Bernie Sanders tours Texas hoping to amp up progressive turnout, including in key South Texas race

[Donkees]

The two-time Democratic presidential candidate visited Central Texas and South Texas amid concerns that young and working-class voters are not mobilized enough for the midterm election.

BY PATRICK SVITEK OCT. 30, 2022

Excerpt:

The two-time Democratic presidential candidate visited Central Texas on Saturday and then headed south Sunday to the Rio Grande Valley, where he held a rally with Michelle Vallejo, who is running for the 15th Congressional District. It is an open seat that Republicans are eager to flip — and one where national Democrats have declined to go all in, sparking frustration inside the party.

“The vote right here in this district could determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, and I think the choice is clear,” Sanders said at the McAllen rally with Vallejo. “The choice is whether we give more tax breaks to billionaires and cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and other needed programs — or whether we stand up for the working class of this country. Michelle Vallejo is on the right side.”

Republicans are targeting the 15th District and two others in South Texas, hoping to capitalize on President Joe Biden’s underperformance there in 2020 and make new inroads with Hispanic voters. Vallejo narrowly defeated a more moderate Democrat in the primary runoff and now faces Republican Monica De La Cruz, who ran a surprisingly close race in the 15th District in 2020, prior to redistricting.

Some prominent in-state Democrats have been disappointed with national outside groups who have not done any serious TV spending in the 15th District, instead prioritizing the two other South Texas districts. That has left Vallejo to run as a decisive underdog in a district that Republicans already redrew to be more favorable to them.

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/30/texas-bernie-sanders-rio-grande-valley/

[Donkees]

1. Photo: Canvass launch in McAllen

[Donkees]

5. McAllen Blockwalk Kickoff w/ Sen. Bernie Sanders

Link to tweet

[JudyM]

2. K&R

Wonder why national money isn’t coming in here… 🤨

[Emile]

3. Bernie out there working hard to elect democrats!

[efhmc]

4. Maybe you know something I don't but not sure he is that popular.

[Emile]

6. Why would you say that? He is working to elect democrats.

[efhmc]

7. Many Texans think of him as too liberal.

And Beto is trying to avoid that image.,

[Emile]

8. How you personally feel about Bernie is no reason to belittle someone working

to elect democrats this close to an election. You should self delete.

[hamsterjill]

15. No, he's stating fact.

Bernie is not a positive to many Texas liberals.

[Emile]

16. Unbelievable

[Just A Box Of Rain]

9. Democrats have held the 15 District House seat in Texas since at least 1920.

This year we had a candidate backed by Bernie Sanders who narrowly defeated a mainstream Democrat and the seat is in grave jeopardy.

What's it tell you?

We can ill afford to lose House seats that we've held for many generations.

[Mr.Mystery]

10. So it's Bernie's fault that the more progressive candidate got the majority of votes?

I think you need to blame the voters.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

11. People can argue the semantics of what it means to be "more progressive."

I think it means actually accomplishing things and losing races isn't helpful to that end.

Hopefully we keep this seat that's been Democratic for over 100 years.

[Emile]

12. Are you talking about the seat that's been recently jerrymandered by republicans?

[Mr.Mystery]

13. My point wasn't who's more progressive. My point is that either

you believe in Democracy or you don't.

If you don't like who won, blame the voters who voted for them. Not Sanders for having positions you don't like.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

14. No argument there. And I didn't blame Sanders.

That's your invention.

I hope we don't lose that seat after it has been Democratic for over 100 years.

[Emile]

17. So if we lose this seat to republican jerrymandering it is the fault of progressives🤔

[Just A Box Of Rain]

18. The district lines were slightly redrawn and that worked to the Republican advantage (slightly),

but not to the extent you seem to be suggesting.

This has been a bright blue district for over 100 years and it is mostly intact.

[Emile]

19. Uh sure okay. . .

[chriscan64]

20. I have lived in a little town south of San Antonio since 2005.

In that time, my congressman, Henry Cuellar has never run ads or had ads against him until this year. The super pac running the attack ads against him are pandering to the Latino vote in a not very subtle way, having the narrator speak in a thick accent. Maybe that's his true voice, but the intention is clear. Even less subtle is the choice of opponent, Cassy Garcia, a Latina who wants to "secure the border".

[area51]

21. k&r n/t