I’m a precinct chair in southwest Houston. That would be the dark green section on the mid bottom left of the density map. Harris County has 4.5 million residents and the City of Houston has 2.2 million residents. There are 2.2 million registered voters in Harris County. The county expects 1.5 millions votes cast this general election.
There is no reason why Harris County can’t be a solid Democratic county.
Pardon me as I go off on a tangent for a moment. There are Trump supporters here. Populations this size will have them. I see them when my partner and I go out. In this area I think of them as nostalgia voters. They are older and white, might be retired or getting close to it. The neighborhood I chair is 50 years old and one of the first suburbs in Houston. And it is now majority minority; highly Hispanic and Asian. The Catholic parish has masses in several languages. Life changed here. The neighborhood is vibrant, but it isn’t the same. The restaurants have changed, the selections at the grocery stores are now different, the mall is gone. And I see it in some of the looks I get when I’ve block walked; why are you here?
But Houston is full of diversity. Hillary going on air in Texas is a signal that Democrats are coming to play. Harris County added 153 precinct chairs in September. I’m working on down ballot races and my partner has contacted just about every campaign he could find to get materials from those candidates. County wide races are hell for candidates. There is no way for most of them to reach all the voters. It’s my job to help them.
Trump is playing on racial fears and I see the rich diversity of my city. Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Whites and LGBT candidates are all running under the Democratic banner. Yes, I witnessed that racial resentment. I’ve lived it my whole life. Growing up as a Mexican-American in Houston, I saw all the changes happen in real time. As the Vietnamese came to find a new life in the late 70’s, I saw the local backlash. Waves of Central American and African immigration caused ripples.
It is time for this rich diversity to stand up in Harris County and deliver the rebuke Trump and the GOP need. Hillary coming on the air really is a signal that change is coming. We are block walking and phone banking all across the county. Huge GOTV walks are happening this weekend. The weather will be perfect and Early Voting starts next Monday. Grab a neighbor and vote.
How do you turn Texas Blue? Harris County turns out huge and is a deep shining sapphire on the maps come Nov 8.