Texas
Texas Democrats admit to faltering on messaging and voter turnout, contributing to resounding midterm losses
![Texas Democrats admit to faltering on messaging and voter turnout, contributing to resounding midterm losses](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/hV9iYrRzIwaGTP6JVjiYS7uSQO0=/1200x630/filters:quality(95):focal(0x0:2500x1667)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/80175e04025616855faeb44b811750e2/1108%20Beto%20Concession%20IPA%20TT%2008.jpg)
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The percentages had been extra stacked than common towards Texas Democrats this election cycle, with an unpopular president from their get together going towards them. But there was nonetheless hope and cautious optimism inside the get together that if anybody may pull off the upset, it will be Beto O’Rourke.
At a minimal, he may give a repeat efficiency of his 2018 matchup towards U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the place he got here shut sufficient to defeating the Republican — lower than 3 proportion factors — that Democrats may convincingly make the case that Texas is a battleground state worthy of nationwide consideration and funding.
As a substitute, O’Rourke, probably the most promising Texas Democrat in latest historical past, acquired walloped by Gov. Greg Abbott by 11 proportion factors, and each different statewide candidate misplaced by double digits.
The drubbing has left Democrats in a well-known place: wounded after a disappointing election evening whereas considering their technique and their future.
“It’s been one [election] after one other the place we ramp everyone up and arrange these expectations that we’re going to complete in first — after which we end in second,” mentioned Joel Montfort, a Democratic advisor in North Texas. “I do not see any indication that we will win at statewide ranges or gained’t proceed to bleed home seats to the opposite get together.”
In an inside get together memo obtained Thursday by The Texas Tribune, Democratic Occasion govt director Jamarr Brown blamed historic midterm traits, voting restrictions enacted in final yr’s precedence Republican laws, redistricting that benefited the GOP, “mind-blowing” quantities of funding for Republicans, and an absence of nationwide funding for Texas Democrats.
However maybe probably the most damning errors Democrats recognized in interviews and the memo was their incapacity to get voters to point out up on the polls coupled with their candidates’ weak response to the GOP’s united messaging round immigration and the financial system.
“We as Texas Democrats can now not be seen as sticking our heads within the sand on points that ballot after ballot inform us Texans care deeply about,” Brown mentioned within the memo, singling out border safety at size. “This election has made clearer the immense challenges we face over the subsequent two years to proceed making Texas right into a state the place all working households can thrive.”
O’Rourke’s marketing campaign leaders are set to supply their very own takeaways in a name with reporters on Monday.
It was not all dangerous for Texas Democrats. They retained two out of three South Texas battleground congressional seats in a area the GOP had aggressively focused. In addition they gained a hotly contested state Home seat within the Dallas suburbs. And rising-star Harris County Choose Lina Hidalgo eked out a reelection win, regardless of being massively outspent by the Republican challenger. However in an indication of the treacherous atmosphere, each these slender wins got here in territories that President Joe Biden carried by double digits simply two years in the past.
Democrats have little time to sift via their losses earlier than the subsequent election cycle kicks off. The marquee race in 2024 in Texas shall be for the U.S. Senate seat that Cruz at present holds, and Republicans are vowing to maintain contesting South Texas
However the Democrats face two fast issues waiting for that race. First, Tuesday’s double-digit losses will make it more durable for statewide candidates to lift cash essential to run a aggressive race. O’Rourke’s present 11-point deficit to Abbott, is simply barely higher than Lupe Valdez’s 13-point deficit, however her marketing campaign, which was broadly seen as underwhelming, raised lower than $2 million in comparison with the $77 million raised by O’Rourke.
And secondly, the Democratic bench for statewide workplace is concerningly skinny. Past O’Rourke, the names talked about for future statewide runs embody Hidalgo, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas and the San Antonio Democratic brothers Joaquin Castro and Julián Castro, who’ve been touted as rising stars for over a decade now however have repeatedly handed on statewide campaigns.
However it’s unclear how a lot monetary backing any of these potential candidates may garner from donors underwhelmed by the Democrats’ newest statewide outcomes. This yr’s gubernatorial race value north of $140 million. And the get together has for years proven an incapacity to groom candidates for increased workplace or persuade probably viable candidates to make a run.
