Texas Democrats choose Kendall Scudder as next leader

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."

2024 elections

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.

2026 Elections

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.