Gearing Up for the Run-Off
Dear friends, No single candidate got 50% of the vote in my March 6th primary, so on we go to a May 22nd run-off. Since the primary I've been resting (a little), blockwalking (as always), crunching the numbers from the primary, and planning our path to the nomination and then the Texas Capitol. Meanwhile, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the anti-immigrant Texas law Senate Bill 4, the Trump administration has levied new attacks on LGBTQIA+ Americans, and over a million people (including right here in Hays and Blanco Counties) have participated in walkouts and marches calling for common sense gun reform. Now more than ever we need strong, courageous voices in the Texas Legislature who are willing to stand up against special interests and fight for each and every Texan. I am more determined than ever to reach the Capitol and work for you. After examining the data from the primary and reflecting here's what I want you to know. We can definitely win this thing. The Good News
Every precinct where our team got on the ground and knocked most of the Democratic doors, we won. Blockwalking works, and voters are eager to hear directly from candidates and their surrogates.
I'm confident that the vast majority of my voters went to the polls eager to vote for me. I was the last candidate on the ballot and, as a first-time candidate, have low overall name recognition. No one chose me based on familiarity or my position on the ballot. My voters will stick with us in the run-off, so we just have to pick up a few more.
Run-off elections are a turnout game. Because of all our work going door-to-door, we have good contact information for more voters and can use that to ensure they make it to the polls.
Blockwalking is easier now! We've been walking using 2016 voter lists, data that was almost two years old,and many folks on our list had moved away. Now we have brand new data that will be barely two months old on election day. We're able to reach our voters far more efficiently.
In March, Democratic Primary voters in my district had between seven and nine contested races on their ballots. In May, they will only have two or three, and voters will have an opportunity to research my race more thoroughly. (Many folks I've spoken to don't remember who they voted for in my race.) More attention and more informed voters will only work in our favor.
The Challenges
We still have a name recognition hurdle to overcome, particularly with folks we can't reach through social media.
We lost both absentee ballots and areas that are too rural to effectively blockwalk.
We did not have enough footpower to hit every door we hoped to.
The Plan
Direct mail to the absentee ballot voters and to the more rural areas of the district.
Advertisements in local papers.
Streamline our get out the vote efforts.
Streamline our phone- and textbanking efforts
Keep blockwalking!
How You Can Help
Donate! Mail and newspaper advertisements are expensive, but they're essential to reaching voters who are less tied in to social media and local events. Please contribute to my campaign today.
Blockwalk! We will have planned blockwalks every weekend until the run-off, including one this Saturday. It's a great way to meet fellow Democrats and help get folks excited about the 2018 elections. Please join us.
Phonebank! We'll have an updated phonebank for folks in next week's email. (Sign up here.) It's a quick and easy way to get out the vote from your own home.
I'm still in this race, because I know two things. 1) I am the candidate who will fight hardest for the values and well-being of Texans in Hays and Blanco Counties. 2) I am the Democratic candidate who will do the hard work to flip House District 45. Thank you so much for your confidence in me and your support. Please help us over this next hurdle so we can head for the finish line. Let's put the all back in y'all, Erin