This yr, the get together ran Rochelle Garza, a civil rights lawyer with little political expertise, towards Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton, who was broadly seen as probably the most susceptible Republican incumbent. However Garza struggled to lift cash or achieve traction in O’Rourke’s shadow, and misplaced by 10 proportion factors towards Paxton, who has been indicted on felony safety fraud expenses and is being investigated by the FBI for abuse of workplace accusations. He’d denied wrongdoing.
“It boggles the thoughts {that a} state this large that has a big Democratic get together and many Democrats within the large cities within the state, that they will’t discover any person and construct up a sequence of individuals over time to strengthen their hand,” mentioned Jon Taylor, a political scientist on the College of Texas at San Antonio. “They actually appear to be the individuals who can’t shoot straight.”
Turnout
Turnout was on the prime of the checklist for issues that went mistaken for Democrats. About 8.1 million voters solid ballots — 2 million wanting what either side had projected. It amounted to a 46% turnout fee, increased than common for a midterm election in Texas however wanting the 53% turnout fee in 2018 when Democrats had their greatest cycle in latest historical past.
Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Occasion, acknowledged in an interview that Democrats struggled to end up each the get together’s most engaged voters, in addition to low-propensity voters, who want probably the most nudging by campaigns to go to the poll field.
It was an uncorrected mistake from 2020, when Democrats additionally underperformed — dropping virtually all of the state and congressional seats they believed they may flip. The get together’s autopsy evaluation of the election on the time famous they wanted to focus extra on low-propensity voters as an alternative of highly-engaged voters, who’re already more likely to take part.
Hinojosa mentioned this yr the state get together pushed campaigns and county events to prioritize much less engaged voters, however they nonetheless centered on doubtless voters, who they noticed as “certain bets.”
“We didn’t spend sufficient time making an attempt to get low propensity voters out,” he mentioned. “We all know that’s the answer however we have now to spend the cash to get it completed.”
In an early signal of bother, get together leaders observed throughout early voting that campaigns and county organizations had been having bother turning out Black voters – historically one of many Democrats’ most dependable blocs – in Harris County. Harris makes up practically 30% of the statewide vote and Democrats usually depend on it to steadiness out Republican votes from extra conservative areas of the state.
“We had in Harris County, important drop in our turnout, African American voters voted at a lot decrease ranges than what they voted in 2018,” Hinojosa mentioned.
There was a late effort to mobilize Black voters, with first woman Jill Biden touring predominantly Black church buildings in Houston the Sunday earlier than the election. And the subsequent day, O’Rourke launched a robocall from former President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president.
O’Rourke’s marketing campaign had aimed to win 90% of the Black vote; they acquired 84%, in keeping with exit polling.
Hinojosa mentioned the county get together in Harris County ran robust “Get out the vote efforts” however they weren’t sufficient.
Taylor mentioned Democrats should reply for why they had been so unsuccessful at motivating voters throughout the board.
“Democrats stayed dwelling and it begs the query: Why would Democrats keep dwelling versus a governor, lieutenant governor and lawyer basic who’re all politically tainted in a method or one other?” he mentioned. “They will say ‘We had get-out-the-vote efforts.’ If you happen to did, why was the turnout lower than 2018?”
Messaging
From the start, Abbott and different Republicans had been unwavering of their message warning about border safety and the financial system, which they mentioned had been each worsened by nationwide Democratic management.
O’Rourke, for his half, began his marketing campaign stoking bipartisan discontent across the 2021 energy grid failure through the lethal winter storm, laying blame at Abbott’s toes. After the Uvalde college taking pictures and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, he centered on gun management and abortion entry, as these points animated the bottom of the get together all through the summer time.
Abortion remained a prime concern for voters, in keeping with an exit ballot that confirmed it practically matched inflation as their prime situation out of 5 selections. However Democrats acknowledged after Tuesday that they need to have had a clearer perspective about immigration and the financial system, which polls persistently recognized as prime voter issues.
Ed Espinoza, president of the liberal communications store Progress Texas, mentioned in a post-election e mail to the group’s supporters Thursday that Democrats “seemingly had the wind at their backs over the summer time” as abortion and weapons had been entrance and heart.
