Like many other Democrats, I too listened to Pod Save America’s Postcast with DNC Chairman Ken Martin.

And I’ll be honest—I didn’t just disagree. I wanted to reach through my laptop and shake him.

It was one of the most frustrating political interviews I’ve heard in years. And that’s saying something. (Apologies to Terry Gross and Gene Simmons, but you’ve officially been dethroned.)

By the end of it, whatever remaining confidence I had in the DNC? Gone.

So let’s just say the quiet part out loud.

Here’s the deal, Ken.

We all know why we lost in 2024.

It wasn’t one thing. It was everything.

And if the DNC still isn’t willing to say that out loud—and more importantly, explain how they’re fixing it—then we’re headed straight for a sequel no one wants.

Because from where many of us were sitting?
The DNC didn’t just miss the message.

They were MIA on on what we were really hearing on the ground.

The Issues We Pretended Would Go Away

1. Israel–Gaza: The Conversation We Avoided

This didn’t start in 2024. This was years of tension building—and then exploding.

Democrats tried to thread a needle without acknowledging reality:

• You can support Jewish communities

• You can oppose Netanyahu’s actions

• You can condemn Hamas

All at the same time.

But instead of leading that conversation, we avoided it.
We sanitized it.
We acted like voters wouldn’t notice.

They noticed.

And what people felt was simple:
“We’re not being heard.”

That’s a dangerous place for any party to be.

2. The Border: Republicans Defined Us… and We Let Them

Greg Abbott started framing “open borders” before Biden even took office.

And what did we do?

We let him.

There was no clear, consistent, confident message from:

• The White House

• The Harris campaign

• Even Texas Democrats

And that vacuum? Republicans filled it.

I will die on this hill: weak messaging on the border cost us elections—Beto in 2022, and it absolutely hurt us again in 2024.

You don’t get to ignore an issue voters are living with every day and hope it disappears.

Spoiler: it doesn’t.

3. The Economy: Are We Kidding Right Now?

Let me say this plainly: I would love to have the Biden-era economy back right now.

So why? WHY are Democrats still struggling to talk about the economy like adults?

We had real wins.
We had real data.
We had real improvements.

And instead of owning it, we mumbled through it.

Meanwhile, Republicans told a simple story:
“Everything is broken.”

Guess which one voters remembered?

4. Trans Issues: We Got Defined

Republicans didn’t just attack on trans issues—they defined Democrats on them.

And we never effectively responded.

We should have:

• Protected our LGBTQ communities

• Protected our candidates

• And framed it around freedom, dignity, and government overreach

Instead, we hesitated.

And when you hesitate in politics, someone else writes your story.

What We Should Be Doing

We need to get back to something very basic:

1. Tell people what we stand for.

2. Tell them why we fight.

3. Tell them who we’re fighting for.

All Americans. All Texans. We are fighting for YOU!

Not in a slogan. In a way people can feel.

So Why Won’t the DNC Say This?

Let’s not dance around it.

Donors.

When you can’t have hard conversations, you can’t fix hard problems.

And if we don’t fix them?
We repeat them.

He said he didn’t lay off staff. It’s funny because I personally know staff that was laid off after Kamala lost.

And One More Thing…

Ken Martin gave the DNC credit for Taylor Rehmet’s win in Texas.

That was news to me.

Because I didn’t see the DNC knocking doors. I didn’t see the DNC funding that race in any meaningful, traceable way. And I looked and the finance reports.

Maybe I missed it. I’m open to being wrong.

But here’s what I did see:

• Taylor’s hard work

• Jake, his campaign manager

• Rehmet campaign staff

• Alison Campolo Tarrant County Party Chair and the Tarrant County Democratic Party

• Dozens of volunteers knocking on doors for him

• The Unions

• Sabrina B and Buddy L from Indivisible.

• Laura L and all the other Moms who showed up and helped

• Roland Gutierrez, Nathan Johnson, Carol Alvarado, Gina Hinojosa, Julie Johnson, Wendy Davis, Liza Hameline, Terri Crouch,

• Powered by People, Beto O’Rourke, Texas Blue Action, Progress Texas, and Conor Rice

That win wasn’t top-down.

It was bottom-up. It was people-powered, and it was earned.

And every single person on the ground deserves more credit than the DNC.

Sorry. Not sorry.

What Happens Next

We have a real opportunity in Texas right now.

• The energy is there.

• The momentum is there.

• The anger is definitely there.

But none of that matters without work.

This is going to take:

• Sweat

• Discipline

• Organization

• And a whole lot of people who refuse to sit this one out

And yes, when we win, someone else will try to take credit. But we’ll know the truth. It was never about them. It was about us.

Yours in resistance,

Nancy

That summer is when things really heated up between the Hidalgo County Democratic Party and our Mothers for Democracy chapter in the RGV. There was a lot of drama. Even though some of our M4D-RGV members were precinct chairs, the party began associating those roles directly with our organization.

That led to a flood of calls, emails, and letters. Eventually, things quieted down… until the last two weeks.

That’s when I started getting calls again. People were saying the chapter seemed more focused on fighting with HCDP than doing the actual mission work of building community. All I could do was listen and apologize.

During primary season, I’ll be honest. I was on Team Eric Holguin. I adored him. The chapter volunteered for his campaign and we were excited. I was genuinely happy for him.

Toward the end of summer, Julio Salinas announced his campaign and called to let me know. I wished him luck and told him about our RISE Summit. That was it.

A few months later, he called asking for a donation. I said no, but wished him luck. A few weeks after that, he called just to say hi and share that his campaign was doing well. I assumed Eric was ahead and told him, “Please don’t play dirty. We’re fighting Republicans, not Democrats.”

Then I saw a video last fall where Julio pointed out that Seby Hadad had voted for Trump and likely Abbott multiple times. He had been a Republican until the 2024 primary. Then another video surfaced of Seby at a Tea Party meeting, where he discussed his campaign. WTAF.

I called Julio and said, “You and Eric need to focus on beating Seby. We need young progressive voices in the RGV.”

Again, I thought Eric was ahead. Until I spoke to a journalist who said, “Have you seen how much Julio has raised? It’s a lot.”

That’s when it clicked. Julio was doing the work. He was building a real campaign and working nonstop.

We made Eric a Trading Card and were so excited to send it. I even remember saying a prayer over the card before I sent it in the mail. (Now I never share that I do that, but I am a person of faith. His brother had just died, and I literally said a prayer for God to watch over him before I put the cards in the mail.)

I was still surprised when Julio won the primary. I truly thought Eric would win. I was really sad that Eric lost. I brought tears to my eyes. I really liked him.

Right before leaving for spring break, I sent the board a list of candidates to consider for endorsements in the runoffs and general.

On March 4, I texted Stacy Solis:
“We are going to endorse Julio. Better than Seby.”

She responded:
“I personally will not endorse Julio. I do not necessarily agree he is better than Seby.”

She went on to say she believed Seby had the best chance of beating the Republican. She acknowledged his Republican voting history but described him as moderate, not MAGA. She also said Julio had lost her support due to what she viewed as his lack of character.

I responded that Mothers would still be endorsing Julio. I had worked with him at the Capitol, and I was making a recommendation to the board. There are over 1,600 members in the RGV Chapter and most believe in progressive change. Most like Julio, otherwise some wouldn’t have voted for him.

Mothers couldn’t endorse someone who had consistently voted Republican.

Stacy’s issue with Julio stemmed from a letter she believed slandered her and Melissa. She saw him as two-faced.

And once again, that letter came back up.

It had become impossible to separate leadership tensions from the relationship with HCDP. It was affecting everything. I was getting comments from candidates. I was calling statewide candidates, asking them to ignore the noise and continue engaging with the chapter.

It was a mess. But I stood by the chapter.

I asked Julio about the letter and he said he never signed it and that someone at the HCDP put his name on it but he didn’t want to get involved in the Stacy and HCDP issues because he was focused on voters.

I didn’t reach out to Eric right away after his loss. His brother had just passed, he lost his race, and it felt like too much. I wanted to give him time.

March 8th I reached out. I would normally not share this but Eric’s attacks on me today were a new low! See below and look at how I was being supportive and a good listener.

March 30 I returned from spring break, and on March 30 the board approved endorsements.

The week of April 9, I interviewed Julio for a webinar and worked on his trading card.

On April 20, I posted Julio’s endorsement. It didn’t get much traction.

On April 21, I posted Seby’s voting record showing he voted with Republicans. That’s when the comments picked up.

At 11:47 PM, I received an text from Eric.

I didn’t respond. I explained why in an earlier post, but honestly, starting a conversation with “I’m disappointed in you” is not exactly an invitation to talk. It does the opposite.

I slept on it. I thought Eric is hurt and certainly he won’t do anything.

April 22

I spent the entire day finishing updates for the Democratic Directory. I had already been working on it for three straight days and was determined to finish.

That night, I kept thinking: why do men feel entitled to speak to women in leadership as if we owe them explanations? We don’t need permission. We don’t need to run decisions by them.

Our chapters don’t make endorsements. Our PAC board does, based on a review process. We endorse electeds who earn A’s on our report card and progressive candidates.

There were a lot of attacks online that day!

I went for a two-mile walk. A friend called, and we talked through everything: the calls, the endorsements, the tension. I said I just wanted to put the group on pause so we could regroup. It was stressing me out and I had other deadlines looming.

I went to bed concerned about online attacks from Denisse (Seby’s campaign Mgr), Erik, and comments from Stacy.

April 23

That morning, I got a call from two members who were shocked at how Stacy was treating me in the group and allowing others to pile on. They also asked if I had seen Eric’s post. I hadn’t.

They told me Stacy was planning a breakaway group and that I needed to act quickly.

I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. I just said, "Okay.”

