John Whitmire Is Not Being Treated Unfairly
Democratic endorsements should be earned, not owed.
There’s a Texas two-step in politics every time someone finally stands up to entrenched power.
First comes the pearl-clutching. And the warnings about “division.”
Then, the back-channel threats meant to spook the people actually doing the work.
And right now, Harris County Democratic precinct chairs are getting hit with all of it as they consider a simple, overdue resolution. Stop rubber-stamping John Whitmire with Democratic endorsements.
This isn’t sudden. This isn’t ideological. And it sure as hell isn’t unfair.
Whitmire has dodged accountability for decades while governing as a Republican with a blue sticker slapped on his forehead.
Houston’s LGBTQ+ Leaders Have Had Enough.
This week, the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus (the oldest LGBTQ+ political org in the South) endorsed the resolution. They did it after careful deliberation because Whitmire’s record demanded it.
They cited three facts:
Houston’s collaboration with ICE under Trump
The removal of Montrose’s rainbow crosswalks
Whitmire cozying up to MAGA hardliner Dan Crenshaw at a fundraiser
When one of Houston’s most established civil rights organizations says the mayor has failed their community, precinct chairs should listen. This is your community.
Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has spent the week whipping votes for Whitmire. Yet, it’s common knowledge that the Corporate Establishment has captured Fletcher, and she has continuously sold her constituents out to Big Oil for nothing more than a pat on the head from Exxon and a campaign check to keep the machine running.
The ICE abuse has REAL victims.
Whitmire and HPD spent months telling Houstonians they weren’t cooperating with ICE. Then he admitted they were. And the consequences were devastating.
A gay Houston man fleeing violence in Honduras, following every legal step, was detained during a routine asylum interview. No criminal record or pretext, but arrested anyway.
Then there’s Emmanuel Gonzalez García, a 15-year-old autistic child, instead of reuniting him with his mother, HPD called ICE. Emmanuel was labeled an “unaccompanied minor,” hauled into federal custody, and held for weeks.
Whitmire called it a “model.”
A model for what? State-sanctioned trauma?
Fundraising for Dan Crenshaw is a betrayal.
Whitmire’s defenders keep telling us that hosting a fundraiser for Dan Crenshaw was “smart politics.” That’s bullshit.
Houston is staring down a $134 million budget deficit for FY 2026.
Meanwhile, Crenshaw has built his career on:
Cutting Medicaid
Cutting SNAP
Pushing federal clawbacks
Voting for tax cuts for billionaires that drain cities dry
Any small pots of money Crenshaw has directed toward Houston are overshadowed tenfold by the harm he’s inflicted on working-class families across the country.
Calling that relationship “pragmatism” insults everyone struggling to pay rent, buy groceries, buy insulin, and pay for childcare.
Whitmite has always been a DINO.
People acting shocked by Whitmire’s record simply haven’t been paying attention.
During the Legislative session, when Hillary Hickland was trying to ban dildoes in Walgreens, I looked up the Legislative history of the 6-dildoe ban law in Texas, and way back in the 1970s, Whitmire was voting on shit like that.
Fast-forward to 2025, Republicans are dismantling coalition districts, shrinking minority representation, and inviting a fresh round of Voting Rights Act litigation.
Whitmire? Silent.
Houston’s previous mayors used every legal tool available to push back. (Which is why he won a Congressional seat at 70 years old.)
Call It What It Is
Whitmire’s defenders hate the word DINO. But what do you call a Democrat who:
Fundraises for MAGA Republicans
Normalizes cooperation with ICE under Trump
Assumes Democrats will support him no matter what
Corporate Democratic politics. Yuck.
Come on, Houston. I thought you were better than that.
Don’t let anyone intimidate you.
Some folks are trying to scare precinct chairs into thinking this resolution is too bold. 🙄 Accountability always pisses off the people who have never had to face it.
This resolution doesn’t remove Whitmire from office. It doesn’t erase him from the ballot. It doesn’t even permanently strip endorsements.
It simply says, “Democratic endorsements are not automatic, and they are not for sale.”
Silence is how we got here with Trump, with Abbott, with fascism in our Legislature. Fear is how corporate Democrats keep getting away with betraying the people who put them in office.
Do not let them bully you. Do not let them shame you. Do not let them tell you this is “divisive.”
What’s divisive is governing Houston like Greg Abbott is your north star.
Pass the resolution.
February 2, 2026: Last Day to Register to Vote
February 17, 2026: First Day to Early Vote
March 3, 2026: Primary Election
Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.
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John Whitmire’s stance on biking and anti public transit gave it all away. He’s a total MAGA in the pockets of fossil fuel companies.
And I wish someone was running against Fletcher.