“That every one modified round Labor Day when Gov. Abbott’s migrant bussing stunt made nationwide information, layered on prime of a struggling financial system,” Espinoza mentioned, referring to Abbott’s state-funded busing program sending migrants to cities run by Democrats. “Credit score to Beto O’Rourke and his crew for having the self-discipline to stay with the ‘abortion, weapons, grid’ messaging down the stretch — nevertheless it in the end wasn’t sufficient to compete with the border and the worth of fuel and groceries.”
Jon Mark Hogg, a Democrat who based the 134 PAC to develop the get together’s energy in rural areas, mentioned the way in which candidates talked about social points like abortion and weapons turned off voters in these components of the state. He criticized the get together’s outreach to rural voters.
“As a substitute of listening and being among the many individuals and determining what’s essential, we have now a prime down method, which is the Democratic Occasion decides what progressive social points it needs to speak about and thinks the state ought to be considering these points they usually simply weren’t,” he mentioned.
Even because the overturning of Roe v. Wade upended the election, Abbott’s marketing campaign guess that it will nonetheless be dominated by the border and financial system. On a post-election name Wednesday morning, Abbott marketing campaign strategist Dave Carney mentioned O’Rourke’s messaging was “a kitchen sink from day one” and that Abbott “caught to the 4 core points which can be on individuals’s minds.”
One Democratic group that performed a statewide focus group in late summer time discovered that contributors supplied a wide range of points they related to O’Rourke. When it got here to Abbott, although, there was extra of a consensus: jobs.
One native case research got here in Nueces County, dwelling to Corpus Christi, the place the Democratic county choose, Barbara Canales, misplaced Tuesday after a breakthrough victory 4 years in the past. She ran a marketing campaign that was extremely delicate to the native port-driven business, together with defending oil and fuel, nevertheless it was not sufficient to beat the broader atmosphere.
Canales mentioned she thought individuals are “pulling Republican the way in which individuals used to tug Democrat in South Texas,” referring to an particularly unflinching GOP effort in Nueces County. That culminated the weekend earlier than early voting, when Trump visited Robstown for a rally and endorsed Canales’ opponent, Connie Scott.
“The reality is I used to be capable of flip this seat when it was an open seat and I used to be capable of win by pulling Republicans over to my aspect,” Canales mentioned in an interview. “However that didn’t occur this time as a result of there was a transparent message, which was vote straight Republican.”
All of the Democratic incumbents in South Texas who survived campaigned as moderates, particularly when it got here to frame safety. The state get together memo particularly cited U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, gained reelection by practically double the margin that Biden would have gained his district. The memo famous Cuellar “has an extended document of talking and appearing firmly in favor of actual motion on border safety and unequivocally in help of regulation enforcement.”
State Rep. Eddie Morales of Eagle Go, who simply gained reelection in a focused race, ran on his help for the Abbott-championed regulation final yr that just about tripled state spending on border protection. Morales was the one Democrat to joint-author the invoice, and solely one in every of 4 to vote for it.
“It’s not politics, it’s in regards to the security of our communities,” he mentioned in a mailer despatched to constituents.
Morales mentioned he hoped city Democrats would take observe from rural and border Democrats like himself. He praised O’Rourke for listening to his issues about border messaging, and was inspired to see O’Rourke advocate for a “protected, authorized, orderly” immigration system.
“He moved, I assumed, in what was the suitable course,” Morales mentioned.
Morales advised Republicans in his district to concentrate to the brand new approach O’Rourke was talking about immigration, however they simply dismissed it as flip-flopping, in keeping with the lawmaker. O’Rourke “had simply gotten off on the mistaken foot with these Republicans, and to get them again is gonna be monumental,” he mentioned.
Canales, the Nueces County choose, additionally instructed O’Rourke had the suitable message, however some simply couldn’t look previous his earlier feedback, together with his advocacy for a compulsory buyback of assault rifles. On weapons, she mentioned she thought the get together “may’ve been stronger on the ‘We’re not towards weapons, we’re for widespread sense’ — which was Beto’s message, nevertheless it didn’t resonate as a result of he had earlier positions on it.”
