A Texan Rising

Texas Lieutenant Governor Candidate Leticia Van de Putte came to Washington this week for meetings, including with the Texas Congressional delegation, and CWA hosted a breakfast in her honor.

Van de Putte, herself a member of CWA Local 6186, the Texas State Employees Union, said workers all over the state, especially union members like CWAers, are putting her on the map in her race. She was joined on the trip by key supporter Jim Hightower, a syndicated columnist-political activist and former Commissioner of the Texas Dept. of Agriculture.

Texas Lt. Governor Candidate Leticia Van de Putte at a CWA breakfast in her honor with Texas activist Jim Hightower and CWA President Larry Cohen.

"Folks would say that Texas is a red state. We really aren't. We're just a non-voting state," she said.

Van de Putte said she senses this time is going to be different because of the turnouts she is seeing around the state, like the 250 people who showed up for a cold, late spring campaign event in Amarillo. The difference this time, she added, is that she has been going to places and meeting people that for so long Texas Democrats have taken for granted. When she released her campaign advertisement recently, for instance, she put it in heavy rotation in Latino markets and followed that up with visits.

And Van de Putte said she has been seeing the results in her travels to places like Wichita Falls, Midland, Tyler and Nacogdoches. There have been outpourings of support from small business owners, from women, people of color, and, especially, union members.

"Everybody is really doing their part," she said. "Our problem is that we can't fit any more people into the rooms. There is no union hall big enough in San Antonio to hold all our supporters, people coming out to express support."