The State Democratic Executive Committee will choose the first new State Party Chair in more than a decade.
Texas Democrats will have a new party Chair for the first time since 2012 when their State Democratic Executive Committee meets early this spring to pick among candidates vying for the new leadership post. The long time Democratic Party Chair, Gilberto Hinojosa, announced his resignation late last year and set in motion the appointment of a new interim chair to serve until next year’s State Democratic Convention when a permanent Chair will be chosen by convention delegates. An interim chair seeking a full term would be seen as a heavy favorite which raises the stakes for the current election.
Nine candidates have filed for interim Party Chair. The Democratic Executive Committee will meet on March 29, 2025, to conduct the election. A series of forums are now underway sponsored by various Democratic clubs and activist groups.
Election procedures, candidate eligibility, a schedule of the forums, and other election details are posted on the Texas Democratic Party website here.
To help sort things out, we’ve posted below in alphabetical order each of the announced candidates with a short description and a link to their website and/or social media:
Aaron Arguijo – Entrepreneur
Arguijo is a veteran and Democratic activist who ran but was disqualified as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024. More from Ballotpedia here.
Rabbi Misha ben-David – Counselor
Rabbi ben-David is a counselor, musician, and activist who describes himself on Twitter as an unapologetic Zionist. See Twitter feed here.
Meri Gomez – Tax Consultant
Gomez is a Democratic and community activist living in the RGV and is a former U.S. Senate candidate. See Facebook posts here.
Patsy Woods Martin – Rancher
Woods Martin is a long-time Democratic leader, activist, and advisor who directed Annie’s List through two election cycles, founded a major PAC to support and advise targeted legislative candidates, and served in leadership in key statewide races. Her website can be viewed here.
Steve Miller – Pastor
Pastor Miller is founder of President of the United States Christian Leadership Organization. More on Instagram feed here.
Patricia Olivares – Consultant
Olivares is a Veteran and former campaign manager currently living in Houston. More is posted on her TikTok account here.
Delia Parker-Mims – Attorney
Parker-Mims is the current Chair of the Denton County Democratic Party and practices family law with a focus on representing battered women. Her website can be viewed here.
Lillie Schechter – Consultant
Schecter is a long-time Democratic leader in Harris County and served as Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party in the 2018 and 2020 election cycles. Her website can be viewed here.
*Kendall Scudder – Consultant
Scudder is a former Texas State legislative candidate, a Democratic consultant, the current Vice Chair of Finance for the Texas Democratic Party. He was elected to and sits on the Dallas County Appraisal Board. His website can be seen here
*Kendall Scudder was elected to and currently sits on the Dallas County Appraisal Board of Directors. Therefore, his eligibility to serve as State Party Chair may be subject to change based on the TDP rules concerning candidate qualifications which state “The holders of elective office of the federal, state, or county government are not eligible to be a candidate for State Chair.” This rule appears based on Section 161.005 of the Texas Election Code, which reads in part: (a) To be eligible to be a candidate for or to serve as an officer of a political party, a person must: (1) except as provided by Subsection (c), not be a candidate for nomination or election to, or be the holder of, an elective office of the federal, state, or county government; and…