On the marketing campaign path, O’Rourke frequently sought to rebut GOP speaking factors on inflation, the border and crime. For instance, he argued that Abbott was the “single best driver of inflation” in Texas as a consequence of elevated power payments after the 2021 winter storm disaster.
However none of these arguments ever appeared in his TV adverts, the place they’d have the widest viewers. As a substitute, O’Rourke’s commercials centered on training, well being care, weapons and abortion.
O’Rourke’s marketing campaign was nicely conscious of the dynamic. Nick Rathod, O’Rourke’s marketing campaign supervisor, mentioned in a podcast interview days earlier than the election that crime and immigration had been “actually driving the narrative” and that countering Abbott on these points remained their “largest problem.”
On the finish of the day, O’Rourke’s marketing campaign figured that opinions had been already baked in on points like inflation and enjoying protection on them would solely detract from the objective of any challenger: making it a referendum on the incumbent.
However in Thursday’s memo, Brown acknowledged that not responding to Republican messaging on the border was a mistake. Democrats had additionally been buried by tens of millions of {dollars} in promoting on border points within the three South Texas congressional districts Republicans had been focusing on, and they didn’t have the cash to reply.
“Right here’s a troublesome reality we as Democrats should notice on border safety: it’s a massively essential situation to our state,” he wrote. “Democrats throughout the nation have for too lengthy wished to brush it below the rug and hope voters simply don’t take note of it – however the reality of the matter is that Texas is the largest border state within the nation, and Texas Republicans will proceed to make use of each single bad-faith political stunt within the e-book to maintain unlawful immigration top-of-mind for voters.”
Some statewide Democratic candidates did make an effort to get forward of Republican assaults on TV. Mike Collier, who ran for lieutenant governor, launched an advert in September that proactively touted his expertise within the power business, hoping to blunt GOP criticism that he would destroy oil and fuel. However Republican incumbent Dan Patrick later went up with a TV advert making the declare anyway, and the underfunded Collier couldn’t match him in promoting {dollars}.
Patrick had practically $17 million money readily available entering into to the ultimate month of the race; Collier had lower than $1 million.
“As Texas Democrats, we haven’t reckoned with the fact that regardless of the sort of race you run, that with out the assets to outline your candidate, the Republican will outline your candidate and what they consider,” mentioned Ali Zaidi, Collier’s marketing campaign supervisor. “That could be a very powerful downside for Democrats to resolve.”
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit statewide information group devoted to protecting Texans knowledgeable on politics and coverage points that impression their communities. This election season, Texans across the state will flip to The Texas Tribune for the knowledge they want on voting, election outcomes, evaluation of key races and extra. Get the newest.
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Texas
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee live score, updates highlights from College World Series Game 1
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Texas A&M baseball is two games away — perhaps three — from achieving a historic first for the program.
With two victories over the No. 1 national seed Tennessee baseball team in the College World Series championship series, the No. 3 seed Aggies will have won the program’s first CWS title. But that is a prospect easier said than done, as Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle is likely aware.
Texas A&M is 1-4 all time vs. Tennessee under the Aggies coach, whose Vols counterpart, Tony Vitello, actually served as his recruiting coordinator at TCU from 2011-13. Schlossnagle’s only victory over Tennessee came in the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament, and the Vols defeated the Aggies 7-4 in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
MORE: Watch Texas A&M vs. Tennessee in CWS with Fubo (free trial)
Moreover, Texas A&M is dealing with several injuries as it heads to the biggest stage afforded the sport, including likely top-10 draft pick Braden Montgomery. Jace LaViolette hurt his hamstring vs. No. 2 national seed Kentucky on Monday but returned and was able to play vs. Florida in the CWS semifinals on Wednesday.
If the Aggies are able to take the series vs. Tennessee, no one will be able to say it was unearned. With that, follow along for live scores, updates and highlights from Game 1 of the College World Series championship series:
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee score
Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Tennessee | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Texas A&M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee live updates, highlights
This section will be updated closer to first pitch, scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Pregame
4:07 p.m.: Texas A&M fans have packed the Aggies’ hotel before they head out to the stadium. Here’s a look:
2:40 p.m.: An interesting stat for Texas A&M: The Aggies had not made a national championship in football, baseball or basketball since 1939 until now.
