“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.

We’re coming in fresh, with an honest look at things and a desire to serve.”

Houston Press: Frontrunners Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook Are In A Runoff For Former State Senator John Whitmire's Seat

“The obstacles are going to be nonstop. I have found that the most successful way to fight is to be doggedly persistent. You don’t have to necessarily piss everyone off every time. You just don’t stop,” Cook said. “That is a skill and a personality trait that I have, and I am going to bring with me to the Texas Senate.”

“It’s not just the same old, same old,” Cook said. “It’s fresh work, it’s a fresh perspective. No one is trying to bribe me. We’re coming in fresh, with an honest look at things and a desire to serve.”

“It doesn’t change the fact more lanes mean more traffic.”

Houston Chronicle: Critics of I-45 rebuild plan take protest to EaDo intersection, over and over again

“It doesn’t change the fact more lanes mean more traffic.” “Houston is the beating heart of the entire metropolitan area. Commutes from outlying communities need more creative solutions and people are hungry for public transit.”