If you were in charge of Texas Democrats, what would your goals be?

[Tekken_Guy]

If you were in charge of Texas Democrats, what would your goals be?

[TML]

Invest more in partisan organization and persuasion. The 2022 results were the products of both of these elements: the former resulted in relatively low turnout in Democratic strongholds (Democrats' ground game was much worse on this front compared to Republicans), while the latter resulted in Democrats being walloped on the issue of border security (which is an important one in this state; Democrats don't necessarily need to adopt the same positions as Republicans on this issue, they just need to be more effective in countering Republican attacks and getting their own messaging across).

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

All-in on Latinos, who make up a plurality of all Texans and who Democrats nationwide seem determined to ignore in favor of people who make six figures and voted for Mitt Romney.

[Senator Incitatus]

Leave politics and get a real job.

[MargieCat]

I would focus on four types of areas.

First of all, urban precincts. Democrats need a really high minority turn-out in the large cities. Cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, and Fort Worth, need outstanding organization.

Second of all, the suburbs/exurbs. Many are quite diverse nowadays, and have shifted to the left. This is where the majority of the growth will occur. Places like Williamson, Hays, Comal, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Collin, Denton, and other counties surrounding large metro areas. Some of them need to get bluer (Hays and Williamson), some need to flip blue (Collin and Denton), and some (Montgomery and Comal) Democrats need to work on eroding the massive GOP margins.

Third of all, the Rio Grande Valley. This one is self explanatory. It makes up a tiny share of the total votes cast. Some overestimate the political strength the Valley has. But Democrats should work on rebuilding down here. Even if nothing more than to win congressional and legislative seats.

Forth, Democrats need to focus on college campuses (some of which overlap with the aforementioned areas). Texas has a very decentralized university system (it actually has multiple). Besides even the big ones like UT Austin, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Houston, there are some smaller universities in rural towns. Community colleges as well. Beto did a college tour after finishing his 254 county tour. It's important to make sure that university students are either registered in the county their university is located in, or that they get an absentee ballot from their home county. My brother had to drive all the way from SFASU in Nacogdoches to our home county of Harris County, because he was not registered in Nacogdoches, which could have been avoided if he had an absentee ballot. Voter suppression is a real thing here, I think a lot of college students end up not voting due to it.

As for white rural areas, I think they probably need to be written off at this point. Unless your rural county has a university campus, it is probably not worth the effort. Beto wasted time visiting rural counties that swung even further to the right in order to support Abbott.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Focus on the legislature. The republicans face uphill geography here and so democrats don’t need to win statewide to win the state house for example.

[patzer]

Focus on the legislature. The republicans face uphill geography here and so democrats don’t need to win statewide to win the state house for example.

this, as gaining the legislature allows much more D-friendly redistricting in the future.

[Mr.Phips]

Focus on the legislature. The republicans face uphill geography here and so democrats don’t need to win statewide to win the state house for example.

this, as gaining the legislature allows much more D-friendly redistricting in the future.

Having just one House of the legislature wouldnt prevent Republican gerrymandering of the legislature unless Democrats also won a majority of the statewide offices, which make up the backup commission that redistricts the legislature in the case that the legislature and governor cannot agree on maps. 

[MARGINS6729]

1. Focus on Latinos.
2. CRUSH Republicans in the urban areas.
3. Get more money

[Samof94]

All-in on Latinos, who make up a plurality of all Texans and who Democrats nationwide seem determined to ignore in favor of people who make six figures and voted for Mitt Romney.

Imagine better Spanish-language advertising. That would be my goal.

[SnowLabrador]

Not keep running Beto O'Rourke for statewide office. He was inspiring in 2018, now he's just a perennial candidate.

[wnwnwn]

1 Focus on Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. Try to avoid the Austin liberal image.
2 Try to swing left Brazos County
3 Research why Western Texas hispanics don't vote and/or vote republican.
4 Support "dem leaning" industrias
5 Avoid energy issues as much as posible (or support nuclear energy).
6 Anti vote supression operations

[BigSkyBob]

To flatter and deceive Bush Republicans into the false belief that if they switch the Democratic Party en mass they will take over that party and put themselves back in power.

[Fuzzy Bear]

To flatter and deceive Bush Republicans into the false belief that if they switch the Democratic Party en mass they will take over that party and put themselves back in power.

Truthfully, this is their best bet.

This strategy is how Republicans initially took over Texas, convincing Tory Democrats that if they switched to the GOP, they would be in control of the GOP.  The problem was that many of the Tory Democrats were the sort of people that the GOP had been fighting vigorously in it's lean years.  The Sharpstown scandal of 1971 upended a slew of Tory Democrats, but the legislative impetus that led to reforms was comprised of a coalition of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.  It's why the Texas GOP didn't welcome John Connally and why Kent Hance, Ralph Hall, Greg Laughlin, and a number of other party switchers didn't last long as Republicans.  But the strategy worked regardless.  So don't be surprised if George P. Bush is a Democratic nominee for Governor soon.  His switch would be less extreme than Charlie Crist's.

[Person Man]

1 Focus on Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. Try to avoid the Austin liberal image.
2 Try to swing left Brazos County
3 Research why Western Texas hispanics don't vote and/or vote republican.
4 Support "dem leaning" industrias
5 Avoid energy issues as much as posible (or support nuclear energy).
6 Anti vote supression operations

Going “radical centrist” on energy/environment could be a big deal.