2:16 p.m.: Another hype video, but Tennessee edition:
2:14 p.m.: Texas A&M released a hype video ahead of game one of the national championship series:
What channel is Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee on today?
Game 1 of the CWS championship series will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (color analyst), Chris Burke (color analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) will broadcast the game.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a cable login), ESPN+ and Fubo, the last of which carries the ESPN family of network and offers a free trial.
MORE: Buy College World Series tickets with StubHub
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee start time
- Date: Saturday June 22
- Time: 6 p.m. CT
Game 1 of the College World Series between Texas A&M and Tennessee is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT from Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday at noon CT
- Spread: Tennessee (-1.5)
- Over/under: 11.5 runs
- Moneyline: Tennessee (-185) | Texas A&M (+140)
Texas A&M baseball schedule 2024
Below is Texas A&M’s postseason schedule. For the Aggies’ full 2024 college baseball schedule, click here.
Bryan-College Station Regional
- Friday, May 31: (3) Texas A&M 8, Grambling 0
- Saturday, June 1: (3) Texas A&M 4, Texas 1 (11 innings)
- Sunday, June 2: (3) Texas A&M 9, Louisiana 4
Bryan-College Station Super Regional
- Saturday, June 8: (3) Texas A&M 10, Oregon 6
- Sunday, June 9: (3) Texas A&M 15, Oregon 9
College World Series
- Saturday, June 15: (3) Texas A&M 3, Florida 2
- Monday, June 17: (3) Texas A&M 5, (2) Kentucky 1
- Wednesday, June 19: (3) Texas A&M 6, Florida 0
CWS championship series
- Saturday, June 22: (3) Texas A&M vs. (1) Tennessee
- Sunday, June 23: (1) Tenessee vs. (3) Texas A&M
- Monday, June 24*: (3) Texas A&M vs. (1) Tennessee
* If necessary
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Texas
College World Series 2024: How to watch Tennessee vs. Texas A&M game Saturday
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Drew Beam on Tennessee baseball reaching College World Series final
Tennessee baseball beat Florida State 7-2 on Wednesday to advance to the College World Series final for the second time in program history.
The matchup for the Men’s College World Series championship finals is set.
No. 3 Texas A&M (52-13) will take on No. 1 Tennessee (58-12) in a three-game series this weekend to determine the national champion.
The Volunteers advanced after they dispatched the No. 8 Florida State Seminoles Wednesday in a 7-2 victory. Tennessee raced out to a three-run first inning and coasted the rest of the way in what was a team effort that saw five different players record at least one RBI. The Aggies, meanwhile, dominated Florida in a four-hit, 6-0 shutout victory. Starting pitcher Justin Lamkin struck out nine and allowed just three hits in five innings of work.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: NCAA baseball tournament field bracket, schedule
Here’s what you need to know about Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series championship finals:
What College World Series games are on Saturday?
The 2024 Men’s College World Series championship finals kick off Saturday in a game between No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee:
- No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch College World Series game Saturday
Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series championship finals Saturday will be broadcast live on ESPN and streamed online on ESPN+.
When are the Men’s College World Series championship finals games?
Here’s the full schedule of the Men’s College World Series:
- June 22: MCWS Final Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
- June 23: MCWS Final Game 2, 2 p.m. ET | ABC
- June 24: MCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Texas
“Texas wine is having a moment”: North Texas winemaker breaking new ground
![“Texas wine is having a moment”: North Texas winemaker breaking new ground](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/06/22/92e394b7-9eef-4442-88d3-694b84e2acf7/thumbnail/1200x630/a7841e61515366878fcf878821c63977/screenshot-2024-06-21-205911.png?v=cb1f2643a8816828741cfb3a3fb2d931)
NORTH TEXAS — If you love wine, lean in. About an hour’s drive north of Dallas, a tree-lined, dirt and gravel road bends around a curve revealing a lush and lovely surprise, the Edge of the Lake Vineyard and Winery. It’s 100 windswept acres along Lake Ray Roberts.
