Houses |
49 / 150
|
| Website | |
| www.txdemocrats.org | |
| Politics of the United States Political parties Elections |
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The Texas Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Texas and the local branch of the United States Democratic Party. It is headquartered in Downtown Austin within close proximity to the Texas State Capitol.[1]
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The Democratic Party of Texas had a prominent role in 19th century American history. The United States Congress approved the Texas state constitution and President James Polk signed the act admitting Texas as a state on December 29, 1845.[2] For the remainder of the 19th century the Democratic Party of Texas dominated state politics at all levels, with one major exception.
Even before the Texas Annexation the Democratic Party had a foothold in the politics of the region. A powerful group of men that called themselves the "Texas Association" served as an early prototype for the Democratic Party of Texas. The Texas Association drew its membership from successful merchants, doctors, and lawyers, often traveling from their home-state of Tennessee. Many members of the Texas Association were close friends of Andrew Jackson, and most had strong ties to the Democratic Party. Similarly, most of the other settlers in Texas were from states in the south, and American southerners of this era generally held strong allegiances to the Democratic Party. [3]
It wasn't until half way through the 19th century when the Texas Democrats began to form something that resembles today's statewide network and regularly scheduled conventions. Before 1848, elections in Texas were conducted without organized political parties. In 1848 the party convention system was adopted, and it quickly became the primary method of selecting candidates for the Texas Democratic Party.
In the upheaval prior to the Civil War, national politics influenced the State Party’s ideology. In the process Texas Democrats started to discard their old Jacksonian-nationalism in favor of the states' rights agenda of the deep south. A conflict emerged within the Party between pro- union Democrats and secessionists. During the war, supporters of the Union disappeared from the political scene or moved north. Those who stayed politically active reluctantly supported the Confederacy.
In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, during the period of Reconstruction, the rift between Unionist and Secessionist Democrats remained unabridged. For a short period immediately after the war the Texas Democratic Party was a formidable political force, but they quickly split apart because their positions on freedmen varied greatly; some went so far as to support full civil rights, meanwhile others opposed anything more than emancipation.
Due to this inter-Party division and Congressional Reconstruction, Republicans captured both the governor's office and the state legislature in 1869. Similar to what was experienced in many southern states, Republican political dominance in the post-Civil war era was short-lived. By 1872, the Texas Democrats had re-consolidated their Party and taken over the Texas legislature.[4]
Republicans would become minor political players for the rest of the 19th century and Democrats would go on to dominate Texas politics for several decades, well into the 20th century. However, internecine struggles would continue to plague the Texas Democrats.
In the mid-twentieth century the Democrats started to face a growing challenge from the once impotent Republican Party. The 1950s was a decade of factionalism and in-fighting for the Texas Democratic Party, mainly between liberal and conservative Democrats. The Republicans managed to carry Texas for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956.
Cohesion returned to the Democratic Party in the 1960s. The Democrats carried Texas in the 1960 presidential election with prominent Texas politician Lyndon B. Johnson running for Vice President. In 1962, John B. Connally, a moderate Democrat was elected Governor of Texas. The assassination of John F. Kennedy created further impetus to bridge the gap between liberal and moderate Texas Democrats; Party unity was solidified with Johnson's ensuing Presidency and the drubbing of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.
In the 1964 presidential election Johnson carried his home state with ease, but liberal forces in Texas were in decline. In the 1968 presidential election Democrat Hubert Humphrey barely managed to win Texas.
In 1976 Jimmy Carter would become the last Democratic Presidential candidate to carry Texas, and the tide was clearly turning when Democrats lost the gubernatorial election of 1978. Bill Clements was the first Republican governor since the reconstruction era. By the 1990s Republicans had gained a strong foothold, and throughout the 21st century they have been largely victorious. Currently, both houses of the Texas Legislature feature Republican majorities. At the federal level, Republicans hold both of the Senate seats and 23 out of the possible 32 House seats allotted to Texas.[5]
In 1976 Boyd Richie beat an incumbent to be elected District Attorney for the 90th Judicial District, which covered three counties. A lawyer in private practice for over 35 years, he also served for three terms as County Attorney for Young County. Boyd has also served as Vice President of the Young County Bar Association and in 2005, was elected a life fellow of the Texas Bar Association.
