“The only public polling on the race has shown Cook… atop the field with 18% support.”
“Democrat Molly Cook, an ER nurse and one of six Democrats running to succeed Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate, chats with a potential voter while block-walking in Acres Homes on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.”
Jasper Scherer
“In a nod to her medical background, which she has also emphasized in her campaign ads, Cook said the Senate should look like “a healthy nursing unit,” with a mix of new, midlevel and experienced nurses.
“Experienced nurses can train young nurses,” Cook said. “They also may be a little set in their ways and tend to cut some corners over time.”
She argued that she is well versed in the legislative process too, pointing to a new law she advocated for last year that cracks down on a loophole certain corporations use to secure tax breaks on market-rate apartment units.”
“Democrat Molly Cook, an ER nurse and one of six Democrats running to succeed Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate, chats with a potential voter while block-walking in Acres Homes on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.”
Photo and article by Jasper Scherer
“We could really use a nurse in that seat to bring expertise and experience that’s currently missing.”
Cook is leaning into her background as an emergency room nurse. Her debut ad shows her heading to work in scrubs and bracing for dealing with things like complicated pregnancies under Texas’ abortion ban.
The Texas Tribune: Houston-area Democrats line up in competitive primary to succeed John Whitmire in the Senate
Cook, meanwhile, is leaning into her background as an emergency room nurse. Her debut ad shows her heading to work in scrubs and bracing for dealing with things like complicated pregnancies under Texas’ abortion ban.
“I always tell people that businessmen and lawyers are incredibly important — [but] they’re very well-represented at the Capitol,” Cook said in an interview. “We could really use a nurse in that seat to bring expertise and experience that’s currently missing.”
LGBTQ+ Political Caucus moves to endorse Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse who is also bisexual
Members considered endorsing Litton before ultimately choosing Cook. Speakers mentioned her consistent presence at the capital, her work ethic, and her efforts for the LGBTQ community.
Houston Chronicle: Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus endorses Sheila Jackson Lee for U.S. Rep., Sean Teare for County District Attorney
“Members considered endorsing Litton before ultimately choosing Cook. Speakers mentioned her consistent presence at the capital, her work ethic, and her efforts for the LGBTQ community.”
“If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”
Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, is not new to the race for Senate District 15.
Houston Chronicle: Candidates make their pitch to fill John Whitmire's vacated Texas senate seat after 40-year tenure
Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, is not new to the race for Senate District 15. She challenged Whitmire in the Democratic primary two years ago and lost to the incumbent with a 42% to 58% vote split. The contest marked Whitmire's narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.
She has been at the forefront of several grassroots organizing efforts, including an initiative to halt the massive I-45 expansion project and a successful campaign last year to amplify Houston's influence on a regional planning body.
“You have to show up over and over again for people, be authentic and genuine, and let them know that they can depend on you, and then follow through to build relationships and build cohesion across our district,” Cook said. “If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”
Molly Cook appears on Off the Kuff
“Our next candidate for SD15 is a name that should be familiar to you, Molly Cook. Cook ran in the primary for SD15 against then-Sen. Whitmire and collected 42% of the vote, a strong showing for a first-timer against a veteran incumbent.”
“Our next candidate for SD15 is a name that should be familiar to you, Molly Cook. Cook ran in the primary for SD15 against then-Sen. Whitmire and collected 42% of the vote, a strong showing for a first-timer against a veteran incumbent. Cook was then and still is a nurse, doing emergency and home-health nursing, with a bachelor’s from UT and a master’s in health policy from Johns Hopkins. She has been active in other areas of politics as well, working on the Beto campaign, for Prop B/Fair for Houston, and for Stop TxDOT-I45. You can listen to the interview I did with her for the 2022 primary here, and you can listen to this interview below:”
“You’ve got to be scrappy. You’ve got to build a coalition the right way. You’ve got to do education, and you’ve got to raise money.”
“There are opportunities for bipartisan changes that we can make that will improve the quality of life for Texans, but you’ve got to be creative.”
