Values over Identity

In our second “Up Close and Personal” segment, Delia Parker-Mims, candidate for Texas Democratic Party Chair, talks about the importance of focusing on Democratic values instead of identities. Identities can divide while values unite.

Our "Up Close and Personal" segments are bite-sized policy points outlining my vision for the future of our state. In this segment, we discuss how my success as chair of the Denton County Democratic Party can be scaled for the future of the Texas Democratic Party. Keep up with Delia’s thoughts on this blog and make sure to follow the campaign adventures on YouTube.

Interviewer: “So, in the past, the Texas Democratic Party has insisted that people of certain races or gender run for certain positions. Will you continue that policy?”

Delia Parker-Mims: “I’m not certain what that is. You might be talking about certain races where we might have been led to believe the [state party] wanted a person of a certain gender or race to run. I’m not familiar with that. But what I will say [is] that goes into identity politics, and it’s hard for us to get away from that. I understand that. I’m a black woman. If I wanted to rest in identity politics, I would. But the reality is, we have to start having more intentional investment in our candidates. They’ve got to have the same values we have, not the identity. That’s how we get Kyrsten Sinemas who don’t vote the way we think they’d vote because of their identity. We’ve got to start promoting candidates who support our values because it’s important that when they do get in office, we know what their values are because [...] identity gets you a Clarence Thomas, not a Thurgood Marshall. So again, that goes back to strategically looking at how do we not only get candidates, but support candidates. I’m all in favor of large primaries so that the best candidate comes out.”