I removed Stacy as admin and cleaned up some comments. She called me, and I asked if we could just take a break. I told her I was getting a lot of calls and needed time to think. I paused the group.

Then everything blew up. But I really just wanted time to think. No one makes good decisions when there is so much noise.

Stacy and a few others sent me a letter and left the group. Meanwhile, I was still trying to understand why so many people were suddenly calling me and what was really happening.

At the same time, Eric was upset that his post had been removed by a moderator who stepped in to help, this all happened between candidate webinars.

The past few days, I stayed quiet. I went on walks, cleaned my house, tried to reset.

Here’s what I know:

1. Our PAC does not answer to candidates about endorsements. And the way Eric spoke to me was unacceptable.

2. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I even told a team member I assumed he was hurting from the loss, and I would let it go. But the expectation that I answer him? That was something else.

3. Whatever is happening between HCDP and Mothers has gotten out of control. The volume of calls alone made that clear. I even questioned whether bad actors were stirring things up. I still don’t fully know.

Then Eric released a video this afternoon, and it was hurtful considering how much I liked him. I thought he would be Supportive of choosing another young progressive Democrat. If it were the other way around, I know Julio would have supported him. I wish Eric had taken some accountability for not making the runoff, instead of blaming it on other things. And like I said, with me, Julio only said nice things about Eric. Both called each other nice. So I don’t understand the change of thought.

Eric talked about everything he did for Mothers. And yes, we were grateful. But M4D gave Eric an audience, too.

Our chapter leader at the time, Fabiola, was doing incredible work. Sometimes she and M4D weren’t even included in things Eric did, despite the groundwork already being there.

He didn’t build the group. He stepped into something that was already moving.

If you know Fabiola, you know.

At the end of the day, I’ll still give Eric the benefit of the doubt. He’s been through a lot.

And I am sorry if endorsing Julio hurt him.

But we cannot, in good conscience, endorse someone who has consistently voted Republican and we had high hopes that Eric would have won his election because I believe in him. And like I said, I think Eric is destined for wonderful things. We have to come together and continue fighting for progressive change.

And I am especially sorry about how everything rolled out in the chapter. The chapter is not folding, but we need leadership that can separate itself from the HCDP and the tension there. We have Democrats to elect.

We can’t have a change in the RGV unless the voters vote for change. And that’s why we are endorsing Julio Salinas, a young progressive who knows how things work at the Capitol. He’s a really nice person who would represent the RVG well. He would break quorum and not go along to get along.

Nancy Thompson

I got a message recently at 11:47 pm from a male candidate that lost his election that started with: “I’m disappointed in you.”

Not confused by a decision

Disappointed.

And immediately I thought, " Wow, someone is using a word I use with my kids,” for example, when they get in trouble at school, miss curfew, or forget to do their homework.

Like he was somehow… in charge of me. A grown ass woman! Who the fuck does he think he is, my Dad?

I had two choices at that moment: finish working on the data entry for the County Chair online directory I was updating and go to bed, or deal with his drama at midnight.

I chose to do data entry and go to bed. Because we have elections to win, I thought I shouldn’t answer him in the heat of the moment upset, but really take time to think my thoughts out and sleep on it.

But here’s what stuck with me that did make me upset, it wasn’t the disagreement or the criticism.

It was the framing. “I’m disappointed in you.”

Here’s what I had apparently done wrong:

• My organization decided to endorse in a political race that is in a run-off.

• No matter what, we were going to endorse the progressive candidate in the runoff. PERIOD. So if he had won vs the other candidate, my organization would have endorsed him. Because the third candidate voted for Trump and Abbott multiple times in Republican primaries over a 10+ year span.

• I didn’t follow his advice,

• I didn’t center his perspective

• I didn’t run it by him for approval

• I didn’t get approval from our local chapter leader (I did call several members that I had friendships with to get their perspectives, and I did call the chapter leader first.)

And worst of all…

I did it without asking permission from a man who is not in charge of me.

Bold. Reckless. Practically historic.

I made a leadership decision. He just didn’t like it.

But let’s talk about that phrase:

“I’m disappointed in you.”

Because that’s not feedback. That’s a power move.

It only works if the person saying it believes they have:

• authority over you

• influence over your decisions

• or ownership over your leadership

• they believe you seek their approval

And when none of those things are actually true? It lands exactly how it should:

Absurd.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened. Why do some Democrats treat me like this? It’s beyond insulting and disrespectful.

Women in leadership know this script by heart. When a man doesn’t get the outcome he wants, and suddenly says:

• You didn’t “listen”

• You’re “out of touch”

• You’re “ignoring people on the ground”

• You’re making decisions in a vacuum

Translation:

You didn’t do what I wanted, so I’m going to question your legitimacy.

It’s not new. It’s not subtle. And it’s definitely not original. I’m always fascinated by how often women are told to “listen more.”

We are great listeners. We listen in meetings. We listen in strategy sessions. We listen while managing teams, campaigns, crises, and everyone else’s feelings.

But here’s the part that seems to confuse people:

Listening does not mean obeying.

I can hear you. I can consider your input. I can weigh it alongside ten other data points, community voices, and strategic priorities. And then…I can make a different decision.

That’s not me failing. That’s me leading.

Messages like this also come with an unspoken assignment:

Please absorb my frustration. Please validate my disappointment. Please explain yourself in a way that makes me feel better about not getting my way.

No.

I’m not running a customer service desk for wounded egos. Not every disappointed man gets a follow-up call. I did message him to tell him I was sorry he didn’t win his election. He was my and our teams top choice.

And then there was the line about “typical Austin politics.”Which is always funny, because when people say that, what they usually mean

“I didn’t win this round, so I’m going to insult where you live, and I consider you the establishment.”

A true classic. No notes.

Leadership is not:

• asking for permission

• making everyone happy

• or running every decision through a focus group of whoever is loudest that day

Leadership is:

• making informed decisions that match your mission

• taking input without surrendering authority

• standing by your choices even when people are upset

And yes, sometimes people will be disappointed. We can’t make everyone happy all the time.

So instead of asking:

“Why is he disappointed in me?”

I’m asking:

“Why did he think he had a vote?”

Because that is the question? That’s where the real story is. If you’re a woman in leadership, let me save you some time:

You are not here to meet expectations you never agreed to.

You are not here to manage the emotions of people who confuse access with authority.

And you are definitely not here to be evaluated by men who think leadership is something they get to grant.

Make the decision.

Stand in it.

Let them be disappointed.

They’ll live.

With love from a very tired of the bullshit mom!

Nancy

But quiet does not mean idle.

This week marks my 14th week of hosting Weekly Democratic Strategy meetings for candidates and county chairs. I wrote a 129-page Texas Democratic Playbook on Messaging. Built a 170+ member Signal group focused on strategy. I created ad scripts, endorsements, and webinars. and worked on plans.

In other words, I’ve been busy building the plane while we’re flying it… and also apparently fixing the engine midair.

And all of that work got me thinking.

I’ve spent a lot of time giving advice to people running for office. But what about the people who already won? Buckle up! I adore you all but we got to win elections!

Dear Elected Democrats: This Is Your Friendly (Not That Friendly) Reminder

Texas does not need more people waiting for permission to lead. We need people who actually… lead.

And I’m going to say this as plainly as possible: Some of y’all are hesitating. Waiting. Deferring. Checking the donor temperature like it’s bathwater for a baby.

Meanwhile, voters are out here living in the actual boiling pot.

I’ve watched leaders delay good decisions because of money. Then, when the money finally shows up, they run straight back to the same big DC agencies that overpromised, underdelivered, and left them politically ghosted.

At this point, it’s less strategy and more political Stockholm Syndrome.

And for those of us watching it happen in real time while being told “this is the plan,” it’s… exhausting.

So let’s fix it.

Here’s the Advice (Yes, I Mean You)

1. Stop Waiting. Start Leading.

You were elected. Not hired as a background character.

No one is coming to tap you on the shoulder and say, “Now is your moment.”
This is your moment. Act like it.

2. Adopt a Candidate

Mentor someone new.

They need your experience. You need their energy.
Also, let’s be honest, they probably understand TikTok better than you, so this is mutually beneficial.

3. Get on Message (And Stay There)

If we’re going to win, we need consistency.

That means talking about:

• The economy (because people like paying their bills)

• Healthcare (because people like staying alive)

• Education (because we’re not raising a generation of confused voters… ideally)

• Data centers (yes, really, follow the money and the water)

• And most importantly: a strong, unapologetic populist message about billionaires running the show

If your messaging doesn’t connect to real life, voters will disconnect from you.

4. Fix Your Website. I Beg You.

Update your messaging. Add a Linktree. Make sure your donate button works.

Nothing says “I’m NOT ready to lead Texas” like a broken link and a homepage from 2018.

5. Work Your District Like You Actually Want to Win It

Even if you don’t have a Republican opponent. This election is about turnout. That means:

• Showing up

• Talking to voters

• Asking for votes (wild concept, I know)

• Asking for volunteers

Not just smiling for photos and calling it a day.

6. Lead by Example (Yes, That Includes Money)

Become a sustaining member of your local and state Democratic Party.

If you’re not investing in the infrastructure, why should anyone else?

7. Support Grassroots (They’ve Been Carrying This Whole Thing Anyway)

Grassroots groups are doing the work. Respect it. Fund it. Show up for it.

Not just when there’s a camera. And if anyone wants to be a donor to Mothers Against Greg Abbott, I would really appreciate it.

8. Social Media Is Not Optional

You don’t get to opt out of the internet and still expect to win elections in 2026.

Post your message. Share your events. Talk like a human being. And please, for the love of democracy, stop sounding like a press release and yes posting your press releases in tiny print on social media is super irritating.

9. You Don’t Know Everything

I say this with love: you don’t.

Neither do I. That’s why I built a 170-person strategy group.

