Good Luck Sarah!

"At the end of the day, I'm not running to be a transgender state senator, I'm running to be a senator who serves her community, I'm running to be a senator who fights for affordable health care, I'm running to be a senator who works to expand access to paid leave and reform our broken criminal justice system.  "Those will be my priorities."-Sarah McBride,  WDFL radio interview 

 It's primary election day in Delaware, and hopefully by the end of it we will be part of the way to seeing some trans political history being made.

When the polls open Democratic primary voters will have to choose who will be their standard bearer in the race to replace longtime state senator Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington), who retired last year after holding that heavily blue Wilmington area senate seat since 1976.

I'm hoping that when the votes are finished being counted later this evening, it will be Sarah McBride taking a giant political leap for transkind and winning this primary over Joseph McCole . 

The winner of this primary will take on the Republican nominee Steve Washington in the general election    Washington ran as an independent in the last cycle in this district in which 58.6% of the registered voters are Democrats to just 19% Republicans

No surprise he's already started deploying the down low transphobia with the 'family values' rhetoric.

Should McBride win tonight, she would not only move on for a shot at becoming the first out trans state senator, she'd also become the first out trans person to win a state senate legislative primary election. 

You know Sarah already has my TransGriot endorsement in this race along with the endorsement of the Victory Fund and several other organizations.

But it's now up to the voters of state senate District 1 to decide if that happens.


TransGriot Update: McBride won her primary with 93% of the votes cast.   She becomes the first out trans person to win a party primary for a state senate seat.  

Trans Woman Elected To Office In West Virginia!

Trans political history was made on Tuesday night when Rosemary Ketchum was elected to the Wheeling, WV City Council by a mere 15 votes for the open Ward 3 seat.  Incumbent councilmember Melinda Koslik declined to run for reelection

She defeated three other candidates. including second place finisher Peggy Niebergall to take the open seat, running on a platform to address affordable housing and opioid addiction.   She was also supported by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

"I am incredibly grateful to get the opportunity to represent my city," Ketchum said in a statement to CNN. "I hope that this election helps us push the needle in West Virginia so that we can fully embrace the power of culture, diversity, and representation in politics. I ran for office because I believe the job of an elected official is to reflect the values of their community in the actions of their leadership and that is why I am excited to serve."
The win made the 26 year old Ketchum the first out trans person in West Virginia and only the fourth TBLGQ person to hold public office in the state.

Ketchum is the associate director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  She has lived in Wheeling for over a decade, served on the board of ACLU West Virginia and is a member of Wheeling's Human Rights Commission.

Councilmember-elect Ketchum hopes that her election will be a big moment that opens eyes and hearts in West Virginia and the nation when it comes to transgender people

“I think trans people know they are capable of doing things like running for office and being elected. But I think it's much more important for the cisgender community, people who are not trans, to see that diversity is important and possible,” Ketchum said.

With the win, she joins a small but growing pool of 27 trans elected officials in the United States and takes office on July 1.   

Congratulations Councilmember -elect Ketchum!   Here's hoping that this is just the start of more amazing things in store for you, and that you'll be reelected to that seat when your term is up.

Biden Blows Out Bernie Again!

Another Tuesday, another Biden blowout of Bernie Sanders as six more states held their Democratic Party primary elections. 

Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington were the six states participating in what was dubbed Super Tuesday II, with the biggest prize of the night being Michigan and its 125 delegates. 

Sanders now finds himself in a familiar position of trailing after getting his butt whipped during Super Tuesday, and was desperate to stop the slide in a state he surprisingly won four years ago. 

But just like in 2016, Sanders was ice skating uphill because once again, Black Democratic voters aren't Feeling The Bern and are making it loud and clear since the South Carolina primary they aren't.

Biden shattered and splatted that comeback trail political pipe dream by not only winning Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri by 'YUGE' margins,  Sanders failed to win a single county in all three of those states. 

Those huge wins in the 'Three M states' were once again powered by Black voters.  If you're wondering what the Black population percentages were in those three states, in Michigan, it's 13.7%.  In Missouri, it's 11%, and in Mississippi, where he was endorsed by Jackson mayor Chokwe Lumumba but still lost Hinds County and every other one in the Magnolia State, it was 37%.

