The False Friendship: Republicans And The Threat To Democracy [View all]

The hidden dangers of playing nice with GOP extremists.

https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-false-friendship-republicans




While the special election for Senate District 15 played out between Representative Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook, I heard a sentiment from a few local activists in Harris County. They were #TeamMolly because they were still angry at Jarvis Johnson because of his inaction during the 2022 election.

The sentiment was, “In 2022, Jarvis Johnson ran unopposed, yet he was nowhere around when activists wanted his help campaigning for Republican-held seats in Harris County.”

I like Jarvis Johnson. I always thought he was great in the Legislature, but he pissed off some local activists, who wound up advocating and/or working to elect Molly Cook. They didn’t want to get behind Johnson because the feeling was that he only showed up for himself and not other Democrats.

This is likely why Molly Cook beat him in both of their elections.

Grassroots organizers and activists know when unopposed Democrats are not helping flip other seats. They don’t forget. And they talk about it to other organizers and activists.