Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder and Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George offered sharply different visions recently on NBC5’s Lone Star Politics for what the March 3 primary should accomplish.
Scudder stressed giving rank-and-file Texans a say over tone and priorities, while George focused on tightening party rules and setting legislative direction.
VOTER TONE: Scudder said the primary will show what Democratic voters want their nominees to prioritize and how they want the party to present itself heading into the fall general election.
“This party doesn’t belong to the political establishment,” he said. “It doesn’t belong to elected officials. It doesn’t belong to anyone except the people of Texas.”
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Scudder cited the Senate matchup between U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, known for a fiery, partisan style, and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, who has leaned on a softer, faith-tinged message.
He said the primary will let voters decide which approach they prefer, with the party remaining neutral before unifying behind the nominee.
INFRASTRUCTURE REBUILD: Scudder acknowledged the difficulty Democrats face statewide but said the party is focused on rebuilding its network, noting that many precincts and counties lack local party chairs.
Scudder said recruiting candidates for every state and federal race forces Republicans to defend their records and prevents incumbents from receiving what he described as free passes.
PROPOSITION ROADMAP: George, meanwhile, described the Republican primary as a mechanism to shape policy and protect the party’s nominating process.
He said the GOP ballot will have issue propositions, providing a governing roadmap for party activists and lawmakers. Property taxes, he said, are dominating discussions this cycle and driving broader debates about affordability.
He also emphasized a legal push, still pending, to close the state GOP primaries to Republicans only, saying open primaries allow Democrats to influence Republican outcomes.
“If we do get it done, I think it will make a difference in who gets elected, for sure,” he said.
ELECTION OUTLOOK: George expressed confidence about November, saying Republicans expect an expensive November but believe recent redistricting gains give the party an advantage.
He said the party is positioned to expand its congressional delegation to as many as 31 seats and make Democratic nominees an easy contrast for GOP voters statewide.
From staff reports
Lone Star Politics airs at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, hosted by NBC5 political reporter Phil Prazan and The Dallas Morning News political reporter Gromer Jeffers Jr.