Biden also captured Idaho to add to his big night and expand his overall lead in the race to 1991 pledged delegates to clinch the nomination, while Sanders is leading in Washington and won North Dakota 

Next up on the Biden Beats Down Bernie tour are the states of Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Ohio, who will all vote on St Patrick's Day.

While Arizona's Black population is only 4.1%,  in Illinois it's 14%, Florida it's 16% and Ohio it's 14.3%.   Not surprisingly, the polling is not looking good for Team Sanders in any of those March 17 primary states as Election Day rapidly approaches. 

Sanders' comments praising Fidel Castro also aren't going to help him in a state with a large Cuban population.   Florida is also the biggest prize delegate wise, with 219 pledged delegates.  Arizona has 67, Illinois 155 and Ohio 136.

Will Biden get closer to getting the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, or will Sanders spring an upset along the way?   Not likely because he's losing more diverse states while winning overwhelmingly white ones. 

Sanders is also pinning his barely got a pulse comeback hopes on this Sunday's debate which has now been moved to Washington DC because of coronavirus concerns.

But the only polls that count in any election are the voters actually casting ballots. 

We'll see what happens next Tuesday. 








 

It's Texas Primary Election Day!

It's Texas primary election day!   It's also Super Tuesday, in which Texas and 14 other states and territories are conducting their primary elections today.

While Texas and  California are the biggest delegate rich prizes today, the other states and territories participating in Super Tuesday are American Samoa, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia, North Carolina,  Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah

Polls in Texas open at 7 AM and close at 7 PM    If you are in line at closing time, you must be allowed to vote.   Any shady behavior or voter suppression attempts at your polling places can  be reported at 866- OUR-VOTE

If you're unsure of who to vote for, I have some suggestions.

In case you're wondering if Moni practiced what she is preaching to y'all, I sure did.   I voted in the Democratic primary during the first day of early voting back on February 18.

If you live in Harris County, you can vote at any voting center in the county when the polls open.

So go handle your business.  Only takes a few moments out of your day and it's part of your civic duty to do so.  Besides, the kids who can't vote yet are counting on you to do it for them. 

Early Voting In The Texas Primary Starts Tomorrow

March 3 is the date you want to circle on your 2020 calendar if you wish to go handle your election business on primary election day.   But for those of you like myself who already have your minds made up and nothing is going to change it by waiting aonther week or so, early voting for the Texas primary starts tomorrow. 

The dates for Texas early voting are February 18-February 28.    In Harris County, you can vote at any voting center inside the county from 7 AM-7 PM CST.   On 'Souls To The Polls Day', Sunday February 23. the polls will be open from 1-6 PM CST 

There's also a new twist happening in this Texas primary election besides the fact the straight ticket voting option won't be on the ballot no thanks to our Texas GOP legislators.   In Harris County, Democratic and Republican primary election participants will be doing so from the same voting centers.

And if you're wondering who to vote for on the Democratic side, I have some suggestions.

This is a prinary election ballot, so it will be a long one, especially in Harris County. 

Vote the enitre ballor from POTUS to dog catcher, because there are good candidates wanting and needing your votes in races on that other end of the ballot as well, and those races are jsut as important as the presidential contest is.

Texas judicial benches, Texas State Board of Education, those offices are on the ballot and they  matter along with the state lege races.   Turning this state blue starts with you, the voters taking part in this and every election. .

The best part of early voting is that you choose when, whare and what time to do so, as long as you cast those ballots from Febraury 18-28 .   After those dates, you'll have to wait until the March 3 Election Day.

For those of you who aren't registered to vote for the primary, there's still time for you to get busy and get registered for the May runoff and general election on November 3.     To be eligible to vote in the May runoff election, you must be registered by April 2.   Final date to get registered for the general election in November is October 5

But first up is the primary elections what will play a major role in determining what peeeps are on your ballot in November    So tke some time out of your busy schedule to handle your electoral business.

     

TransGriot 2020 Texas Democratic Primary Election Endorsement Post

You've been asking me for it, and here it is, just before early voting starts in the Texas primary election on  February 18.   For those of you who wish to wait for the actual Texas primary Election Day, that will happen on March 3.

We are the most populous county in Texas, and our ballot is going to reflect that.   It always going to be a long one because of that.  Also bear in mind that no thanks to the TXGOP, we no longer have the option of straight ticket voting.

Every race matters, so vote from POTUS to dog catcher.   Your vote may be the differnce between winning and losing for many candidates in a tight race.

