{"id":236461,"date":"2026-04-05T22:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T22:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/236461\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T22:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T22:01:10","slug":"lone-star-left-endorses-jasmine-henderson-for-texas-house-district-68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/236461\/","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star Left Endorses Jasmine Henderson For Texas House District 68"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I asked Jasmine Henderson who her political role models are, and this is how she answered, \u201cShirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris, Cori Bush, and Jasmine Crockett are a few, but the list is long. Watching and reading about women willing to take a stand and stand where no one has before has always encouraged me to stand as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to admire women who stood their ground.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another to watch someone do it in real time.<\/p>\n

The first time I saw men in tactical gear standing across from unarmed protesters in a small Texas town, I didn\u2019t understand what I was looking at. Not at first.<\/p>\n

This was a courthouse square in Gainesville, Texas, in 2020. Middle of the day. Summer heat sitting on everything. And across the street, lined up like they were waiting for something to start, were men in camo, and rifles slung across their chests.<\/p>\n

On the other side were activists. Mostly local. Unarmed. Holding signs and trying to make a point about a Confederate monument sitting on taxpayer-funded land.<\/p>\n

And somewhere in between all of that, the police. Standing around. Just\u2026 there.<\/p>\n

This was a version of Texas I hadn\u2019t seen before, but it had been there the whole time. And once you see it, you don\u2019t unsee it.<\/p>\n

They were out there in Gainesville, week after week. Her older sister was one of the lead organizers. And they were showing up in a town that was making it very clear they weren\u2019t welcome to do what they were doing, standing their ground on that same courthouse lawn.<\/p>\n

You know how there are some families you don\u2019t have to wonder about? You see how they move, how they treat people, how they show up for their community, and you just know. The Henderson sisters were that. They cared about others and were pillars of that movement even when things got hard.<\/p>\n

And things did get hard.<\/p>\n

Armed groups started coming in from outside. Oath Keepers. Three Percenters. There were threats. Slurs were spray-painted on the road in front of their apartment. The kind of pressure meant to wear people down. To make them stop. They didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

At the time, Jasmine was the younger sister. Watching, learning, and standing her ground alongside her family while all of that was happening around them.<\/p>\n

And now, years later, she\u2019s the one on the ballot.<\/p>\n

To me, this matters more than any resume ever could. Because I\u2019ve seen where she comes from. I\u2019ve seen what she\u2019s willing to stand through. I\u2019ve seen what it costs to take a position in a place like that and not back down.<\/p>\n

So when I see her now, running for office, talking about fixing rural healthcare, investing in communities, and making this state work for people again, I don\u2019t hear a politician trying to say the right things.<\/p>\n

I see someone who decided that standing on the outside wasn\u2019t enough anymore.<\/p>\n

And that, to me, is everything.<\/p>\n

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Yep, that\u2019s its actual shape. Let\u2019s be honest about what this is. Texas House District 68 is not a swing district. It\u2019s not even close.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Donald Trump took nearly 86% of the vote here, while Democrats barely reached 13%. That\u2019s not a gap you close with a good speech or a strong ground game. That\u2019s decades of political alignment, culture, and infrastructure baked into the soil.<\/p>\n

This district stretches across a wide swath of rural North and Central Texas. Cooke, Montague, Young, Brown, Comanche, Eastland. Places where people drive long distances for work, where hospitals are closing or hanging on by a thread, where schools double as community centers, and where state politics often feels far away until it shows up in the form of cuts, closures, or mandates.<\/p>\n

Demographically, it\u2019s older, whiter, and more rural than the state as a whole. About 73% Anglo, with smaller Hispanic and Black populations spread across counties rather than concentrated in one place. That matters, not just politically, but in how campaigns are built, how messages travel, and who gets reached.<\/p>\n

And structurally, Democrats haven\u2019t just been losing here. They\u2019ve been absent. No sustained investment. No long-term organizing. So no, this is not a district that flips overnight. It probably doesn\u2019t flip in two cycles. Maybe not three.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

Because the only way districts like this ever change is if someone is willing to run when it\u2019s hard. When the margin is brutal. When the outcome feels predetermined. Not because they think they\u2019re guaranteed to win, but because they understand that margins move before maps do.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t go from 13% to 51% in one election. You go from 13 to 20. Then 20 to 28. Then maybe, over time, you build something that didn\u2019t exist before.<\/p>\n

You build recognition. You build trust. You give people who have never had a Democrat to vote for a reason to start paying attention.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the work. And most people won\u2019t sign up for it. Jasmine Henderson did. <\/p>\n

