Everyone is welcome to the Primary Campaign Rally in Kerrville on Tuesday, February 20.  Over a dozen candidates from Senator, several Congressional, some statewide, some judicial, State Representative (Stephanie and her opponent) and County Chair will all be putting on their best campaign persuasion (5 minutes each) starting at 6:15 pm in the UGRA Auditorium, 125 Lehmann Drive, near the DPS office on Sidney Baker South.

Stephanie will join other candidates for office from all parties at Bandera High School for a Candidate Fair starting at 10 a.m.  The event concludes at 12 p.m.  Local candidates as well as candidates for higher offices will be manning tables where they will interact one-on-one with community members who attend.

Thanks to wonderful groups who care about elections, the remaining January campaign calendar is brimming with opportunities.  On Wednesday, January 24, TX-21 Indivisible welcomes Stephanie for a short campaign speech.  Stephanie will bring copies of her 2016 campaign memoir, Running on TRUST and Rainwater, to entice the group to engage in retail politics.

Highland Lakes Texas Democratic Women meets on January 25 in Marble Falls, where Stephanie will be joining them for lunch and company.  A time to renew friendships and bring campaign materials for Llano County supporters to distribute.

The Hill Country chapter of the League of Women Voters–TX has already gathered in candidate questionnaires and information to post on their Vote411.org internet site.  The League will take it one step further in Bandera on January 27 with a Candidate Fair at Bandera High School from 10 to 12 in the morning.  The public is encouraged to come and meet candidates.  The League even provides possible questions to ask candidates in order to make comparisons.

In 2016, Stephanie began her campaign with a kickoff event at the Hondo Senior Center in Hondo, Medina County.  It was so meaningful to be back in Hondo on Saturday, January 20 for the 2018 Candidate Forum, with candidates for Governor, Congressional District 23, 4th Court of Appeals and State Representative District 53.  District 23 has five counties that overlap with District 53, but the counties that don’t overlap, starting with part of Bexar County, contribute so many Democratic votes that Congressional District 23 is considered “competitive,” meaning that Democrats have a good chance of winning an additional Congressional seat in 2018.

  In Fredericksburg on January 18, Stephanie met another Stephanie:  Stephanie Phillips, from Comal County, running in the Democratic Primary for State House District 73, currently held by the infamous Kyle Biederman of “Freedom Caucus” fame.  Stephanie Phillips does not have an opponent in the Democratic Primary, so she has lots of time to get ready to face the winner of the Republican Primary in Gillespie, Comal  and Kendall counties.  We are so proud of you, “other Stephanie” for taking on the Republicans in a district that has gone several cycles without a Democrat on the ballot.

2018 has dawned with the Democratic Primary looming ahead–early voting begins on February 20.  The first event of 2018 will be in Kerrville for the January 2 luncheon meeting of the Hill Country Chapter of Texas Democratic Women.  The meeting starts at 11:15 a.m. at the Kroc Community Center.

Stephanie joined TDW eleven years ago, and led the group as President for two years in 2009-11. It’s great to start the serious Democratic Primary campaign on home base.

We have already made many visits to Democratic Party events in Kerrville, Llano, Castroville, Bandera, Natalia, Hondo, and Devine, including four Democratic Party Christmas Parties.  Yes, Democrats say Merry Christmas!  And Happy New Year, cheerfully bidding farewell to 2017.

Running on TRUST and Rainwater is the title of the memoir written by Stephanie Lochte Ertel about her campaign for State Representative in 2016.  The book is full of insights and pokes at conventional wisdom, with the purpose of encouraging other Democrats to run for office.  Running for office as a Democrat is the ultimate resistance to the Republican efforts to make Texas a one-party state.    .   

The book is available at Democratic Party events including the Bandera Democratic Party meeting on September 16 at 3:00 at the BEC building in Bandera, the Kerr County Democrats meeting on September 19 at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos in Kerrville at 6:15 p.m., and the Hill Country Texas Democratic Women luncheon at 11:00 at Kroc Center in Kerrville.

On Tuesday, June 20 at the Roddy Tree Lazy Days Canteen, the Kerr County Democratic Party will hold a dinner and theater event to raise funds for office and campaign expenses in the 2017-18 election cycle. The Cash Bar will open at 5:00 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. and the performance of “Ann Richards: Backwards & in High Heels” will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $40 each; send checks to the Kerr County Democratic Party to PO Box 290614, Kerrville TX 78029.  Stephanie will reprise her one-woman show which debuted in 2010.

April is full of Lobby Days when I will bring information to Legislators, especially our State Senator and State Representative about constituent concerns as key pieces of legislation are finalized.

April 4–Hill Country Chapter of Texas Democratic Women travel by bus to Austin to spend the day talking to Representatives Murr and Biederman and Senator Buckingham.

April 5–Planned Parenthood Lobby Day in Austin

April 19–Interfaith Lobby Day organized by Texas Impact

April 22–March for Science in Austin–Celebrate Earth Day

Today is the second day of the Lutheran Legislative Event at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Austin.  Almost 100 Lutherans from Texas learning about the State Budget, sanctuary cities, payday lending, CPS, environment, water and other issues before the legislature and our faith-rooted responses as we prepare to lobby our legislators tomorrow.  Texas Impact provides the education, spiritual leaders provide the reminders that we are called to love and care for every child of God.

The Women’s March on Washington will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2017.  Over 200,000 participants are expected in Washington, with over 600 sister marches organizing around the U.S. and the world.  Austin will have a Women’s March on January 21, starting at noon on the South lawn of the Capitol.  Over 70 women are coming to Austin from Kerr and Gillespie County alone!  We will march on a 14 block route down Congress and up Lavaca and gather on the South lawn for speeches and performance, all designed to express our solidarity with all people who are at risk under the incoming Trump administration.