The TXPC is hosting a members' vote on the following item:

• The TXPC has a vacancy in its Executive Leadership that needs to be filled. Macey Burns, Vice-Chair of the TXPC, is stepping down.  

Filing Period: August 24 - September 2
Candidate Meet & Greet with TXPC Members: Saturday, September 5, 3 pm (via Zoom)
Voting Period: September 20th - 25th (updated to 21st-26th)
Swearing in: September 26th

FILED CANDIDATES (listed in filing order)

• Jeremy Sutka

  • My name is Jeremy Sutka, and I am running for Vice Chair of the Texas Progressive Caucus (TXPC) because I believe progressives must lead not just with vision, but with the ability to organize, build infrastructure, and deliver results.

    Progressive causes are my true passion. I have spent my entire life fighting for working families, economic justice, and the dignity of all people. This is not a side project for me. It is the work I was meant to do.

    I serve as Chair of the Collin County Democratic Party, the sixth-largest county in Texas and the largest county in America that will turn blue in November. Over the past 22 months, I have worked alongside an extraordinary team to rebuild our party from the ground up. We recruited over 80 new, diverse Precinct Chairs, turned a demoralized organization into a record-breaking turnout machine, and built the infrastructure to flip our county in 2026. We shattered our midterm primary turnout record with over 95,000 Democratic ballots cast, beating the previous record of 36,000.

    I know what it means to balance competing demands and deliver results. When progressives commit to showing up and do the work, we can win, even in the toughest battlegrounds.

    TXPC exists to elect progressives at every level of government and ensure our party fights for working families, economic justice, and the dignity of all people. That mission is the work I do every single day, as I have done as part of the TXPC Advisory Board for the last few years.

    As Vice Chair, I will bring proven organizing experience, a commitment to collaboration, and the ability to serve concurrently without sacrificing the work in Collin County.

    I believe the Democratic Party must be unapologetically progressive. As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, I am fighting for Medicare for All, conditioning foreign aid on human rights and international law, supporting labor unions and workers' right to organize, legalizing cannabis, and breaking up monopolies in agriculture, tech, and corporations that have rigged the economy against everyday Texans. This means fully funding public schools, raising wages, making healthcare available to all, expanding workers' rights, and ensuring corporations pay their fair share. It also means fighting injustices wherever they exist: standing up for immigrants' rights, protecting LGBTQ+ communities, defending voting rights, and ending mass incarceration.

    My vision as Vice Chair is to build the infrastructure that wins elections, channels our momentum into lasting power, ensures progressives have a seat at every table, and keeps us focused on working families. We must be a caucus that shows up during election season and as a permanent, year-round organizing force.

    The TXPC has grown into the largest, fastest-growing, and most important caucus in Texas. We have momentum. We can channel that momentum into lasting power. I have spent the last 22 months doing exactly that in Collin County. I am ready to bring that same energy and effectiveness to the Texas Progressive Caucus.

    I ask for your vote.

• Simon Mathew

  • My name is Simon Mathew, and I grew up in Garland, Texas. I am running for Vice Chair of the Texas Progressive Caucus because I want TXPC to help move the Texas Democratic Party toward bolder, organized, member-driven politics that fights for working people.

    When I speak with young voters, I hear disappointment with a party that too often makes promises without delivering on health care, housing, wages, student debt, reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA+ rights, trans rights, immigrant justice, and the cost of living. I want to turn that frustration into action and build a movement that works for regular people, not millionaires and billionaires.

    This work is personal to me. My parents are getting older, so I see why Medicare and Social Security matter. As a former IT contractor, I know the fear of having health insurance tied to a job and losing coverage when work changes. I serve as co-chair of DSA Collin County and chair of the Texas Young Dems Asian American Caucus. Through these roles, I have organized people, built coalitions, written bylaws and resolutions, and moved ideas into action.

    TXPC has strong values and committed members. My goal is to help build the next layer of capacity: trained members who understand the party, local candidates prepared to run, regional events that bring people into the caucus, fundraising that sustains our work, and policy tools that help progressives make change in their own cities and counties.

    I have the time and commitment to serve effectively as vice chair. My work and existing responsibilities allow me to attend meetings, organize events, support fundraising, travel when needed, and respond to caucus needs. I am ready to work with the chair, advisory council, and members statewide.

    What I Want To Build

    Education and Training

    • Candidate and campaign training that helps progressives run, organize, communicate, and win.

    • Member education on precinct chairs, the SDEC, resolutions, local government, and local advocacy.

    • Support for progressives running for city council, school board, MUD boards, county offices, and the Legislature.