Below are some questions I asked Henderson, based on previous reader polls, along with her answers.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you oppose school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education?<\/p>\n

Yes, I oppose school vouchers and privatizing public education. Public education in many parts of our state goes beyond just educating. The schools are a place where students go for comfort, food security, and access to a safe environment. It is crucial we keep this space not only open for our students, but thriving. <\/p>\n

Q: Should Texas guarantee free school meals to all K\u201312 students, regardless of income?<\/p>\n

Yes. Absolutely. There is a large portion of our state that is not food secure. Children must have access to food and nutrition to learn and develop. We are doing a massive disservice to the children in this state by charging for school meals. A student’s only focus should be on learning material and progressing to the next grade level, never on whether or not they can afford lunch. <\/p>\n

Q: Should Texas end tax breaks and regulatory loopholes for oil and gas companies, including exemptions from emissions reporting and waste disposal standards?<\/p>\n

Yes. Large oil and gas companies are already making a ton of money. While the job is a necessity, Texans are the ones who get harmed in this equation. This industry is hard on the land we live on, and it\u2019s hard on the water we consume. I think taxes can always be higher for the rich, and transparent reporting and standards are a must. <\/p>\n

Q: Do you support closing or downsizing state prisons and redirecting that funding to community-based alternatives like mental health care, housing, and youth programs?<\/p>\n

Yes. My background is in advocacy and activism. We have known for a long time that Texas uses the prison system as a massive network of free labor with no regard for the people housed there. We hear nightmare story after nightmare story. A majority of Texans have been affected or know someone who has been affected by a state prison sentence. Funding community-based programs focusing on mental health, housing, and the youth will change lives. The programs will save lives and help Texans give back to our state through employment, education, and community. <\/p>\n

Q: Do you support automatic voter registration and same-day registration in Texas?<\/p>\n

Yes. Voting is a right many have fought and died for. There is no reason voting is as difficult as it is in Texas. It is crucial that we fight back against the voter suppression being applied by those in office currently. <\/p>\n

Bonus Question: What does being a Democrat mean to you in 2026?<\/p>\n

I believe in democracy. I believe it can work in this country. But it only works when it works for all of us. I have never labeled myself a democrat in the traditional sense; I think I lean too far to the left for that. But in a world where the opposite side of the aisle, Republican, has come to be synonymous with all the \u201c-isms\u201d as I call them. Racism, sexism, etc. I am a democrat because I believe everyone has the right to exist how they see fit, and this party has the ability and belief to protect that right. I am a democrat because it is of utmost importance that everyone in this country is fed, clothed, and housed. No questions asked. <\/p>\n

I think about the first answer she gave and women she named. The idea of standing where no one has before. And I think about Gainesville.<\/p>\n

I think about that courthouse square. The men across the street. The pressure meant to make people stop. And the people who didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Jasmine Henderson comes from.<\/p>\n

From showing up when it would have been easier not to. From standing in a place that didn\u2019t want her there and deciding she wasn\u2019t going anywhere anyway.<\/p>\n

And now she\u2019s running for office in one of the hardest districts in the state.<\/p>\n

Not because it\u2019s easy. Not because it\u2019s winnable on paper. But because she believes it matters.<\/p>\n

That matters to me.<\/p>\n

Because if we\u2019re serious about changing this state, it\u2019s not just about the districts we can flip this year. It\u2019s about the ones we\u2019ve written off for decades. It\u2019s about who is willing to step into those spaces and start the work anyway.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how anything changes.<\/p>\n

And more importantly, it\u2019s the kind of race that reminds people what it means to stand for something. I\u2019ve seen Jasmine Henderson do that before.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Lone Star Left is endorsing her for HD68. <\/p>\n

You can learn more about Jasmine Henderson on her website<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in this district, consider volunteering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And if you have it, consider donating<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Share<\/a><\/p>\n

April 2, 2026: Last day to register to vote (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

April 20, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

April 20, 2026: First day of early voting (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

April 27, 2026: Last day to register to vote (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

April 28, 2026: Last day of early voting (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

May 2, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

May 2, 2026: Election day! (City elections\/SD04 Special Election)<\/p>\n

May 15, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

May 18, 2026: First day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

May 22, 2026: Last day of early voting (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

May 26, 2026: Last day to receive ballot by mail (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

May 26, 2026: Election day! (Democratic primary runoff elections)<\/p>\n

Who Will Be On The 2026 State Ballot?<\/a><\/p>\n

Who Will Be On The 2026 Federal Ballot?<\/a><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to find out what Legislative districts you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

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