Pick something you don’t understand and learn it. Or find someone who does and listen. Growth is not a weakness. It’s the job.

10. Basic Competence Is Still Important

Check your website renewal dates.
Put your email on your site.
Make sure it actually works.

We are not losing elections because voters are too informed. Let’s not make it harder for them to reach you.

Final Thought (The Part Where I Get Slightly Inspirational, Against My Better Judgment)

Texas is not unwinnable. But it is unforgiving to hesitation.

Voters don’t need perfect leaders. They need present ones. Clear ones. Courageous ones.

Right now, too many people are playing defense, waiting for the “right time.”

There is no right time. There is only now.

So lead.

Yours in Resistance,

Nancy Thompson

Candidate Habits (1–10)

1. Carry campaign cards everywhere and hand them to anyone who asks what you do.

2. Memorize a 30-second intro so every conversation sounds confident and consistent.

3. Respond to emails within 24 hours. Voters notice responsiveness.

4. Take photos at every event so social media never goes quiet.

5. Wear campaign colors or merch whenever you’re in public.

6. Keep a running list of supporter names you meet and follow up with them.

7. Always ask for three things: vote, volunteer, donate.

8. Practice your stump speech weekly so it gets sharper over time.

9. Carry a notebook or phone list of community issues people mention.

10. End every speech with a clear call to action.

Volunteer Building (11–20)

11. Create a weekly volunteer text message update.

12. Thank volunteers publicly on social media.

13. Assign volunteers specific roles, not vague help.

14. Ask every volunteer to bring one friend.

15. Create neighborhood captains.

16. Send handwritten thank-you notes to top volunteers.

17. Give volunteers campaign shirts or stickers.

18. Host casual volunteer coffee meetups.

19. Highlight volunteer stories online.

20. Celebrate milestones like “1,000 doors knocked.”

People stay where they feel valued.

Voter Contact (21–30)

21. Knock doors consistently every week.

22. Always ask voters what issues matter to them.

23. Track undecided voters carefully.

24. Return calls from voters personally when possible.

25. Attend community events even when you’re tired.

26. Follow up with voters you met previously.

27. Have simple literature ready at all times.

28. Collect phone numbers whenever possible.

29. Visit the same neighborhoods more than once.

30. Introduce yourself to local business owners.

Campaigns that talk to the most voters usually win.

Digital Presence (31–38)

31. Pin your best introduction post on social media.

32. Post consistently rather than occasionally.

33. Reply to supportive comments.

34. Correct misinformation calmly and quickly.

35. Keep your website updated weekly.

36. Make the donate button obvious.

37. Make the volunteer sign-up simple.

38. Share short videos explaining issues.

Online presence reinforces real-world organizing.

Fundraising (39–44)

39. Call donors and thank them personally.

40. Send regular fundraising updates.

41. Host small house fundraisers.

42. Ask supporters to introduce you to donors.

43. Celebrate fundraising milestones publicly.

44. Make donating easy on mobile phones.

Money flows toward campaigns that look organized.

Organization & Discipline (45–50)

45. Maintain a clean voter database.

46. Track every volunteer shift.

47. Keep a shared campaign calendar.

48. Hold weekly strategy meetings.

49. Plan the next two weeks at all times.

50. Never let the campaign disappear for a week.

Momentum wins elections.

The Hidden Secret of Campaigns

Most voters do not follow politics closely.

They decide based on a few impressions:

• Who seems present

• Who seems organized

• Who seems supported by the community

These tiny actions create those impressions.

Do them long enough and suddenly people start saying something magical:

“Everyone I know is voting for them.”

That’s how elections actually tip.

Yours in resistance,

Nancy Thompson

Then it is time for the post-primary tune-up.

Before we start, I need to say something out loud because it is driving me a little crazy.

A surprising number of Texas candidates who won their primaries still do not have websites.

If this is you, the time to fix that was weeks ago. The second best time is today. Get it up immediately.

Okay. Let’s get to work.

Step One: Give Thanks

Campaigns run on people. Not ads. Not consultants. Not clever slogans.

People.

The first thing you should do after a primary is thank the people who helped you get there.

• Call your primary opponents and thank them for running.

• Call your donors and thank them for believing in you.

• Write handwritten thank-you notes when you can.

• Call your volunteers.

• Post public thank-yous on social media.

Gratitude builds loyalty. Loyalty builds campaigns.

Step Two: The Campaign Audit

Now it is time to go through your campaign with a magnifying glass.

Start with the obvious.

1. Do you have a website? If not, stop reading and fix that. Then go through it page by page. Check every single link and donation button to make sure they actually work.

2. Add a media page with downloadable headshots.

3. Make sure you have an issues page.

4. Make sure you are collecting emails and phone numbers from visitors. That list becomes gold in the fall.

5. Make a list of content that needs to be updated for the general election.

6. Refresh your photos and visuals so everything feels current.

7. Remember, you are no longer speaking only to your base. You are speaking to everyone in the district now. That may mean adjusting tone, emphasizing issues, or showing how you work across communities.

8. Test every email address connected to your campaign. Make sure messages are not disappearing into spam folders.

9. Set up a Google Voice number if you have not already. Protect your personal phone number.

10. Make sure you are present on all major social media platforms. EVEN TWITTER! I know it sucks but your opponent is on there. Tools like Buffer can help you schedule posts across multiple channels.

11. While you are at it, go back through your personal social media history and clean up anything that could be used against you. Campaign opposition researchers absolutely will.

12. If you are not on Substack, consider starting one. Post short updates regularly and longer pieces at least once a week.

13. Create a Linktree and place it in the bio of every social media account so people can easily find your website, donation page, and volunteer sign-up.

14. Update your bios to say:

“Democratic Nominee for…”

Then pin three posts:

• Your introduction video
• Why you are running
• A volunteer or donation link

Your social media profile should function like a mini campaign website.

Step Three: Strengthen Your Network

If you ran in a contested primary, reach out to the people you ran against.

Invite them for coffee. Listen. Ask for their help. You will need them. And yes, you should buy the coffee.

This is also the time to build your surrogate team. Identify trusted supporters who can represent your campaign at events when you cannot attend and train them to speak on your behalf.

Step Four: Know Your Numbers

Study the primary turnout numbers in your district.

• Where did your voters come from?

• Where were you weak?

• Where were turnout gaps?

Those answers should shape your general election strategy.

Then start building your calendar for the general election.

A helpful trick is to work backwards from Election Day and map out the months ahead.

Step Five: Get Your House in Order

Campaigns can get messy after a primary.

Now is the time to organize.

Make sure your compliance filings are current.
Review your vendors. What worked? What did not?
Consolidate all of your campaign data into one system.

Then establish a weekly rhythm.

A healthy campaign week usually includes:

• One fundraiser
• One volunteer event
• One community appearance
• One press moment
• One digital push

Consistency beats intensity every time.

Step Six: Activate Your Supporters

One of the most powerful organizing tools is friend-to-friend outreach.

Ask supporters to:

Host house parties
Share campaign posts
Introduce you to their neighbors
Put up yard signs

Campaigns grow when they move from being candidate-centered to community-centered.

Step Seven: Start the Visibility Work

Yes, we are talking about yard signs.

They take longer to produce and distribute than most people expect, so start planning now.

Design them early.
Recruit neighborhood captains who can distribute them later.

Yard signs are not just persuasion tools. They create psychological momentum.

People like to vote for candidates they see everywhere.

Step Eight: Build Your Endorsement Strategy

Now that the primary is over, begin building a broad coalition of endorsements for the general election.

Think beyond political figures.

Reach out to:

• Local elected officials

• Community leaders

• Union members

• Teachers

• Veterans

• Faith leaders

• Small business owners

These endorsements send signals to voters about who trusts you.

Step Nine: Practice Your Why statement

You will be asked the same question hundreds of times:

“Why are you running?”

Your answer should be clear and repeatable.

Aim for something that is about one minute long.
Make it personal.
Make it clear.
Make it emotional.

If voters cannot repeat your story, they will not remember your campaign.

Step Ten: Take Care of Yourself

Campaigns are marathons.

Protect your energy.

• Schedule one day off each week.

• Exercise when you can.

• Spend time with family.

Burned-out candidates make mistakes.

The Big Truth Most Campaigns Forget

The general election is not won in October.

It is won right now, in the quiet weeks when few people are paying attention.

Campaigns that use this time to organize, unify, and build structure enter the fall with momentum.

The others spend October wondering where all the time went.

Choose wisely.

Now, let’s go and elect some Democrats!

Nancy Thompson

November 9, 2022.
Beto lost to Greg Abbott.

It felt like someone knocked the air out of the entire state. Not just a loss — a gut punch. The kind where you sit in silence afterward wondering how it happened.

Texas Democrats were not in formation. We weren’t aligned. We weren’t coordinated. We were tired. And if we’re being honest, we were a little shell-shocked.

A handful of grassroots leaders gathered in Austin soon after. No cameras. No press. Just people who cared enough to ask the hard questions.

What we saw was sobering:

• We had more non-voters than voters.

• The margin between Abbott and Beto was less than 900,000 votes in a state of nearly 30 million people.

• The whiter the population, the more Republican the turnout.

• We were watching men — across racial lines — drift away from the Democratic Party.

We left that meeting with tiers of focus areas mapped out by population, turnout, and non-voters. It was strategic. It was data-driven. It was hopeful.

We tried to organize a broader strategy group around it.

And then the pettiness started. Internal politics. Turf wars. It fell apart.

January 2023.
The legislative session began. It was brutal.

June 2023 to January 2024.
Instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, many of us hit the road.

With 134 PAC and Blue Horizon, we traveled Texas — small towns, big counties, rural courthouses, suburban libraries — trying to rebuild Democratic spirits. We asked people to run for office. We told them they mattered. We told them Texas wasn’t lost.

