MJ Hegar is running for the United States Senate as the Democratic candidate against longtime incumbent, John Cornyn. She has served our country as a combat veteran, she has worked in the healthcare industry, and she is a working mom. She talks about how all these experiences led her to run for office and how she thinks he can make life better for Texans! You can learn more about her on her website. WiseUp TX is...
Civics & Chai: WiseUp & Know Your Voting Rights
by Azra Siddiqi
Join us and Texas Civil Rights Project to learn about how to vote during Covid, access the voter protection hotline in Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali, mail-in ballot information, and what to do when dealing with voter intimidation. We want to make sure the Texas South Asian community is prepared as we head to the polls! We are joined with the following community partners: Indian American Coalition of Texas IACT, South Asian Bar Association of Austin,...
Interview with Judge Staci Williams, Candidate for Texas Supreme Court
by Punam Kaji
Judge Staci Williams is running for TX Supreme Court as a democratic candidate. This is a statewide race that will be on every ballot this November. Judge Williams currently serves as Judge of the 101st District Court in Dallas County. Judge Williams talks about the important decisions the Texas Supreme Court has made lately, and how she could serve Texans on our highest court after her years of experience as a trial Judge and a...
Current Harris County Clerk, Chris Hollins, talks about safe and accessible voting this election seasons. Harris County is the 3rd largest county in the nation, and in his role, Hollins manages the election and protects voting rights, a role he does not take lightly. Listen to hear about unique things Harris County (Houston area) has done from increased polling locations, infrastructure around mail-in ballots, language access technology, and social distancing! Some of the initiatives are...
Interview with Travis Boldt, Candidate for Texas State Rep. (Dist. 29)
by Punam Kaji
Travis Boldt is the Democratic candidate for Texas House of Representative for House District 29. He is challenging Republican incumbent Ed Thomson. House District 29 covers Pearland and suburbs southeast of Houston. A small business owner, husband to a public school educator, and father, Travis shares what inspired him to run for state house representative and the issues are front and center for his campaign. You can learn more about him on his website. WiseUp TX is a...
Interview with Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX 7)
by Punam Kaji
United States Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX 7) of Harris County won a historic election in 2018, as the first woman to win the district and the first Democrat to win the district since 1967. She shares how through partnership great work can be accomplished in Congress. She reminds our listeners that engaging our democracy can be rewarding and even fun. Congresswoman Fletcher also talks about her work to honor Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, a police...
Interview with Jeff Whitfield, Candidate for Texas State Rep. (District 92)
by Punam Kaji
Jeff Whitfield is running for Texas State Rep. as the democratic candidate for District 92. This district is in the “Mid Cities” between Dallas and Fort Worth, including Hurst, Euless and Bedford. He is a veteran and an attorney whose legal work has taken him around the globe, but he settled down with his family in the Mid Cities area where he grew up and now wants to serve this community by improving healthcare, education,...
Interview with Mike Siegel, U.S. Congressional Candidate (TX 10)
by Punam Kaji
Mike Siegel is a civil rights lawyer and former public school teacher running for Congress in Texas’ 10th Congressional District, which stretches from Houston to Austin. Mike discusses why he is running again and how he plans to win this time, the importance of relational organizing, the issues his voters are talking about, and the importance of South Asian voters. Learn about him on his website. WiseUp TX is a non-partisan nonprofit and does not endorse...
Interview with Texas State Representative Gary Gates (District 28)
by Punam Kaji
In this interview, Representative Gary Gates (District 28) talks about how he won his special election runoff in January 2020, and his plans for the district as the Representative if he wins again this November. Gates discusses the impacts of Covid-19 and why he thinks his business experience makes him suited to bring Texans out of it. To learn more about him, visit his website. WiseUp TX is a non-partisan nonprofit and does not support any...
Interview with Eliz Markowitz, Candidate for Texas State Rep (District 28)
by Punam Kaji
Eliz Markowitz is running for Texas State Representative in District 28 (Suburbs of Houston). In this interview, she talks about the special election earlier this year that gave her campaign an early start, and why she expects to win this time against the same candidate who won the special election. She says she noticed how her suburban district was changing, but leadership stayed the same. That need for change sparked her moral obligation to run...