Make Trump, Greg Abbott and the Texas GOP mad by voting either during early voting, which runs from Febuary 18-February 28., on primary day on on the general election day on November 3.

You can also vote at ANY voting center in Harris County during early voting or the general election.

If you aren't registered to do so during the primary, you can still make sure you are registred for the upcoming presidential election in November and the May runoff elections from May 18-22

Vote as if your life depends on it, because frankly, it does.

And now, my TransGriot 2020 Democratic primary endorsements.

President- Elizabeth Warren 

US Senate-  Amanda Edwards

US House-District 2-Sima Ladjevarian
US House District 9- Al Green
US House District 10- Mike Siegel 
US House- District 14- Adrienne Bell  
US House- District 18-Sheila Jackson Lee
US House District 21- Wendy Davis 
US House- District 22- No Endorsement

TX State Board of Education District 4 -Larry McKinzie 
TX State Board of Education District 6- Michelle Palmer

TX State Senator- District 11-Susan Criss 
TX State Senator- District 13- Borris Miles  


TX House- District 26-Sarah DeMerchant  
TX House- District 27- Ron Reynolds
TX House- Dsitrict 28- Lawrence Allen
TX House- District 83- Addison Perry-Franks 
TX House- District 126- Natali Hurtado
TX House- District 131- Alma A Allen
TX House- District 134- Ann Johnson 
TX House- District 135- Jon Rosenthal 
TX House-District 138- Akilah Bacy 
TX House- District 139- Jarvis Johnson 
TX-House- District 141- Senfronia Thompson
TX House- District 142- Jerry Davis 
TX House- District 146- Ashton P Woods 
TX House- District 147- Garnet F Coleman
TX House- District 148-- Penny Morales Shaw 

Chief Justice TX Supreme Court- Amy Clark Meacham
TX Supreme Court Justice- Place 6- Kathy Cheng
TX Supreme Court Justice- Place 7- Staci Williams
TX Supreme Court  Justice- Place 8- Gisela Triana 

TX Court of  Criminal Appeals- Place 3 - William Pieratt Demond
TX Court of Appeals District 14-  Jane Robinson
TX Court of Appeals- 1st District- Place 3- Veronica Rivas Molloy
TX Court of Appeals 1st District- Place 5- Amparo Monique Guerra
TX Court of Appeals 1st District Place 7 - Cheri Thomas
TX District Judge- 80th Judicial District- Larry Weiman 
TX Dsitrict Judge- 164th Judicial District- Alexandra Smoots-Thomas 
TX District Judge- 165th Judicial District- Ursula Hall 
TX District Judge- 176th Judicial District-Nikita 'Niki' Harmon
TX District Judge -179th Judicial District- Ana Martinez 
TX District Judge- 333rd Judicial District- Daryl Moore
TX District Judge- 334th Judicial District- Dawn Deshea Roigers 
TX District Judge- 337th Judicial District- Colleen Gaido
TX District Judge - 339th Judicial District- Te'iva Bell
TX District Judge- 351st Judicial District- Natalia 'Nata' Cornelio
TX District Judge- 367 Judicial District-  Janet Buening Happard
TX District Judge- 505th Judicial District- Surendran K. Patel  
TX District Judge- 507th Judicial District-Julia Maldonado 

Harris County District Attorney- Audia Jones 
Harris County Attorney- Christian Menefee
Harris County Sheriff- Ed Gonzales
Harris County Tax Assessor Collector -Jolanda Jones

Harris County Commissioner- Precinct 1-Rodney Ellis
Harris County Commissioner- Precinct 3- Diana Martinex Alexander

Harris County Constable- Precinct 1- Alan Rosen
Harris County Constable- Precinct 7-  May Walker

Harris County Civil Court at Law No 4- Bill McLeod

Harris County Department of Education Place 5- Erica Davis
Harris County Department of Education Place 7- Obes Nwabara
Harris County Justice of the Peace- Precinct 6 Place 1- Victor Trevino III
Harris County Justice of the Peace- Precinct 7 Place 1- Jeremy L. Brown

Bloomberg Protest At The 2020 JRR

Just arrived from the JRR dinner, and y'all might have heard about a silent protest I did in which I stood up,  turned my back to Bloomberg  when he started speaking,  and remained standing for the duration of his horrible JRR speech.

Naw player, couldn't let you waltz into my hometown without doing something to express my displeasure at his candidacy.  And yeah, these are just some of the reasons why I'm not feeling Bloomberg.

