Category: Candidates

Roundup of statements from Central Texas reps on Trump’s incitement of violence against Rep. Ilhan Omar

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

In a clear incitement of racist violence, the president tweeted a video that intercuts four words spoken by Rep. Ilhan Omar with graphic footage from 9/11. Our representatives—and presidential candidates—should all condemn the president’s latest Islamophobic demagoguery.

Democratic representatives need to make clear that the Congresswoman has the party’s support. Presidential candidates should issue statements that support Rep. Omar and clearly denounce the president.

Our GOP representatives should not be let off the hook, either. Our expectations for them have sunk low, but racism and attacks by the White House on the legislative branch of government are bipartisan problems.

Here are the statements issued so far. We will update this page as new statements are made.

U.S. Congress

Sen. John Cornyn

no statement

Sen. Ted Cruz

This clip has virtually nothing to do with anything but appears to be Ted Cruz’s statement on the matter.

Rep. Michael McCaul

no statement

Rep. Bill Flores

No statement, except to retweet the president.

Rep. Chip Roy

no statement

Rep. Roger Williams

no statement

Rep. John Carter

no statement

Rep. Lloyd Doggett

Rep. Joaquin Castro

Congressional Candidates

Other Notable Statements

Election Night Watch Party Roundup

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

Polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6. If you’d like your event to be included, please email noah@indivisibleaustin.com with details.

Election Night Watch Party for Mike Siegel!

You’ve volunteered, knocked doors, made calls, written postcards, and – most importantly – voted! Now it’s time to celebrate all of our hard work as we watch the results roll in on Election Night!

Billy’s On Burnet
2105 Hancock Dr.

RSVP on Facebook

Julie Oliver and Indivisible TX25 East Watch Party

Contigo
2027 Anchor Ln.

Legislate This! & The Show Up Election Night Watch Party

Legislate This! is a burlesque benefit that raises money for our local Planned Parenthood chapter. The Show Up is a group of Austin artists looking to engender more civic action. Please join both groups at the North Door for a night of patriotic celebration. Civic duty and civic booty collide on Election Night!

The North Door
502 Brushy St.

RSVP on Facebook

Beto for Texas Election Night Watch Party

Join the your neighbors and Wells Branch Pop-Up #1 volunteers for an election night watch party! Weather permitting we will set up a screen/projector in the backyard to watch the results come in. Please bring a lawn chair and/or blanket and snacks to share!

Wells Branch Pop-Up #1
3400 Ruby Red Drive

RSVP

Texas Democrats Election Night Party

Join the Texas Democratic Party and Travis County Democratic Party with Lupe Valdez, Mike Collier, Justin Nelson, Joi Chevalier, Miguel Suazo and more!

The Driskill
604 Brazos St

RSVP

 

Endorsement: Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

Indivisible Austin endorses Beto O'Rourke for U.S. Senate

Indivisible Austin is proud to endorse Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate. We have watched O’Rourke’s campaign closely over the last several months, and we have been excited to see him criss-cross the state to meet with Texans at hundreds of public meetings. In sharp contrast to the incumbent, who seems to spend more time in Iowa than in Texas, O’Rourke has met with thousands of Texans this August alone, welcoming questions from people of all political stripes, and rejecting PAC and large donations.

Texas has become ground zero for attacks on some of our most vulnerable communities. DACA recipients; immigrant children separated from their families; people in the LGBTQ community targeted through arbitrary bathroom bills; literally anyone with a pre-existing condition—all face Texas-size opposition from a GOP-dominated congressional delegation and state legislature.

Texas needs a senator who can face these challenges and more. Texas needs Beto O’Rourke.

More than 500 families remain separated at the border, including parents who have already been deported while their children remain in holding facilities. Reports have emerged of horrific physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of children. Since the Trump administration began separating families, O’Rourke has emerged as a leader on immigration policy who—again, in sharp contrast to his opponent—values human rights and respect for others over fear-mongering to gain political points.

