Denton County Democrats are denouncing their own newly elected state representative before she has even taken office, citing her alleged bad behavior during the campaign.

Democrat Michelle Beckley was elected November 6 to represent House District 65 in the Texas Legislature. Beckley unseated three-term Republican State Rep. Ron Simmons with 51 percent of the vote.

Just days after her election, the Young Democrats of Denton County issued a statement saying Beckley “is not our ally”:

State Representative-elect Michelle Beckley has recently made offensive, uncouth comments targeting people of color and allies in our county and her district … these comments were levied at fellow candidates, activists, and constituents. Mrs. Beckley specifically targeted young Democrats of color in her district, and attempted to sabotage two young democratic candidates of color.

 

We denounce the horrendous statements and actions of Mrs. Beckley, and we apologize for not coming out against her prior to election day.”

The Lewisville Texan Journal reported Thursday it had corroborated “several troubling, racially charged remarks” attributed to Beckley.

Denton County Democrat Party chair Angie Cadena said she was aware of Beckley’s alleged statements and actions against other Democrat candidates, but her hands were tied.

“I can’t de-elect her,” Cadena said. “Really, truthfully, there is nothing we can do.”

Cadena said two other Democrat campaigns asked her to keep the allegations quiet, but the party did withhold resources from Beckley once racial accusations surfaced.

“To clarify, we knew that Ms. Beckley had a strong personality and was sometimes difficult to work with or for; we had complaints from many people on that account. It was not until after the start of early voting that we started to hear the assertions of racism,” Cadena said.

Former DCDP chair Phyllis Wolper said she also received numerous complaints about Beckley’s intimidating behavior, but Beckley was “equal opportunity” with her aggression.

Beckley has denied the allegations made by multiple Denton County Democrats; in any case, their complaints were made public too late to affect the outcome of the election. At this point, like Cadena, there is nothing HD 65 constituents can do.

Erin Anderson

Erin Anderson is a Senior Journalist for Texas Scorecard, reporting on state and local issues, events, and government actions that impact people in communities throughout Texas and the DFW Metroplex. A native Texan, Erin grew up in the Houston area and now lives in Collin County.

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