Vikki Goodwin joined me on the road in Nov 2023 to Corpus Christi. Where we both spoke to Democratic Club.

By December 2023, we had filled as many seats as we could find. Mothers paid the rent for some Texas County Democratic offices. But morale was still fragile.

2024.
We kept going.

We had Ted Cruz on the ballot. We needed to show up in force. Roland Gutierrez ran hard. He lost. We hoped Collin Allred would surge in the places we needed. It didn’t materialize the way we dreamed.

But something else was happening.

Clubs were outgrowing the rooms they used to meet in.

That matters.

Around the same time, two people were quietly, steadily, relentlessly showing up across the state: Vikki Goodwin and James Talarico.

They weren’t just doing their legislative jobs. They were traveling. Building. Listening. Showing up for county parties that felt forgotten.

I joined them on some of those trips. Sometimes we were in neighboring towns, speaking to different groups who all shared the same question: Are we alone?

Team Talarico and I carpooled to Corpus Christi to campaign for Colin Allred, where James served as a surrogate. I remember how fondly he spoke about Collin — not as a transaction, but as a teammate. That stuck with me. This pic is from that day in September when James gave the most kick butt speech for Colin Allred.

And if you asked women candidates across Texas who helped them when they were getting started, I could predict the answer before they opened their mouths:

“Vikki Goodwin.”

Over and over again.

They were there. Not for headlines. For people.

November 2024.
The election broke us.

We lost ground in the Valley. We lost more Black and Hispanic men. We lost more white men. It was sobering. It was painful. It forced reflection.

And still — they kept showing up.

From January through September, Talarico and Goodwin continued touring the state nearly every weekend. Meanwhile, they were holding down the fort during the Lege session.

When Vikki announced she was considering a run for Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick responded by burying her bills. None would see daylight. That’s how threatened power behaves.

James, meanwhile, delivered some of the sharpest responses in the chamber — often using Republicans’ own words against them. What stood out wasn’t just the wit. It was the moral clarity. When he pushed back against Christian nationalism, he did it from a deeply rooted, democratic populist position. He spoke for regular people — and he was formidable. Even some Republicans noticed.

Vikki is wicked smart. Calm. Unflappable. She walks to the mic with the demeanor of a diplomat and leaves with the precision of a trial lawyer. Many of the same Republicans who once underestimated her learned quickly: she forgets nothing.

I’m friends with both of them. James and I share ideas about strategy, about long arcs, about things most people don’t yet see. He is one of the rare people in politics who makes you want to be better simply by being around him. His phone screen saver is his niece. His love for his family is palpable. His calling is service. On this trip he spent time helping his staffer practice for his Grad School Entry exam. We discussed favorite speeches, how he likes driving fast and we took him to experience his first In and Out burger. We had fun!

Vikki calls to check in. She asked how I was doing long before she asked for anything. I was on one of her first calls when she decided to run for Lieutenant Governor. Being underestimated is her superpower. She is a critical thinker who doesn’t rattle easily — which, in Texas politics, is almost a superhuman trait.

They are not just team players for the Texas Democratic Party. They back counties. They back candidates. They back people. They were there and they always showed up and told people, “I’ll be there, you can count on me.”

When we were kicked down, they helped hold us up.

And that matters now. I am for one not forgetting.

Because we have a real opportunity in front of us — to fight for working-class Texans. Which, in case it needs saying, is most of us.

Vikki was a single mom who built a real estate business before entering public service. She knows what it means to survive, to budget, to rebuild. She loves her grown kids so much and her advice about motherhood was something I hold on to when times are hard with my teenagers. She builds women up.

James is a pastor at heart who lives simply and gives freely of himself. His politics are not about accumulation; they’re about contribution. He brings out people’s better angels. You see it in his staff. They are solid and supportive.

I don’t think they get enough credit for who they are and what they have done for Texas.

Some of you may not know them the way I do.

Which is why I am telling you now.

And I believe in them with my whole heart. Because there was a time in 2023 - 2025 when the people whom other Texans could count on the most were Vikki Goodwin, James Talarico, and Mothers Against Greg Abbott. Collaboratively, we held y’all up, and you didn’t even know we were carrying you. Because it was never about us. It was about Texas and building the Texas Democratic party back up.

And we are still building, even through the noise.

Yours in resistance,
Nancy

Yes, we technically had precinct chairs before. But they never worked the precinct. They never invited people to meetings. Nothing actually happened.

This time, I was invited as a guest speaker. And as I sat quietly listening to the discussion, something hit me like a ton of bricks. Something I already knew intellectually, but seeing it in real life made it unavoidable.

Democrats have no precinct strategy.

The conversation circled endlessly around how we could do things. Not what works. Not what already exists. Not what resources are available. Just an endless loop of reinventing the wheel, again and again, as if no one had ever done this before.

Then I stood up.

I showed them what Mothers Against Greg Abbott precinct chairs are already doing in some of our clubs. Real work. Real materials. Real action.

And then… WHAM.

The walls went up. The freakouts began.

My postcards had Mothers branding, not county Democratic branding. Suddenly, everything became about permission. Who needs to approved this? Who was allowed to do that? Whether we could even try something without running it through five layers of process.

The spiral accelerated. I wanted to crawl out of my own skin and sprint for the exit.

Democrats cannot get out of their own way.

I had free, effective materials and resources ready to go. And while they weren’t rejected outright, they weren’t wanted either. And here’s the part that should terrify us: if my precinct is spending more time debating process than using available tools, that means thousands of precincts across Texas are doing the exact same thing.

We are not under-resourced.
We are under-organized.

There is no real infrastructure. Just vibes and meetings about meetings.

This whole experience sent me straight back to Isaac Arnsdorf’s book Finish What We Started, specifically Chapter 2, where he breaks down the Republican Precinct Strategy.

It also finally pushed me to read Charles Duhigg’s New Yorker article, What MAGA Can Teach Democrats about Organizing and Infighting.

And yeah. My mind was blown.

Duhigg opens by comparing two 1980s movements: MADD and DARE. One worked. One didn’t. Why? Because there is a critical difference between mobilizing and organizing.

Mobilizing is about getting people to do a thing.
Organizing is about getting people to become the kind of people who do what needs to be done.

Every successful movement needs both.

Trust me, I learned this the hard way. Building Mothers Against Greg Abbott without mentors or a roadmap was brutal. The learning curve was steep. We’ve done well, but there is always more to learn. Always.

Duhigg argues that today’s Democratic Party is excellent at mobilizing and terrible at organizing. MAGA, on the other hand, is disturbingly good at organizing.

After their 2020 loss, Republicans immediately launched their Precinct Strategy. The same one Arnsdorf describes. They encouraged thousands of people to run for internal party leadership, become precinct chairs, sign up as poll workers, and run for office.

That strategy is a major reason Donald Trump is back in the White House.

Duhigg points out something else uncomfortable. Republicans supported Barack Obama over John McCain at much higher rates than Democrats supported Hillary Clinton over Trump. That resulted in a nine-point advantage.

And last night in Texas, we saw Democrat Taylor Rehmet win a race in a +17 Trump district by 14 points, pulling over 57 percent of the vote with a seven percent turnout. That turnout was incredible. Volunteers and the community really came together.

Then Duhigg reminds us of something Democrats seem to have forgotten. Obama didn’t micromanage volunteers. He recruited tens of thousands of leaders and told them to do what they thought was best. They experimented. They shared results. They learned from one another.

That approach exceeded expectations and went viral because it was authentic.

It led to the book Groundbreakers: How Obama’s 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America, which is now required reading for Tea Party leader Bill Montgomery and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Yes. Republicans studied Democratic success while Democrats… reinvented the wheel.

“Republicans have created broad ideological coalitions,” Duhigg writes, “something Democrats, who tend to rely on litmus tests around abortion, social justice, and other issues, often have not achieved.”

Sarah Longwell puts it bluntly. MAGA has “done a fantastic job of welcoming anyone who puts on the red hat. That’s the only requirement. You just have to think Trump is great.”

Meanwhile, MAGA focuses relentlessly on community.

“You know how we heal our divides?” Charlie Kirk says. “By talking to people we disagree with.”

Young leaders inside that movement are being trained to talk to everyone. Arguing does not mean hatred. Disagreement does not mean exile.

Duhigg lands the punch: Democrats should be learning how to build small, socially interconnected communities. Instead, we often demand perfect language, perfect positions, and perfect behavior and punish anyone who steps out of line.

We can mobilize massive crowds for the Women’s March or No Kings protests. But when people go home, we leave them alone.

There is no community waiting for them.

So let’s come back to precincts.

Are we doing this wrong? Should precincts look more like neighborhood socials? Tea and politics. Potlucks and purpose. Small, human spaces where people belong.

Can we build infrastructure and guidance without strangling initiative? Can we trust precincts to experiment and then share what works?

How do we start small and still win big?

Things to ponder.

Yours in resistance,
Nancy Thompson

PS> I ordered the Groundbreakers book.

That’s not snark. That’s a red flag.

One candidate has raised just over a million dollars. The next two trail far behind, at around $60,000 and $30,000. Meanwhile, Greg Abbott is sitting on a war chest north of $100 million. Probably more by the time you finish this paragraph.

So I said what felt obvious to me: candidates who are not building campaigns, raising money, or showing voters they are serious should consider stepping aside. Texas Democrats do not have money to burn. Every dollar matters. Every hour matters. Every volunteer matters.

And then came the backlash.

Someone told me they’d “lost respect” for this page. Others read things into my post that I never said. I responded calmly, explained my point, and moved on, but the moment stuck with me.

Because here’s the truth: you can do 1,000 things right, show up every single day, give everything you have, and the moment you say one thing that upsets someone on your own side, you’re suddenly the problem.

That’s purity culture. And it’s eating us alive.

Republicans suffer from it too, but they’ve learned how to survive it. We haven’t.