His common-sense positions on gun control—such as requiring background checks on all firearm sales and banning the sale of weapons of war and high-capacity magazines—would limit gun violence while preserving Second Amendment rights.

He views health care as a basic human right—not a privilege—and favors strengthening the Affordable Care Act, expanding Medicaid, and ultimately achieving universal health care.

O’Rourke has also emerged as a strikingly unifying candidate running a relentlessly positive campaign on an equally relentless schedule. He has a gift for distilling complex issues into terms voters can connect to, and he is willing to talk to absolutely anyone on any issue, in an open town hall setting.

Consider this video, which has gone viral, in which Rep. O’Rourke politely but firmly disagrees with an audience member on the subject of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, and the underlying racial injustice that fuels their protest.

Ted Cruz’s campaign misleadingly edited this video and launched it as an attack ad. This cowardice mirrors Cruz’s disdainful treatment of constituents. During his nearly six years in the Senate he has yet to hold a truly open town hall, and he avoids real issues by grandstanding on the Senate floor, decrying Nancy Pelosi, and running for President. There is nothing more to say about Ted Cruz except that he must go.

We are pleased to endorse Rep. Beto O’Rourke as an inspirational, transformational Texan who has visited all 254 counties in Texas on his quest to unseat Ted Cruz. This endorsement from Indivisible Austin complements the national Indivisible team’s endorsement, and those of multiple other advocacy groups. We are proud to add our name to the list of supporters and give Rep. O’Rourke our full backing.

Indivisible Goes to Washington

Posted on by Lisa

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Washington with about 40 other Indivisible leaders from across the country. It was a wonderful chance to meet some of the folks I’ve gotten to know virtually over the last year-and-a-half, while also connecting with some of the Indivisible national staff.

Indivisible leaders from California to Maine and points in between gathered in D.C.
Indivisible leaders from California to Maine and points in between gathered in D.C. Photo by Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth/Indivisible Illinois

We had a nice meetup followed by dinner, as we prepared to attend the We the People Summit the next day along with about 1,000 people from the labor movement, as well as allies such as Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, United We Dream, and many more. We also ran into some of our Austin friends from Workers Defense Project!

Progressive activists joined Communications Workers of America at the We The People 2018 Summit.
Progressive activists joined Communications Workers of America at the We The People 2018 Summit. Photo by Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth/Indivisible Illinois

The summit was actually a forum with a number of Democratic members of Congress (some of whom are likely 2020 candidates). Here’s a video recap from MSN, along with other analysts discussing the 2020 field. We heard from:

Sen. Cory Booker
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Sen. Kamala Harris
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Luis Gutierrez

Each member gave a brief speech, and then took 2-4 questions, depending on available time. Vox has a pretty good recap of each speaker. The topics they covered were broad, but had common themes: an economy that isn’t working for many Americans, worsened by the massive tax scam; immigration policies and zero-tolerance crackdowns that are tearing families apart; racial bias in the criminal justice system and mass incarceration; uncontrolled drug prices; corruption as the basic mode of operation of the White House.

Senator Kamala Harris of California addresses the crowd at the We the People Summit.
Senator Kamala Harris of California addresses the crowd at the We the People Summit. Photo by Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth/Indivisible Illinois

Indivisible member Ricky Silver from New York asked Sen. Gillibrand whether she’d support a tax on every Wall Street transaction. The senator has been challenged on her cozy relationship with Wall Street, and apparently she was not expected to answer the question directly. To everyone’s happy surprise, she not only directly answered the question, but for the first time said on the record that she’d support the transactions tax as a means of reigning in income inequality.

