Democratic National Committee Expands Presence in Texas

The Democratic National Committee is expanding its presence in Texas as polls continue to show a closer-than-usual presidential race in the solidly red state. 

Texas is set to become the fourth state participating in the DNC's Victory Leaders Council program, which establishes groups of prominent state Democrats to work directly with the party operation in Washington. The program is already underway in Arizona, Georgia and Utah — three other traditionally Republican states where Democrats are seeing new opportunity this election cycle. 

The Texas Victory Leaders Council features a who's who of state Democrats, including well-known activists, donors, elected officials and party leaders. The council will be focused on helping elect both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and down-ballot candidates while trying to lay the groundwork for Democratic inroads in the state beyond 2016. 

"Democrats are competing across the country and building for the future," DNC chief of staff Brandon Davis said in a statement. “In states from Georgia to Texas, demographics and politics are changing quickly — and Democrats are making the investments to make gains now so that we can take majorities later." 

In a separate statement, interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile said the Victory Leaders Councils are "one more way that Democrats are investing in all 50 states."

Polls have been showing an unusually close race in Texas, with Republican nominee Donald Trump leading Clinton by only single digits in most surveys. The past two GOP presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain, carried the state by 16 and 12 points, respectively.

The state has also caught the attention of the Clinton campaign, which has opened several offices across Texas and dispatched surrogates to stump for the ticket. Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, spent two days in the state last week, holding a Houston rally in which he declared that he and Clinton "take Texas very seriously." 

The DNC says its Victory Leaders Councils are volunteer-driven but will "work closely" with the leadership of the Clinton campaign in each state. Jackie Uresti is currently serving as Clinton's Texas state director. 

Texas Republicans have derided initiatives like the DNC's as superficial efforts to make the state look more competitive than it really is. On Wednesday, the state party responded to the Texas Victory Leaders Council by saying the DNC was teaming up with "some of Texas' most corrupt Democrat politicians."

"The fact that someone like State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, who is currently under criminal investigation and retiring even while on the ballot this year, or State Rep. Ron Reynolds, a convicted criminal who’s been sentenced to a year in prison, are included on this list tells you everything you need to know about the values of Democratic leadership," Texas GOP spokesman Michael Joyce said in a statement.

Here's the DNC's full Texas Victory Leaders Council:

