Texas House District 108 Democratic Primary
Candidates: Elizabeth Ginsburg, Freda Heald
What is the single most common issue voters have raised with you during your campaign, and how do you plan to tackle it?
Freda Heald: Education is my top priority. As an educator, I have seen firsthand how our education system has let so many families down. I became an educator because I saw how my own children struggled in school with their dyslexia. I am running because all children deserve access to an education that caters to their needs. There should be more Special Education teachers across the state. Each school should be able to grant their students the ability to succeed at learning. I want to change our education system in Texas so that every child receives the quality public school education that they deserve. I believe we must fully fund our public schools, and provide long-overdue pay increases for our teachers and support staff.
Elizbeth Ginsberg: Voters in both parties are deeply concerned about extremism, anti-intellectualism and threats to our democracy. It is essential that we work to preserve our democracy and reject the extremism and the blatant misinformation about our election process, the pandemic, school curriculums and so many other issues. Bad actors are undermining faith in our institutions and we have to stand up and defend the truth and common sense. We have extremism in both parties, and we need to find the middle ground so that we can govern instead of having gridlock. I describe myself as “passionately moderate” and I am committed to engaging in factual, respectful and rational discourse. My aim is to build a consensus by encouraging voter participation in the process, listening to all sides and figuring out what we agree on. Rather than getting distracted by partisan political theater and division, we need to work on issues impacting Texans: the economy, our power grid, ensuring great public schools, improving healthcare access, protecting women’s rights, rising inflation, rising housing costs and the like. Our state is stronger when we recognize the contributions of every Texan and provide opportunities for success.
Do you feel that the state legislature as a whole did a good job of addressing the concerns of Texans in the last legislative session? Why or why not?
Heald: No, our leaders in Austin are out of touch with the needs of our communities, not only did they not address key issues like education and fixing our power grid, but they chose to pass the most restrictive abortion ban (Senate Bill 8) in the country and some of the most restrictive voting laws (Senate Bill 1) in the country. I believe we must repeal these extremist laws here in Texas and do everything we can to protect reproductive health for nearly 7 million women and expand voting rights to Texans. I also believe we could use a few more educators in Austin who know what it’s like to be in the classroom day in and day out. I was in the classroom for 13 years, I know firsthand the type of support and resources teachers need to help our children be successful.
Ginsberg: Overall, the last legislative cycle was an example of bad, dysfunctional government. Things devolved into partisan battles, power grabs, and a near complete inability for anyone to conduct themselves to pursue the common good for all Texans. We had some bipartisan consensus and success with criminal justice reform legislation, such as the Richard Miles Act and Bo’s law, and in creating mental healthcare options in Dallas.
Do believe that everyone has fair and equitable access to the right to vote? Explain.
Heald: No, because of Senate Bill 1 Texans across the state have lost fair and equitable access to their right to vote. I believe we must repeal Texas Senate Bill 1 and do everything we can to expand voting rights to Texans, not restrict when they are able to make their voices heard. I believe we should be finding more ways to encourage participation like expanded early voting times, mail-in voting, and increasing the number of community voting sites.
Ginsberg: No, I do not believe that everyone has fair and equitable access to the right to vote. During early voting, applications for mail-in ballots were rejected at an alarming rate, and to date, 34% of ballots returned have been rejected, many from voters who have voted by mail for years. As I have been knocking on doors to meet voters, this is a frustration that is regularly shared with me. Voter suppression is happening in our community to both Democrats and Republicans. It is also costing taxypayers money. The County Commissioners have, so far, had to spend $75,000 on outreach efforts just to mail ballot voters who had ballot verification issues. We also had blatant gerrymandering during redistricting that disenfranchised voters by packing and cracking districts. I remain optimistic that the John Lewis Voting Rights Act will pass. The Texas Legislature must also pass laws that ensure every eligible Texas voter has access to the polls, and should consider reform to the redistricting process that would adopt a nonpartisan commission on redistricting that would prohibit political benefit in the redistricting process. I would support efforts to make voting easier such as simplified registration including online registration, same-day voter registration with a provisional ballot, wider use of vote by mail, and local flexibility to create solutions that fit the local community needs in order to make voting accessible, such as drive-through voting and extended hours. There is no evidence that these efforts lead to voter fraud. I would work to protect our poll workers from frivolous challenges, threats, and liability. I would work to enhance penalties for rogue poll watchers and voter intimidation. I also support reducing the number of elections through ranked choice and approval voting to reduce the number of runoffs, and combining elections so voters are not asked to vote as frequently.
How are you different from your opponent (or opponents) in this race?
Heald: As an educator, I have seen firsthand the concerns of parents when they came to me seeking help for their children whether it was for behavioral issues, learning differences, or navigating a global pandemic. Our leaders in Austin are out of touch with the needs of our communities, and I believe we could use a few more educators in Austin who know what it’s like to be in the classroom day in and day out.
Ginsberg: I have lived in this district for almost 26 years. My husband and I raised our children here, and my law office is on the edge of this district, with many in-district clients. I have my finger on the pulse of this district, and I am firmly focused on finding solutions, finding common ground, and getting things done. As a litigator, I have learned how to advocate for my clients. As a Representative, I would advocate for constituents. I have learned to negotiate and find a way forward, just as a Representative must do. I understand how laws work and the impact that careful drafting can have on the citizens of Texas. One of the things I most enjoy about being an attorney is learning about new businesses and meeting new people every day. I know how to gather information and critically evaluate sources of information to educate myself and be an independent thinker on a wide range of subjects. In sum, my experiences in this community, my personal and professional skills, and my commitment to getting things done set me apart. The Dallas Morning News and the most influential clubs in the House District 108 have also endorsed me in the primary. I earned the endorsements of Stonewall Democrats, Preston Hollow Democrats, Lake Highlands White Rock Democrats, Dallas Tejano Democrats and the 23rd Senatorial District Tejano Democrats. I am proud to have the backing of a diverse community in this race.
What is the biggest issue the state will face in the next five years, and what is your plan to address it?
Heald: Texas state government used to be a pragmatic place—where Ann Richards could work with Republicans and George W. Bush could work with Democrats to make progress for our state. We’ve all seen that slipping away in recent years. It’s more important than ever that we elect leaders who will go to Austin and fight for our communities, but also roll up their sleeves and reach across the aisle to do the work to get results for our community.
I’m running to create a Texas where all our families can thrive. I believe we need a government that will get back to solving problems for the people of Texas – fixing our power grid and ensuring that every child has access to a quality education and that every family can see and afford a doctor.
Ginsberg: Over the next five years our state must focus on maintaining a strong economy, creating high-paying and in-demand jobs, and creating opportunities for young people. We must work to improve of constitutionally mandated public education system to be competitive with other states, both through requiring increased state funding and assuring a strong, competitive curriculum. Both our school and healthcare systems have been damaged by the pandemic response, and we must work to repair those systems and retain and attract teachers and health care workers. We are leaving millions on the table because expanding Medicaid has been blocked. This hurts Texans’ ability to get coverage, and also hurts the economic growth we would see if these dollars were flowing into Texas. We must reject the regressive, right wing social agenda that hurts our state’s competitiveness in attracting businesses and people. Given the global competition we face from other nations, and the aggression we are seeing in Europe, we could be in for a volatile period of increasing challenges. We can take on the challenges, become a functional and rational country again, and find unity as a nation, or we can continue to slide into extremism, authoritarianism and witness the slow erosion of the Democracy our founders established.
Editors’ note: We invited every candidate to provide a 1-minute introductory video. Elizabeth Ginsburg availed herself of that invitation.