After the forum concluded, we went a short distance to D.C.’s Freedom Plaza where Rep. Jayapal and Rep. John Lewis, among others, and about 200 activists gathered for a rally and march to the D.C. office of Customs and Border Protection. Several members of Congress as well as about a dozen activists then started a sit-on on the steps of the office and prepared to be arrested. Unfortunately I had to leave early, but reports from the field told me no one was arrested. (Facebook video from Workers Defense Project)

L: Members of Congress lead the Families Belong Together rally and march to Customs and Border Patrol; M: Marchers headed to Customs and Border Patrol office in D.C.; R: Families belong together rally outside Customs and Border Patrol office in D.C.
L: Members of Congress lead the Families Belong Together rally and march to Customs and Border Patrol; M: Marchers headed to Customs and Border Patrol office in D.C.; R: Families belong together rally outside Customs and Border Patrol office in D.C. Photo credit Lisa Goodgame/Indivisible Austin

I met up with a friend for dinner. We knew each other when I worked as a foreign service officer, and this person continues to work for the State Department. My friend flagged a story in Foreign Policy about the deconstruction of the administrative state happening within the State Department, illustrated by a newish appointee who has been compiling an “enemies list” and working to destroy the U.S. relationship with international organizations like the United Nations and WHO, among others. As bad as you think it might be, it’s worse. The brain drain and diplomatic talent leaving the State Department (voluntarily or being forced out) is something we won’t recover from for a long time.

The food was good, the company enjoyable, but I left with a troubled feeling of unease.

Meet the Primary Election Runoff Candidates!

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

Be A Texas VoterThe primary election runoff is May 22, with early voting from May 14-18. Several state and US districts are holding runoff elections. If you voted in the primary, you must vote in the same party’s runoff. But if you did not vote in the primary, you can vote in either party’s runoff.

Below are upcoming candidate forums, debates, and meet-and-greets. We’ll update this page as more events are confirmed.

Wednesday, May 2nd

HD46 Democratic Runoff Debate

7:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1164 San Bernard St. Hosted by KUT Austin.

Join us for a debate between the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Texas House District 46.

Sheryl Cole for State Representative and Jose “Chito” Vela for State Representative are in the May 22nd runoff for the seat currently held by long-time State Representative Dawnna Dukes.

Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/192246558223278/

Saturday, May 5th

Meet the TX10 & TX27 Candidates in Bastrop

11 a.m. at Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard, Bastrop, TX. Hosted by the Bastrop County Democratic Party.

Featuring Tawana Walter-Cadien and Mike Siegel, who are running in TX10, and also Eric Holquin and Roy Barrera, who are running to represent TX27.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/212009829391326/

Town Hall for Our Lives featuring TX25 candidate Chris Perri and HD47 candidate Vikki Goodwin

5 p.m. at James Bowie High School, 4103 W Slaughter Ln.

Student-organized discussion with local Austin leaders as well as candidates for Congress. Panelists will include the local leaders and candidates as well as students from James Bowie High School. Panelists will include:

  • Chris Perri (candidate TX-25)
  • Vikki Goodwin (candidate TX-47)
  • Chris Evoy (AISD Police Department)
  • Dr. Craig Shapiro (Associate Superintendent of High Schools AISD)

Join to hear a Q&A session between the students and local leaders. Audience members will be able to ask questions and get involved towards the end of the event. Principals from the AISD district will be formally invited to listen in.

Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-hall-for-our-lives-austin-tx-tickets-45186265336

Sunday, May 6th

Primary forum w/ TX25 candidates and HD47 candidates

1:30 p.m. at Laura’s Library, 9411 Bee Caves Rd. Hosted by Indivisible Eanes/West Austin and Cuernavaca Action Group

Come meet the candidates for Congressional District 25 and Texas House District 27. This non-partisan event will give you an opportunity to speak with each candidate in a small group and ask them the questions that matter to you.

1:30 – 2:15 TX25 – Candidates invited are Julie Oliver, Chris Perri, and Roger Williams

2:30 – 3:00 HD47 – Candidates invited are Elaina Fowler, Vikki Goodwin, and Paul Workman

Registration using Eventbrite is requested but not required:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-runoff-candidates-tickets-44930669843

Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/231673737572107/

Monday, May 7th

A Democratic Candidate Forum for HD46 with Sheryl Cole & Chito Vela

6:30 p.m. at AFS Cinema, 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd. Hosted by The Texas Tribune.

