No, Thank You.

I remember this rally like it was yesterday. Standing behind him on stage as I had done so many times before — searching the crowd for familiar faces and admiring the hard work of the volunteers who showed up time and time again just like he had done for us. Nearly two years of back-breaking, non-stop, sprint-paced campaigning had culminated this day in 4,000 people crowding a music venue in deep-red Collin County, Texas. We filled the seats, the stairs, the street, and the parking garage with people from all walks of life who wanted to hear his vision, wanted to be a part of the excitement and electricity his optimism and truth had brought to our state. One day after his moving town hall at Good Street Church and two weeks before his rally drawing nearly 50,000 people in Austin, we were so close to the finish line and so sure of success you could hear this crowd blocks away as it cheered him on through a speech twice as long as his usual 15 minute stump. It was magic. He was hope personified. And so were we.
From dawn to dusk we knocked on doors, made phone calls, talked to strangers, wrote letters to newspapers, hosted postcard parties, registered voters, and attended meetings, rallies, and town halls. We worked and worked and worked and worked for every candidate we believed would make Texas a better place to live. Some races we won and some races we lost, but the hard work we did here changed the face of Texas politics forever.
Texans proudly watched this year as people across America shared our experience from 2018. To see his message spread across the country was a sight to see. Always showing up. Always listening. Always relentless. Always hopeful. Though he has ended his bid for the presidency, his presence and perseverance will be felt long after we have put away the yard signs and folded up the t-shirts. The Beto Effect was not a one-time fluke of reactionary voters, it was an awakening of the true Texas. He showed us who we truly are and who we could be if we simply listened to one another, put aside the petty differences that divide us, and came together as a community to make a better life for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors. We thought our future relied on one person, but what we discovered in defeat was it relies on us. All of us — coming together, working harder, and never wavering on the undeniable truth that no matter where you came from, no matter who you love, no matter where you worship, or whether you worship at all, you deserve a seat at the table.
With that truth as the core tenant of our mission, I began my campaign for Texas House District 67. We have taken the lesson we learned from Beto’s campaign — that we need not use divisive tactics but rather let the truth speak for itself — as our guiding principle. This beautiful and diverse community of Texans deserves a leader who builds bridges between communities, who is beholden to no one but her constituents, who brings together disparate voices to solve the problems we talk about over the breakfast table and that keep us up at night. Beto taught us that only together will we tackle the issues that face us, and my campaign will never forget that. Beto’s spirit of hope and community will live on in this campaign to bring the true voice of this district into the leadership of Texas.
So, thank you, dear friend, for your hard work. You and your family have sacrificed so much in service of our state and our country. This may not have ended the way you intended, but you have left an indelible mark on everyone who has crossed your path. You have changed us all, and for that we will never be able to repay you. We will do the work now. And we will see you down the road.