Let me put this in stark terms.

An insider recently told me that Republican-aligned PACs have up to half a billion dollars they can pour into key races if they need to. Five hundred million dollars. Sitting there. Waiting.

And what are Democrats doing?

We’re fighting each other. We’re tearing down candidates over single issues. We’re relitigating ideological disputes in public while the other side is preparing to bulldoze democracy with money, discipline, and zero hesitation.

Sometimes it feels like we lose before we even begin.

We are not just fighting bad policy. We are fighting authoritarianism. We are fighting a movement that is perfectly comfortable dismantling democratic norms if it means holding power. And yet, too often, we act like internal disagreement is a greater sin than losing elections.

There’s a concept Republicans live by that Democrats would do well to relearn: the 80–20 rule.

It’s often attributed to Ronald Reagan, and it goes like this:
If someone agrees with you 80 percent of the time, they are not a traitor over the other 20 percent. They are an ally.

That’s it. That’s the whole rule.

It’s why you see coalitions on the Right that don’t make moral or ideological sense on paper, but work politically. They understand the prize. They keep their eye on it. And they don’t demand perfection before unity.

Democrats like to say we’re a big tent party. But lately, it feels less like a big tent and more like a velvet rope. If you don’t pass every test, speak every issue flawlessly, or align perfectly with every faction, you’re pushed out.

We cannot afford that.

If we’re being honest with ourselves, we also need to admit that foreign policy divisions, especially around Israel and Gaza, played a role in the 2024 election outcome. The question isn’t whether those debates matter. They do. The question is whether we are willing to lose elections—and democracy itself—because we refuse to hold complexity and coalition at the same time.

Democracy is the prerequisite. Without it, there is no reform. No justice. No progress. No debate at all.

Reform comes after power. Not before.

Right now, I am choosing to ignore purity politics. I am choosing to fight with everything I have for democracy itself. Because without it, none of the rest matters.

I hope you’ll fight with me.

Warmest thoughts,
Nancy Thompson

After listening to why people choose to run for office, it’s impossible not to feel something close to awe. These aren’t résumé collectors or power chasers. These are Texans who looked around, saw things breaking, and said, “Fine. I’ll step up.”

Here’s who’s running:

• Community activist and organizers

• Doctors

• Nurses

• Lawyers

• Military Veterans

• Teachers and Professors

• Farmers

• Engineers

• Accountants

• Small business owners

• Union workers

• And yes, a welder

That’s not a cocktail party guest list. That’s the working backbone of Texas.

And when you really listen to their why, some of it hits you right in the chest. They’re running for people they will never meet. Millions of Texans they don’t know personally, but care about deeply. They want life to be a little easier, a little fairer, and a lot more honest.

So let’s be crystal clear about what Democrats are for, because it turns out it’s exactly what working families need:

Democrats are for:

• An economy that works for people who actually do the work

• Raising the minimum wage so full-time jobs pay full-time lives

• Strong public schools and stopping voucher schemes that drain them

• Healthcare you can afford without a second mortgage

• Protecting Texas water so future generations can, you know, drink it

• Good jobs with dignity and safety

• Women’s rights, without apology or footnotes

• Standing up to Christian nationalism and defending true religious freedom

• Democracy, the kind where voters choose leaders, not the other way around

That’s not abstract. That’s not elite. That’s not out of touch.
That’s kitchen-table, paycheck-to-paycheck, real-life Texas.

Our job as Democrats isn’t just to respond to attacks or play defense. It’s to tell voters what we are for and show them what fighting for them actually looks like. After 30 years of Republicans running Texas into the ground, a lot of people don’t remember what that feels like.

So this is the moment.
Not to whisper it.
Not to over-explain it.
But to say it plainly and proudly:

Democrats are for the people who keep this state running.
And we’re done letting anyone pretend otherwise.

Interviews start posting this week, and Candidates need to make sure they fill out the League of Woman Voters form and Ballotopedia form. We have one month before early voting. So let’s hit it!

Regards

Nancy Thompson

Early voting is just over a month away. With 51 days until Primary Election Day, this is a critical moment for Democrats to pause, take stock, and make a few strategic improvements that could significantly strengthen our overall position. Many of these fixes are straightforward, achievable, and well within reach if candidates prioritize them now.

Websites

We currently have nearly 400 candidates running for statewide and federal office. At the moment, approximately one-quarter of them do not have campaign websites. In addition, some currently elected officials have allowed their campaign websites to expire.

Campaign infrastructure matters. A campaign website should be active, easy to find, and clearly separate from any official government or elected office resources. Using an official office email or website for campaign purposes is not appropriate and creates confusion for voters and donors.

I also noticed that many newer candidates are not using ActBlue and are instead relying on platforms like DonorBox, PayPal, or GoodChange. While these tools can serve specific purposes, ActBlue remains the standard for Democratic fundraising, but other platforms may take less of a cut than ActBlue. Things to consider have to do with integration into CRM’s, NGP/VAN or Ethics reporting.

Recommendations to Make Your Website Campaign-Ready

Every campaign website should include the following essentials:

• A clear and easy-to-find donation or contribution link

• An ActBlue link and page that includes campaign branding, written content, a graphic, and, if possible, a short video

• Core pages or sections:

  • About

  • Issues

  • Contact

  • Media

  • Social Media links
    (An Events page is a great addition if it can be kept current.)

Under Contact, be sure to include:

• A contact form

• Candidate email address in case someone doesn’t want to fill out the form (like a journalist)

• A mailing address for supporters who prefer to donate by check

• A Google Voice number or other campaign phone number

The Media section should include:

• Videos and media mentions

• A clear media contact with phone number and email

• Downloadable headshots and basic press information
  This makes it significantly easier for journalists to cover your campaign.

Every site should also include:

• A place for supporters to sign up for your email and text lists
  (Collecting emails and phone numbers now will be invaluable for fundraising and outreach later. We are talking about email fundraising and texting fundraising.

• A thorough check of all links to ensure they work correctly. To use Broken Link Checker here: ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker

• A test of contact forms and email submissions to confirm they are functioning properly

Social Media

Every social media profile should include a short, clear bio that answers three questions:

• Who you are

• What office you are running for

• Why you are running

Each bio should also link to a Linktree link. This creates consistency and allows you to update links in one place rather than across multiple platforms.

I encountered many social media accounts with little to no content. Even a single introductory post makes a difference. A short video introducing yourself does not need to be polished or perfect. Authentic and present is better than silent.

While many candidates are stepping away from X/Twitter, there is not yet a clear replacement. Based on current usage patterns, we recommend prioritizing:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Threads

• Bluesky

Additional platforms that are helpful but optional include:

• TikTok

• YouTube

• Substack

• LinkedIn
  (LinkedIn is especially useful for candidates who are currently serving in office.)

Be sure to list all social media accounts on your website.

To save time, consider using tools like Buffer or Publer to post across platforms simultaneously. These tools are affordable, and some offer limited free plans.

Linktree Best Practices

If every candidate used Linktree, it would dramatically simplify communication and coordination. It is free, easy to set up, and highly effective. You can set up your Linktree to reflect your branding.

Recommended Linktree setup:

• Add all social media links

• Include contact information or email (Linktree provides a built-in form)

• In the main section at the top, include:

  • Website

  • Donation link

  • Store (if applicable)

  • Events

  • Volunteer information

• Use the Events section to list upcoming appearances or campaign events

• Add a Community section with:

  • Election information

  • County voter resources

  • County party information

These small but important steps help voters, volunteers, donors, and the media find what they need quickly—and they help all of us present a stronger, more coordinated Democratic slate.

It’s go time and let’s go out there and win!

Nancy Thompson

• Website CONTACT INFO: Make sure you have the following on the bottom of your website or your contact page: A mailing address, in case people want to send you a donation check, a phone number (I highly recommend getting a Google Voice number, and an email address you can receive email from.) Don’t trust someone else to do it. Also a link to your Linktr.ee!

• Set up Google Alerts here: google.com/alerts

  • Set them up for your name

  • Issues

  • Opponents names

• Set up your Google Email Signatures:

  • No-Signature

  • Political Signature w/Google Voice Info and emails to team

  • Personal Signature - the one where you send someone your personal info that you will use rarely.

• Run your website by Broken Link Checker: ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker

• Set up your Canva branding. This means set up your logo, branding colors, graphical elements, and fonts. You can pick unique fonts and load them into your branding kit. You should have no more than two fonts that are part of your main branding kit.

• Go here and look at the Into Action Lab Cultural Calendar. You can also, with a click of a button sync the cultural calendar to your calendar. Which I highly recommend you do.

• Create Holiday Graphics that you can Pre-schedule. Write down all the Holidays you need to create graphics for:

  • Make graphics for all the election dates. See my graphic below

  • Jan 6th

  • MLK Day

  • Anniversary of Roe v Wade

  • Chinese New Year - 2026 is the year of the Horse

  • Black History Month

  • World Wetlands Day

  • Valentine’s Day

  • President’s Day

  • International Women’s Day

  • St Patrick’s Day

  • Tax Day

  • Easter

  • Passover

  • Earth Day

  • AAPI Heritage Month

  • Teacher Appreciation

  • World Press Freedom

  • Mothers Day

  • Memorial Day

  • June Pride Month

  • Loving Day

  • Father’s Day

  • Juneteenth

  • 4th of July

  • Labor Day

  • Hispanic Heritage Month

  • Indigenous Peoples Day

  • Halloween

  • Dia de Los Muertos

  • Veterans Day

  • Election Day (you can stop here if you only want to schedule through Election Day)

  • Thanksgiving Day

  • Sandy Hook

  • Christmas

  • Hanukkah

  • Kwanzah

  • New Years

  

• Two Sizes of Holiday Graphics: You will need to create two types of files for your Holiday Graphics. You will need a size for Facebook/x and then a size for Instagram.