Steve Adler

Leonard Aguilar

Joe Aldarete

Kebran Alexander

Alma Allen

Laura Allen

Monica Alonzo

Roberto Alonzo

Eric Alva

Carol Alvarado

Jessica Anacker

Rafael Anchia

Matt Angle

Frank Archuleta

Diana Arevalo

Becky Arredondo

Linda Autrey

Linda Baca

Judy Baker

Sharon Barbosa-Crain

Ben Barnes

Gonzalo Barrientos

Tawna Beck-Davis

Chris Bell

Kyle Benson

Diego Bernal

Hector Bernal

Cesar Blanco

John Bland

Dwight Boykins

Todd Bradley

Zach Brigham

Jay Brim

Valeria Bristol

Chris Brown

Linda Brown

John Bucy

Linda Burgess

Cecelia Burke

Lon Burnam

Jara Butler

Darcy Cabellero

Nelda Calhoun

Tommy Calvert

Terry Canales

Noel Candelaria

Zephaniah Capo

Frank Carlson

Erica Lee Carter

Maria Isela Castanon Williams

Patricia Hayden Castella

John Castillo

Joaquin Castro

Alicia Chacón

Ramon Chapa III

Ramon Chapa Jr

Linda Chavez-Thompson

Nicholas Chu

Henry Cisneros

Margot Clarke

Rick Cofer

Ellen Cohen

Sheryl Cole

Garnet Coleman

Cathy Collier

Mike Collier

Nicole Collier

Gene Collins

Cecily Cox

Lloyd Criss

Nyssa Cruz

Henry Cuellar

Debra Danburg

Davis Darusman

Yvonne Davis

Alicia de Jong Davis

Carl Davis

James Davis

Jerry Davis

Sharon Davis

Wendy Davis

Sergio De Leon

Nora Dearing

Alicia Del Rio

Dalila Delgado-Aguilar

Philip DeNicolo

Almeda Dent

Joe Deshotel

Rick Diegel

George Dillingham

Lloyd Doggett

Laura Dominguez

Dawnna Dukes

Bobbie Duncan

Pam Durham

AJ Durrani

Harold Dutton

Sarah Eckhardt

Amanda Edwards

Harryette Ehrhardt

Rosa Elkins

Rodney Ellis

Juneau Embry

Veronica Escobar

Jaime Esparza

Frank Estrada

Joe Farias

Jennifer Farmer

Jessica Christina Farrar

Kyle Ferari

Cindy Flint

Lulu Flores

Kimberly Frederick

Pete Gallego

Anna Maria Garcia

Chente Garcia

Emmanuel Garcia

Henry Garcia

Manny Garcia

Mary Garcia

Ramon Garcia

Sylvia Garcia

Montserrat Garibay

Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux

Delia Garza

Kathryn Garza

Luciano Garza

Suzan Gentry

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins

Helen Giddings

Kim Gilby

JD Gins

Margaret Gomez

Ed Gonzalez

Irma Yolanda Gonzalez

Mary Gonzalez

Saul Gonzalez

Jackie Goodman

Randolph Goodman

Andy Govea

Nora Govea

Coretta Graham

Al Green

Gene Green

Larry Green

Ronald Green

Sherri Greenberg

Rodney Griffin

David Griggs

Jorge Luis Guerra

Rene Guerra

Roberto Guerra

Ryan Guillen

Carol Guthrie

Baldemar Gutierrez

Yvonne Gutierrez

Craig Hall

Kathryn Hall

LaTreshia Hamilton

William Hamilton

Mary Ellen Hamm

Jennifer Harader

Vincent Harding

Tammie Hartgroves

Syed Hassan

Mary Hatfield

Jeremy Hendricks

Lyn Hendricks

Marc Hendrickson

Grace Hernandez

Sally Hernandez

Yvette Hernandez

Abel Herrero

Ann Heuberger

Gilberto Hinojosa

Juan Hinojosa

Regina Hinojosa

Rubén Hinojosa

Kat Hoang

Jean Hobby

Jared Hockema

Eduardo Holguin

Iliana Holguin

Donna Howard

Steve Huerta

Sarwat Husain

Kristie Husmann

Betty Hwang

Debbie Ingalsby

Celia Israel

Dock Jackson

Sheila Jackson-Lee

Clay Jenkins

Alfredo Jimenez

Eddie Bernice Johnson

Elliot Johnson

Eric Johnson

Clara Jones

Tim Juarez

Debbie Kastrin

Shelley Kennedy

Marti Kennedy PHD

Nishan Khan

Ann Kitchen

Robert Krueger

Shirley Layton

Sheila Lee

Jennie Lou Leeder

Carlos Leon

Judy Leunes

Ronald Levick

Rick Levy

Jacob Limon

Lily Limón

Emma Lou Linn

Gary Livingston

Mary Bell Lockhart

Oscar Longoria

Andres Lopez

Carisa Lopez

