Walz and O’Rourke take the stage in Fort Bend County
On a rainy Thursday in Rosenberg, Texas, under what resembled a large metal barn, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso discussed the future of the Democratic Party.
During the town hall, Walz and O’Rourke answered questions posed by audience members. Thousands turned out in attendance.
Among those in attendance were over a dozen members of the Rice Young Democrats, a student organization that held a phone-banking event in the immediate aftermath of the election and hosted Rep. Ann Johnson on campus.
Before Walz and O’Rourke took the stage, the group posed with the pair for a photo opportunity.
“We have lost our voice, and we as a Democratic Party should do some soul searching here,” Walz said. “Why is our message only for Philadelphia or Phoenix or Milwaukee?”
Walz and O’Rourke called the Democratic Party timid in their response to Trump’s actions and criticized them for losing touch with working-class voters.
“It’s Democrats who stopped showing up and fighting for the people they purported to represent,” O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke said the town hall was hosted in Fort Bend County after the Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, who represents most of Fort Bend, declined to host one.
Walz, in a recent blitz of activity, has hosted a number of town halls and press conferences.
The rally follows the advice of the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, to Republicans to not host town halls, after some were very publicly disrupted by protesters.
During the town hall, Rice Young Democrats co-president Sammi Frey took to the stage to ask a question. Frey said that her father lost his job at the Small Business Administration after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Before he lost his job, Frey said he received a letter denouncing language associated with diversity, equity and inclusion.
“How do we speak about and plan for the inclusivity and diversity of opinion that we need to rebuild this country, when those terms are being so demonized by the people holding power right now?” Frey asked.
In an interview with the Thresher, Frey said that after the disappointment of the election, the town hall was inspiring her to take more action.
“It means so much to feel like my voice is being heard by some of the biggest Democrats on stage, and heard in a very authentic and genuine way,” Frey said.
Arali Garcia attended the town hall with the Rice Young Democrats. She said that during the election, she was not very politically active and that she considered the town hall her political rally.
“I want to see the Democratic Party’s outreach here in Texas, especially since we are such a red state,” Garcia, a Will Rice College freshman, said. “I want to see exactly what the left is doing for Houston and how they are advocating for us and appealing to the wide variety of voters.”
More from The Rice Thresher
O’Rourke rallies students in Academic Quad
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso, Texas spoke in front of the Sallyport to a sea of sunglasses and “end gun violence” signs April 17. The rally, organized by Rice Young Democrats, took place in the academic quad from noon to 2 p.m.
Uncertainty, fear and isolation loom over international students after visa revocations
With the wave of international student visa revocations across the country, including three students at Rice and two recent graduates, international students have expressed fears that their visas will soon be terminated without warning.
All bike no beer: bikers race remaining heats without spectators
Modified Beer Bike races, dubbed “Bike Bike,” were held at the track April 18 from 5-8 p.m. Results were released by email April 21.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.