Dallas County Democratic Party Chairman Kardal Coleman held a press conference Wednesday accusing Republicans of a “culture of hate” and “racism” as the state GOP’s midterm convention got underway in Dallas.
The Republican convention began Wednesday, September 9, and runs through Thursday, September 10. Speaking to reporters as the event opened, Coleman said local Democrats intend to use the moment to make a broader point about the county’s politics.
“We are not confused about exactly what’s happening here… [I] want to give you a little grounding and let you know exactly what’s been happening in Dallas County,” Coleman said, going on to suggest the Trump administration was responsible for confusion during the county’s recent primary.
“Many of you saw just in our recent primary the type of confusion that this administration wanted to sow in our elections. I believe that they’re working or cooking up some similar idea at a convention or pep rally like this of how they can confuse our elections again,” he said. He did not cite specific examples.
Coleman pointed to Dallas County’s political makeup as reason the GOP convention stood out. “Dallas County is a solidly blue county. They have decided to hold a convention in a county that they cannot win. We are the second largest county in the state of Texas, and they’ve not won it in 20 years. We don’t plan to let that majority go just yet. We are over 75 percent Democratic in Dallas County,” he said.
He then framed the contrast between the two parties as a “tale of two cultures.” “What you’ll see at the RNC is the culture of hate, culture of division, fearmongering, racism, and every other ism that exists,” Coleman said, without detailing specific incidents. “But what you’ll see in Dallas County as you talk to these leaders or stop by any of the events that we’re planning counter to this is a culture of love, a culture of hope, a culture of restoration, as James Talarico would say, loving your neighbor.”
Coleman said Democratic volunteers in the county would spend the convention period on community outreach, including food collection drives, phone banking, canvassing and fundraising. “You’ll see folks gathering food to support individuals who cannot afford food and feed themselves. You’ll see volunteers at our offices making phone calls and calling their neighbors and letting them know exactly what’s at stake this election cycle,” he said, adding that the goal was to keep “Texas remaining the blue beacon that it needs to be, not just in our larger counties but all across the state of Texas.”
Dallas County has been a Democratic stronghold in recent election cycles, but statewide the picture looks different. Texas has voted Republican in every presidential election over the last 50 years, including for Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Coleman’s remarks referenced Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, who has drawn attention recently for comments on religion, saying he does not view Jesus as the only path to truth and describing Islam and Christianity as “equal pathways to truth.”
