See so many candidates willing to stand up for Democracy and run for office

You are in right now Carrollton, Texas, which is divided between three counties. So each of the candidates we're going to ask to make sure to make sure you say which county that you're running in. That is important in this area. We're going to start tonight with our State House candidates, but first I want to thank the people who organized

this event. Judy Clay, who's in the back. She is the master of ceremonies, teaching. She's done so much. Adam Coulter up here. As the format is going to go, each of the candidates have been given a certain time limit in which to speak, and then we're going to ask them a

Thanksgiving based question that they must answer honestly and they could not have prepared for. So that's going to be exciting. If you have questions for the candidates, we would like if you could hold it to the end, but we are going to try to build in some time here, okay? Tonight we're going to start with some candidates who are

not going to be speaking, but we do want to introduce. So if you are a candidate running for office who isn't speaking tonight, can you stand up? Tell us what position you're running for. First up we have Denise. Yes. Let me speak in a few seconds before you start

it. No, I want to say hello. They told me to prepare three and a half minutes. Now I've been trying to cut it down, y'all. Okay, I have to talk fast. My name is Dr. Denise Wooten. I'm a licensed psychologist.

I've been practicing for over 30 years. I specialize in kids with autism and ADHD. And I'm also now in my seventh year as a community college professor, which I love. I first ran for Texas HD 63, which is all Denton County, last year in 2012. My team and I made valiant efforts, in my opinion, to try to make forward progress in that district

So we ended up achieving the sixth best losing percentage in a red district in Texas, and we were named the sixth most likely district to flip blue in the next election cycle or two. So I consider that we made progress. And because I'm a human services provider, I'm prioritizing two major key issues for this election cycle: public education and health care.

That's the two things I know the most about. So public education, which involves the preschool program for children with disabilities, K-12, community college, that's supposed to be the great equalizer of opportunity for people that are rich, so that they can make advances in their life and have a decent income. Well, Texas is second in the amount of hunger due to poverty we have.

So if we don't help our public education system, how are they going to get out of poverty and be able to feed their families? So to me that's a hugely important issue. Secondly, health care, especially mental health. I went to a conference this past weekend. I'm having to talk really quickly. Texas is 50th, y'all, in the nation in

the amount of funding and services we have for mental health. So not only does that leave a ton of people suffering, but all the things that get blamed on mental health problems, including mass shootings and the poor delivery of mental health care services, we can't fix that unless we get more funding. So I would very much appreciate your support and considering

me to be the representative that you want to send down to Austin to work on behalf of people's lives. My causes are public education and health care. And again, I'm Dr Janice Wooten. Thank you. We do have less time. I thought you were kidding.

No, I was not kidding. Hi, everybody. My name's Cassandra Hernandez, and I am running to be your next state representative for House District 115. I'm a trial lawyer, but first and foremost, I'm a community advocate. And I've done a lot of work in Austin as well as here locally with a lot of different organizations.

I had the opportunity to head up and I'm currently the chairwoman of a statewide women's caucus. And what I did is we put on a Texas Ledge Academy and we showed women not only how bills pass, but I was able to head up a lobby and take our women to the Capitol and walk through the halls and fight to get back our reproductive rights and more importantly to stand up for Texas families, not

only for us individually, but for us to be able to make decisions for our children with medical doctors. I also had the opportunity this lunch session to go and stand alongside one of my really good friends and mentors, Representative Julie Johnson, and she uh was heading up and pushing the bill, the Live Well Texas bill. And I went with Texas Organizing Project in Sycabit, Texas to stand alongside her and give her that support.

And unfortunately, it did not pass, but we will continue to champion that for my dear friend Julie, of course. And then as a everytown fellow, somebody who lost her father to gun violence. I can tell you that as somebody who has advocated for common sense gun legislation for a very long time, I will continue to champion that, and I will never give up that fight that we desperately need to bring

here to the state of Texas. I am a proud product of public education And I know that there are so many in this room who feel that way because I've seen a lot of you at my public education town hall that we put on, and I know that I couldn't wait until November 2024 to stand up for our schools. And so we took people here from House District 115,

Dallas County, and we took them to Austin to stand shoulder to shoulder with public education advocates and tell Governor Abbott that we are no to vouchers, that we are for fully funding public education, taking care of our schools, and setting up our future generation for success. I have been working very hard locally as well in Austin. This has given me the experience as well as the

opportunities and reputation with my future colleagues, our amazing Dallas Dallas delegation, as well as my ability to fundraise, and all of these things are going to be very important in making sure that I hit the ground running well before I get sworn in. And I hope that I'll have your support. My website's www.cassandrafortexas.com. Thank you so much.

I'm a representative here from the Scarlet Cornwallis campaign for Texas House District 115 in Dallas County. It's with great respect and a touch of regret that I inform you Scarlett is ill and could not be here tonight. So she is sending, has entrusted me to convey her message to you. Um, I am not a candidate, so this is a

little nerve-wracking for me, so please bear with me. But these are Scarlett's words for you all as House District 115. Scarlett holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an MBA, accolades that signify her commitment to education and expertise in complex problem solving. In her professional life, Scarlett manages multi-million dollar projects in the world of cloud computing, balancing immense responsibility with strategic

foresight, a testament to the skills she plans to bring to the Capitol. At home, Scarlett Cornwallis is the pillar of her family and the mother of five, yes, five children, and she runs her home. Her empathy for those managing careers alongside familial duties runs deep. And she is keenly aware from taking care of our

aging parents to understanding the struggles of families living paycheck to paycheck. Let's be clear. In this election, no candidate comes with an office holder's resume. What sets us apart is our understanding of the real world problems and our commitment to solving them. Scarlett brings a unique perspective shaped by hands-on experience and

years of service as a devoted Democratic precinct chair and a volunteer contributing to over 35 charitable organizations throughout North Texas. Scarlett's campaign is a beacon of integrity, free from the influence of PACs or special interest groups. Her only commitment is to you, the people of this district. She will never have to answer to big money.

Scarlett will only answer to the real voters in House District 115. Scarlett's integrity is unwavering and her vision is clear. As your House of Representative, Scarlett aims to harness her expertise to fortify our public education, secure our health care, support common sense, gun safety, protect women's rights, and bolster the local economy. and Her vision is clear a Texas where every

family can thrive succeed. So we ask you to stand with Scarlett Cornwallis to volunteer, vote, and donate. Thank you. I'm running in House District 115, which is on the Dallas County side of Carrollton. I am proud to say, y'all, that I grew up down the street here in Carrollton, and this is the

public library that my dad, who's here, used to take me to. So this is an incredible opportunity to be here as a candidate. It makes me a little bit teary-eyed. I'm so proud to be a product of the Carrollton Public Schools. They gave me everything.

I have a lot of school teachers who are telling me, Kate, I'm so proud of you for running for office in this area. And I say, y'all, it is because of you. That is why I'm here, public schools here in Carrollton. And with that foundation, I want to make sure our public schools are safe and fully funded, y'all. We are still in a fight with public for public.