Houston Landing: How Houston’s recently passed Proposition B can offer a model for increasing voter turnout
“There are opportunities for bipartisan changes that we can make that will improve the quality of life for Texans, but you’ve got to be creative,” said Molly Cook, an organizer for Fair For Houston who previously challenged Mayoral Candidate John Whitmire for his state senate seat in the 2022 Democratic primary. “You’ve got to be scrappy. You’ve got to build a coalition the right way. You’ve got to do education, and you’ve got to raise money.”
“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected.”
The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health.
Houston Chronicle: Like Houston’s population, transportation leaders getting more diverse
"I loved Spring and have many happy memories of climbing trees, jumping with neighbors on our trampoline, swim meets, and riding my bike to the corner store or the pool at the heart of the neighborhood. Other kids my age lived nearby, and I have always enjoyed being a big sister. No family is perfect, but I was content and well-cared for as a child. I reckon everyone in our neighborhood drove. The entrance to our quiet neighborhood was on a very busy Louetta Road. We rode bikes inside the neighborhood, but we basically never left the neighborhood without a car. Dad commuted to work downtown; mom carted us around to various activities and lessons. We relied heavily on our cars. I can remember being 13 and writing in my journal how badly I wanted a license. It represented freedom and independence to me then.
“The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health. But I fell in love with active transportation while walking and biking around the (University of Texas) campus and Austin and traveling to the east coast of the U.S. and western Europe.
“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected. When I am on the train riding from a Rockets game, or when I can smell olive blossoms riding my bike to work, I feel very rooted in my place and my location. That feeling of mindful presence and belonging contributes to longer, healthier lives."
Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again.
Houston Chronicle: Candidate filing underway through Dec. 11 for March 2024 primaries
Houston Chronicle: Candidate filing underway through Dec. 11 for March 2024 primaries
Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again. District 15 could become an open seat if state Sen. John Whitmire wins the Houston mayoral runoff on Dec. 9. Whitmire defeated Cook last year, though the primary challenger took 42% of the vote, giving Whitmire his narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.
“It’ll change me and the way that I fight freeways for the rest of my life.”
America Walks: Freeway Fighters Summit Brings Together a Movement
America Walks: Freeway Fighters Summit Brings Together a Movement
“Connecting and getting to know people and seeing the fights that are going on in other places. It’s more than inspiring,” said Molly Cook of Stop TxDOT I-45 (Houston). “It’ll change me and the way that I fight freeways for the rest of my life.”
— Molly Cook of Stop TxDOT I-45 (Houston)
“A person’s idea really can become a campaign and can be codified to make change.”
Houston Landing: Voters OK props to bolster council’s power and boost Houston on regional board
Houston Landing: Voters OK props to bolster council’s power and boost Houston on regional board
Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston and a candidate for Texas Senate District 15, called Proposition B’s passage a testament to the power of grassroots organizing.
“A person’s idea really can become a campaign and can be codified to make change,” she said.
— Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston and a candidate for Texas Senate District 15
“It took grit, trust, and persistence, and this time we won.”
Houston Chronicle: Houston live election updates: Mayor Turner endorses Sheila Jackson Lee, Chris Hollins in runoffs
Houston Chronicle: Houston live election updates: Mayor Turner endorses Sheila Jackson Lee, Chris Hollins in runoffs
“As organizers fighting for a safer, healthier future for the Houston region, sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose,” Fair for Houston organizer Molly Cook said in a statement released by the grassroots campaign on Wednesday morning. “It took grit, trust, and persistence, and this time we won. I hope everyone watching this campaign unfold for the last year feels more powerful than ever to shape change in their own backyards.”
— Fair for Houston organizer Molly Cook
"It's not every day that Texans get a choice between good Democrats."
Houston Public Media: As John Whitmire bids to become Houston mayor, other local Democrats vie for his Texas Senate seat
Houston Public Media: As John Whitmire bids to become Houston mayor, other local Democrats vie for his Texas Senate seat
“This seat is extremely special,” said Molly Cook, another one of the candidates. “We have a safe Democratic seat that is in the heart of Harris County, and it's open for the first time in 40 years. So Democrats in Texas get to choose the person who represents them and the style that they prefer.”
“It's not every day that Texans get a choice between good Democrats,” Cook added. “I'm really excited about this primary.”
— Former Whitmire opponent Molly Cook
“People choose this neighborhood for walkability and accessibility.”
