Red state Dem official urged not to seek reelection over 'hostile work environment'

Thirty six Texas Democrats — including a congressional candidate, a former Texas House member and former party staffers — are urging Kendall Scudder to forgo reelection as chair of the Texas Democratic Party, citing operational failures and a “hostile work environment” fostered by his leadership over the past year.“We have seen a Texas Democratic Party that makes bold promises to voters and candidates, yet cannot answer basic questions about strategy,” reads the open letter, which continues to garner signatures. “A Party that speaks of urgency but fails to act on it. A Party that asks for trust and money it has not earned.”With “urgency and deep frustration,” the signers called on Scudder to step aside.“Mr. Scudder, the Texas Democratic Party cannot afford another four years of operational failure,” the letter says.The letter, signed by a substantial contingent of party insiders, reflects a persistent level of discontent among Texas Democrats after changes made by Scudder, including decentralizing the party’s base from Austin and overhauling staff positions, threw the party into a state of upheaval last fall. Among the signers of the letter are the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, the likely successor to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ 30th Congressional District, and former state Rep. Mark Stiles, who represented East Texas from 1983-99. Eleven former staffers were identified only by their vacated TDP position and one signed as a House “political professional” for fear of professional or legal repercussions. The Texas Tribune verified the identities of the former staffers.The open letter comes as Democrats look to November as a prime opportunity to make major gains all over the ballot, with massive turnout in last month’s primary election and favorable political tailwinds nationwide boosting Democratic energy and optimism.Scudder did not provide an on-the-record statement in response to requests from the Tribune. He did not respond to two text messages and a call Friday seeking comment. Some Texas Democrats defended Scudder’s leadership, calling him accessible and pointing to positive developments, including a wider party presence across the state and paying off a $500,000 party debt that he inherited.“The primary speaks for itself,” said Angel Viator Smith, chair of the TDP’s Finance Committee, pointing to Democratic turnout exceeding Republican turnout. Scudder was elected chair by the party’s governing board in March 2025 after the previous leader, Gilberto Hinojosa, resigned following Democrats’ blowout losses in 2024. Texas Democrats will select a chair for a four-year term at the party’s convention in June. The deadline for candidates to file to run is April 24. Scudder has not yet filed for reelection.The letter covers a range of concerns with Scudder's leadership, arguing the TDP failed to maintain an up-to-date voter file that supports campaign outreach and didn't properly prepare Democratic voters in two counties for the loss of countywide voting locations on primary election day last month.Hundreds of voters were turned away from the polls March 3 in Dallas and Williamson counties, unaware that the county Republican parties months prior had forced a switch to precinct-based voting for both Republican and Democratic voters.Despite knowing about the change for months, the letter reads, the TDP failed to adequately prepare voters and instead “forced our Party into reactive damage control.”“This is not responsible stewardship of our Party. It is mismanagement with consequences that will be felt well beyond a single election cycle,” the letter reads. “Texas Democrats deserve a leader that anticipates threats, prepares exhaustively and executes on program. Your leadership has not met that standard.”Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman said it was hard to predict how chaotic the switch to precinct-level voting would be. The county and state Democratic parties, he said, worked together before election day to game out what the change would look like, and on the March 3 primary to help voters find their assigned polling sites. Coleman added that the county party had successfully lobbied the Dallas County Commissioners Court to spend $1 million on a campaign to educate voters about the change.Coleman said he thought Scudder was “working around the clock,” and that he had not seen a party chair who had “put in as many hours to be one, accessible, but also responsive to the needs of the state.”“He’s been an amazing surrogate for the issues and the platform that our party wants to put forward,” Coleman said.In a statement after seeing the full letter and signers, Coleman said that “the sentiments of the letter should not be dismissed. Coordination and election preparedness are foundational. We owe that to our voters.”The letter also highlighted the state party’s failure to maintain an up-to-date voter file, which campaigns rely on to shape voter outreach.