“It's not about age,” Cook said. “It's about coming in with fresh legs and saying, ‘I’m here to help.’ It's about being forward-thinking even as we play defense.”

Chron: Why Houston's Molly Cook is ‘willing to die’ to change Texas politics

Molly Cook has had her fair share of doors slammed in her face. Not metaphorically, but literally. The community organizer and recently elected state senator cut her teeth door-knocking for Beto O'Rourke's Senate campaign, when she said she learned quickly how to metabolize rejection – and to always bring a first-aid kit.

"I was bit on the leg by an 80-pound husky," Cook said, about one wrong step on a stranger's front porch. "I like to think it made me tougher."

Rejection is not something Cook has experienced much recently. On May 4, Cook defeated challenger State Rep. Jarvis Johnson by 20 points to capture Houston Mayor John Whitmire's state senate seat and become Texas' first openly LGBTQ state senator. Although history-making, the win is largely symbolic; Cook's term will finish before the legislature goes into session unless she wins her runoff election on May 28. The morning before her swearing-in ceremony, Cook caught up with Chron to reflect on the years that led up to her win and look ahead to the rematch with Johnson which will determine who takes the seat for the next four years.