The Texas Democratic Party Convention ended over the weekend in Dallas without the party finalizing a platform, as not enough delegates were present to reach quorum.
The biennial convention serves as the time when Democrats select their state leadership, rally voters for November, and develop their party platform, a set of guiding principles characteristic of the party.
The party completed its first order of business on Saturday, re-electing Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa over challengers Kim Olson, a former statewide and congressional candidate, and Carroll Robinson, chairman of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats.
Voting on the platform followed the party chair election, but sufficient delegates to vote on the platform — two-thirds — were no longer in attendance. Thus, the convention ended without the party deciding its platform.
After the convention, party leadership announced the platform would be released at a later date.
“Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa intends to form a Platform Revision Committee with the approval of the State Democratic Executive Committee using the recommendations from the committee that had not yet been reported,” a Texas Democratic Party spokesman stated. “The Convention Platform Committee was not able to report its recommended Platform before a quorum call ended the Texas Democratic Convention Saturday night.”
In June, after the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) completed its platform at its biennial convention, Chairman Hinojosa labeled it one of the “most extreme political doctrines this country has seen in decades.”
“Texas Republicans showed us that they live in a parallel universe full of conspiracy-fueled hate — and that they have a truly twisted view of our democracy and Constitution,” said Hinojosa.
After the Democratic party failed to have enough delegates present to vote on its platform, RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi blasted his opposition party’s low turnout.
“Texas Democrats showed this weekend what happens when you take away tens of millions of dollars from California, New York, and D.C. All that remains is a low enthusiasm, fringe party of political extremists who can’t even run a meeting, let alone a state,” said Rinaldi.
“The showing was so dismal that Democrats couldn’t even maintain enough attendance to complete the primary business of a party convention — passing a platform. The Texas Democrat platform will now be written behind closed doors by party bosses,” he added. “The Republican Party of Texas is proud to be a grassroots-led party with a platform drafted by the more than 5,000 delegates in attendance at our convention, which is still the largest political gathering in the country.”
