Dear Texans,
Our 89th Texas Lege 2025 Mothers Report Cards are OUT! Go here to see them all: REPORT CARDS
Before the 89th Legislative Session even began, everyone knew it was going to be a dumpster fire in slow motion. Texas Legislative Capitol staffers were brushing up on their LSATs, planning to flee to law school just to escape the madness. Some skipped town altogether. And, well, they weren’t wrong. This was the WORST legislative session in a series of back to back horrible sessions.
Our goal isn’t to attack, it’s to hold accountable. We graded legislators based on public records, votes, committee work, and community advocacy. The results reveal a troubling lack of teamwork and coordination among Democrats.
Some legislators worked tirelessly for their districts and values. Others went quiet, or worse, enabled the very extremism Texans are desperate to overcome. From the mishandled fight against private school vouchers to the silence during anti-LGBTQ debates, too many moments of moral clarity were met with hesitation instead of courage.
We can’t ignore that. Texas families deserve leaders who show up, speak out, and stand firm.
From the first vote to the last, this session was an all-out assault on the voice of the people of Texas. The tone was set on Day One, when Democrats helped elect Republican Dustin Burrows as Speaker over David Cook and Ana-Maria Ramos. Without Democratic votes, Burrows couldn’t have won. And those votes cost us dearly.
Some even went to the podium to sing his praises, which aged about as well as milk in the Texas sun. Because once Burrows had the gavel, he turned on them faster than a bull in a bluebonnet field.
Who Voted Where
Voted for Cook: Sergio Muñoz Jr., Ana-Maria Ramos (as a protest vote), Richard Raymond.
Present, Not Voting (Gold Star Group): Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, Nicole Collier, Terry Meza, Aicha Davis, John Bryant, Alma Allen, Sheryl Cole, Christina Morales. (Yvonne Davis was absent.)
Ana-Maria Ramos warned everyone that Burrows was not a man of his word, and she was 100% right. She can walk the Capitol halls saying “I told you so,” because she did.
But this was the moment Democrats lost before the game even started. Instead of negotiating power in exchange for their votes, for public schools, healthcare, or LGBTQ protections, they splintered. Some chased vice-chair seats like party favors, mistaking titles for power. The team spirit that could’ve built leverage evaporated on Day One, and House Democratic leadership never recovered.
Rep. Gene Wu, head of the House Democratic Caucus, never built a unified team. We know it’s an impossible thing to do as Democrats. The splintering result was chaos that showed in the actual voting. However, during the end of the Special Session II, Rep. Wu was getting his groove. He had an opportunity to be a leader in front of the entire country. Rep. Wu put up with a lot of racism from Republican Legislators in the House and Governor Greg Abbott.
A few House Democrats became Speaker Burrows’ messengers, undermining their own colleagues from inside the tent. Burrows rewarded them and for the first time in 17 years, the House became an obedient arm of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s extremist Senate. Dan Patrick now runs both chambers, and some Democrats helped hand him the keys.
It was painful watching Reps. Mihaela Plesa and Toni Rose publicly support Burrows. Richard Raymond predictably backed Cook, and unsurprisingly, he landed dead last on the Mothers Report Card. He has been brown-nosing to Republicans this entire session.
A handful of Democrats rarely ask questions or speak at the microphone for bill hearings. And some Republicans are even more rare at speaking at microphones. Not to mention the ones that are watching sports or playing solitaire instead of listening to amendments. There is a lot of disrespect in Dan Patrick’s Senate and House. Because let’s face it, it’s Dan Patrick’s house now. We hope Burrows does not return as Speaker of the House, but based on his fundraising so far, people are counting on him to be the speaker for the 90th session.
The LGBTQ Caucus
Let’s talk about the LGBTQ Caucus board members. Only Jessica González wrote meaningful legislation this session. The rest of the board? Missing in action.
Even non-members like Christian Manuel, Lauren Simmons, and Venton Jones, did more for LGBTQ Texans than some caucus board members. The lowest moment came when Rep. Mary González reportedly told Rep. Steve Toth she was too tired to fight his anti-trans amendment and it got added on SB12 and it passed. With friends like these LGBTQ Texans don’t need enemies. Start around 14:20 mark 👉 Watch it here.