There were a few other attendees in that Marriot Marquis room that also weren't feeling Bloomberg either, and expressed themselves during his horrid speech in which there was no mention of stop and frisk or his transphobia.   Amelie Haydel and Aicilef Gnuoy started chanting during the speech and were detained by police.

Bloomberg eventually stops droning and i get to sit down.   My beind wasn't in the chair for a minute when some random Becky walks up to be and starts ranting about she's supporting bllomberg because  get this, her daughter was sexually assaulted by a Black man.

WTF?   She also had the nerve to try to claim she was Latina. 

I got up out of my seat, and she now had to face an extremely pissed off  6' 5" moi with heels on towering over her petite self.   I then began to channel my inner Elektra Wintour and read the tramp for filth before she was mericfully escorted away from me by one of my tablemates. 

Amazing how a silent protest triggers peeps with privilege so much. 

Just to give you an example of the level of read homegirl got, here's Elektra shutting down a disrespectful Becky like I had to unexpoectedly do tonight.



For those of you who have been asking me on social media if I'm okay.  yeah, I'm good.
The Becky I read for filth, not so much.

A Chance To Make Houston Women's History

I got back to Houston as early voting cranked up again after the holiday break for our December 14 midterm election.

You can early vote at any location from 7 AM-7 PM from today until December 10.   On Sunday December 8 you can do so from  1-6 PM.  Final day to handle your early voting business is on December 10. 

My TransGriot endorsements for the Houston runoff election are here.

While I was in Da Ville, I noted that we have a chance to do in this runoff election something as historic as the #BlackGirlMagic Judges.

We have the chance to elect an unprecedented in Houston history six Black women to The Horseshoe as part of a first ever female majority City Council.

CM Martha Castex Tatum's spot is already assured on the new council.  She was reelected to represent District K back on November 5. 

In District B, a Black woman is assured to be the next council rep for that area.   The runoff elections will feature Tarsha Jackson,  who received 20% of the vote to lead a crowded fourteen person field to succeed term limited CM Jerry Davis, in either Cynthia Bailey or Renee Jefferson Smith.

That seat will be determined in a special election once the court drama between Bailey and Jefferson-Smith is resolved over whether Bailey is eligible as an ex offender with a felony conviction to hold public office in Texas.

Several of the city council runoffs  have a Black woman running in them

In District D, former HCC board of trustees chair Carolyn Evans Shabazz is running against Brad 'Scarface' Jordan from the Geto Boys rap group.. 

In District F, which is my council district, former Alief ISD board member Tiffany Thomas is running against Van Huynh, the former chief of staff for outgoing councilmember Steve Le who decided not to run for reelection.

In the runoff election for the At Large 3 seat, Janaeya Carmouche is taking on anti-HERO incumbent councilmember Michael Kubosh

In the at Large 4 race to succeed CM Amanda Edwards, who surprisingly decided not to seek reelection and jump into the US Senate race, Dr. Letitia Plummer is taking on white supremacist Anthony Dolcefino.

Add to it the one in District A in which Amy Peck is trying to succeed term limited CM Brenda Stardig. and in the At Large 5 race between Sallie Alcorn and Eric Dick.

The one in the diverse Gulfton area District J between Sandra Rodriguez and anti-HERO transphobe Edward Pollard to succeed term limited CM Mike Laster also has the potential to make history.

If Rodriguez is successful in her District J race, it would be the first time we have had two Latinas serving on Houston city council together.  It would also mean that with CM Robert Gallegos being reelected in District I, three Latinx councilmembers would be sitting in the Horseshoe for the first time. 

The hotly contentious battle in District C between Abbie Kaman and Shelley Kennedy guarantees a woman will emerge as the rep for that seat that stretches from Meyerland to Montrose . 

The equally as contentious one in District H between Isabel Longoria and incumbent CM Karla Cisneros guarantees a Latina will sit on the new council representing that predominately Latinx district.

If all these women win their races on December 14, it means that Houston would have a historic eleven women on city council   A diverse group of women councilmembers that would comprise two Latinas, three White women, and six Black women.

But if you want that to happen, you must vote for it starting today and on December 14 to become a reality. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Survives To Win A Second Term

We started early voting yesterday in Texas, but the election I had my eye on was taking place north of the border.

