When conservative activist Kathy Ponce left her native California for Texas, she wasted no time jumping into local politics to make sure the failed policies she fled wouldn’t take hold in her new home.
Kathy moved to Maypearl, Texas—a small town in Ellis County, just south of Dallas—in 2017.
“I lost my home state to the left,” Kathy said. “Some of it was due to the Democrats’ strategy, and some of it was due to conservative complacency: ‘It will never happen here.’ That is what many thought in California—a once-red state and the land of Reagan. Well, it happened.”
“I left a state that became a one-party rule,” she said. “I cannot stress enough how important it is for people to get involved. I am a firm believer that politics starts at the local level; that if we all owned and took control of our cities and counties, we would not have the issues we have in our states and in D.C.”
Kathy said she was inspired to start a Tea Party group and really get involved in politics when she saw the Politichicks speak at an event years ago.
“I thought, well, they are cute and dress nice and wear heels… I could do that,” she said. “And their speaking about issues just made me really understand that I needed to get involved.”
The first issue that got Kathy deeply engaged was the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation, implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration.
“It was a very complex grant that most cities were accepting and not realizing that it took local planning control away from the local planning agencies,” she said.
Kathy has since made it her mission to learn about issues and government, and to be a source of information for her community and elected officials:
“We have to be educated on issues so that we can be the advocates for our local governing bodies. So many times, we think elected lawmakers know everything. Come to find out, half the time they have no idea about the real in-depth concerns that may be involved in something they think is a good idea. Sad to say, but too many times elected lawmakers are just rubber stampers.”
“We must be the watchmen of our cities, counties, and state,” she added. “I believe firmly in monitoring your city council and county commissioners’ agendas. When we build a relationship with our elected lawmakers and bring issues/concerns to them, most of the time, they will listen. However, it is all in the relationship-building process.”
Kathy says door-knocking for candidates is her favorite political activity, and as an Ellis County GOP precinct chair, she also participates in phone banking and voter registration and travels to national Republican Party meetings.
On top of all her activism, Kathy works a full-time job and even finds a bit of free time.
“When I’m not working or block-walking for a candidate or registering new voters, I just love to be home,” she said—reading, working in her yard, or relaxing in her pool.
But she’s always ready to lead the charge into the next political battle.
“I want people to see that they can make a difference,” she said:
“One person can start the brushfire of freedom. Whether your passion is to get good conservative candidates elected, or if you are an issues person and want to be active with your city council or county commissioners or in Austin, I want people to know that whatever their passion is, there is a place for them. Once you stand up, others will join you in your battle. It just takes someone to start the battle.”
Kathy tells Texans who want to make a difference that now is the time to rise up and get involved.
“The left is here. The left wants Texas,” she says. “I can see their tactics, and I can see their strategy because I dealt with it in California.”
“Find your passion and fight for it,” she recommends. “Get involved with your local county GOP or any other conservative group that may be in your area. Find an activist or group leader you admire and see if they will mentor you or knows someone they can pair you up with to help guide and direct you.”
“Politics can be fun,” she adds. “It is not the dreary battle so many think it is. It is even more fun when we win; but winning comes with numbers, and we need to grow the warriors.”
“I have fought the battle and will fight with every bone in my body to keep Texas the free beacon of light that the entire country looks to, but we need help,” Kathy says. “We all need more freedom-loving patriots to come alongside us and join the fight. Come join us.”
