“We’re all going to hell!”
That line, delivered by Democrat Land Commissioner candidate Benjamin Flores and enthusiastically repeated by delegates inside the Texas Democrat Convention, became one of the convention’s defining moments as party activists gathered in Corpus Christi over the weekend.
Flores was attempting to defend U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico from Republican criticism.
“They say that James is trans, we’re all trans,” Flores told delegates. “When they say James is a gay tofu eating vegan, we’re all gay tofu eating vegans! And when they say James is going to hell, we’ll say we’re all going to hell!”
The crowd responded with applause before loudly chanting, “We’re all going to hell!”
The three-day convention also saw delegates re-elect party Chairman Kendall Scudder and adopt a new party platform—the first time Democrats have done so in years after the party’s previous two state conventions ended before delegates reached the platform because they lost a quorum.
While delegates completed the party’s official business, several moments throughout the convention drew attention both inside and outside the arena.
Each day began with a “land acknowledgment,” a ceremonial statement recognizing that the convention was taking place on land historically inhabited by the Karankawa people.
The Karankawa tribe, which inhabited portions of the Texas Gulf Coast before European settlement, has long been described by historians as having practiced ritual cannibalism.
Attendance also appeared to fall well below expectations.
Party organizers had projected roughly 6,000 delegates would attend the convention. During the gathering, however, convention officials reported attendance at 2,865 delegates, while numerous empty seats remained visible throughout the arena.
The convention hall also featured a number of displays that drew attention.
BlazeTV host and Texas Scorecard personality Sara Gonzales highlighted tables where Plan B pills were being distributed by Planned Parenthood to attendees.
Vendors also sold bumper stickers reading, “Is He Dead Yet?”—an apparent reference to President Donald Trump.
The convention’s speaker lineup featured several prominent national Democrats, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and, in the closing address Saturday, self-described socialist U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Notably absent was U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who had been considered a potential Senate candidate before ultimately declining to run.
Her absence comes as tensions between some black Democrats and party leadership have continued following the party’s U.S. Senate primary.
Outside the convention hall, meanwhile, Republicans staged their own counter-programming throughout the weekend.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign deployed billboards, a video truck, themed breakfast tacos, and a longhorn bearing a “Don’t Buy the Bull” banner as part of its effort to draw contrasts with Democrats ahead of November.
