🚨🚨 Time To Put Pressure On The Democrats Folding For Republicans

Call them. Pressure them. Make them remember who they work for.

Apr 29, 2025

Yesterday, I laid out the situation unfolding in the Texas House. Democrats are withholding votes on constitutional amendments. While the House Democratic Caucus is being tight-lipped about its strategy and overall goal, leave it to Brian Harrison (R-HD10) to let the cat out of the bag.

Check it out. There were about 100 bills on the supplemental calendar today, 38 of which were introduced by Democrats. But going back to last week’s calendars, Democrats were averaging about 22% of the bills placed, which means that Democratic bills being heard in the House have increased since Democrats began withholding their votes and forcing the postponement of constitutional resolutions.

Is that the trade-off? Get more Democratic bills on the House floor, and they won’t kill the constitutional resolutions (SJRs/HJRs)? Or are they still blocking them because of retaliation for vouchers?

Again, the caucus is being tight-lipped, but Chair of the Democratic House Caucus Gene Wu indicated to the caucus (and the rest of us) that this strategy is still in play.

You can see Wu at the bottom right of the screen during the reading of the first HJR that hit the floor today:

He was holding three fingers up.

When House members want to vote, but aren’t next to their desk to press the button, they hold up their fingers. 1=yes, 2=no, 3=present, not voting.

The votes were 75 yes, 22 no, and 39 present, not voting. (And it looks like 10 Democrats were absent. They were there, but they didn’t vote at all.)

Let’s look at the votes for this HJR:

As it turns out, all of the “no” votes were from far-right Republicans.

While the House Democratic Caucus seemed to have a plan, and the caucus chair stood before the body with his fingers held high, eleven Democrats went against the caucus and its strategy.

Those Democrats (along with their Capitol office phone numbers) were:

Alma Allen (D-HD131) - (512) 463-0744
Sheryl Cole (D-HD46) - (512) 463-0506
Phillip Cortez (D-HD117) - (512) 463-0269
Harold Dutton (D-HD142) - (512) 463-0510
Venton Jones (D-HD100) - (512) 463-0586
Oscar Longoria (D-HD35) - (512) 463-0645
Armando Martinez (D-HD39) - (512) 463-0530
Joe Moody (D-HD78) - (512) 463-0728
Eddie Morales (D-HD74) - (512) 463-0566
Mihaela Plesa (D-HD70) - (512) 463-0356
Richard Raymond (D-HD42) - (512) 463-0558

Now’s the Moment: No Surrender, No Side Deals.

This is it. This is the moment we either hold the line or lose everything we’ve fought for this session.

Republicans already showed us exactly who they are last week. They gutted the memorial calendar out of spite. They nuked the Local and Consent Calendar just to “own the libs,” killing dozens of their own bills in the process. They don’t care about governing. They care about power. And they’ll burn the whole place down if it means clinging to a few cheap talking points for the primary.

And now, after wrecking their own agenda, they want Democrats to save them? To clean up their mess? To help them pass constitutional amendments that will lock their cruelty and corruption into the Texas Constitution for a generation?

Absolutely not!!

This is not the time for side deals. This is not the time for “bipartisanship.”

This is the time to show them, and everyone watching, that Democrats will not be bullied, bribed, or bought off.

Because if we fold now, after everything they’ve done, we don’t just lose this session.

We lose credibility.

We lose leverage.

We lose the chance to finally make them feel what it’s like to govern without a supermajority and without a blank check to abuse it.

Democrats have the power to stop them—right now, right here.

All it takes is sticking together. No matter what backroom promises get made. No matter what pressure comes down.

They need us. We don’t need them.

It’s that simple.

And if a few Democrats are getting wobbly, it’s on us to remind them:

Hold the damn line!!

But that wasn’t the only H/SJR that went to the floor today.

Next up was HJR2. And once again, House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu is seen at the front of the body, holding up three fingers.

Once again, you have a whole lot of Democrats folding.

Liz Campos (D-HD119) - (512) 463-0452
Sheryl Cole (D-HD46) - (512) 463-0506
Phillip Cortez (D-HD117) - (512) 463-0269
Harold Dutton (D-HD142) - (512) 463-0510
Bobby Guerra (D-HD41) - (512) 463-0578
Oscar Longoria (D-HD35) - (512) 463-0645
Armando Martinez (D-HD39) - (512) 463-0530
Eddie Morales (D-HD74) - (512) 463-0566
Sergion Munoz (D-HD36) - (512) 463-0704
Richard Raymond (D-HD42) - (512) 463-0558
Lauren Simmons (D-HD146)

This matters. Because every time a Democrat caves, it chips away at the only real leverage we have left.

Every “yes” vote is a gift to the same Republican Party that just torched the Local Calendar, dragged Cecile Richards’ name through the mud, and is trying to rig the Constitution to fit their billionaire backers’ agenda.

Every “yes” vote tells Republicans that if they wait long enough, if they apply just enough pressure, Democrats will fold.

Seven contested HJRs/SJRs came to the House floor today, and almost every time, Gene Wu can be seen at the front, holding up three fingers.

Of those seven, only one Democrat voted for all seven.