Prior to being elected Chair, Boyd served two terms on the State Democratic Executive Committee and was Chair of Audit Subcommittee of the Finance Committee. Boyd was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Selective Service Local Board, a position he held until his election as Young County Attorney.
Boyd Richie was unanimously elected Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party on April 22, 2006. During his first speech as Chair, Boyd laid out his five point plan to revitalize the Texas Democratic Party and expand field staff and grassroots trainings, build a pro-active communications team and incorporate modern technology into the Party’s fundraising, communications and outreach strategies.
Boyd resides in Graham, Texas with his wife, Democratic National Committee Member Betty Richie.[6]
In Boyd Richie's first speech as Chairman he declared to the Texas Democrats that “our job is not to win arguments, but to win elections”. This pragmatism permeates whatever ideological debates occur within the party.
The Texas Democratic Party is of a center-left persuasion, with many members that would describe themselves as conservative or "blue dogs".[7] The diversity of liberals and conservatives within this State Party has resulted in significant internecine struggles. Despite the ideological diversity state priorities are crafted into a cohesive platform.[8]
The Texas Democrats are mostly organized with biennial conventions that take place at precinct, county, and state level. The purpose of the precinct convention is to choose delegates to the county convention, and the delegates who gather at the county conventions are mainly concerned with selecting delegates to the state convention. The purpose of the state convention is to appoint the state executive committee, adopt a party platform, and officially certify the party's candidates to be listed on the general election ballot. In Presidential election years the state convention also chooses delegates to go to the Democratic National Convention.
The State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) includes one man and one woman from each district, plus a chairman and a vice-chairman. The SDEC members are technically appointed, but they are voted on by the convention’s delegates.[9]
The Texas Democratic Party is the primary organization responsible for increasing the representation of its ideological base in state, district, county, and city government. The permanent staff of the Party provide training and resources for Democratic candidates within the state, particularly on grassroots organization and fundraising.[10]
The Party organization monitors political discourse in the state and speaks on behalf of its members. The party employs a full-time Communications Director who is responsible for the Party’s communications strategy, which includes speaking with established state and national media. Press releases regarding current issues are often released through the by permanent staff.[11]
The party also maintains a website with updates and policy briefs on issues pertinent to its ideological base. Its online presence also includes Facebook and Twitter accounts, each of which has thousands of followers and is used to update followers on the most recent events affecting the party. The Party also employs several e-mail groups that send periodic updates to millions of followers.[12]
A major function of the Texas Democratic Party is to raise funds to maintain the electoral infrastructure within its organization. Funds are used to provide for a permanent staff, publish communication and election material, provide training to candidates, and to pay for legal services. In the 2008 elections, almost 90% of the party's campaign contributions came from personal injury trial lawyers.[13]
In 2003, a group of Democratic state legislators referred to as the Texas Eleven fled to New Mexico and Oklahoma, to prevent the passage of dramatic redistricting legislation. Republicans had been pushing redistricting because Democrats had been sending more representatives to Congress, even though the state's voters had leaned Republican in recent years. U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, called for the lawful arrest of the Texas Eleven.
Their absence prevented a quorum during a special 30 day session of the legislature; afterwards, when Senator John Whitmire conceded, the rest followed, because his presence on the Senate floor met qourom [14]
At the 2010 convention the Texas Democrats voted to keep the controversial Two-Step system. Most states use either a primary or a caucus in order to determine presidential nominees, but Texas runs an amalgamation of both.
The antipathy towards George W. Bush and the allure of a contentious race drew almost 3 million Democrats to the primary polls. During the Democratic Presidential caucuses, thousands of new Texas Democrats showed up and overwhelmed the old-guard party officials. Factions of the Texas Democrats complained that this populist outburst wrought havoc on the caucus process. Almost immediately after the results, Party regulars began calling to change the system or even to abolish the caucus altogether. In the end, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but Barack Obama’s well-organized campaign won the caucus. [15]
The Texas Democratic Party holds nine of the state's 32 U.S. House seats, 12 of the state’s 31 Texas Senate seats, and 49 of the state’s 150 Texas House of Representatives seats.
The following members of the U.S. House of Representatives are Democrats:[16]
The following Democrats represent their districts in the Texas Senate:[17]
The following Democrats represent their districts in the Texas House of Representatives:[18]
The following members of the State Board of Education are Democrats; they help oversee the Texas Education Agency:[19]
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