How Democrats in Texas are trying to win over one of America's most ethnically diverse counties

[TexasTowelie]

By Sydney Greene, Texas Tribune


SUGAR LAND — At a glance, volunteers at Sri Kulkarni's campaign headquarters are no different than those for congressional campaigns across the country — huddling over laptops, tapping voters' numbers into their cell phones and concentrating on the call scripts in front of them.

But when the person on the other end of the line picks up, some volunteers greet them not in English but in Vietnamese, Hindi, Urdu or Mandarin Chinese.

For Kulkarni, a Democrat vying for a congressional seat in a Republican-leaning district, getting his message out to voters means not just knocking on doors and calling voters but also speaking the language they speak.

“You need to reach out to those communities the way they are and the way they want to be reached,” Kulkarni said. “The blue wave is real. That force is coming from all of us.”

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/17/texas-democrats-Sri-Kulkarni-Letitia-Plummer-fort-bend-congressional/

[Susan Calvin]

1. I wouldn't say "Democrats," but rather

*a* Democrat. (And other individual Democrats.)

From what I hear, the county party there is a concern/laughingstock.

[TexasTowelie]

2. Hello Susan,

I'm waiting for the response from one of our members who can provide a first-hand account about this article. I'm aware that there some items of contention within the organizational structure of the Fort Bend party.

[Gothmog]

6. The county party chair is an idiot

Instead of having a coordinate campaign run by the county party, the state party is going to be running a coordinated campaign for many of the local candidates.

[Gothmog]

5. You are correct as to the county party

I will be in the Harris County party war room on May 22 and worked with the Harris County Party on voter protection issues because the local party chair is an idiot

There are some groups who are trying to help. In addition we have Juanita Jean and her husband helping candidates. I just made another contribution due to Bubba's insistence.

[Gothmog]

3. Sri is running a good campaign

I have had some block walkers come to my house and I have been contacted by Sri's campaign a couple of time by phone and text

I have had fun. I brought Sri to the local Democratic Lawyers Association twice. It is fun watching a candidate mingle with a groul of democratic lawyers

[Susan Calvin]

7. Do you think

He has the best chance of getting rid of Olson?

[Gothmog]

8. Sri has raised five or six times the money raised by the last two Democratic candidtaes

I have been called several times by phone bankers on behalf of Sri and have received some texts. We had actual block walkers come to my house (I live in a very republican precinct) for Sri. Sri has a good grass roots organization and they are focusing on new voters.

Pete has not held a town hall in a year or two and is scared to meet voters in his office. Time will tell but if there is a wave year, Sri could bring out enough new voters to make this race a close one

[Gothmog]

4. Here is a NYT article that makes me smile

Link to tweet

From the NYT article

Richard Murray, a professor of political science at the University of Houston, told me to keep an eye as well on the 22nd District, a largely suburban swath of the Houston area that he described as a microcosm of demographic changes that are making the state ever more hospitable Democratic turf.

“The suburban counties that led Republicans to dominance here 25 years ago are getting significantly less Republican fast,” he said, adding that Fort Bend County, in the 22nd, is roughly 20 percent Asian-American now. The first-place finisher in the district’s Democratic primary, Sri Preston Kulkarni, is Indian-American. Murray said that if Kulkarni wins his runoff, that could be a significant boost to Democrats’ chances to nab this House seat.