“It’s more than I thought it would be initially,” says owner Fred Cummings, “but I now know it could be more than it is.”
Dr. Cummings is the MD turned winemaker. He says he’s known since he was a child that he wanted to be a doctor, but it was his grandmother’s wisdom that planted something in his spirit about the soil.
“She had a grapevine in her backyard and a fig tree,” recalls Cummings. “She says, `Fred’- I must’ve been about nine years old…just come back from Germany. And she picked up some dirt and said, ‘God didn’t make any more of this, so get some’.” And I said, Yes, ma’am.”
And so he did, ultimately purchasing a former pig farm that became his family’s lakefront home. Then when the kids grew up and away, his wife Mary pushed him to do more with the property. So in 2010, he began to plant grapes.
“The best grape that we grow on this property is actually grenache, but we grow grenache, tempranillo, and albarino,” explains Cummings.
It took some years before he turned out a wine-worthy, award-winning harvest. Still, there was something else flourishing on those vines. Cummings says his proudest moment in his winemaking journey was, “my son coming to help me.”
That would be his son Christopher McIntosh. He’s the vineyard’s winemaker. McIntosh admits that he needed some convincing, but now loves every moment.
“It’s ours. We get to take it from fruit to glass- every bit of our work goes into each bottle. I get to share that process with- not only my father but the rest of my family. My wife works here, my daughter works here. My sister-in-law works here, my mother-in-law works here. So it really is a family operation which makes it even more special.”
McIntosh says picking a favorite is like picking a favorite child, but just between us, the grenache has become the winery’s award-winning standout.
“I like to tell everybody we trick our vines into thinking they’re in the Mediterranean with all this lakefront property,” shares McIntosh with a laugh. “So yeah… that’s our favorite grape. We use it in three different wines. We make a rosé with it, we make a younger grenache, and then we make our estate grenache reserve.”
Looking out on Lake Ray Roberts, the views are gorgeous, the tasting room polished and modern, the tasty tidbits and artisan cheeses just perfect for sampling. But the true test of a wine is in the sampling. And a tasting room full of visitors insist that the Edge of the Lake Vineyard and Winery does not disappoint.
“So it’s very hard work,” explains McIntosh. “But again, every bottle that’s turned out is a show of success. And the biggest show of that is when somebody tastes something and they just smile in awe of what what you put in a bottle for them.”
And while the wine is smooth and the hospitality wonderful, “We need a bigger place,” admits Cummings. “And we’ve had a few struggles trying to get that done.”
Dr. Cummings can admit to navigating some bitter realities, Black winemakers are almost non-existent. According to Bloomberg, Black winemakers represent less than one percent of the industry.
When asked if race has been a barrier in his winery’s growth, Cummings responded, “A little bit.”
“It has been a little bit. And when you talk about that, I’m a guy that believes that I can do my best and it’s good enough for anyone to appreciate. And that’s how I approach my medical career. I approach wine the same way.”
And then a stray thought makes him pause and he adds with a wry smile, “Get more push back on the wine, than we have on treating people… so.”
When asked what advice he’d share with other minority entrepreneurs contemplating stepping into a space that perhaps the world suggests they do not belong, Cummings replies, “I’ve heard that so many times. I ignored it because I knew I was good enough. No one’s going to tell you that you’re good if you sit in the shadows. You’ve got to step out there.”
And the Edge of the Lake Crew looks to make even more strides. They’ve got 15 acres planted now and hope to plant as many as 60 of the lake side acres with grape vines. They’re also looking for local support to help make the area a wine destination.
“You think that you can do this and have a little small thing,” shares Cummings, “but it grows just like the vines grow, the industry grows, and the business grows and you’ve got to be able to expand with it or you kind of get squashed.”
He admits to thinking about his grandmother often as he contemplates what he’s built and how much more he’d like to see it grow. “You know, she was a small one, but really had determination. And coming out of her upbringing and slavery, if you will. And she wanted her kids and her grandkids to do something, so she was always pushing us forward.”
And Cummings believes the harvest for the entire industry can be grand.
“Texas wine is having a moment and we need to really grab hold of that and take advantage of it now, not next week, not last, but now.”
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