Who could really do?
Let's hear it
for Crystal Mason.
So courageous, so tenacious,
so persistent and not only does that
describe her describes every
single person here tonight,
'cause I'll tell you what.
This group of people and then some
in 2018 made me the first Democrat
to win Tarrant County since 1994.
And this group of
people and then some
are going to make me the first Democrat
to be governor of the state of Texas.
This is
this is on
all of us. Listen I,
I feel extraordinarily lucky
to be here with you tonight.
It looks like from the
early returns I will be your
nominee for governor
in the state of Texas.
And because we knew
that there'd be such a great
group of people out fired up
a little bit of alcohol in their systems.
I've only asked my entire
family to join me once on this campaign,
and it's tonight. This is my wife, Amy.
My son, Ulysses and our
friend was back there.
They need to be
with us tonight on election
night here in Fort Worth
and Tarrant County. Tell
me there's a more important
place in Texas for us to
be more important place for us to win in
this one right here.
And we have traveled
the breath and the length
of this state starting out
in the westernmost county,
in the mountain time zone,
in the Chihuahua desert,
connected to seal off.
What is our sister City, El Paso, TX.
And whether I'm in El Paso, whether I'm
in Lewisville, whether I'm in Texarkana,
which is as far away as you can
be and still be in the same state,
our finds the most amazing.
The most beautiful, the most creative,
the most inspiring people on the planet. This
is our home and
the beauty in this state and our values.
We work hard and we do good work and work
good to one another that's not reflected
in those who hold power and positions of
public trust in this state right now.
The things that we want are
not just good for Democrats.
They're not just good for
Republicans or independents either.
They're good for all of us.
We want to make sure that the
best jobs in the United States of
America are created right here in
the state of Texas.
We want to make sure
that we get behind our world
class public school educators so
that we have world class
public schools in the state of Texas.
We want to make sure
that we finally expand
Medicaid so that people
can see a doctor. No one dies of diabetes
or terminal cancer or the flu. And don't
you think it's time that
we legalize marijuana
in the state of country?
And we do have that.
But in order to make that happen,
we've got to get past.
The incompetence, the corruption
and the cruelty of Greg Abbott.
I mean, this guy
cannot even keep the lights
on in the energy capital
of the world. This guy
has presided over a Child Protective
Services system and the foster
children within it who are sleeping
on desk in the hallways right
now because we don't have the
resources or the attention or the
accountability that they deserve,
this guy may say he's pro-life.
I think he's just pro birth.
We are going to be pro.
In this state.
This crazy aggressive pursuit
of transgender children in
our communities and in our schools and
in their families.
When we have real challenges in
the state of Texas right now,
like 7 out of 10 fourth graders
cannot read at grade level.
And it's not that our kids are any
worse than the kids in other states.
It's not that our teachers
are not trying hard.
In fact, they're working
two or three jobs just to
support. Job right now,
it's because we have
so underpaid those teachers
and started to attack them from
the highest positions of power.
When I am governor, we are going
to support public educators
and public education.
Has the resources
and support that they need
to be able to get ahead.
We're going to make sure
when I'm governor that we keep the
light on in the state of Texas.
The water will move.
And then we make sure.
Then we make sure that everyone
understands that this state
is big enough for all of us.
Leadership in Texas truly reflects
the genius and diversity of the
people in this state that we don't
have to be afraid of one another or
pitted against each other or further
polarize and already divided state.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Whether you are a Republican and
I hope you're here tonight or an
independent where we certainly
have some Democrats in the House as
well, I want to be a governor for each and
every single one of you,
and I want to bring this together to
do the big things that we are truly.
Capable of once we get past the
smallness and the cruelty and
the divisiveness of this moment.
But if we're gonna do this if we're
going to build upon our gains that
we all realize together in 2018,
and it's going to take all of us doing
all that we can with what we have,
where we are right now.
And just as Crystal urged us to do,
we've got to sign up to volunteer.
And we've got to join an army
of volunteers out there.
Peaceful army that over the course
of February has been trying to
knock on every single door in every
one of the 254 counties of Texas.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm here to tell you tonight
that so far 53,500 people have
signed up to pick up
a clipboard to become a volunteer
and to win this election.
Not just in Crystal Mason case,
but in the case of millions
of our fellow Texans,
this government does not trust the
voters of this state to make their
own decisions about who should
represent them or the course,
or the direction that Texas will take.
And so last year he signed the
most voter suppressive most voter
intimidating legislation that we
have seen since the Texas President.
LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act
into law in 1965. It is harder.
To cast a ballot in this state than it
is anywhere else and look democracy is
under attack the world over right now.
I don't have to tell you that
you watched the headlines.
You see it happening half a world away.
Well, it's happening right here as well.
And when I talked to Katherine,
our organizing director and I said,
look, I wish the Department of Justice
would ride to the rescue right now
and enforce that Voting Rights Act.
But they're not.
I wish the Supreme Court would make sure
that they strike down the unconstitutional.
Voting laws that we have in this state,
but they will not.
There's no cavalry coming
to ride to our rescue.
This one is on us and Catherine said,
let me get those volunteers out there.
Let me get them knocking on doors
and making phone calls and lighten
up the phones of our fellow Texans
and I'm going to try Beto as best as
I can get to 2,000,000 voters by the
end of February, which is yesterday.
Well,
she told me today we reached 4.5 million.
Absolutely amazing a miracle
and it's a miracle born
of the people of Texas.
This campaign is powered
by the people of Texas.
We will win this race together because
of by and for the people of Texas.
All I need to know from you is Are
you ready to sign up and to be part
of this campaign?
Because if you will do. I
promise. We will win this.
The people of Texas are sick
of what we have and they wanna
change. They cannot believe. They
cannot believe that the governor
of this state will not trust
women to make their own decisions
for themselves. Then he sent a
$10,000 bounty on the back of anyone
who assists any woman in making
her own health care decisions.
Well, you don't have to be a dumb
crap to know that that is wrong,
but it's going to take all of us
working together to elect me so that
you have a governor who trusts every
woman to make her own decisions
about her own body
and my own future and my own health
care. Each and every single day.
We're going to do this. I really feel this.
Season 4
and I just want you to think about
what you are willing to do right now
and how you want to feel on this night.
November 8th, 8 1/2 months from today.
Now I hope and I might have to
check with with Amy and the kids,
but I hope we're back in Tarrant
County on election night.
And just like we're gonna
do tonight, I hope we're
drinking beer on that night.
And I hope you wake up on the 9th of
November with the best hangover we have ever.
Because we celebrated the best victory
we've ever seen in the state of.
But think about how you wanna
feel that night, how you
wanna look back on this one and say
look on March 1st of this year.
I dedicated myself to my kids to my family,
to my state, to my country,
to the generations yet to come.
And when all was on the line and we
knew that we had the odds against us,
and they were trying to rig the rules
of the road while we were actually
running this race in the election,
I did not allow that to determine.
I did not succumb to the
temptation of despair. I got up.
I got after it.
I knocked on my neighbors door.
I invited them into this democracy,
voting in this election,
and I made sure that their voice was heard,
that their vote counted that their
vision was reflected in the campaign
that we ran together on that night,
November 8th of 2022.
You wanna feel completely exhausted
like you've done everything you
could have done within your power?
To win this race,
nothing but nothing left on the field that
beer is gonna taste so much more refree.
That victory is going to be all
the sweeter for it and we are going to
celebrate like Texas has never celebrated.
Gonna get the big things done. Again. More.
Is it?
For you.