Tired? We all are. But being tired isn’t an excuse for surrendering our community’s rights.
The Voucher Disaster
Let’s be clear: no one outside the Governor’s billionaire donor circle was asking for vouchers. Yet Republicans lined up to hand taxpayer dollars to private schools while leaving public schools behind.
Democrats had opportunities early on to negotiate (like when they were getting behind Burrows), to demand real hearings and equitable funding, but internal divisions left them powerless. The result? A disaster for students, teachers, and communities across Texas. Trump called the Texas GOP, and the vouchers steamrolled through in a bloodbath. Not a single Democratic amendment was heard. They were all tabled. Watching that unfold was heartbreaking and soul crushing. The people of Texas truly lost their voice.
The House is no longer the people’s house. It is Dan Patrick’s house. Vouchers will pay $10,300-$30k per student while public school students are still sitting at $6,215k per student. HORRIBLE! Rich kids, Rich Private Schools, and billionaires get richer and Texans get ripped off.
After that, morale collapsed. Even the decision by House Democrats to block voting constitutional amendment bills fell apart. How easily the Democrats caved it is like they had amnesia to the agreement in the first place.
Which Democrats voted for the terrible Constitutional Amendment bills?
Bail Reform:
HOUSE-Yeas — Bernal, Bowers, Bryant, Campos, Canales, Cole, Collier, Gamez, Josey Garcia, Linda Garcia, Cassandra Garcia-Hernandez, Mary Gonzalez, Goodwin, Guerra, Ana Hernandez, Gervin-Hawkins, Mary Gonzalez, Hinojosa, Howard, Johnson, Jolanda Jones, Venton Jones, Longoria, Lopez, Manuel, Mando Martinez, Martinez-Fischer, Moody, Morales-Shaw, Eddie Morales, Munoz, Ordaz, Mary Ann Perez, Vincent Perez, Plesa, Raymond, Romero, Rose, Rosenthal, Simmons, Talarico, Thompson, Turner, Vo, Walle, Ward-Johnson, Wu.
SENATE-Yeas — Alvarado, Blanco, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Chuy Hinojosa, Johnson, Menendez, Miles, West, Zaffarini
NO Capital Gains:
HOUSE-Yeas — Allen, Cole, Cortez, Gamez, Linda Garcia, Guerra, Ana Hernandez, Johnson, Venton Jones, Oscar Longoria, Lopez, Morales-Shaw, Mary Ann Perez, Vincent Perez, Plesa, Raymond.
SENATE-Yeas — Alvarado, Blanco, Guiterrez, Hinojosa, Zaffarini
Judges Not letting Greg Abbott determine who is on Judicial Review board:
HOUSE-Yeas — Bhojani, Bucy, Campos, Cole, Dutton, Gamez, Linda Garcia, Cassandra Garcia-Hernandez, Mary Gonzalez, Goodwin, Guerra, Ana Hernandez, Hinojosa, Howard, Johnson, Jolanda Jones, Lalani, Lopez, Manuel, Mando Martinez, Martinez-Fischer, Moody, Morales-Shaw, Eddie Morales, Munoz, Ordaz, Mary Ann Perez, Vincent Perez, Plesa, Raymond, Romero, Talarico, Walle, Zweiner
SENATE-Yeas — Alvarado, Blanco, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Menendez, Zaffarini
Parent Rights:
HOUSE-Yeas — Anchia, Bhojani, Bryant, Canales, Cole, Davis, Flores, Gamez, Linda Garcia, Cassandra Garcia-Hernandez, Gervin-Hawkins, Ana Hernandez, Jolanda Jones, Longoria, Lopez, Manuel, Mando Martinez, Martinez-Fischer, Meza, Morales-Shaw, Eddie Morales, Munoz, Ordaz, Mary Ann Perez, Mihaela Plesa, Raymond, Romero, Rose, Rosenthal, Thompson, Turner,
SENATE-Yeas — Alvarado, Blanco, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Chuy Hinojosa, Johnson, Menendez, Miles, West, Zaffarini
Proof of U.S. Citizenship to vote
HOUSE-Yeas — Allen; Canales; Dutton; Garcia, J.; Guerra; Lalani; Longoria; Manuel; Martinez; Morales, E.; Muñoz; Ordaz; Perez, M.; Plesa; Raymond;
SENATE Yeas — Alvarado, Blanco, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.
