Texas Democratic Party Chair Resigns Citing ‘Devastating’ Election Results: ‘Voters Sent a Clear Message’

Photo by Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via AP.

The longtime chair of the Texas Democratic Party announced his resignation on Friday in a lengthy letter in which he said “voters sent a clear message” following Tuesday’s “devasting” results.

Former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by 13.8 points while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) easily beat Democrat Colin Allred by 8.6 points.

Trump carried the state in 2020 when he defeated President Joe Biden by 5.6 points. Many Democrats hoped the Lone Star State was or might soon be in play, and some believed it was in play this year, at least for Allred.

According to state Democratic Party head Gilberto Hinojosa, he will pass the baton to someone else in the coming months after 12 years at the helm.

“On Tuesday, the Democratic Party suffered devastating defeats up and down the ballot In Texas and across the country,” Hinjosa said in a Friday letter announcing he would step down. “Voters sent a clear message to our party and our country that they want our leaders to talk to them about issues that they care about most, including the economy.

“Democrats delivered infrastructure funds to rebuild roads, bridges, ports, and airports. Democrats passed the most important climate investments in history. And though Democrats delivered one of the best economies our country has had, Americans just aren’t feeling it.” Hinojosa added:

In the days and weeks to come, it is imperative that our Democratic leaders across the country reevaluate what is best for our party and embrace the next generation of leaders to take us through the next four years of Trump and win back seats up and down the ballot. That is why today I’m announcing that I’ll be stepping aside in the new year at the Spring SDEC meeting in March 2025, and passing the torch to the next generation. While this was a hard decision, it is the best decision for our party, and I encourage our national leaders and party leaders at all levels to join me in lifting up the next generation in order to unite our party as we take on Donald Trump.

I hope my successor will take on the job with the energy and creativity we need to build something new, but they will not start empty-handed. Over the last twelve years, the Texas Democratic Party, in partnership with countless allies, has put Texas on the battleground map and has made significant progress toward electing Democrats at every single level. We have worked to modernize the party organization and make progress to turn our great state blue. We have expanded and upskilled our organizing, data, communications, voter protection, and digital infrastructure to better reach and support voters.

This has led to significant and durable gains in our now-Democrat-led big urban counties and cities, as well as in the suburban outer rings—many of these leaders reflecting the African American, Asian, and Latino communities that had long gone underrepresented in our state. Texas is home to the second-largest collection of voting Democrats in the country. We need to continue the progress to reach the millions of eligible Texans who decided not to vote in the 2024 election, as well as millions of potential young voters as they age into the electorate every cycle.

Hinkose offered his assistance during the selection process for the state’s new party chair. A new leader will be tapped in March at the Texas Democratic Executive Committee meeting.

The Texas Tribune noted, “In the months leading up to Tuesday’s election, Hinojosa and other party leaders promoted Texas as a competitive state where Democratic candidates had a real shot of winning a statewide race for the first time since 1994.”