  

  • Facebook/X 1:1 Square. It will auto-resize for each platform except IG it looks better in a 4:5

  • Instagram 4:5 or 1080x 1350

  • I find it easier to great all the square ones first and then resize for Instagram next. I have a folder set up for Holiday Social Graphics.

  • Making these graphics should be fun and an easy thing to do

• Social Media Scheduling App: After you finish them. You can start scheduling graphics on your social media scheduling app. I use Buffer, but people really like Publer as well. It’s an easy thing to do while you binge-watch a show and try to relax before things go insane.

• Greg Abbott, your cruelty knows no bounds. You think you are the King of Texas. You’re a corrupt one Mr. Abbott! You really are a heel! You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr Abbott, you’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

• Texas Republicans - Y’all are cruel, evil, and the swing back when it happens is gonna hurt y’all really bad. People are starting to see through you all and the damage you do to Texans. And y’all are a bunch of perverts who are obsessed with sex.

• DNC Ken Martin and Chuck Schumer. Y’all are weak and awful, and the majority of Democrats can’t stand y’all. Chuck, we had so much steam after the NOV election, and the balloon deflated by Sunday.

• Everytown - for rolling out a gun training program and alienating the Moms that built Mothers Demand Action. Shame on you!

• I am tired of the attacks on the LGBTQ Community, especially the trans community. The bullying is cruel, and it needs to stop. Why bully other people? Just leave them alone.

• Grown-ass adults who don’t know civics. Y’all are exhausting AF! Why do you expect everyone to spoon feed you information? Stop it! Take responsibility and vote.

• Texas for being dead last in Mental Health.

• Texas Republicans for being weak and spineless and passing vouchers. Do you know my school district is closing 10 schools, and all the private schools are announcing expansion plans?

• Every single elected and appointed Judge who doesn’t understand the Constitution and the gravity of the situation. You are supposed to hold the line! Where the hell have you been? Why weren’t you at the Kennedy Center, mad as hell? Why weren’t you mad as hell that the White House East Wing was torn down?

• I am absolutely furious with the Nueces Democratic Party Chair for allowing two unqualified people to run for Democratic Party Chair against one very qualified candidate. Two of the three candidates have questionable qualifications, voting records, arrest records, etc. If you want to know why we lost ground in Nueces last year, just look at the current chair and his wife. Everyone in Nueces needs to vote for Conor Rice for Nueces County Democratic Party Chair.

• Moving on… listen, I am a Mom of 3 kids. Moms know their kids don’t always get along, but we also know when we need to let the kids work things out. However, when I told Hidalgo Co to work things out with some Moms who are precinct chairs and happen to be members of our Organization, well, they would rather act like children and chismes (gossips). So while the rest of Texas was focused on redistricting, Hidalgo Co as focused on tribal wars, gossip, and being petty. I kept hoping they would grow up, but I recently saw an email where Irma S used my name as if she knew me, and we have never once spoken. And the quote from me was 100% untrue. Now, the Hidalgo County party has people running against members of Mothers for precinct chairs because they are all in some tribal war. It’s so stupid. We need more precinct chairs, not feuding ones. And they won’t give members of Mothers access to NGP/VAN to hinder the Mom precinct chairs from getting work done. These people need to grow the fuck up! It’s exhausting, and we have a lot of work ahead. We are better when we work together than when we fight one another. If Hidalgo Co continues to lose ground in 2026, we will only have the current chair to blame.

• Democratic County Chairs who are too chummy with Republicans. IYKYK!

• The US Senate campaign has a lot of tension and stress. Everyone should vote for whoever they want, and we need to remember that we are fighting Fascists and not each other. Fascism is the problem!

To the Moms with empty stockings year after year!

The Moms who used to have littles that used to help them decorate the tree no longer want to decorate the tree.

To the Moms who spend days baking and cooking only to have husbands complain that it’s too much food.

To the Moms that got the Holiday Card done at the last minute.

To the Moms that have been too overwhelmed to get the card done.

To the Moms who feel invisible during the holidays when all the praise goes to the white man named Santa.

To the Moms who have to shop for everyone and yet no one shops for her.

I see you! One day, someone will realize that the magic was always you!

Happy Festivus!

Nancy Thompson

Greg Abbott loves to brag that Texas has the eighth-largest economy in the world. He says it so often, you would think he keeps the ranking framed next to his mirror and prays to it every morning. Yet here we are. Texas workers are still stuck with a minimum wage from 2009, $7.25 an hour.

That is the same year we were all renting DVDs from Blockbuster, Twitter was just born, Twilight books all anyone talked about, President Obama was inaugurated, and Taylor Swift was in her Fearless era.

Texas has an economy big enough to impress global economists but a wage floor small enough to embarrass anyone who has ever opened a grocery bill. If this is what success looks like something is very wrong with the definition. But it’s about to get a lot worse.

OTHER STATES

Many US States are legislatively bumping up their minimum wage in January 2026:

• Arizona $15.15

• California $16.90

• Colorado $15.16

• Connecticut $16.94

• Hawaii $16

• Maine $15.10

• Michigan $13.73

• Minnesota $11.41

• Missouri $15

• Montana $10.85

• Nebraska $15

• New Jersey $15.92

• New York $17 (NYC) and $16 (Upstate)

• Ohio $11

• Rhode Island $16

• South Dakota $11.85

• Vermonth $14.42

• Virginia $12.77

• Washington $17.13

Seventeen years. That is how long Texans have waited for the wage to move even one penny. Meanwhile rent, groceries, insurance, utilities, childcare, tuition, and pretty much everything else have climbed like ivy up a brick wall. Texans are working just as hard as ever, but the math is not mathing. You can have the eighth-largest economy in the world, but if a full time worker cannot afford an apartment near their job, that is not a miracle. That is mismanagement.

These 18 States still pay $7.25 per hour:

• Alabama

• Idaho

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Mississippi

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Oklahoma

• Pennsylvania

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Texas

• Utah

• Wisconsin

• Wyoming

Wages are at the heart of the affordability crisis

This is the heart of our affordability crisis. Start with wages and suddenly everything else makes sense. Why are families drowning under bills. Why are teachers and nurses working extra jobs. Why are young people leaving Texas. Why does every conversation about the cost of living begin and end with a sigh. Because the wage floor has been frozen in time while the cost of life has skyrocketed.

Here is the part politicians hope you never say out loud.

Raising the minimum wage is one of the fastest ways to make life more affordable for millions of Texans. Other states figured this out years ago. Conservative states. Red states. Florida raised theirs through a statewide vote. South Dakota did it. Arizona did it. Nebraska did it. Their economies did not collapse. Their small businesses did not perish. Their people simply got a little breathing room.

So why not Texas. Why are Texans forced to fight the cost of 2026 with a wage from 2009. Because our leadership is building an economy for corporations not for people. They brag about GDP while ignoring the human beings who create it.

Imagine if Democrats ran on this issue together. A clear promise. A simple message. Raise the wage and lift the state. Give Texans a fair shot at the lives they are working for. Connect affordability not only to property taxes and grocery stores and housing but to the foundation underneath it all. When work pays what work takes families stabilize. Neighborhoods improve. Small businesses thrive because people have money to spend. The whole state grows.

This is not charity. This is economic common sense. The minimum wage has not increased in seventeen years. We do not live in the same world we lived in then. A wage frozen in time does not match the economy Texans are living in now.

Democrats have an opportunity this cycle. People feel squeezed. They feel frustrated. They feel like no matter how hard they try, they are still falling behind. That feeling is not imaginary. It is structural. And it is fixable.

A party that says out loud what everyone already knows. $7.25 is not a fair shot. A party that argues for a Texas where hard work pays off. Not just for corporations or CEOs but for every family. Every worker. Every town. Every community.

Abbott can brag about his eighth-largest economy. We can talk about the Texans who actually built it. And we can offer them something better than a wage from the Blockbuster era.

If we want to lift Texans up, we start by lifting their wages.

Because affordability is not a slogan. It is a paycheck. And Texans deserve one that lets them live in the state they love.

Yours in resistance,

Nancy Thompson

So when the White House was bulldozed on live television, my team was upset.
I wasn’t.

Because that was the image Republicans were walking into Election Night with chaos, destruction, grievance, and it wasn’t landing with swing voters the way they hoped. Meanwhile, their attacks on James Talarico weren’t sticking. I had been tracking them for weeks, and nothing was catching fire. And believe me: when Republicans can’t get a smear campaign to land, they get cranky.

So I’m not surprised they rolled out an AstroTurf campaign the minute they felt the ground shifting under their feet.
If you can’t beat the candidate, divide the voters.
If the message isn’t working, invent a fake crisis.

And then I read this article this morning, peak Republican behavior.
Divide. Sort. Attack. Repeat.

https://www.notus.org/senate/jasmine-crockett-nrsc-texas-senate

The online drama between Crockett supporters and supposed “Talarico staffers” was not organic. It was engineered. Dave Carney told us exactly how he operates, and Democrats still walked right into the trap.

Carney Was Already Playing Us

First, he said this to Bud Kennedy on Twitter:
Crockett is “too progressive for Texas,” along with a few other predictable talking points.

Then, just minutes later, he told Mothers something entirely different.
Why?
Because Dave Carney doesn’t want James Talarico to run.

Not because of ideology. Not because of policy.
Because they can’t race-bait him.

Let that sink in.

When I started seeing weird posts floating around — bots pretending to be Talarico volunteers, people claiming the Talarico team was attacking Crockett — something felt off. I know James Talarico. I’ve challenged him plenty. He’s never once punched sideways at fellow Democrats. It’s not who he is, and it’s not how he operates.

So why were some people seeing these divisive posts, and others weren’t?

