Latest news with #KendallScudder
CBS News
04-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
State Democrats may take legal action against Texas to block new school choice law
While dozens of Texas Republican lawmakers and those in the school choice movement will attend the historic ceremony, Democrats are considering their next move to attempt to block the bill. Texas Democratic Party chairman Kendall Scudder told me Democrats are considering taking legal action against the state to keep the education savings account bill from taking effect. In an interview with Jack Fink, Scudder said, "There isn't a lot that we can do on the policy front other than trying to litigate, which you very well may see. We're going to do everything and use every tool within our wheelhouse to try to protect community public schools from this onslaught of billionaires that are trying to keep our kids uneducated so they can keep their wages low... But let's be honest, it's a bit of a Hail Mary right now." The one-billion-dollar program will provide tax dollars for Texas students to attend private schools. Republicans say they are giving priority to disabled students and those from low-income families. However, Democrats say they believe most students who will enroll in the program will be from wealthy families and already attend private school. Texas Republican Party chairman Abraham George told Jack Fink he would welcome any lawsuit from the Democrats. "So the messaging to those parents is well, your kids are stuck in a failing school because you cannot afford to send them to a private school or a charter school or something else," said George. "So if that's what they want to take to the court and to the public square, I'm glad they're doing it because that will get more people to come to the Republican side and say, ok, we want a free market, we want school choice." The Texas Comptroller's Office is now charged with setting up this program, including setting the private schools that will take part, figuring out how parents can apply, and following the criteria set by lawmakers on how students will be selected. The law will go into effect during the 2026-27 school year.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After election losses, Texas Democrats pick new party leader
AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Texas Democrats are on a losing streak that's lasted more than 30 years. November 1994 was the last time a Democrat won a statewide election in Texas. Now, the state party has a new leader, tasked with turning that trend around. On the last Saturday in March, the Texas Democratic Party's governing board elected Kendall Scudder to lead the party forward. Scudder, who previously served as the party's finance chair, came out on top in a seven-way race to lead the party. Scudder replaces longtime TDP chair Gilberto Hinojosa, who resigned last November, shortly after poor results for Democrats statewide in the elections. Party candidates continued the statewide losing streak and also lost vote share among Latino voters, particularly in South Texas. Scudder says he has ideas to turn things around, outlining a vision to build what he called a 'grassroots apparatus' in every part of Texas. 'There are 40 mid sized cities in this state with more than 100,000 people, and anywhere outside of Texas, it would be a population center. But what's happening here in Texas is that Democrats have neglected those areas,' Scudder said. He believes that building the party's presence around the state would be a key measure of success. 'Winning elections is always the highest priority, and that's what we're going to be laser focused on, non stop, right? But I think that there are also some wins that we can have around the state, like making sure that we're filling our county chair positions,' Scudder said, adding that more than 20% of counties in Texas don't have a Democratic Party. 'We have an obligation to make sure that we're filling those spots, filling precinct chair spots, making sure that people are active and engaged, and making sure that we don't have a milquetoast party that's sitting around and crying process when bad things are happening,' Scudder said. 'People want a Democratic Party that will stand up and fight back, and that's what we're delivering. It is a new day in the Texas Democratic Party. We are here to stand up and fight back on behalf of the working men and women of this state,' Scudder said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Democrats choose Kendall Scudder as next leader
The Brief Texas Democrats elected Kendall Scudder to be its next party leader Saturday. Scudder replaces Gilberto Hinojosa, who resigned after the November 2024 elections. Scudder previously served as the party's finance chair. AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Democratic Party on Saturday elected Kendall Scudder as its next party chair. The move comes after a disastrous showing by the party in this past November's elections. Scudder served as the party's finance chair prior to his elevation Saturday. What they're saying "I am honored to serve as Chair of the Texas Democratic Party," Scudder said. "The future of this party is bright, the stakes are high, and there's no better moment than right now to get Texas Democrats back in the business of winning tough races. As we do that, we can't leave any community in this state behind – we need to build a Texas where opportunity is not a privilege, but a promise, for all 30 million of us." Just days after the 2024 elections, longtime party chair Gilberto Hinojosa resigned from the position, saying voters sent "a clear message" to Texas Democrats. Democrats in Texas were unsuccessful in their attempt to oust Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate and in their efforts to gain ground in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the state level, Democrats lost two seats in the Texas House and one in the Senate. Most glaringly in the state, however, counties along the southern border that Joe Biden won in 2020 flipped to Donald Trump this year. The topic of border security was a major issue that voters in south Texas were passionate about. The state also saw a shift in Latino voters, who broke with Democrats on issues like the economy. President Donald Trump gained ground in major counties across the state and won counties that he lost in 2020. What's next The 2026 elections will be important in Texas. In addition to voting for US Senate, Texans will have an opportunity to vote for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among several other positions. Primary elections will be held in March with runoff elections in May. The Source Information on Scudder's election comes from the Texas Democratic Party. Background information on Hinojosa's resignation and the 2024 and 2026 elections come from previous FOX 7 reporting.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Democrats select Kendall Scudder as state party chair
The Texas Democratic Party's governing board on Saturday elected Kendall Scudder to lead the party forward as its new chair after a devastating performance in November and years of electoral defeats. 'The challenge that we're facing right now is terrifying for this country and for this state, and a lot of people are counting on us to come together and do the right thing and make sure that we are building a Texas Democratic Party that is worthy of the grassroots in this state,' Scudder said upon taking the gavel. 'Let's build a party that the working men and women of this state can be proud of.' Scudder took 65 out of 121 votes, an outright majority in the seven-way race. Scudder will take over as chair of the state party at a moment when Democrats are grasping for a way forward after blowout losses up and down the ballot last year, including President Donald Trump's victory and a surge to the right by traditionally-Democratic groups, such as Hispanic voters in South Texas. After proclaiming Texas a competitive state where Democratic candidates had a fighting chance of winning statewide for the first time in three decades, party leaders instead watched as Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz trounced their Democratic challengers by roughly 14 and 9 percentage points each, respectively. Democrats also ceded ground in the state Legislature and lost nearly every contested state appellate court race, in addition to 10 judicial races in Harris County — eating away at years of Democratic dominance in Texas' largest county. That left many Democrats concerned that, after appearing to come within striking distance of winning statewide in 2018, the party was back at a sobering low. Longtime Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa announced his resignation shortly after the election, acknowledging the party's poor performance and a need for a new direction. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
