Elections Have Consequences - Let's Make Them Good Ones

Dear friends, It's been a rough news cycle since the run-off last month. I had so many emotions the night of the run-off (excitement, gratitude, joy), but the one that settled most firmly was responsibility. It's a tremendous honor to be your Democratic nominee for House District 45, but it's also a tremendous responsibility. What happens in this district makes a difference to the entire state of Texas. What happens in Texas makes a difference to the country. What happens in our country makes a difference to the world. A few days after the run-off, the news about the family separation policy started to break. I, along with many other Democratic candidates, participated in a rally and demonstration on June 1st trying to draw attention to the issue. Slowly folks started to realize the inhumanity of this new policy being implemented on our border, the systematic child abuse being inflicted right here in Texas, and now there is a consistent roar of dissent throughout the country. My heart aches for the parents and children that have been separated, for the ones detained together, and for my country for stooping this low. There's a saying in politics, "Elections have consequences," and we are seeing the horrific consequences of the 2016 presidential election. One of those consequences is that we, the people of conscience, will have to continue speaking out and resisting this administration for four years. I am encouraged by how widespread the dissent, outrage, and resistance has been over this family separation policy. I am encouraged that the Trump administration has been pressured to back off the policy somewhat (though I am still deeply concerned about the future implementation of the "zero tolerance" policy). I am encouraged at the number of folks who identify as Republicans or conservatives who have spoken out against this clear transgression of ethical standards and American ideals. But I am also still struggling with the enormity of the wounds caused by this incident and the enormity of the wounds yet to come. I talk a lot about hope on the campaign trail, that I believe we can do better. That hope is not sitting around expecting things to get better. That real hope is showing up every day to do the hard work of effecting change, whether that be through electoral politics, on-the-ground activism, pursuing court cases, or supporting the most vulnerable. The enormity of the family separation crisis and our seeming powerlessness over the Trump administration's whims has tested my hope. So I'm trying to remember other elections and their consequences. Last year, we saw our first real example of the blue wave when Democrats flipped *15* state delegate seats in Virginia. It wasn't quite enough to take the Virginia House. But, last month, it was enough for Virginia to vote to expand Medicaid, giving 400,000 more Virginians access to affordable medical care and driving down medical costs for all Virginians. If we flip 15 House seats in Texas and expand Medicaid, we'll cover 1.5 million Texans. Those are the consequences I want. House District 45 is one of the 15 most flippable districts in the state of Texas, but we need your help to turn it blue and make real progress in Texas on health care, education, transportation, and protecting every Texan's rights. We need your help to repeal the anti-immigrant law SB4 that dehumanized our immigrant community and helped lay the groundwork for this indefensible family separation policy. We need your help to build a Texas government that will refuse to cooperate with Border Patrol abuses. We have an important fundraising deadline coming up June 30th, so NOW is the time to give. Please contribute what you can to make sure that the consequence of the 2018 election is a Texas that serves each and every Texan. Let's Put the All Back in Y'all! Erin