DALLAS — While Republicans kicked off their midterm convention inside the American Airlines Center, Texas Democrats and one of the party’s biggest names came together across the street to send a message of their own to voters.
“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Pritzker joined Democratic leaders from Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston to highlight the party’s policies and question the motivations of the Republican convention.
“Dallas County is a solidly blue county,” said Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman. “They have decided to hold a convention in a county they cannot win.”
The speakers called out the quickly thrown together convention as being mostly focused on President Donald Trump at a time when many Americans are struggling to deal with high inflation and deteriorating economic conditions.
“Struggling to pay for gas, struggling to pay for groceries, struggling to keep a job,” said Houston City Controller Chris Hollins. “And all the while, you have Republicans, instead of working to solve those problems, coming to Dallas to throw a party. Coming to pop champagne with the billionaires.”
Democrats also reminded voters of a recent Republican-led move by Tarrant County leaders to cut dozens of polling places, many of which the Democrats said are in blue-leaning areas around Fort Worth.
“Took away 92 polling places,” said Alisa Simmons, candidate for Tarrant County Judge. “Are we going to keep centering our politics around one man, or are we going to center government around the people it’s supposed to serve?”
Pritzker said Democrats will remain focused on the November midterm elections and on highlighting their candidates’ plans to get the nation, they feel, back on track.
“They chose the wrong place to hold this clown show of theirs,” said Pritzker.