I never thought I’d be a politician.
Shocking, I know. But it’s true. In fact, it was on this day, just three years ago, that I attended my very first political event. It was one of the Protect Mueller protests that popped up all over the country two days after the midterm elections in 2018.
I had never been involved in politics. I mean, I voted, sure, but I just didn’t DO a lot beyond that. But, as Donald Trump set the stage to avoid accountability for his abuses of power, I decided enough was enough. I didn’t know what I could do, but I had to do something.
I heard about a protest that was happening in College Station. I stuck around after work, made a sign, and headed to the corner of University Drive and Texas Avenue.
I was nervous about what I would find when I got there. Everything I’d heard about protests had me worried that this was going to be a powder keg of political angst, a place where I could set somebody off by asking the wrong question or wearing the wrong kind of shoes. But I didn’t find anything like that.
Heck, I ran into friends of mine. I made new friends, too. That was the night I met Ashley, my campaign manager, who had wrapped up a marathon of electoral action with Beto O’Rourke’s senate race just two days before.
Ashley was tired, but she was there, and we quickly bonded over our shared backgrounds. Each of us were homeschooled in DFW, emerging from the conservative fundamentalism of our childhoods with different ideas about the way things ought to be, and figuring out how to actually make things better.
We held up our signs and we waved at passing traffic while commiserating over the state of things. (Here’s a bit of local news coverage from that night. Look for yours truly in that video around the 0:50 mark.) We talked about other local initiatives, other ways to get involved, other ways to make a difference, ways to build a better sense of community.
Folks from Young Dems BCS and Indivisible introduced themselves to me, and then they introduced me to others. So many of them had been doing the work long before I got there. (One woman I talked to that night had been involved in political demonstrations and volunteer work since the Nixon era.) They invited me to join them for some upcoming events.
I took them up on their invitation. I became a volunteer deputy registrar in Brazos County and registered voters on campus at Texas A&M with the BCS Young Dems chapter. (I’ve since become deputized to register voters in five other counties and have plans to add more to the list in the coming months.)
I organized blood drives, food pantry volunteer days, and a Pride Alliance through my employer.
The first time I ever attended the Texas Democratic Party state convention (did you know that was a thing? Y’all, I had to learn that was a thing), I attended as a delegate.
I got involved with the Texas Young Democrats and, because they needed somebody (and I am somebody), I became the Secretary for the Texas Young Democrats’ Rural Caucus.
And then, in early 2021, I decided to run for Texas State Representative. I filed the forms, built a website and social media presence, recruited volunteers, and started fundraising so that I could pay for staff and the filing fees to get on the ballot.
(Can you pitch in $35 right now to help me get on the ballot?)
Y’all, this stuff doesn’t happen because you have a “background in politics,” whatever that means. It happens when you build your life around the things that matter to you, and around the people you share community with.
That night at the protest was the first step for me. But there was another step after that. And then another. I showed up, yes, but the important thing was that I kept showing up.
Lately I keep thinking of a line from a favorite book of mine: “The most important step a man can take is the next one.” That’s how we change things, by taking the next step. That’s how we become the people we’re looking for, the people who change things for the better; we take the next step.
For me, the next step is running for office. (In case you missed it, with the roll-out of the new district maps, I’m now running in HD-17. In fact, we made an announcement about that this morning!)
One year from tonight, we’ll be looking at the Election Day results rolling in. One year from tonight, with your support, I’ll find out I’m gonna be your representative in the Texas House.
And that’s a hell of a next step. We know that it’s gonna take people. And time. And money.
(Sidebar: Oh my gosh, y’all, the money… we’re trying to raise funds to bring on additional staff with a sustainable, living wage. Can I count on you to donate $35 or whatever you can afford to help us out?)
November 8, 2018 marked the day I first took a step of political activism.
November 8, 2021 marks the day I announced my candidacy in Texas House District 17.
November 8, 2022 marks the day voters make their voices heard when they elect their State Rep (and I’m gonna fight like hell to be that person for y’all).
We can do this, if we do it together. The first step is to show up. The second step is to keep showing up.
See you there,
Josh
P.S.
If you believe in what we’re working towards in Texas, will you show your support for our campaign right now? Make a $35 donation or—even better!—become a long-term supporter by setting up a monthly donation today. These funds help us grow our team and afford the materials, technology, and tools we need in order to win.