Former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has proven himself unfit for leadership time and time again. During his tenure, Paxton abused the power of this office, using his role to service wealthy donors and a far-right agenda. A Trump and MAGA acolyte, who participated at the January 6th rally ahead of the insurrection at the Capitol, he has also been under indictment for securities fraud since 2015. The following is a joint statement from Texas Organizing Project (TOP) Co-Executive Directors, Brianna Brown and Michelle Tremillo, on the start of Paxton’s impeachment trial:

Brianna Brown, TOP Co-Executive Director, said, “Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial is not just a reckoning for one man’s corruption; it’s a referendum on an Attorney General who has consistently made life harder for many Texans, particularly Black and Latino communities. From voter suppression to leading the effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, his record is a laundry list of policies that harm the most vulnerable Texans. And let’s not forget Paxton’s audacious attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, another glaring example of his willingness to undermine democracy for political gain. Paxton’s behavior is a betrayal of Texans’ trust and an affront to the principles of justice and fairness that should guide any Attorney General.”

Michelle Tremillo, TOP Co-Executive Director, emphasized, “Unlike Paxton, Texas deserves an Attorney General who actively champions voter engagement and defends democracy. Our communities want an Attorney General who fights voter suppression under the Americans with Disabilities Act and protects constitutional rights by scrutinizing counties that criminalize voting. It’s time for an Attorney General who serves the interests of all Texans and expands access to the ballot box.”

The Paxton impeachment trial is an essential step in restoring Texans’ faith in democratic institutions and ensuring that future elected officials know that if they exploit their powerful positions for personal gain, there will be consequences. 

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About Texas Organizing Project

Texas Organizing Project (TOP)  organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris, Bexar, and Fort Bend counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve. For more information, visit organizetexas.org. 

We’re proud to announce the endorsed candidates TOP and TOP PAC will be pushing to the 1.6 million voters of color we are engaging this cycle, the new voices of Texas who will make the difference in flipping the state. TOP members screened more than 40 candidates this year, including during the primaries, in six counties across Texas. The endorsements were earned by candidates who have shown a commitment to centering the concerns and issues of Black and Latino communities, and who will fight with us to deliver policy changes that will improve our lives.

In this political moment, when our communities are hurting and putting their lives on the line because they’re frontline workers and are on the streets fighting for justice, our leaders felt the need to lean in on the issues that matter. Our leaders fully understand the challenges of passing more progressive legislation and want to stand behind elected leaders who will share our values on key issues and commit to figuring out how they use their office to move us closer to systemic policy shifts. We are ready to fight to elect the candidates who will fight with us. Then, once they’re elected, we’ll keep pushing them to deliver.

For 10 years, TOP has worked to grow the electorate in Texas by engaging Black and Latino voters with little or no history in voting. And for the first time in decades, Texas is a battleground state. Already, our program has sent more than one million texts and called more than 900,000 voters. We’re not just trying to win an election; we’re building a movement. This is how we’re building our power. This is how we’re going to change Texas to work for us.

View a list of our endorsed candidates here.

It’s crunch time! Texas is a battleground state, and our aim in 2020 is to further push our state toward a progressive future that will shift power into the hands of Black and Latino Texans.

The 2020 election is a critical opportunity to engage our state’s rising electorate and to elect progressive champions who will fight for the issues we care about.

If you want to help us turn out voters of color by texting and calling voters, contact Tempestt McHenry at 214-704-8114.