    Events, Membership, and Rural Texas

    • Membership growth through outreach, regional events, and meaningful involvement.

    • Events connecting urban, suburban, and rural progressives to share skills and recruit leaders.

    • A commitment to rural Texas, including stronger access to health care, broadband, good jobs, roads, and support for small towns, farms, ranches, and local businesses.

    • A welcoming TXPC for young people, working families, LGBTQIA+ Texans, immigrants, and people excluded from political power.

    Fundraising and Organization

    • Fundraising that sustains organizing, training, events, communications, and candidate development.

    • Clear ways for members to volunteer, participate, and lead.

    • Model resolutions, policy ideas, talking points, and organizing toolkits for local use.

    Policy and Values

    • Fight for Medicare, Social Security, reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA+ rights, trans rights, worker protections, affordable housing, and accountable government.

    • Support immigrant justice, oppose abusive ICE practices, and protect immigrant families and due process.

    I will bring energy, organization, and a willingness to show up. I would be honored to earn your vote.
    https://simongmathew.com/
    

• Al Durante

  • My name is Al Durante, and I would appreciate your vote for Vice Chair of Texas Progressive Caucus. I am currently serving as:

    ·       Second term as CD-1 Committeeman of the State Democratic Executive Committee

    ·       Vice Chair of the Nominations Committee  

    ·       Member of the Finance Committee.

    ·       Treasurer of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus

    I am a lifelong Democrat. I was raised in Brooklyn, NY, but have spent most of my adult life in East Texas, where I taught Art in both Public and Private schools to a range of students from pre-K to graduate school. I moved to Virginia at the beginning of the first Obama campaign, and became actively involved in the Virginia Democratic party. I soon became a paid canvasser for Work for Progress. I worked in politics at the local Party level after not finding a single Democrat on the ballot for the first time in my life. This experience led to my joining the Spotsylvania County Democratic Committee and being elected Vice Chair the following year, and County Chair, the term after that. While in Virginia I also joined the Redistricting-reform organization One Virginia 2021, having experienced the Republican gerrymandering that unseated CD-1 Rep. Max Sandlin and left us with Louie Gohmert in our Texas House seat. It was through this group that I learned about Legislative politics, from the bill writing process to issue lobbying. Because Virginia was a “purple state” there was a lot going on politically. During my time there I also served as legislative lead for the Rappahannock Branch of Moms Demand Action, and at large board member of the Spotsylvania branch of the NAACP. I was also a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, against a 25 year incumbent who hadn’t had a Democratic challenger in 20 years, where I received 43% of the vote.

    This is an important time for Progressives in Texas. Texas Democrats are ready for a change. Every Texan is experiencing the effects of right-wing extremism in their everyday lives. People of Color are being hauled-off to Detention Camps, or just shot where they stand. In reaction to this extremism, the Democratic Party needs to react and embrace progressive goals.  We can no longer stay in the “middle” when people are being murdered and our democracy is at risk. We need to communicate the urgency of action to all corners of the Party. We need to protect the rights of every constituency of the Democratic Party regardless of the size of their voting bloc. Instead of being bogged down in dogma, we need to approach each other with an open mind in an attempt to find common ground. We need to approach voters with a cohesive, compelling, and easily communicated message, because without political power our policies are nothing, but empty dreams. As Vice-chair, I will work with our leadership to help the Caucus communicate our goals in a clear and timely manner. I appreciate your time, and hope I have earned your vote.

Click here to view the candidate forum.

To be qualified to run for TXPC Chair, a candidate must:

1) Be a Democrat

2) Be a TXPC member in good standing for at least one (1) year.

3) Must be a TXPC Advisory Board Member or have three (3) TXPC Advisory Board Member signatures.

4) Must be willing to fully commit 10+ hours per week to supporting the entire TXPC Executive Committee.

5) Must be willing to commit to serving the whole of the term (through Spring 2027). 

TXPC will confirm with the Advisory Board members directly.

• Click here to view the TXPC's bylaws.

WHO CAN VOTE

Only TXPC Members can vote. Ballots shall be sent via email and text.

• Click here to become a member.
• Click here to check membership status. 
• Email us at [email protected] for further questions on membership.

VOTING DETAILS

• The TXPC shall use electronic Ranked Choice Voting for this election.
• This election is overseen by the TXPC Elections Committee.

BALLOTS

• Click here to vote. (coming soon)

• Click here to RSVP for the Candidate Meet & Greet
  • You will need to be a TXPC member to access this event.
  • If you need help logging into your TXPC Profile, click here.