Because it was targeted.
It was coordinated.
It was meant to pit Democrats against each other just as 2026 begins.

Because Republicans Are Panicking

Let’s start with what Carney talked about the last time I heard him speak:

The average Republican voter is 68–69 years old.

The average Democratic voter is in their mid-40s.

That is a seismic demographic difference — and Republicans know it. Their base is aging out, and they’re desperately trying to rebuild the youth pipeline.

Enter: Turning Point USA.

Charlie Kirk’s death temporarily knocked their youth turnout machine off balance. Turning Point was a major piece of the GOP’s 2026 strategy. Greg Abbott has been aggressively pushing Chapters across Texas for a reason.

Their goal?
Register young voters early and lock them in for a decade of Republican voting.

It was going okay until a poll a few weeks ago showed they’re bleeding Gen Z voters.
Panic button pressed.

That’s why they’re now obsessed with high school Turning Point chapters.
It’s not about today.
It’s about 2026 and 2028.

Carney spelled it out: if Republicans want Gen Z, they’ll talk jobs, safety, and the economy.

And here’s another piece he shared:

Republicans plan to spend $25 million in 50 South Texas counties.

That’s Bexar and everything south of it.

Carney’s Roadmap for 2026 — Straight from the Source

Here’s what he admitted, out loud:

1. 40% of Democrats stayed home in 2024.

Republicans are counting on them to stay home again.

2. There is no automatic Hispanic drift to the GOP.

Latest polls show Trump underwater with Hispanic voters. Who knew racial profiling and ICE raids weren’t crowd-pleasers?

3. South Texas is the key to keeping Texas red.

4. Republicans will run on:

• Property taxes

• Crime

• Border

• (And yes, they know the economy is spiraling under Trump, which is why they’re pivoting to abolishing property taxes — the biggest middle-class tax increase in disguise.)

5. Race is a factor.

He said it plainly: he’s counting on Hispanic and Black voters not showing up.
If they stay home, Republicans win.

6. Republicans think Democrats care too much about statewide “celebrity” candidates.

Meanwhile, they’re focused on down-ballot and local infrastructure.

We weren’t running a celebrity candidate at the top of the ticket… enter astro-turfing Jasmine Crockett.

7. Republicans train their candidates.

They teach them message discipline, storytelling, persuasion, and staying on script.

8. Their formula is simple:

Message. Money. Messenger.

Republicans do the homework.
Democrats keep eating glue and calling each other racist on Twitter because a bot farm told them to.

So Democrats… what now?

What exactly are we doing with all this information?

Are we going to keep taking the bait?

Are we going to keep falling for manufactured outrage designed to fracture us?

Are we going to let Dave Carney run circles around an entire political party because we couldn’t resist a spicy clapback?

Carney said something painfully true:

Democrats will never win until we grow up.

He’s right.

We have to stop:

• Getting played by fake online drama

• Assuming every post is real

• Letting Republicans script our infighting

• Chasing every distraction

• Fighting each other harder than we fight the GOP

And we have to start:

• Building message discipline

• Appealing to young voters

• Competing in South Texas

• Training candidates like our democracy depends on it

• Staying focused on the real opponents

Because spoiler alert:
Jasmine Crockett is not the enemy.
James Talarico is not the enemy.
Democrats are not the enemy.

The enemy is the coordinated strategy built to divide us while Republicans quietly invest, organize, and message their way through 2026.

It’s time — truly — to grow the fuck up.

Yours in resistance

Nancy

Back in my high-tech life, my name wasn’t Nancy. It was Strategygrrl.
My work emails? Strategygrrl.
User IDs? Strategygrrl.
My nickname for other women in tech? GRRL spelled exactly like that, because it was 1995, and we were making the internet up as we went along.

I was part of a 20-woman collective, the first women in the Austin web industry, building things no one had names for yet. My secret superpower? I pick up on trends early, understand why people do what they do, and can see the entire arc of a project from the spark of an idea to the moment you ship it.

I even have a graduate degree with a minor in usability studies, which is a fancy way of saying I understand how normal humans interact with technology and how people respond when they’re asked questions. Marketing and branding live in that same space of human behavior, so those skills just fused into my DNA.

All of that mattered the moment I founded Mothers in 2021, because one of the first things I realized was that the Texas Democratic Party had no strategy and no infrastructure. None. Zero. Zilch. It was like showing up to a fire and discovering everyone brought marshmallows.

Then Beto lost.
Then Dave Carney, Greg Abbott’s strategist, resident villain, and uncomfortably proud architect of GOP victories, went on the Y’allatics podcast and bragged about how he outsmarted Democrats and “defined” Beto.

Our team didn’t love hearing it, but we took notes. Know your enemy. Always.

And here’s what became obvious:

2021–2023: Democrats needed stronger border messaging.

2024: Democrats needed stronger border and economic messaging.

Both times? Republicans defined us before we even laced up our shoes.

Democrats were afraid to knock on doors.
Afraid to talk to people who disagreed with them.
Afraid to listen.
Afraid to meet voters where they are instead of lecturing them from a place of moral superiority.

I’ll never forget the Republican who called me right before the 2024 election. I braced for yelling. Instead, we had a respectful hour-long conversation. We didn’t agree on everything, but we listened. Imagine that listening works better than shouting.

After the 2024 loss and now with Trump back in office, I’ve spent a lot of time researching how Democrats can talk to voters in a way that actually lands. And here’s my conclusion:

Democrats need a populist message. A real one. A Democratic one.

We’re living in a time that looks uncomfortably similar to France before the French Revolution, a tiny group at the top taking more than their share while everyone else is told to tighten their belts. The moment is ripe for a message that speaks directly to working people.

The Core of Democratic Populism

Economic fairness: Wages, costs, jobs, corporate greed.
Community power: People over powerful interests.
Accountability: Hold the wealthy and the politicians serving them responsible.
Us vs. the rigged system: Not us vs. our neighbors.
Hope + fight: Things can get better, and we’re going to fight to make them better.

What This Sounds Like

• “The problem isn’t your neighbor. It’s the people at the top who keep writing the rules for themselves.”

• “Working families make Texas strong. Billionaires just make the rules.”

• “Nobody should work full-time and still be broke. That’s not freedom. That’s a rigged economy.”

• “Politicians love to blame immigrants, teachers, librarians, anyone handy. Funny how they never blame the corporations hiking your bills.”

• “We don’t need leaders who punch down. We need leaders who stand up for all of us.”

• “If you’re working hard and still falling behind, the problem isn’t you. It’s the system, and we’re here to fix it.”

Meanwhile, billionaires are collecting tax breaks like Pokémon cards while the middle class pays more for everything. And voters notice even if Democrats aren’t talking about it loudly enough.

So what should Democrats actually do?

1. Knock on the RIGHT doors.

Stop talking only to guaranteed Democrats.
Go find the swing voters, the sporadic voters, the people who never vote unless someone literally shows up and knocks.

2. Listen. Not lecture.

Ask questions.
Take notes.
Find out what hurts and matters to voters.
Your message begins where their pain point lives.

3. Tell voters what you’re for, not just what you’re against.

No one is inspired by negativity alone. Give them a reason to believe in you and a reason to vote.

4. Ask permission to follow up.

Leave information.
Send more later.
Build a real relationship.
You cannot win people you don’t stay in contact with.

5. Remember: the issues are the same across Texas.

Every candidate should focus on:

• Economy / Affordability / Raising the minimum wage

• Jobs

• Healthcare

• Safety

• Education

If you’re bored with your own stump speech, who cares? There is always one voter who hasn’t heard it yet. Say it 150 times in person. Say it four times a day online. That’s the job.

6. Stop fighting with Republicans on Twitter.

No voter has ever said, “Wow, that snarky tweet changed my life.”

7. Candidates without primary opponents: go find the voters who never vote.

They’re the ballgame.
Republicans are counting on them to stay home.
Give them a reason not to.

And let’s be honest: populist Democratic messaging works.

Door-knocking? In.
Postcards? Out.
Endless fundraising texts? You’ve given voters long-term emotional scarring. Enough.

Text people why they should vote, not why they should give.

Democrats lose when they whisper.
Democrats win when they show up, listen, and talk like they actually live in the same world as the voters they’re trying to represent.

This is our moment, and it’s a populist moment.
Let’s stop letting billionaires and political operatives define who we are.
Let’s define ourselves loudly, clearly, and right at the door.

It’s time to make the working class matter to Democrats again!
Yours in Resistance,

Nancy

A strong why does not begin with the office you want. It begins with the problem you can’t stomach anymore.

Candidates who want to be something get blown over by the first gust of political wind. Candidates who want to do something , whose mission is clear and specific, become magnetic.

And when the attacks come (and they will), your why becomes your shield. Instead of playing on your opponent’s turf, you pivot straight back to your core message:

“I’m running to __________, so that ______________. ”

Example: “I am running to raise the minimum wage, so that people in my district can afford to live here and have their American dream.”

That’s how you stay in control of the race. Not by being the loudest, but by being the most grounded.

But somewhere between that spark and the day you file, the real heart of the campaign often gets buried under paperwork, yard signs, and the sudden realization that you have to raise money from your aunt who still thinks you’re 17.

So let’s hit pause for a moment and ask the question that sits at the center of every successful candidacy:

Why are you running?

It sounds simple. It isn’t. And most candidates never actually answer it.

The Core Message: The One Thing That Guides Everything Else

A campaign without a clear why is like a GPS with no destination. You can drive fast, you can look determined, you can even feel confident, but you’re not going anywhere voters can follow.

Your why is the argument you’re making about the future. It’s the thing that connects your story to their lives. And it’s the filter through which every message, every speech, every debate answer must pass.

A strong why does not begin with the office you want. It begins with the problem you can’t stomach anymore.

Candidates who want to be something get blown over by the first gust of political wind. Candidates who want to do something , whose mission is clear and specific, become magnetic.