Join The Texas Tribune for a candidate forum with the two Democratic hopefuls for House District 46.

Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-democratic-candidate-forum-for-hd-46-with-sheryl-cole-chito-vela-registration-44559574888

Friday, May 11th

Save the Date: Governors’ Debate with Lupe Valdez and Andrew White. 6 p.m.

6 p.m. at St James Episcopal 1941 Webberville Rd. Austin, Texas 78721

Join State Tejano Democrats, Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, Texas Young Democrats, Texas College Democrats, Texas Stonewall Democrats, and Travis County Democratic Party for a Grassroots Debate, with Lupe Valdez and Andrew White.

The debate will be moderated by Gromer Jeffers, political writer for the Dallas Morning News and Co-Host of Lone Star Politics on KXAS (NBC5). The event will be held at St. James Episcopal Church, ten minutes from downtown Austin. A live stream of the debate will be available at KXAN.com.

6:00 p.m. – Doors open
6:30 p.m. – Programing and instructions
7:00 p.m. – Debate

A limited number of tickets will be made available to the public on Tuesday May 8, at 6:00pm CST. The link will be published to this Facebook event page.

On the day of the debate, tickets will be honored up until 6:50pm, when all remaining available seats will be given to members of the public waiting in line at the venue.

Saturday, May 12th

***The Wilco Indivisible event originally scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled. We’ll update with any new events or if it’s rescheduled***

Monday, May 14th

TX21 Indivisible ATX Primary Runoff Candidate Forum

7 p.m. at FiberCove, 1700 S Lamar Blvd #338. Hosted by TX21 Indivisible.

Hear from candidates who want to represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District, and are headed to the primary runoff in just a few weeks:

  • Joseph Kopser (D)
  • Mary Wilson (D)

This is a rare chance to hear candidates from both parties at the same forum. There is only room for 100 attendees, so please arrive early to grab your seat.

Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/187054998773639/

Saturday, May 19th

TX31 Candidate Debate

10 a.m. at Sun City Ballroom 2 Texas Dr. Bldg A., Georgetown, TX. Hosted by Sun City Democrats, Florence Indivisible, Sun City Indivisible, Wilco Indivisible, and Cedar Park Indivisible.

Please join us for a debate between TX31 Congressional Candidates MJ Hegar and Dr. Christine Mann, moderated by Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1661087147302406/

And in case you missed it…

Videos from the April 21 candidate forum for the Democratic runoff election in Texas’ 10th Congressional District

 

 

April 8th: Town Hall for Our Lives in Austin

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

This post will be updated as details emerge. 

View this event on Facebook

SAVE THE DATE: Town Hall for Our Lives.

Sunday, April 8th 2-5 p.m.

William B. Travis High School
1211 E. Oltorf St, Austin, Texas 78704

Save the date! All area Members of Congress and candidates are invited to participate in a town hall to discuss gun violence and gun violence prevention in America/Texas. Participants to be added as they RSVP. More details will be updated shortly.

Confirmed participants to date:
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-35)
State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (HD-51)
Mary Wilson (D candidate, TX-21)
Christine Mann (D candidate, TX-31)
Julie Oliver (D candidate, TX-25)
Chris Perri (D candidate, TX-25)
Joseph Kopser (D candidate, TX-21)
Mike Siegel (D candidate, TX10)

Co-hosted by March for Our Lives Austin, Moms Demand Action, Texas Gun Sense, Indivisible Austin, Voto Latino, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas, National Association of Social Workers Texas chapter, Texas Capitol Walkout for Gun Safety, Literary Women in Action, ADAPT of Texas, Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas, Counter Balance ATX, Austin Justice Coalition, and others to be announced.

Please take note of the parking directions below. The entrance to the school’s parking is on Oltorf, and parking will be in the main lot behind the school. There is a short walk to the auditorium’s entrance.

This is an accessible event, and ASL interpretation will be provided thanks to ADAPT of Texas. Accessible parking is available in the main parking lot and a few spots in front of the school.

Please share this event RSVP with all the students in your life. We look forward to seeing you at tomorrow’s town hall.

