Janis Holt: Peddling Lies And Conspiracy On Her Way to the Texas House
Red shadows cast over Texas, as the far-right inserts influence into another corner of the state’s politics.
Deep in the dark woods of Texas, gerrymandering has given us several bright-red rural districts. These are districts where sundown towns still loom, the rate of high school dropouts is twice the state average, and many people living there don’t have access to clean water and internet. In districts like this, Greg Abbott’s handpicked yes-men ousted long-standing Republican incumbents by promising to vote for the voucher scheme.
Eventually, we’ll get introduced to all of the politicians headed for the Texas House in January, but as Holt will be unopposed in November, there’s no reason we can learn who she is now.
Why is Janis Holt a big, fat liar?
As many of you know, the Texas Scorecard is a far-right propaganda outlet funded by billionaire Tim Dunn. One of its members, Luke Macias, has been hosting Twitter Spaces (audio chats) with Republicans and Republican candidates for the Texas House.
It popped up on my Twitter feed, so I listened. You can hear the entire program here.
As it turns out, one of Janis Holt’s biggest issues is “Colony Ridge.” Take a listen:
The entire “Colony Ridge” thing was all a conspiracy theory, debunked by Republican legislators last year, as well as multiple media outlets.
From LoneStarLeft:
From others:
Texas Monthly: What’s Behind the Fact-Challenged Freak-out Over Colony Ridge?
Houston Chronicle: How Houston-area development became the center of a viral anti-immigrant conspiracy theory.
Just Security: White Supremacist Conspiracy Theory Is Fueling Extreme Border Policy in Texas
The entire “Colony Ridge” Republican freak-out is just like the time they freaked out about non-existent cat litter in public school bathrooms, or like that time they thought Hillary Clinton and Hollywood were kidnapping babies to drink their blood.
You know, typical Republican shenanigans.
But Holt isn’t just a simple Qnut. In her interview with Macias, she claimed to be one of the rare few who watch all the Texas Legislative sessions from home.
Here’s the thing: I have been watching all of the Texas Legislative sessions for years and then reporting back to you guys what the GOP is up to in Austin. I also record many hearings and clips to upload to YouTube or social media. From watching the 88th Legislative session, not only can I tell you that Republican Legislatures debunked all of the claims about Colony Ridge, but I can also give you the play-back.
Here is the two-hour hearing in the Texas House, when Republican Representatives debunked all of the Colony Ridge claims, declaring it a big nothing burger.
And here is the three-hour hearing in the Texas Senate, when Republican Senators debunked all of the Colony Ridge claims, declaring it a big nothing burger.
So, Janis Holt lied to her Republican peers about regularly watching the legislature, or she knew Colony Ridge was debunked and decided to lie.
Either way, Holt made it clear that Colony Ridge was her priority.
The host of that Twitter Space, Luke Macias, in conjunction with the Texas Scorecard, is a massive source of misinformation in Texas. The likes of Tim Dunn pay them to spread right-wing propaganda, like continuing to push the “Colony Ridge” lie to outrage their Republican readership and fuel the anti-immigration propaganda. This group has also been known to push the white replacement theory.
Luke Macias covers the Texas Legislature in his work. He knows that the Colony Ridge story was debunked.
Representative Steve Toth, who was also in the Space, is a Texas House member. He would also know that the Colony Ridge conspiracies have also been debunked.
Neither Macias nor Toth offered any correction or pushback when Holt told them she already had FIVE bills written and ready to go regarding Colony Ridge.
This is just who the modern-day Republican Party is: no facts, no truth, just lies and conspiracy theories. Even when a conspiracy is widely debunked, Republicans will latch on to it and hold on to it forever.
Aside from the conspiracy of Colony Ridge, what else are Janis Holt’s priorities?
She’s big on the school vouchers scheme. In fact, Governor Abbott gave Holt $700,000 for a “yes” vote on vouchers. This makes sense because there aren't any private schools in the two counties she will represent (Hardin and San Jacinto). So, for her $700,000 vote on vouchers, she’ll strip money away from her rural school districts to funnel money to other districts.
HD18 is 68% Anglo, so the re-segregation aspects of the voucher scheme were probably most appealing to her, considering how much vouchers will harm her district.
Janis Holt has also signed Brian Harrison’s “Contract On Texas,” which is a vile plan by House Republicans to remove all political power from communities of color in Texas.
She also signed the “Abolish Abortion” pledge, which is a pledge to file and vote favorably on bills that would ban IVF, ban some forms of birth control, ban emergency contraceptives, and give the death penalty to women who have abortion care.
For the icing on the cake, Janis Holt also signed the “Texit” secession pledge, which is a promise to advance legislation that will turn Texas into a white ethnostate without federal protections and under Christian Nationalist control.
Holt will likely join the ranks of Toth, Harrison, Tinderholt, and Schatzline (if they remain after the November election) as the group of far-right fascists in the House trying to legislate based on conspiracies and bigotry.
Even though this is a ruby-red district, Republicans like this should not go unopposed.
Hopefully, by the time the 2026 election rolls around, Democrats will have someone lined up to run against her.
Don’t be discouraged that Janis Holt and her extremist agenda are headed for the Texas House. If we flip enough seats in November where the real Democrats are running, we can shut down Holt and every other Republican like her.
The battle for Texas’s soul is ongoing, and Holt is just the latest obstacle. We have the power to oppose this far-right agenda—let’s make sure we use it. The fight continues, and we can win if we stay focused and determined.
Vote early, vote often, just vote.
This series will be called “Red Shadows” and introduce you to all the new Republican members headed for the 89th Legislative Session. (Yes, we’re starting another series. Most of the installments will come after the November election.)
The introduction to Janis Holt is the second installment of Red Shadows. Here was the first:
October 7: Last day to register to vote.
October 21: First day to early vote.
October 25: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.
November 1: Last day to early vote.
November 5: Election day!
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I'm hoping a future Democrat candidate in that district is reading this right now. Also, how do you categorize or remember all of these pertinent Texas Legislative session clips? Great work.