And when the attacks come (and they will), your why becomes your shield. Instead of playing on your opponent’s turf, you pivot straight back to your core message:

“I’m running to __________, so that ______________. ”

Example: “I am running to raise the minimum wage, so that people in my district can afford to live here and have their American dream.”

That’s how you stay in control of the race. Not by being the loudest, but by being the most grounded.

Campaigns Are Stories — But Not All at Once

We tend to think a campaign is one giant speech stretched across nine months.
But in reality, it’s a story told in chapters.

You don’t dump your entire biography onto voters on Day One.
You don’t show all your plans at once.
You don’t fire every contrast shot in the first month.

You build a narrative over time.

A good campaign knows:

• What part of the story to tell first (your why).

• What comes next (your vision).

• When to introduce contrast (when voters know you well enough to see the difference).

• How to roll out details with intention instead of flinging every fact you know into the void.

This is why message planning matters. It’s why campaigns build calendars for announcements, endorsements, digital pushes, and community conversations.

And yes, it’s why you need to understand your opponent, not to obsess over them, but to see the battlefield clearly. You’re not just telling voters who you are. You’re defining the choice.

Authenticity: The Thing You Can’t Fake (Even If You Try)

Modern campaigns operate on one basic truth:

Everything will come out.

The internet has the memory of an elephant and the cattiness of a high school group chat and the attention span of a squirrel. If there’s a questionable picture or an awkward tweet from 2011, someone has already screenshotted it.

This is why self-research isn’t optional.
You should know your own vulnerabilities before your opponent’s intern finds them at 2 a.m. while eating Taco Bell. It’s time to scrub your social media.

Sometimes, the smartest move is releasing the awkward stuff yourself — on your timeline, in your words, so it becomes part of your story rather than their attack.

But here’s the good news: voters aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for truth. They’re looking for a human being with a spine. They’re looking for someone who can say:

“I’ve lived, I’ve learned, I’ve grown and here’s why I’m stepping up now.”

A campaign is, in many ways, an MRI for the soul. Run long enough, and your character shows. And that is exactly why authenticity is your greatest armor.

So What Makes a Real Why Statement?

A real Why Statement is not a slogan.
It’s not a bullet point.
It’s not a generic “I care about the community” sentence you’d see on a mug.

A real Why Statement is alive.
It’s anchored.
It’s specific enough that voters recognize your story in it.

It answers questions like:

• What moment made you say “enough”?

• What problem keeps you up at night?

• Who gets hurt if nothing changes?

• Who benefits if you win?

• What future are you fighting for?

If your why doesn’t make you feel something, it won’t make voters feel anything either.

And here’s the test: If you took your name out of your Why Statement, could it belong to any candidate in America? If the answer is yes, your why isn’t done yet.

The Payoff: Clarity, Connection, and Control

When your why is clear, everything else falls into place:

• Your stump speech writes itself.

• Your social media gets sharper.

• Your fundraising gets easier.

• Your volunteers know what they’re fighting for.

• Your voters know exactly why you deserve their trust.

• And every time your opponent comes after you, you pivot back to your message with confidence instead of panic.

Your why is not just a sentence. It’s the foundation of your campaign, the through-line of your story, and the reason people will choose you over someone else.

Without it, you’re just another person asking for a vote. With it, you become a leader with purpose.

If you’re crafting your Why Statement and want help shaping it into something powerful, send me what you have. We can sharpen it, tighten it, and turn it into the message that carries your campaign all the way to Election Day.

Because the truth is simple: Candidates don’t win because they talk the most. They win because they know exactly why they’re in the fight, and they never let voters forget it.

So why are you running for office?

Yours in resistance,

Nancy Thompson

1. Start outlining your campaign plan from now until Election Day.

If you don’t know where you’re going, your campaign definitely doesn’t.
Map it out. Put real dates on real tasks. Treat it like the job it is.

2. Order a name tag with your logo and your name.

Make it easy for people to remember who you are.
And order three, trust me, you’ll lose one under your car seat.
I ordered mine from namebadge.com.

3. Create a list of possible surrogates.

You cannot be everywhere. Identify folks who can speak for you, and think through how you’ll train them. Tag-team when necessary. And please record a short “I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight” video now, because one day, you’ll need it.

4. Set up Google Alerts.

For:

• Your name

• Your district

• Your opponent

• Key issues in your race

If something happens, you want to know before your opponent turns it into a Facebook ad.

5. Refine your Why statement.

Why are you running?
What story are you telling?

Create a:

• 1-minute pitch

• 2-minute pitch

• 3-minute pitch

Different situations, different lengths, same message.

6. Set up your 10DLC for texting.

If you’re confused, don’t worry. Everyone is confused. Just get it done early so your texts don’t get blocked.

Sample week by week Campaign Plan for you edit with your candidate’s details.

PHASE 1: RIGHT NOW — LATE DECEMBER

GOAL: Build the campaign infrastructure, message, and presence.

✔ Core Tasks

• Finalize campaign plan through March 3

• Build win number + targeting universes

• Launch website, logo, branding

• Set up ActBlue, bank, compliance, 10DLC texting

• Record intro video

• Write/refine Why Statement (1-, 2-, and 3-minute versions)

• Create media list + press kit

• Assemble digital content library (15–20 ready-to-go posts)

• Start Google Alerts: your name, district, opponent, key issues

• Begin call time (10–15 hours/week)

• Recruit volunteer captains

• Finish all endorsement questionnaires still open

Door-Knocking Begins

This is listening canvassing, the most important form of persuasion.
You are gathering intel to shape your platform and message.

PHASE 2: JANUARY — GET LOUD, GET SEEN, GET ORGANIZED

GOAL: Build name ID, credibility, and structure. Accelerate everything.

WEEKLY NON-NEGOTIABLES:

• 15 hrs call time

• 2 canvassing shifts

• 2 community appearances

• 3–5 pieces of digital content

• 1 fundraising email

• 1 volunteer recruitment post

• 1 endorsement ask

• 1 policy explainer

WEEK 1 OF JANUARY

Tasks

• Launch intro video publicly

• Start persuasion canvassing

• Hold first volunteer training

• Release first policy one-pager (education, healthcare, cost of living, etc.)

• Begin scheduling debates/forums

• Run first weekend canvass blitz

WEEK 2 OF JANUARY

Tasks

• Digital: boost intro video

• Host house party #1

• Submit additional endorsement apps

• Begin outreach to unions, teachers, moms groups

• Host one virtual town hall

• Start Spanish-language outreach (if applicable)

WEEK 3 OF JANUARY

Tasks

• Publish second policy one-pager

• Candidate does at least 10 direct voter call-backs

• Push small-dollar fundraising campaign

• Begin surrogates list + training plan

• Press outreach: pitch profile story to local reporters

• Canvass goal: 1,000 doors this week

WEEK 4 OF JANUARY

Tasks

• Host town hall #2

• Finalize Primary GOTV plan

• Roll out endorsements you’ve secured

• Drop “Meet the Candidate” video (version 2)

• Canvass harder turf (high-D, low-turnout precincts)

• Fundraising event #2

PHASE 3: FEBRUARY — FULL PERSUASION MODE

This is when the campaign becomes a real campaign. Visibility must skyrocket.
Every week matters. Every conversation matters. Every dollar matters.

WEEK 1 OF FEBRUARY

Tasks

• Drop Persuasion Mailer #1

• Debate or forum prep intensifies

• Release a “Freedom for Texas Families” message or ad

• Press hit (op-ed, radio, podcast)

• Weekend Mega Canvass: 1,500–2,000 doors

• Data hygiene check (correct targeting for GOTV)

WEEK 2 OF FEBRUARY

Tasks

• Endorsements Round #2

• Digital ads on: your story + your top issue

• Fundraising push: “30 Days to Primary”

• Phone Bank launch

• Rollout Spanish-language digital content

• Candidate meets with educators, nurses, and small business owners

• GOTV staging locations confirmed

WEEK 3 OF FEBRUARY

Tasks

• Persuasion Mailer #2

• Policy spotlight video (60-sec explainer)

• Large volunteer training & recruitment

• Canvass goal: 2,500+ doors

• Texting program starts

• Town hall #3

• Debate #1 (if scheduled)

WEEK 4 OF FEBRUARY — GOTV BEGINS

Early voting opens around mid-February for the Texas primary.
This is EVERYTHING.

Daily Must-Do (Once Early Vote Starts):

• Daily canvassing

• Daily texting

• Daily phone banks

• Daily data cleanup

• Daily ballot chase

• Candidate at early voting locations (high visibility)

Tasks

• GOTV Mailer #1

• GOTV digital blitz (vote times, locations, urgency messaging)

• Volunteer surge weekend

• Spanish-language GOTV

• Opponent contrast messaging (values-based, not personal)

PHASE 4: FINAL MARCH 1–3 SPRINT TO THE PRIMARY

MARCH 1–2 — FINAL 48 HOURS

Tasks

• Hit low-propensity voters

• Heavy text + phone surge

• Canvass top precincts

• Ride-to-the-polls program activated

• Surrogates deployed across district

• Candidate visibility at early vote sites

• Digital countdown posts every few hours

MARCH 3 — PRIMARY ELECTION DAY

Morning

• 6 AM visibility teams

• Poll greeters deployed

• First canvass launch

• Social media: “Today is the day. Go vote.”

Mid-day

• Chase lists updated hourly

• Ballot cure (if necessary)

• Phone banks & texting continue nonstop

Afternoon

• Final GOTV push door-to-door

• Candidate visits multiple polling locations

• Surrogates amplify the message across social media

7 PM POLLS CLOSE

• War Room activated

• Results monitored

• Victory/concession speech ready

• Thank volunteers early and often

• After results are posted. Call your largest supporters to tell them the news and thank them.