Houston Landing: Towering utility poles block Montrose sidewalks, blocking ADA access and angering residents
Houston Landing: Towering utility poles block Montrose sidewalks, blocking ADA access and angering residents
“It went up overnight, not an ounce of warning for anyone,” Cook said. “People choose this neighborhood for walkability and accessibility, and it is a slap in the face and it is disrespectful to the neighborhood to destroy a main thoroughfare sidewalk with absolutely no warning, without coming to the community first.”
— activist and Texas State Senate candidate Molly Cook
“I think the way you message around an issue changes hearts and minds.”
Houston Landing: In the Houston mayor’s race, John Whitmire is running on his record. So are his opponents.
Houston Landing: In the Houston mayor’s race, John Whitmire is running on his record. So are his opponents.
“Substance and style are interlinked, I think the way you message around an issue changes hearts and minds, and if the only way you work is behind closed doors, that’s not ideal.”
— progressive primary challenger Molly Cook
Unfair! Suburbs snatching millions from Harris Co
Defender: Unfair! Suburbs snatching millions from Harris Co
Defender: Unfair! Suburbs snatching millions from Harris Co
“These issue-driven campaigns can help engage and galvanize those who might feel disconnected from mainstream politics.”
Houston Chronicle: As Houston turns more blue, the mayoral race gives young progressives an opportunity to shine
Houston Chronicle: As Houston turns more blue, the mayoral race gives young progressives an opportunity to shine
Molly Cook, a Democratic activist running for Whitmire’s state senate seat, agreed that the progressive community's years of groundwork are beginning to yield some results.
Within six months, she says, the campaign gathered over 23,000 signatures to add Proposition B to the November ballot. The ballot measure, if approved, would require Houston to withdraw from any regional planning group without a proportional voting structure based on population size.
Cook said these issue-driven campaigns can help engage and galvanize those who might feel disconnected from mainstream politics.
“It’s difficult to affect electoral dynamics in one cycle,” she said, before adding that this kind of proposition would almost certainly boost turnout.
— Molly Cook, a Democratic activist running for Whitmire’s state senate seat
How we got the Texas Legislature to invest $1 billion in state parks
Environment Texas: How we got the Texas Legislature to invest $1 billion in state parks
Environment Texas: How we got the Texas Legislature to invest $1 billion in state parks
Doug’s lobbyist Justin Keener provided strategic advice and helped Doug maintain a steady drumbeat of communications to key legislators. Houston activists Molly Cook and Michael Moritz worked the Houston delegation to build support.
"Y’all’s success is measured in billions (of dollars) and miles (of road).”
Houston Chronicle: Texas poised for record $85 billion-plus in road construction
Houston Chronicle: Texas poised for record $85 billion-plus in road construction
"Y’all’s success is measured in billions (of dollars) and miles (of road), not in small businesses opened, not in communities healed and not in lives saved.”
— Stop TxDOT organizer Molly Cook
Plan to demolish apartments near Minute Maid Park sparks backlash from Sheila Jackson Lee, activists
Houston Chronicle: Plan to demolish apartments near Minute Maid Park sparks backlash from Sheila Jackson Lee, activists
Houston Chronicle: Plan to demolish apartments near Minute Maid Park sparks backlash from Sheila Jackson Lee, activists
"On Saturday, activists with Stop TxDOT I-45 gathered to photograph community members at the demolition site, and engaged with Astros fans leaving Minute Maid Park about the harmful local impact they say the expansion will have. About 25 passersby took pictures with signs reading “Housing Not Highways” and other slogans."
“Houston is the beating heart of the region.”
Kinder Institute for Urban Research: Highways, flooding and sprawl: How Houston could have a bigger say in the region's future
Kinder Institute for Urban Research: Highways, flooding and sprawl: How Houston could have a bigger say in the region's future
“Houston is the beating heart of the region,” said Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston. “But unfortunately, if you don't have the voting structure, you get outvoted by different interests around the region.”
“If you assume horizontal population growth, and if you assume that every single person who moves the Houston region is going to move with a car … that sort of leads down this path of what the city ends up actually looking like and how much concrete is poured,” Cook said.
— Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston