GOP voters made their choice on Tuesday. The blowback was immediate.

The morning after Tuesday’s runoff election, Cook Political Report changed their rating of the race from “Likely GOP” to “Leans GOP.” The political press was filled with headlines like “Paxton Win Sparks GOP Money Panic.”

Nobody seems all that excited at the prospect of elevating Paxton to the U.S. Senate. After all, he’s a polarizing campaigner with an ever-growing mountain of political baggage.

Meanwhile, the Talarico campaign raised more than $3 million in the 24 hours after the race was called. He’s polling ahead of where Beto was in 2018 when he ran against Ted Cruz. And he’s keeping the focus on Paxton, instead of taking the bait on the GOP’s middle-school culture war nonsense.

Something is definitely afoot in Texas, as voters are realizing that after 30 years of all-GOP rule, our electrical grid is a national joke, our public schools are failing, and having a baby is more dangerous than ever.

Now, can this momentum translate into real change in November?

Most experts still think that turning Texas blue is a long shot. But this week, it sure feels to us like the ground has shifted. The GOP isn’t even trying to persuade new voters anymore. They’re just repeating nonsense phrases like “six genders” and “low T.”

After all, why try to improve people’s lives when you can fall back on the tired old culture war? It’s a well that hasn’t dried up for the Texas GOP. Yet.

But we’re going to do everything we can to change that between now and November. We’ll spend the next few months reaching out to our neighbors in District 23, people who have weathered the shame and horror of Tony Gonzales’ downfall.

Maybe Texas is ready for a conversation about real Texas values, and who truly honors them. Maybe everyone’s ready to admit that character really does matter.

This week on Chris Hayes, Evan Smith said that the Democrats winning this Senate seat would be like hitting a three-carom bank shot on a dive bar pool table at 2 in the morning.

Ladies, let’s start chalking those cues.

Enthusiasm essential, talent optional!

Join FORWRD members at Little Stacy Park to learn some songs, sing out your rage (and joy!), and be in community. No singing experience needed! 

Things are happening! A crack team of volunteer FORWRD researchers is building a repository of TX23 data AS WE SPEAK — event calendars, contact lists, voting rates and more. We’ll use what we learn to refine our plans for the next five months (give or take).

We’re designing a process that will let all of us have a say in our activities and plans — we’ll share the emerging details in our next newsletter on June 12.

It’s going to be a fun and busy next few months!

Meanwhile, now that our Katy fundraiser is in the books, we’ve retired that fundraising link and launched a new phase of our campaign. Maybe share this link with your out-of-state friends who are suddenly asking you what’s going on in Texas?

It’s been pretty disheartening to watch SAFE, our local sexual assault and family violence center, announce the closure of critical programs that help keep survivors safe and hold perpetrators accountable.

Before SAFE opened Eloise House, their on-site sexual assault forensic clinic, survivors of sexual assault had to go to local hospitals and wait, often for hours, for a forensic exam. How many gave up and went home? How many felt unsupported or scared in that environment?

Today, 95% of all sexual assaults reported in Austin are reported through SAFE. The caring and trained staff and supportive environment make a huge difference in a survivor’s recovery.

Now, in their defense, this isn’t the city’s fault. It is, of course, Donald Trump’s fault.

But it seems insane that in a city with a police budget of more than $534 million, and what, 19 billionaires? that we can’t find the funding to maintain this critical and effective crime-fighting program.

What can we do about it? We can sign this petition. We can support SAFE.

And we can vote for change.

From the organizers:

We promise: this will be unlike any bake sale you’ve ever been to.

Think dark glamour, mild corruption, and a touch of democratic decay — along with burlesque dancers, carnival games, a kissing booth, and prizes worth getting a little reckless over. And, of course, irresistible baked goods 🧁

Every dollar raised goes directly to the campaigns of James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa! Bring your friends, your lovers, your exes, your politically anxious neighbors … and help PACK THE PLACE.

Wear black and blue in honor of democracy’s current condition: bruised, but not dead yet 💀

Please join us for a deliciously questionable evening in support of two very good campaigns!

For Friday, May 29th: Singing and Cookies - let’s bring some JOY to this resistance!

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