Arlington Democrats traveled deep in the heart of Texas, by telephone, adding their efforts to the contentious U.S. Senate race there.
A dozen volunteers on Aug. 6 spent 90 minutes making calls to prospective Texas voters, gauging their views on the issues and working to convince them to support Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico.
Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton in what could be the most closely watched and expensive political showdown this year. Along with Ohio, Texas is one of two states targeted in local Democrats’ “Beyond Arlington” initiative.
The goal was to find “undecided, persuadable” Texas voters and engage them on the issues, said Kip Malinosky, who leads the Beyond Arlington effort.
“We’re making the case about change — we need change. The current situation cannot stand,” Malinosky said at the Arlington Democratic headquarters in Shirlington.
Volunteers, ranging from their 20s to 70s, received a 15-minute tutorial from Texas Together, an initiative of the Texas Democratic Party and affiliated groups. The phone bank was “part of a long-term organizational strategy that is already delivering results,” the training leader said from Travis County, Texas, where she was based.
It’s another way for Arlington Democrats to get engaged, deputy party chair Sarah Flourance said.
“It pulls people in,” she said.
Arlington was not the only out-of-state locality represented in the Aug. 6 phone blitz. North Carolina and New York City were among areas that also provided volunteers.
Upon reaching a Texan by phone, the volunteers had three tasks to be completed in succession:
- Ask the individual what political issues were most important to them
- Determine where the individual stood on the political spectrum
- If leaning or solidly Democratic, see if the individual would be willing to volunteer for the Talarico effort
An automated calling system made the calls and prompted callers with questions to ask. They filled out an online form gathering information throughout the conversation.
To show newcomers how it was done, Malinosky made the first call of the night from Arlington. He was connected with David, a resident of Keller, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
It was good news: David self-identified as a strong Democrat, seeing the need for political change in Congress as his top priority.
Perhaps even better news came later in the evening, when a volunteer connected with a lifelong Texas Republican who said he had decided to vote Democratic this year.
The reason? President Donald Trump hadn’t fulfilled his promise to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
It may not have been a ringing endorsement of Democratic policies and candidates, but “we’ll take it,” one organizer said.
Research suggests that every 35 phone conversations translates into a future vote, Malinosky said. But as is typical in these efforts, there were more misses than hits — many callers didn’t answer, while some hung up immediately. There were also occasional language barriers, while other calls went to businesses such as a pizza parlor.
But the room kept buzzing with greetings.
“Is Miranda available?” one Arlington Democrat was heard asking. And on to Jason, Alexandra, Randy, Melissa, Poras, Betty, Connor, Jennifer, Ignacio, Veronica, Vicente, Sterling, Eric, Gabriel, Mary, Joshua … and on and on.
Among those making calls from Arlington was Arjoon Srikanth, who last year made an unsuccessful bid for House of Delegates and has stayed active in party politics. He came attired for the evening with boots and a Texas-sized hat.
Even among those not inclined to support Democrats, the Texans on the other end of the phone line seemed friendly. That contrasts to one call made in a similar Arlington Democratic effort in 2008.
When the local caller asked if that individual would consider voting for Barack Obama, there was a blunt “[expletive] no” and a hang-up. As the political adage in such instances goes: Mark that one down as “undecided.”
Arlington Democrats say they are not forgetting there are local races on the Nov. 3 ballot. But Arlington Democrats Chair Paul Ruiz said using excess volunteer efforts to reach beyond the county’s 26 square miles is a key initiative.
“It is on us … to be out there educating voters,” he said.
Over the next three months, local Democrats aim to boost the party’s candidates in contested congressional districts downstate while also road-tripping to support Democratic efforts in the swing state of Ohio.
