Blue America's First Texas 2020 Endorsement-- Mike Siegel Declares His Candidacy Today

Mike Siegel ran in 2018 in Texas' 10th district-- and he just announced he's running again... starting now. Last time he held entrenched Republican multimillionaire Michael McCaul down to a 51.1% win in a district with an R+9 PVI and where Trump beat Hillary 52-43%. The shift towards Mike Siegel in 2018 was 15 points, one of the strongest in Texas. In 2020 he plans to complete what he started in one of the country's most compelling, high-profile re-matches.

This afternoon his campaign is hosting a celebratory "Appreciation and Action" event to honor the volunteers, supporters, and donors who were the backbone of his 2018 efforts, at his campaign headquarters at 5460 Guadalupe St., Austin (2:00 pm). In his invitation, Mike reminded his team that they had "made history in the last election by closing a 19-point gap to just 4 points against a seven-time incumbent who thought was 'safe' in his seat. I am running again because the people of this district need real representation: someone who will fight for healthcare for all and good jobs, someone who will hold the president accountable and work to end the dysfunction in DC. I have a history of advocacy-- for working people and families, students and seniors, disadvantaged populations-- and I will bring that same spirit to the position of Representative for the 10th Congressional District of Texas... [A]s optimistic as we were during the 2018 election, we were never going to flip the state in one election cycle. To build a political infrastructure, to turn non-voters into frequent voters, to make the case that the Democratic Party will make a real difference in people's lives: this is something we need to be doing every day, every month, every year, not just on the eve of an election. With that in mind, even though the 2020 elections are a long way off, we are launching a program of 'Appreciation and Action.' Kicking off this Sunday in Austin, we will spend the weeks and months ahead traveling the Texas 10th Congressional District: to honor the individuals and organizations who dedicated themselves to political change during the 2018 election, and to launch a campaign of political action that will unite Democrats across our nine counties." He had more to say:

Appreciation comes first, because so many of you took extraordinary action last year, efforts we cannot take for granted. From super volunteers to national organizations, from Democratic clubs to activist groups and labor unions, I am personally indebted to so many of you, and I know that countless Texans send their thanks. In 2018 we built a strong foundation for the work to come.

And yet, every time we come together, we need to advance the movement for progressive change. In many parts of the Texas 10th, there is very little political organizing outside of the electoral cycle. But this month the Texas Legislature begins its five-month session, and major policies are at stake including public education, voting rights, and healthcare. Within TX-10 we have five Democrats in the Texas House, and all five are strong women leaders pushing important legislative initiatives. We plan to use our resources and network to support our state representatives. And through this process we will strengthen our habits of political organizing.

Mike has been running on 4 key issues as the foundation of his campaign: Medicare-for-All, Green New Deal (including Job Guarantee), an end to the War on Drugs, and Voting Rights. Yesterday he and I talked about the Voting Rights piece and why it was and is so important for him and for people in TX-10. Remember this video on Rachel Maddow's show last October?



This was the follow-up Rachel did highlighting Mike's victory in Waller County. Yesterday he told me that "The right to vote is the most fundamental right in a democracy, and here in TX-10 the issue highlights the intersection of racial discrimination and voter suppression. Prairie View A&M University is an historically-black college located on a former slave plantation in Waller County. In granting its charter, the Texas Legislature promised to place it on an equal footing with Texas A&M University, but that promise has never been fulfilled. Racist local officials have persistently used their authority to prevent Black students from voting, and unfortunately the 2018 election cycle was no exception. Luckily, our campaign was able to use our spotlight to draw attention to and defeat the latest cynical ploy to discourage the student vote. In 2019 and 2020, we have much more to do.

"One of the deficits for Texas Democrats is that we don't have a strong statewide infrastructure, which makes it difficult to keep local communities engaged outside of an election cycle. In 2019, my campaign will begin by working with folks in Waller County and other communities to fight for issues of local concern. Several Texas House members are pushing voting rights bills during 2009 Texas legislative session, and I will dedicate some of our campaign resources to engaging Prairie View students and other affected communities in the legislative process. We will look to testify at state hearings, and even federal hearings, to draw highlight the work that needs to be done to strengthen the democratic process.

"I believe that this is how we flip Texas-- not just by running strong campaigns to elect specific candidates, but by taking action year-round to fight on issues of local concern. Only by proving ourselves on a consistent basis can we show why the Democratic Party is worthy of the people's support."

Blue America is proud to stand with Mike again and we have every reason to believe that, based on his strong 2018 performance, the Democratic Party institutions that ignored his race last time, will be there to help this time. Please consider clicking on the Blue America 2020 campaign thermometer on the right and chipping him what you can-- or even signing up for a monthly contribution. The Democrats won the low-hanging fruit in 2018. Much of the party's efforts are going to go into protecting their new freshmen incumbents. 2020's congressional campaign-- with the discredited Trump on the top of the ticket-- will mean a tough slog by experienced teams like Mike's, who know what they're doing and have a precise game-plan to build on what has been accomplished take it over the finish line. Please follow Mike's campaign on Facebook and Twitter. And let's remember that if we're not safe, why should entrenched congressional Republicans in gerrymandered districts be? We can do this.