Ted Cruz Chose His Campaign Stops Based on Where He Can Land His Private Jet

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

Ted Cruz is campaigning in some unusual Texas locales. The Mailroom in Austin? La Hacienda Scenic Loop in San Antonio? Some genius on Facebook speculated that it might be because he needs to stay close to the general aviation airports where he’s landing his private plane. We followed up and…they’re right.

See the events and maps below, and if you live near any of these places, how about meeting Ted at the airport and snapping his picture descending the steps of his private jet, while, of course, observing trespassing and all other applicable laws? Bonus points if you get the tail number of the plane, which would allow us to find out who it is registered to.

Send your photos to tips@indivisibleaustin.com. (And also let us know if you think we got something wrong here.)

Mon, April 2, 2018

9:30 a.m. Beaumont

This one is obvious: He’s not even leaving the airport to campaign.

Jack Brooks Regional Airport Firehouse
5000 Jerry Ware Drive
Beaumont, TX 77705

12:30 p.m. Tyler

John Soules Foods
10150 Farm to Market Road 14
Tyler, TX 75706

The campaign stop is 17 minutes from the Tyler Airport.

3:30 p.m. Waco

Schmalreide Farm
1775 Plainview Road
McGregor, TX 76657

This is billed as a Waco event, but it’s really in McGregor, and conveniently 14 minutes from the executive airport.

7 p.m. Stafford

Redneck Country Club
11110 West Airport Boulevard
Stafford, TX 77477

Good thing the Redneck Country Club (no comment) is right on Airport Blvd! We’re guessing he’ll use Sugar Land, which is 14 minutes away.

Tuesday, April 3

9 a.m. McAllen

National Border Patrol Council
4179 Crosspoint Blvd.
Edinburg, TX 78539

Conveniently located 20 minutes from the airport.

1 p.m. Corpus Christi

Ortiz Center, Kleberg Room
402 Harbor Drive
Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Just a 15-minute hop, skip, and jump from the airport.

4:30 p.m. San Antonio

La Hacienda Scenic Loop
25615 Boerne Stage Road
San Antonio, TX 78255

We’re guessing Ted is flying into Boerne Stage Airfield, a mere six minutes away.

7:30 p.m. Austin

Texas Mailhouse Inc
8606 Wall Street
Suite 1740
Austin, TX 78754

We had never heard of the Mailhouse prior to this campaign event. Lo and behold, it’s only 15 minutes from Austin Executive Airport and 18 minutes from ABIA. And yes, we are planning to show up.

Wednesday, April 4

9 a.m. Midland

Discovery Operating, Inc.
2600 Mockingbird Lane
Midland, TX 79705

12 p.m. Amarillo

West Texas A&M University
3301 4th Avenue
Canyon, TX 79015

Tradewind Airport would put Ted 10 minutes closer to his destination than if he flew into Rick Husband International.

3 p.m. Wichita Falls

The Kitchen
1000 Burnett Street
Wichita Falls, TX 76301

Twelve minutes, baby!

6:30 p.m. Fort Worth

River Ranch
500 Northeast 23rd St
Fort Worth, TX 76164

There are a few possibilities, including DFW (30 minutes away) and Fort Worth Alliance (20 minutes), but Meacham is only eight minutes away so we’re going with that.

Now, compare and contrast:

Beto in a truck

TX-17 Candidate Forum – Feb. 11, 2018

Posted on by Indivisible Austin

 

TX-17 candidate forum in Austin on Feb 11

View Facebook event

NEW DATE and TIME

Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
14311 Wells Port Dr, Austin, Texas 78728

Join us to learn more about & ask questions of the candidates running to represent us in Congress in Texas’ 17th Congressional District.

Confirmed candidates:

  • Dale Mantey (Dem)
  • Rick Kennedy (Dem)
  • Peter Churchman (Lib)

Declined to come:

  • Current Rep. Bill Flores (Rep)

Please bring one or more cans of food to donate for our host location to help our neighbors in need.