Redistricting
Redistricting briefly reignited unity, but even that was messy. Some Democrats fought; others hid. A few actively undermined the quorum break (looking at you, Joe Moody).
In the Senate
Senators Judith Zaffirini and Chuy Hinojosa refused to join the quorum break or in the Senate chamber walk out and press conference. Hinojosa, once a union man, turned his back on workers and was censured. Zaffirini could’ve gone out swinging but stayed put. Both are 79. It’s time to let a new generation lead. IT IS TIME!
In the House
The following Democrats didn’t join the quorum break: Joe Moody, Terry Canales, Oscar Longoria, Armando Martinez, Sergio Muñoz Jr., Philip Cortez, Eddie Morales, and Richard Raymond. Mary González and Erin Gamez came back early. Most are Border Democrats and their loyalty to the Speaker cost us all. We are the ones that pay the price. They still get pension benefits no matter what. Did you know that Texas legislators get $140,000 per year in their annual retirement pension plan?
Some Senate Democrats gave it back as hard as they could Sarah Eckhardt, Molly Cook, Nathan Johnson, and Roland Gutierrez. Even Borris Miles spoke up a few times when he was just fed up with Dan Patrick’s bullshit. It’s so hard to be a Democrat in the Senate and we applaud our Senate Dems who walked out and spoke up.
What We Learned
Our report cards revealed something bigger than votes, a teamwork crisis. Texas Democrats rarely co-author bills or build collective power. There’s no unified legislative strategy behind the Democratic platform, and that failure trickles down to the voters. We must work on unification
We also uncovered disturbing racial disparities in campaign donations. White Republicans received hundreds of thousands from certain Law PACs, while Black Democrats received just a thousand or two. That’s not just inequity, it’s fundraising racism, and it’s unacceptable. Just scroll through the report cards and you can see it.
Black Democrats continue to be the moral backbone of the party, but the Mexican American Caucus has lagged. And the “Border Democrat” problem is real, those districts are Democratic, but their representatives are acting like they are Republican-lite instead of representing their Democratic constituents.
We didn’t learn anything new from Republicans. We knew they were liars, we knew they couldn’t be trusted and we knew that they would rather not spend money than invest in infrastructure to save Texans lives. We also knew they would jump higher for white kids from white rich families than the Uvalde kids. Everything is a culture war, everything is meant to divide Texans, everything is meant to dehumanize a certain group of Texans and everything is meant to keep Texas Republican voters enraged and angry. The average age of a Republican voter in Texas is 69 years old and they continually disenfranchise their own voting base. It will catch up to them.
Our Recommendations for the 90th Session
We believe in redemption — and in teamwork. Texas Democrats have another chance to reset, rebuild, and remember who they represent. Here’s what we recommend:
Work together or lose together. Power only comes through unity.
Lead your district, don’t just hold office. Representation doesn’t end on Election Day.
Co-author bills that reflect Democratic values and hit the road to share them with Texans.
Stop chasing titles and start building coalitions.
Negotiate as a team. No more side deals.
Remember: your real boss isn’t the Speaker’s office, it’s the people of Texas.
As historian Heather Cox Richardson recently said about wanting power over representing the people.
“Damn, what a cheap way to sell your soul and this time you have on earth.”
Let’s do better. Let’s make the 90th Session a turning point, not another cautionary tale.
Don’t forget to look at the Report Cards:
With fierce love and accountability,
Mothers Against Greg Abbott
Thank you for your work in putting this review together. It hits the nail firmly on the head. The 89th Legislature deserves a vote of No Confidence. Most politicians continue to put self interest ahead of their fiduciary responsibilities. I have read several self congratulatory posts about the good work individual representatives accomplished, but not one apology. The majority of Texas voices was ignored.