The Canadian federal election happened yesterday, and the Liberals under Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were facing a tight race because of scandals and a blackface controversy during his first term combined with high expectation for his majority government.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, who won a contentious race for the leadership of his party, was hopeful they would recapture control of Parliament for the first time since Stephen Harper and the Tories were dealt a crushing defeat after running Canada for ten years.

Scheer tried to portray himself as an 'average Canadian guy', but that effort took a major hit when it was revealed that he has dual Canadian and American citizenship.

The Conservatives had a narrow lead in polling before the election, but were disappointed that despite garnering the most popular votes on this night and picking up 22 seats, it didn't translate (thank God) into a national win for him and the Conservative Party.

You need 170 seats in order to form a majority government in Canada's 338 seat Parliament, and as of this moment the Liberals are projected to have enough seats to form a minority government. 

The Liberals picked up 157 seats, and have leads in 2 more races. Turnout was 65% in this year's election.  Trudeau, as the current prime minister, not only was reelected to his seat, but will have first crack at forming that new Canadian government.

In order to form their minority government, the Liberals will need to partner with another party to get the 170 seats they need to form a new government.  That party looks like it will be the Jagmeet Singh led New Democratic Party (NDP).    Singh held onto his seat in his Burnaby South BC riding.

The Bloc Quebecois already declared as part of the Quebec only nationalist campaign they ran in the province of Quebec they will not participate in forming a minority government.

The Conservatives hold 121 seats and will be the Official Opposition after their dominant showing in the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. 

The Tories blue tsunami flipped two of the three ridings they didn't control in Alberta, and those were Liberal held seats in Calgary and Edmonton .  The lone one they didn't flip is the Edmonton-Strathcona one held by the NDP.   MP Linda Duncan retired, and Heather McPherson fought off a strong Tony challenge to keep the seat in NDP hands.

The Tories also captured all formerly held Liberal seats in Saskatchewan.   But they failed to gain any seats in the greater Toronto area (the GTA) and in the Montreal metro area.

The NDP holds 24 seats, but lost ground in Quebec to the Bloc Quebecois, who will have a larger mischief making say in the 43rd Parliament with the 22 seats they picked up.   

The Bloc Quebecois now holds 32 seats, up from the ten they held in 2015.

The Green Party had a historic night by picking up their first riding in Atlantic Canada.  Jenica Atwin picked up a seat in Fredericton, New Brunswick to raise their total to 3 seats.  Green Party leader Elizabeth May was reelected to her Saanich-Gulf Islands riding in BC

But despite running candidates in all 338 ridings, and  record breaking fundraising numbers for them, the Greens fell way short of getting the twelve seats they needed to get official party status in the House of Commons.

The other good news out of Canada last night was that Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC), lost his Beauce, Quebec riding to Conservative Richard Lehoux.   

Bernier was a wildly popular Conservative who had won that riding in four previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2015.   His father also represented that riding that extends from the outskirts of Quebec City to the border with Maine .

Bernier narrowly lost the Conservative Party leadership race to Scheer, and left the party to form the far right PPC in 2018.   The PPC ran over 300 candidates across Canada in this election cycle, and they thankfully failed to win a single seat or hold onto the one House of Commons riding they had.

The PPC was known for not only having racist and anti-immigrant views, but was accused of having ties to a neo-Nazi group in the US and Canadian far right groups like the Soldiers of Odin and Pegida Canada.

Canada's voters sent a message that the far right populism polluting American and British politics and much of Europe doesn't have a home there for now. 

Trudeau has won a second term, and peeps on both sides of our shared border are exhaling.

Melania is probably happy about that, too.

Trans Canadians are especially thankful in this post Thanksgiving Day month that they have something else to celebrate.

Why I'm Endorsing Mike Webb For Reelection As Houston GLBT Caucus President

This month's Houston GLBT Caucus meeting is one in which we will be electing officers and board members for new terms. 

Mike Webb is only the third Black president ever of the Houston GLBT Caucus, but in his first term accomplished much.

*The Caucus raised over $100,000 this year, and ALL the funds went toward helping elect our endorsed candidates.
*We had more visibility on TV and radio than ever before.
*We had the largest endorsement card that reached more people throughout Harris County and beyond in Caucus history.
* A very inspiring new batch of volunteers and equality supporters joined our coalition, which helped us mobilize over 270 voters to the polls with our new Pride2ThePolls initiative.

