A bunch of Harris County Democratic Get together officers are criticizing Houston Mayor John Whitmire over his participation in a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican.
Thirty precinct chairs signed onto a proper admonishment, which was first reported by the Houston Chronicle. It “condemns the political conduct of John Whitmire and finds that his conduct undermines the values and mission of the Democratic Get together” and requires the celebration to disclaim endorsements in future elections. In keeping with Mike Doyle, the county chair of the celebration, the admonishment might be voted on by all 591 precinct chairs.
In a press release, the group stated, “We need to have a fighter who represents us, not a keen enabler of an rising dictatorship,” arguing Whitmire “stood on the sidelines in the course of the Trump Administration’s authoritarian takeover of the US.”
“I don’t must essentially love your whole insurance policies to agree that we’re teammates on the identical web page,” precinct chair Cameron “Coach Cam” Campbell advised Houston Public Media. “However the second he determined to fundraise for a Republican, you decided to cease being our teammate. Like that’s, in case you ask me, that’s treason. That’s treason.”
Whitmire spent a mixed 50 years within the Texas Home and Texas Senate as a Democratic state lawmaker earlier than profitable the Houston mayoral election in 2023. Mayoral elections within the metropolis are technically nonpartisan, and Whitmire drew assist from the political proper in his runoff victory in opposition to one other Democrat, the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
As Whitmire exited the fundraiser for Crenshaw on Tuesday night, protesters shouted “MAGA mayor.”
A spokesperson for Whitmire stated he has “constantly demonstrated he’ll work with anybody in one of the best curiosity of the Metropolis of Houston to get tasks executed for Houstonians.”
“Flood mitigation, reasonably priced housing and trash pickup aren’t partisan points,” the spokesperson wrote. “He’s happy with his report within the Texas Legislature, the place he constructed relationships and earned a status for working throughout the aisle to profit Houstonians. Nothing has modified. He maintains the identical work ethic because the mayor of Houston.”
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, a Republican, additionally participated within the fundraiser. Spokespersons for Crenshaw and Ramsey didn’t reply to requests for remark.
“There’s been lengthy dialogue amongst Democrats within the area about Mayor Whitmire’s partisan leanings,” College of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus advised Houston Issues on Wednesday. “The truth that he now has form of thrown in his efforts to assist a reasonably conservative member of Congress positively solidifies a few of these considerations.”
Pointing to a daunting funds deficit, which Whitmire has stated might be helped by state and federal funding, UH political scientist Jeronimo Cortina added that “any assist that town can get when it comes to cash, I feel, goes to be welcomed by residents.”
“Right here is the place the politics intersect, whether or not Democrats ought to attend a Republican fundraising occasion and in any other case — properly, I imply, that’s up within the air,” Cortina stated.
Along with the formal admonishment, the native Democratic precinct chairs are additionally pushing for an replace to the celebration’s guidelines that will prohibit Democratic candidates, in partisan and nonpartisan races, from endorsing, fundraising or showing in political promoting for Republican or Republican-endorsed candidates.