Rick Lord

Anne Marie Love

Annette LoVoi

Terry Lowry

John Loza

Eduardo Lucio III

Mary Luckey

Ana Hernandez Luna

Vilma Luna

Neto Madrigal

Molly Beth Malcolm

Louis Malfaro

Mike Mankins

Marisa Marquez

Jack Martin

Patsy Woods Martin

Armando Martinez

Trey Martinez Fischer

Sherrie Matula

Garry Mauro

Glen Maxey

Aisha McClendon

Donna Beth McCormick

Duane McCune

Patrick McGehearty

Michael McPhail

Virginia McRae

Nan McRaven

Amber Medina

Manuel Medina

Adam Medrano Medrano

Carlos Medrano

Margie Medrano

Pauline Medrano

Christopher Melton

Carlos Mendoza

Jose Menendez

Sherry Merfish

Choco Meza

Borris Miles

Lorraine Miller

Ina Minjarez

Destiny Molina

Joseph Moody

Anthony Morales

Gloria Moreno

Celia Morgan

Laura Morrison

Amber Mostyn

Steve Mostyn

Olga Moya

Richard Moya

Sergio Munoz

Henry Muñoz III

Elliott Naishtat

Katie Mary Naranjo

Omar Narvaez

George Nassar

Meta Jo Neal

Mary Ann Neely

Elizabeth Nelson

Piper Stege Nelson

Demetria Nelson-McNaulty

Alfonso Poncho Nevarez

Kiefer O'Dell

Beto O'Rourke

John Oeffinger

Elias Olivarez

René Oliveira

Lyndon Olson

Marco Orrantia

Roy Owens

Sylvia Palumbo

Jovita Pardo

Annise Parker

John Patrick

Leah Payne

Javier Aaron Paz

Danielle Jessica Pellett

Justin Perez

Mary Ann Perez

Rodolfo Perez

Crystal Kay Perkins

Janis Pinnelli

Joe Pinnelli

Leslie Pool

Steven Price

Velva Price

Arthur Pronin

Mike Purcell

Gordon Quan

Renee Rabb

Samina Rahman

Bede Ramcharan

Jen Ramos

Richard Raymond

Salvador Rene Lujan

Luis Reyes

Thelma Reyna

Ron Reynolds

Jeffrey Richard

Betty Richie

Carolyn Riggs

Susan Ritter

Carl L. Robinson

José Rodriguez

Eddie Rodriguez

Gloria Rodriguez

Johnny Rodriguez

Justin Rodriguez

Monica Rodriguez

Ramon Romero, Jr.

Larry Romo

Toni Rose

David Rosen

Barbara Rosenberg

Katherine Sabers McGovern

Rene Saenz

Rose Salas

Javier Salazar

Rey Saldaña

Diana Salgado

Claudia Sanchez

Mary Sandoval

Lillie Schechter

Arthur Schechter

Mary Taylor Scherz

Chip Serrano

Eliot Shapleigh

Susan Shelton

Bob Slagle

Pattie Slovacek

Charlie Smith

Jason Smith

Joy Smith

Michael Smith

Tracy Smith

Mike Snipes

Jan Soifer

Miguel Solis

Jackie Soliz-Chapa

Karen Sonleitner

Lenora Sorola-Pohlman

Guadalupe Sosa

Dennis Speight

Chris Spellman

Roy Spence

Meghan Stabler

Jeff Strater

Marvin Sutton

Jean Taylor

Dennis Teal

Daniel Tejada

Ruben Tejeda

Lauren Tenney

Senfronia Thompson

Lisa Thompson

Tariq Thowfeek

Ben Tibbs

Rachael Torres

Kathie Tovo

Judy Trabulsi

Andre Treiber

Tiana Trejo

Mark Trevino

Noel Tristan

Chris Turner

Lawson Turner

Albert Uresti

Carlos Uresti

Lupe Valdez

Genevieve Van Cleve

Leticia Van de Putte

Robert Vargas

Celina Vasquez

Marc Veasey

Filemon Vela Jr.

Vik Verma

Rebecca Viagran

Rudy Villalpando

Jose Villarreal

Melody Vincent

Hubert Vo

Vickie Vogel

Yasmin Wagner

Eddie Walker

Nate Walker

Armando Walle

Alan Warrick II

Kirk Watson

Lou Weaver

John Weir

Rosalie Weisfeld

Jack Weiss

Royce West

Karen Wheaton

Carol Wheeler

James White

Bill White

John Whitmire

Evelyn Wicks

Donald Williams

Kasha Williams

Kenneth Williams

Nancy Williams

Stuart Williams

Egberto Willies

Prince Winbush

Eli Winkelman

Perry Winn

Norma Jean Witherspoon

Lynn Wolfe

Ashton Woods

Phyllis Kay Wright

Gene Wu

Shay Wyrick-Cathey

Larry Yawn

Jesse Ybanez

Sandra Young

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