You won't change things unless you are prepared to fight, even if you don't win. But I do hate losing.
The fight for the future of Texas is just beginning.
I think that the thing that holds so many of us back is our fear that we might fail, and I think we lose an incredible amount of talent and energy and enthusiasm that way. So I think, since I'm kind of a shining example of losing, that it's important for me to show that it's OK to lose, that I'm still so happy that I entered the fight, that I fought for something that mattered to me and that I gave voice to it and I made it part of the conversation. I want young women to know that it is OK to fail - it's not OK to stay home. It's not OK to not try.
I think that speaking is the most important thing we can do, but let's talk about what it means to speak effectively. We can talk in an echo chamber to our friends on social media and otherwise - and that's important, that's how we encourage and educate one another.But speech that leads to action is critical. And it doesn't sound very sexy, but one of the most important ways to speak in a way that makes an impact is to vote. Speaking at the ballot box is the most important place that we speak.
I was living as a young single mom. I was 19 when I was divorced, and my daughter was a year old, and I waited tables here three to four nights a week for several years while I was trying to support myself and my daughter and the day I got that acceptance at Harvard Law School was an unforgettable day.
Let's make sure that we are working for age-appropriate sex education in our school system.
The best of Texas is yet to come.
Real Texans don't want any woman to die of cancer because she can't get decent health care or medical advice. Real Texans don't want any woman to lose control of her life because she can't get birth control.
Lady Bird was very, very shy and yet she would go out and speak publicly on behalf of her husband and on issues that mattered to her. Someone asked her once how she did it, and she said you have to "get so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid." And I have found that that absolutely captures those moments when I fought for something I cared about. I get so caught up in fighting for things that are important to me that it pushes me through fear and doubt.
The last thing Texas women need in their lives is Greg Abbott.
Texas deserves a leader who understands that making education a priority creates good jobs for Texans and keeps Texas on top.
A tree fell on Greg Abbott - he sued and got millions.
Mine is a story about a teenage single mother who struggled to keep her young family afloat. It's a story about a young woman who was given a precious opportunity to work her way up in the world. It's a story about resiliency, and sacrifice, and perseverance. And you're damn right it's a true story.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - what a joke. In my district, we caught them lying to us about the results of air quality studies in the Barnett Shale. They are playing with the health and safety of our communities, and we are going to tell them that is not acceptable.
I haven't pursued it as a senator because I know it's like spitting in the wind. But I still believe it's the right thing. And if I were governor and a bill came to my desk that provided for background checks at gun shows, I would sign that.
When I think about that kind of spirit, I think about my mother, who is standing here with me tonight. My mother is the embodiment of what it means to have a Texas spirit, because she wanted nothing more than for her children to have a better life than she had, to have an education beyond the ninth-grade education that she had, to live happier lives, more successful ones than she had been able to live. And you know what? She raised the daughter who ran for governor.
I am running for my Senate district in 2014 and looking forward hopefully to earning the confidence of my community once again and being reelected for that seat.
When you're serving at the local level, you have to build strong personal relationships to get things done.
Harvard was the most intimidating experience. I felt so out of my league there.
I care about life and I have a record of fighting for people above all else.
Let's face it, Obama is not a hugely popular political figure in the state of Texas.
I've never worried about payback. People are hungry for leadership that's not afraid of political consequence.
I would be lying if I told you that I hadn't had aspirations to run for a statewide office.
Texas has waited too long for a governor who knows that quid pro quo shouldn't be the status quo. It's time for a governor who believes that you don't have to buy a place in Texas' future.
Texas Republican political leaders take perverse pride in how deeply they have cut our state's education budget. Thousands of teachers have been pulled from classrooms, schools have closed and valuable programs have been canceled. In many places, districts are forced to choose between prekindergarten programs and English, algebra and art.
