Burnt Orange Report

Message from Soechting, TDP Chair

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Charles Soechting, current Texas Democratic Party Chair is running for re-election and sent the following letter out earlier this week. (Though I'm wondering if he used state party data to send them out; would any challengers have the same access? If you have answers to these questions, leave them in the comments. I have not heard of any official challengers as of yet, but have heard of this "anti-soechting" website.)

Dear Fellow Democrat:

One month out from our State Convention, I wanted to take a quick moment to update you on what to expect as we prepare to gather in Houston June 17-19.

On Thursday evening, June 17, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will rally the troops at a fundraising dinner to kick off the weekend. The next night, June 18, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards will deliver his positive message of Democratic hope and prosperity. Two nights and two potential vice-presidents —not bad for starters!

But that’s not all. We have lined up non-stop appearances by our leading state lawmakers and candidates. We will pay homage to those Democrats we have lost since our last convention. And we will highlight some of the rising stars who are carrying on our best traditions for a new century.

Friends, the political pendulum has begun to swing back in our direction. In Washington, GOP leaders are reeling from three-and-a-half years of bad decisions and mean-spirited divisiveness. In Austin, the Republicans in charge are doing their best to stay out of a courtroom as the criminal grand jury investigation into their illegal corporate campaigns continues to unfold.

Meanwhile, the Texas Democratic Party has begun a comprehensive effort to reform, rebuild, and reinvigorate our party. We have retooled our political and communications strategies, recruited 35 challengers to incumbent GOP State House members, helped lead the effort to nominate stronger Democrats in party primaries, and expanded our donor base by several hundred contributors.

With your help, we have pushed an aggressive agenda of higher equity for public schools, lower tax burdens for local communities, and expanded access to quality health care for the eligible children of moderate- and low-income working parents. We have become known as a forceful advocate for rolling back Republican tuition hikes at state universities and for lowering homeowner insurance rates, which have skyrocketed under the current administration.

We’ve come a long, long way since you elected me Chairman less than seven months ago. But we still have a long, long way to go. Together, we can take back the White House and the Texas House this November and lay the groundwork for taking back Texas and the U.S. Congress in 2006.

Our State Convention next month is the next step. I hope you will seize the opportunity to move forward with me.