Eddie Morales (D-HD74) - (512) 463-0566

Three Democrats voted for six of the seven:

Phillip Cortez (D-HD117) - (512) 463-0269
Oscar Longoria (D-HD35) - (512) 463-0645
Richard Raymond (D-HD42) - (512) 463-0558

Two Democrats voted for five of the seven:

Bobby Guerra (D-HD41) - (512) 463-0578
Armando Martinez (D-HD39) - (512) 463-0530

Seven Democrats voted for four of the seven:

Liz Campos (D-HD119) - (512) 463-0452
Sheryl Cole (D-HD46) - (512) 463-0506
Harold Dutton (D-HD142) - (512) 463-0510
Joe Moody (D-HD78) - (512) 463-0728
Sergion Munoz (D-HD36) - (512) 463-0704
Claudia Ordaz (D-HD79) - (512) 463-0622
Venton Jones (D-HD100) - (512) 463-0586

Let’s Be Clear: This Is Betrayal.

Every Democrat voting for these Republican constitutional amendments is betraying the strategy.

They’re not just undercutting Gene Wu.

They’re not just undermining their colleagues.

They’re undermining all of us.

This strategy, withholding votes on constitutional amendments, is the best shot Democrats have had in years actually to force real leverage in the Texas House. It’s not about games. It’s about survival. It’s about making sure that fascists don’t walk all over us, pass whatever they want, and then laugh about it afterward.

Every time a Democrat folds, they’re making it harder for real Democratic bills to pass.

Every time a Democrat folds, they’re letting Republicans off the hook.

Every time a Democrat folds, they’re telling Greg Abbott, Tim Dunn, and every right-wing billionaire in this state: “Go ahead. We’ll roll over eventually.”

We will never turn Texas blue if Democrats keep helping Republicans rip it apart.

Never.

It’s disgusting. It’s infuriating. And it has to stop right now.

Yes, there’s more, but the 13 above are the worst offenders.

The Democrats who slipped up a little bit:

Three Democrats voted for three of the Republicans’ constitutional amendments:

Alma Allen (D-HD131) - (512) 463-0744
Erin Gamez (D-HD38) - (512) 463-0606
Mihaela Plesa (D-HD70) - (512) 463-0356

Six voted for two:

Terry Canales (D-HD40) - (512) 463-0426
Suleman Lalani (D-HD76) - (512) 463-0596
Ray Lopez (D-HD125) - (512) 463-0669
Christian Manuel (D-HD22) - (512) 463-0662
Mary Ann Perez (D-HD144) - (512) 463-0460
Vince Perez (D-HD77) - (512) 463-0638

Then there were fourteen Democrats who voted on at least one HJR when they were supposed to be holding the line. I don’t think that warrants blowing up their phones yet, but we’ll have to see how their votes play out tomorrow. I might be back with another list. Those Democrats, for the record, were: Rhetta Bowers, Josey Garcia, Linda Garcia, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Mary Gonzalez, Ana Hernandez, Ann Johnson, Jolanda Jones, Trey Martinez-Fischer, Ramon Romero, Lauren Simmons, Hubert Vo, Armando Walle, and Erin Zwiener.

Don’t be discouraged - we still have lots of good Democrats who held the line.

Plus, I’ll check the House journal tomorrow first thing, some of these Dems who only voted for one or two Republican constitutional amendments may have pressed the wrong button by accident… they do that a lot.

Here are the Democrats who held the line, didn’t break from the caucus, and voted against every Republican HJR:

👑 Rafael Anchia
👑 Diago Bernal
👑 Salman Bhojani
👑 John Bryant
👑 John Bucy
👑 Nicole Collier
👑 Yvonne Davis
👑 Lulu Flores
👑 Gina Hinojosa
👑 Donna Howard
👑 Cassandra Garcia Hernandez
👑 Vikki Goodwin
👑 Jessica Gonzalez
👑 Terry Meza
👑 Christian Morales
👑 Penny Morales Shaw
👑 Ron Reynolds
👑 Jon Rosenthal
👑 James Talarico
👑 Senfronia Thompson
👑 Chris Turner
👑 Charlene Ward Johnson
👑 Gene Wu

Your Mission: Flood Their Phone Lines.

If you do nothing else today, do this:

CALL. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

Call the Democrats listed above (with phone numbers), the ones who folded, the ones who bent, the ones who forgot who sent them to Austin in the first place, and tell them:

Hold the damn line.
Stop voting for Republican constitutional amendments.
Our entire Democratic strategy depends on it, not just for this session, but for the next election as well.

Tell them:

We elected Democrats, not Republicans in blue ties.

We didn’t send them to Austin to bow to Greg Abbott, Tim Dunn, and the fascist machine trying to run roughshod over the rest of us.

Remind them: every time they fold, they aren’t just hurting themselves.

They’re hurting every voter who put their trust in them.

They’re hurting every Democratic bill waiting for a fair shot.

They’re hurting the movement to turn Texas blue.

Call them today.

Call them tomorrow.

Call them until they get the message.

Be polite, but be firm. Be clear. Be loud.

Because if they can’t find the courage to hold the line when it matters most, they don’t deserve our trust, our support, or our votes.