All of this was accomplished through inclusive leadership and coalition building with diverse partners. Now let’s make 2019 our best year yet!

I was asked by Mike in February 2018 to help lead a Caucus initiative in which myself and my team members helped broker a deal between the Caucus and the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity.   That team helped clear up some misunderstandings between both groups, got an apology from them for their actions during the HERO fight, and set the stage for future meetings and cooperative ventures with them..

Mike also worked for state senator (now Congresswoman) Sylvia Garcia during the 2017 session and currently works for Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.   Translation: They (Mike uses gender neutral pronouns) have the legislative experience we will need as a community and the organization will need at the state, county and local level to advance our community's policy agenda.  

With a Houston municipal election coming up, and a 2019 Texas Legislative session commencing on January 8, why throw out proven leadership for someone who will have to learn the job on the fly? 

These are just a few of the reasons why I'm endorsing Mike Webb for another term as the president of the Houston GLBT caucus< and why I will be casting my vote for him later this evening. 

He has proven he can lead this organization, so why not stay the leadership course?   
.  . 
Here's hoping they are reelected to the Caucus presidency again later tonight!

Historic Change Comes To Fort Bend County!

When I was growing up in Houston,  I had a great uncle and aunt who lived in Rosenberg that we used to visit every Christmas until they moved to Houston during my college years. Fort Bend County was despite a sizable Black population, largely white and conservative leaning.

It was Tom DeLay's power base during the 80's and 90's as a reliably red suburb on the southwest corner of purple to blue Harris County.   DeLay rose from here to prominence in the Texas GOP and a state legislative seat.  He eventually got to Washington DC repping the 22nd Congressional District, and became the House Majority Leader and a major adversary of President Bill Clinton.

Fort Bend County isn't red any more.  It has increasingly been trending purple because of the numerous suburban neighborhood that have popped up around Missouri City, Sugar Land, Katy and Rosenberg like Mission Bend, Sienna Plantation, Quail Valley and others.

Fort Bend County not only became since the 80's one of the Houston metropolitan area's fastest growing suburbs next to Montgomery County to the north of us, it is also rapidly diversifying. 

That spells political trouble for the Texas and Fort Bend County Republican Party.

Tom DeLay Country finally flipped blue in the midterms, and while we were at NRG Center yesterday gleefully celebrating Harris County going deep blue, down I-69 our suburban neighbors were having a very Happy Blue Year celebrating their own historic gains.

The Fort Bend Democrats had come close in 2016.   Hillary Clinton became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Fort Bend County in decades, but unlike here in Harris County, Republicans still won countywide, but by much narrower margins than usual.

That set the stage for what happened on November 6 when the Blue electoral tsunami hit Fort Bend County.

Brian Middleton became the first African American ever elected as the Fort Bend County DA. He was also the first Democrat elected as Fort Bend County DA in 25 years. 

But they didn't stop there.  KP George was also elected to become Fort Bend County judge (the chief executive of the county) and become the first South Asian elected a county judge anywhere in the state of Texas. 

George, as Lina Hidalgo made happen here in Harris County, unseated a longtime Republican incumbent in Robert Herbert, who had held the position for 15 years.

Missouri City also elected its first African American mayor in Yolanda Ford.   The lifelong resident of the town and city council member beat incumbent mayor Allen Owen, who had been running the city for nearly 25 years.

Fort Bend County also elected seven Democratic judges, one of them being a high school classmate of mine in Teana Watson.   This was her third attempt at a judicial run, losing in 2012 to James Shoemake for the 434th District Court, then four years later narrowly losing the race for the 400th District Court to GOP incumbent judge Maggie Jaramillo.

The third time was the charm for Watson in her race for the Fort Bend County Court At Law #5 bench, comfortably beating Republican Harold Kennedy. 

Shapnik Khan, the vice chair of the Fort Bend Democratic Party, also attributed the wins to the increasing diversity of the county.

“It’s the minorities like us,” he said in an interview with Ella Feldman. “The Asian-Americans, the Hispanics, the African-Americans, it’s a combination of the different ethnicities. They’re moving in, and not only moving in, but getting involved.”
That they are.   Even more importantly, they are working together to change the county for the better and make its leaders and government officials as diverse as Fort Bend County is.Congrats Fort Bend Dems!  The easy part is over of flipping the county blue.   Now comes the hard work of keeping it that way.