At Texas Democratic Party convention, recognition of high stakes and a tough road ahead

An attendee claps during the general caucus of the Texas Democratic Convention at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on July 15, 2022. (Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune)

DALLAS — For the Democratic faithful gathered at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Friday, there was a lot to be upset about: the rollback of abortion rights, strict new voting laws, the state’s lax gun rules as mass shootings persist, the government’s move to investigate parents of transgender kids for child abuse, and an electrical grid that doesn’t inspire confidence as the weather seems to get more extreme every year.

For the party leaders who convened them for the first statewide convention since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the necessary response was clear: channel that anger and help end Democratic exile from statewide office — primarily by ousting Gov. Greg Abbott and installing former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke.