Molly Cook wins Democratic primary
HOUSTON - Incumbent Texas Senator Molly Cook has won the Democratic primary for State Senate for District 15.
According to unofficial results, Cook received 50.2% of the vote with 100% of precincts reporting. Her opponent, Jarvis Johnson received 49.8% of the vote.
District 15 was previously represented by the current Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Cook assumed the position after winning the special general election on May 4. Cook will fill John Whitmire's unexpired term.
She will face Joseph L. Trahan, the Republican candidate for Texas State Senate District 15 on Nov. 5, 2024.
“Let’s take a moment to root ourselves in gratitude and bask in our community, and let’s get to work.”
State Sen. Molly Cook narrowly defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson on Tuesday, as the two faced off for the second time this month in the race to secure the Texas Senate seat previously held by Mayor John Whitmire.
The two candidates advanced to a runoff during the Democratic primary in March, eliminating four other contenders. Cook then defeated Johnson, 57% to 43%, in a special election in early May to determine who would finish out the remainder of Whitmire’s term. The victory allowed Cook to represent the deep-blue Senate District 15 through the end of the year.
On Tuesday, Cook triumphed over Johnson again, 50.2% to 49.8%, during the primary runoff. With 18,782 votes cast in the low-turnout election, Cook prevailed by 74 votes. She will now face businessman Joseph Trahan, the sole Republican to enter the race, in November.
Given the district’s history as a Democratic stronghold, Tuesday’s voters have likely determined who would ultimately serve the district for a full four-year term starting next year.
“Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork. We have organized for years, stayed true to our values, and built momentum that extends beyond this election,” Cook said in a statement. “Let’s take a moment to root ourselves in gratitude and bask in our community, and let’s get to work.”
The District 15 seat became vacant for the first time since 1983, after Whitmire left the Legislature to serve as Houston’s mayor in January.
The highly diverse district includes several of Houston’s prominent neighborhoods, including Montrose and the Heights. Its population is composed of 40% Hispanic, 29% white, 22% Black and 9% Asian residents, according to state data based on the U.S. Census.
“Everything went exactly as we expected it to.”
State Sen. Molly Cook narrowly won the Democratic race for the Texas Senate District 15 seat against state Rep. Jarvis Johnson. Tuesday’s primary runoff for Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s former senate seat was a nail-biter, with Cook beating Johnson by 74 votes, according to results released by the Harris County Clerk’s Office.
Cook trailed Johnson by 364 votes before Election Day, based on early voting and ballot-by-mail tallies, but said she and her campaign remained confident during a race in which a total of nearly 18,800 votes were cast. Cook received 50.2% of the vote compared to 49.8% for Johnson, who has represented part of the district while serving since 2017 in the Texas House of Representatives.
“Everything went exactly as we expected it to,” Cook said Wednesday. “We worked really, really hard and we were confident in the turnout on Election Day.”
Johnson, who served on the Houston City Council before being elected to the Texas House, was not ready to concede defeat Wednesday because “the margin in this race is so small.” He also said he wanted to “ensure that each and every ballot is included in the final count,” since some mail-in ballots and provisional ballots can be tallied after Election Day.
“Our goal is not to further delay the official results. We are allowing the behind-the-scenes process to run its course,” Johnson said in a statement. “This exercise could move margins in our favor, or simply present an outcome that may not end favorably for us. We are in ongoing conversations with our legal team and political advisors.”
The Senate District 15 seat representing a portion of Houston was vacated for the first time since 1978 this year when Whitmire was elected as Houston’s mayor.
It was the second election win in a month for Cook, who beat Johnson by a much larger margin of 14 points in a May 4 special election to finish out Whitmire’s current term in the Texas Legislature. Tuesday’s primary was related to a full, four-year term that begins in 2025.
Cook, an emergency room nurse, activist and community organizer who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, must still face Republican Joseph L. Trahan, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election. But the seat is considered safely Democratic.
Cook entered the political arena in 2022, when she challenged Whitmire in the Democratic primary and received about 42% of the vote. Her come-from-behind win Tuesday was an extension of that campaign, she said.
It also came on a day when many Houston-area residents lost electricity during a deadly afternoon storm that resulted in temporary power outages at more than a dozen voting locations. After winning, Cook said she was focused on responding to “the constituents who have again lost power or are still out of power and have needs on the ground.”
“You know, it was another Houston day with a surprising turn of events with the weather,” Cook said. “But we’ve done work over the last two-and-a-half years running for this seat. It culminates on Election Day, but there was quite a bit of foundation and bedrock we were operating from. And we did see pop in the afternoon. People turned out after the storm. There is so much hope and determination in our district and in Harris County, voters found a way to make their voices heard.”
“Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork,”
Texas Tribune: Molly Cook holds on to Houston-based Texas Senate seat in Democratic primary runoff
State Sen. Molly Cook appears to have narrowly defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in the Senate District 15 primary runoff for the second time this month, setting the stage for her to hold on to Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s longtime seat in the upper chamber.
Cook led Johnson by 74 votes, with all precincts reporting according to unofficial results — well within the margin for a recount. The total also does not count late-arriving mail-in ballots.
Cook’s victory marked the second time she has defeated Johnson this month. Cook beat Johnson 57% to 43% on May 4 in a special election triggered when Whitmire resigned to step into the mayor’s office at the start of the year. She was sworn in on May 16 to serve out the term, through the end of the year. Now, Cook will appear on the November ballot for a chance to win a full term representing a diverse cut of Harris County.
Cook declared victory Wednesday afternoon in a statement that called back to her road to the Senate. She first ran for the seat in 2022, when she attempted a primary challenge against Whitmire.
“Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork,” Cook said. “We have organized for years, stayed true to our values, and built momentum that extends beyond this election.”
Johnson has not conceded, citing the outstanding mail-in and provisional ballots. In a statement on Wednesday, he said he was in conversations with his legal and political teams.
“Because the margin in this race is so small, we need to ensure that each and every ballot is included in the final count,” Johnson said. “Our goal is not to further delay the official results, we are allowing the behind-the-scenes process to run its course.”
Cook is the first person other than Whitmire to hold the seat since 1983. She is an emergency room nurse and community organizer who is the first openly LGBTQ+ member to serve in the Texas Senate.
Cook wins Senate District 15 runoff
Dallas Voice: PRIMARY RUNOFFS: Cook wins Senate District 15 runoff
Molly Cook — the bisexual woman who in April became Texas’ first openly-LGBTQ state senator when she won a special election to fill the District 15 Senate seat through the end of this year, on Tuesday, May 28 — won the runoff to become the Democratic nominee for that seat in the November general election.
John Whitmire had represented District 15, which encompasses a portion of the city of Houston, since 1983. He stepped down late last year after winning his bid to become mayor of Houston. Cook then placed second to Jarvis Johnson in the Democratic Primary in March to determine who will hold the seat for the next four-year term, forcing the race into a runoff.
On Tuesday, Cook defeated Jarvis for the second time this month, winning by 74 votes, based on complete but as yet unofficial results. Cook, an emergency room nurse and community organizer, now faces Republican candidate Joseph L. Trahan in the November general election.
Off to the races: Texas Republicans, Democrats set candidates for November election
The field for the November general election in Texas is set after Republicans and Democrats finished nominating their candidates for state offices Tuesday, with some incumbents narrowly defeating intraparty challengers and others falling to their opponents in the primary runoff elections.
A major focus of Tuesday's matchups revolved around Gov. Greg Abbott's successful push to remove Texas House Republican incumbents who last year rejected his signature school vouchers proposal as well as a vigorous challenge by ultra conservatives to oust House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, which ultimately failed.
While some races held wide margins throughout election day, others were neck and neck, including a race for a Texas Senate seat that came down to less than 100 votes and a Republican runoff for a congressional office was decided by less than 10 votes.
Molly Cook wins again, secures Texas Senate District 15
Fresh off a victory in a special election to take the reins of Texas Senate District 15 for the rest of the year, Molly Cook secured her chance to compete for the seat in November for a full term.
Cook, a Houston emergency room nurse, defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, by 74 votes in the Democratic primary runoff, a result that came late overnight after early returns showed Johnson in the lead, according to the final but unofficial election results from the Texas Secretary of State's Office.
Of the 18,782 ballots cast in the runoff election, Cook received 9,428 to win the race by less than half of a percentage point, according to Tuesday's uncertified results.
Earlier this month in a special election to fill the remainder of the term left vacant by Sen. John Whitmire, who represented Houston in the Texas Senate for nearly four decades before being elected mayor of that city last year, Cook defeated Johnson to fill the unexpired term.
After her victory Tuesday, Cook is the favorite to win the seat in November in the heavily Democratic district against Republican challenger Joesph Trahan for a four-year term which will begin in January.
Who did your neighbor vote for in the 2024 Harris County runoff election?
Houston Chronicle: Who did your neighbor vote for in the 2024 Harris County runoff election?
A nail-biter political fight for Mayor John Whitmire's former state Senate seat and a hearty defeat of a four-term Democratic state representative who found herself on the outskirts of her own party — those were two of the highlights in Houston's primary runoff election on Tuesday.
We've compiled the precinct-level results for these two key races: state Senate District 15 (Whitmire's former seat) where state Sen. Molly Cook defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson by a slim 74-vote margin and state House District 146 where union organizer Lauren Ashley Simmons emerged victorious over sitting state Rep. Shawn Thierry by a nearly 2,000-vote margin.
Senate District 15
Voters in state Senate District 15, the district long-helmed by Whitmire, have become pretty used to heading to the polls. Cook and Johnson advanced to a runoff during the Democratic primary in March, knocking out four other contenders. Cook then defeated Johnson by double digit margins in a special election in early May to determine who would finish out the remainder of Whitmire’s term through the end of the year.
In Tuesday's runoff election to determine who would take on Republican Joseph Trahan in November and represent the district after this year, Cook defeated Johnson by less than half of a percentage point.
Election day votes give Molly Cook victory
With all voting centers reporting results in Harris County, unofficial results show Molly Cook victorious in a close race with Jarvis Johnson for Texas Senate District 15.
Johnson, who has served as a state representative for Texas House District for District 139 since 2016, was leading Cook by around 350 votes late May 28, but Cook, a grassroots activist and emergency room nurse, retook the lead as election day votes continued to come in. Cook finished the night with 50.2% of the votes, or 9,428 votes to Johnson's 9,354, a 74-vote margin.
Votes are considered unofficial until they are canvassed, a process by which Harris County election officials make sure all votes are valid and accounted for. Vote totals may change during the canvassing process.
Under Texas law, a candidate may also file a petition for a recount when the margin of victory is less than 10% of the winning candidate's vote totals.
“The election team is great. They were on the ground and helping with water distribution and tree removal.”
Out Smart Magazine: Molly Cook, Texas’ First Out LGBTQ State Senator up for Re-Election on May 28
Sen. Cook was sworn in by Judge Steve Duble at 5:30 p.m. on May 16. Within less than an hour, a rare derecho blew through Houston with torrential rains and straight-line winds up to 100 miles an hour, wreaking havoc on the Heights and downtown, causing power outages to almost one million customers, downing power lines and trees, and causing seven deaths.
“It was a whirlwind first few hours,” Cook says of her first day as a state senator. “Luckily the election team is great. They were on the ground and helping with water distribution and tree removal. And we have the resources now to connect people with state and federal aid.” In fact, Sen. Cook’s team has been seamlessly marrying campaigning with aid work in these days between the May 16 storm and the coming May 28 runoff election.
“I have gratitude for those who have gone before me, like Barbara Jordan” Cook says. “Jordan was the first LGBTQ+ woman in Congress. Particularly when the community is constantly under attack in this state, to be elected from Houston, Harris County, gives me hope. Hope for Houston and for Texas.”
“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.
“I think it’s really important to keep in mind that incremental change and revolutionary change are not mutually exclusive.”
Advocate: Molly Cook, Texas's first out LGBTQ+ state senator, is ready to make change (exclusive)
In a hectic period of both campaigning and getting ready to govern, Cook radiates energy and enthusiasm. She points to her experience as an emergency room nurse and community organizer as reasons voters should support her.
“I bring nursing leadership, and at a time when we need trust in our elected officials more than ever, I think that’s going to be really powerful for the people of Texas … just a trusted, credible voice coming from a nurse to work on all of these policies, but especially the ones that impact our health,” she says.
“I bring grassroots organizing,” she continues. “I have quite a CV at this point of successful organizing work. … I truly believe grassroots organizing is missing from the majority of the fights Democrats care about in Texas.”
“I also bring the experience of being a woman in Texas who’s had an abortion,” Cook adds; she had the procedure in 2014. But the end of Roe v. Wade in 2022 allowed states to ban or severely limit abortion, and Texas now has one of the most restrictive laws of any state. “And I’m telling my story, and it’s very important to share that, and I see how powerfully it resonates with people,” Cook says. “And that’s a perspective that not a lot of people in that chamber are going to have, and I know what’s at stake and how important it is to get those rights back.”
“I stand firmly with public schools and oppose any further privatization.”
Texas Observer: After Special Election Win, Molly Cook Gears Up for Senate Seat Runoff
Last weekend, emergency room nurse and community organizer Molly Cook won a special election for Senate District 15 to serve the remaining seven months of John Whitmire’s term, who became Houston mayor after holding the seat for over 40 years. In a very low-turnout affair with 3 percent of registered voters casting ballots, Cook beat state Representative Jarvis Johnson by 14 percentage points. The win could give her a needed boost as she faces off against Johnson, the frontrunner, in the May 28 runoff for a full four-year term. The Texas Observer met with newly elected Senator Cook to learn about her plans heading to the runoff and her vision for serving Texans.
You trailed Johnson in the March primary, but then led him by 14 percentage points winning this special election to fill Whitmire’s seat. What do you take away as the reason for this gain? How will you use this heading into the May 28 runoff?
“Every race is different. We knew that going from a six-way primary to a head-to-head special election is a completely different dynamic. It’s a huge compliment to my team, my campaign manager, and his strategy and skills that we were able to successfully navigate each one. Our plan has really been to take these races separately and together at the same time, and we’ll take the success and momentum that we’ve built from the last two races and just continue to push it over the edge for the runoff election. And we’re in a really strong position so it’s exciting to just get to hammer home the message and continue knocking on doors and making phone calls.”
You come from a grassroots organizing effort, having spearheaded several efforts, including challenging the harmful environmental and community displacement from TxDOT’s I-45 expansion project. How has this figured into how you’ve run your campaign?
“My organizing background is the reason that a bedside emergency room nurse who does not necessarily have the typical resume was able to break onto the political scene and move into the electoral space with success in a brief period of time. When I filed to run for office, I filed with a volunteer base that showed up for me because I had spent years already showing up for them, earning their trust, and demonstrating my values, my commitment to public health and public safety. So when it was time for me to turn around and say, “Hey, can I have your vote? Would you be willing to knock on doors? Would you be willing to pull some hours to try to make this happen?”, people really stepped up and made it happen. I think that that is the reason that I’m sitting in this seat here today.”
And how will this figure into how you serve Senate District 15?
“I’ve been thinking about this concept of co-governance for a long time. It’s really about not viewing myself as separate and away from people, but rather very much a piece of a puzzle for the kind of organizing that we need to see in our state to move the needle on issues, and also eventually to flip these statewide seats, which are which is going to be the key to expanding Medicaid, protecting public education, getting multimodal transportation, getting back the rights to abortion, getting safer gun laws, whatever it is. We have to change the leadership of our state. And organizing is going to be the key to that and having an organizer in that seat is what’s going to I think catalyze those efforts and make it all the more possible.”
You are an emergency room nurse with a master’s degree in public health. Tell me more about your public health priorities.
“I had a procedural abortion in 2014, and it was tremendously difficult and it just shouldn’t have been. It stigmatized my need for care and denied me the dignity that I deserved as an adult person making the right choice for myself and seeking health care. There were only eight clinics open at that time, and I am just shocked and saddened to my core every single day that I now count myself lucky that it was legal and safe. And I’m going to do whatever it takes with my fellow Texans to restore those rights for us again.
“I stand with every single Texan, who has felt the sting of poor health care policy, poor abortion policy, who does not have access to the care that they need to be themselves and live their fullest and best life. And I want people to know that they’ve got a nurse in that chamber who has had an abortion, and who is going to fight tooth and nail for common sense healthcare policies for all Texans.”
As Democrats, it seems like Johnson’s values and your values mostly align. What would you say the differences are?
“Even when there were six of us in the race, I said a lot of us are going to have the same ideas or vote the same way. I told voters they were voting on who they wanted in that seat and how they wanted them to work. And I do see our work styles as being quite different. My opponent has said a few things on the record that, in my opinion, diminish the value and importance of organizing. I think it’s very important that regular people have access to the Capitol, and that leadership and legislators do everything that they can to make that a reality—to bring the Capitol to their doorstep and also to bring the people to the Capitol.
“I don’t think this is just negotiations behind closed doors between elected officials. I think this is an opportunity to shift power to the people and make real and lasting change in the structures of our government and in the policies that are being written.”
Johnson has said that negotiating with hardline Republicans is “strategic to get things done.” What would be your approach in dealing with what seems like will be an even more extreme right-wing bloc in the state Senate next year?
“Sometimes it’s going to require us to dig our heels in and die on that hill. Sometimes it’s going to require compromise. If we have to make a compromise on a bill. The first call should be to the person who asked me to file that bill, to say, “Hey, this is going to be the strategy and here’s why.” And to give a heads-up to advocates acting outside the Capitol. I’ve been on that side for several years and I know how important it is to be able to trust the person who’s championing your bill and discuss the strategy with them so we’re working together in co-governance. I’m really committed to that vision.”
Johnson has accused you of “buying this seat” with outside money from the PAC Leaders We Deserve, started by gun reform activist David Hogg to support young progressive leaders. How do you respond to this?
“I am really proud to have run four campaigns in the last three years in Houston, Harris County, three of which have resulted in success. I lost my 2022 race to an incumbent of 50 years with $12 million and had an impressive margin and was able to build on that success to then run a successful charter campaign which passed the city with 65 percent of the vote to make it into the runoff for this race out of the primary and then to win the special. I work extremely hard. And it turns out I fundraise really well, too. It’s important we also had the lowest average donation in the primary and we also had the lowest average donation in the special.”
Johnson has taken money from Charter Schools Now, a PAC funded by the Walton family, and the conservative Texans for Lawsuit Reform donors. What is your position on charters and vouchers, which will be a big issue again next legislative session?
“As a nurse, I know what the privatization of healthcare has done to the health and safety of this nation. And we have to do everything we can to protect and restore fully funded public education, to take care of our teachers, students, and our support staff. I am totally against vouchers. I am willing to accept that in Texas right now, there is nuance around the conversation that charter schools are meeting the needs of some communities who need it. But ultimately, public education is a constitutional mandate and it is the only type of school that meets the needs of our most vulnerable students. So I stand firmly with public schools and oppose any further privatization. Also, I will not be taking money that is associated with anyone who is trying to dismantle public education, criminalize abortion, and basically reshape and corrupt the political landscape of the state that I call home.”
Texas voters elect first LGBTQ+ state senator — Who is Molly Cook?
The Latin Times: Texas voters elect first LGBTQ+ state senator — Who is Molly Cook?
Emergency room nurse Molly Cook will make history as Texas' first openly LGBTQ+ state senator after winning a special election to occupy the post during the remaining months of recently elected Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Cook, a Democrat, got 57% of the vote, beating state Rep. Jarvis Johnson for the seat, according to The Texas Tribune.
A sixth-generation Texan born and raised in the Houston area who came out as bisexual in 2021, Cook has said her regular contact with emergency room patients, including many women with pregnancy complications, as well as her grassroots activism background, would bring a fresh-eyed perspective to the Texas Senate.
This view has the potential to create significant change within the upper chamber, the Texas LGBTQ+ community has said. "The Senate is where our community faces the most hostility and desperately needs representation," emphasized an editorial in Out Smart Magazine.
…
This is the first time Senate District 15, encompassing pivotal Houston neighborhoods known for their liberal leaning, is represented by someone other than Whitmire, who held the seat since 1983.
However, she has secured only the temporary position until the year's end, coinciding with the conclusion of Whitmire's term. She will contend against Johnson once more in a highly anticipated Democratic primary runoff on May 28th, deciding who will get a full term commencing January 2025.
Texas Elects First Out LGBTQ State Senator
The Randy Report: Texas Elects 1st Out LGBTQ State Senator
History was made in Texas as ER nurse and community organizer Molly Cook became the Lone Star state’s first elected out LGBTQ state senator.
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Cook, who identifies as bisexual, won the special election against state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D) by 57% to 43%. Both candidates had similar platforms supporting LGBTQ rights, funding for public schools, and reproductive rights.
Cook will finish out Whitmire’s term, which ends in January. This means she is also currently running for the next full term and faces the same opponent—state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D)—in a Democratic primary runoff on May 28.
Cook was endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve.
“My campaign is prepared to knock on every door, talk to every voter, and reach every corner of District 15,”
LGBTQ Nation: Molly Cook just became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the Texas Senate
Voters have made history by electing emergency room nurse and community organizer Molly Cook as Texas’s first out LGBTQ+ state senator. The Democrat’s victory was the result of a special election to fill the seat of John Whitmire (D), who is now Houston’s mayor.
Cook, who is bisexual, will finish out Whitmire’s term, which ends in January. She is also currently running for the next full term and faces the same opponent – state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D) – in a Democratic primary runoff on May 28.
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Cook has a Master’s in Public Health and has organized for better transportation infrastructure in Houston. She also volunteered 40 hours per week for the Beto for Texas campaign while also working full-time in home-health nursing.
She called her victory “the honor of my life” and acknowledged that the work is far from offer with the May 28th primary runoff approaching.
“My campaign is prepared to knock on every door, talk to every voter, and reach every corner of District 15,” she said.
Part of Cook’s campaign is centered around the argument that bad laws in Texas directly affects the patients she sees every day in the ER. “I am sick of seeing my patients suffer preventable harm as a direct result of bad policy,” she wrote on X. “Help us send a nurse to the Texas Senate. We don’t have any more time to wait.”
The post was accompanied by a campaign video sharing examples of how policy has affected her work. “Will today be the day we’re racing to save her after a miscarriage?” Cook asks, referencing the state’s strict abortion ban.
Will it be the day we are “repairing the damage of a gunshot wound?” she asks, sharing a headline about the rise in gun violence in Houston.
Or will it be the day we’re “keeping neighbors alive after the power goes out?” she asked, sharing a headline about hundreds of Texans dying from cold and power loss.
“I am grateful to live my life in service to the health & safety of my neighbors.”
them: Molly Cook Just Became Texas’ First Out LGBTQ+ State Senator
Texas voters elected nurse and community organizer Molly Cook to the state Senate in a special election this weekend, marking the first time an openly LGBTQ+ Texan has held a seat in the upper chamber.
Cook, who is bisexual, wrote that she is “joyfully indebted” to her campaign staff and volunteers in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
“We are not missing a beat or taking anything for granted,” Cook wrote. “I am grateful to live my life in service to the health & safety of my neighbors.”
During the campaign, Cook has so far attacked Johnson on his connections to conservative “dark money” and votes in favor of Republican bills. Johnson has called Cook’s criticisms “mind-boggling and baffling,” and asserted Cook does not have enough political experience to lead. Though Cook beat Johnson by a roughly 14-point margin, Johnson has claimed the results were warped by low voter turnout, according to local outlet Houston Landing.
Though her official platform is light on specific policy recommendations, Cook has expressed strong support for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms generally, noting that trans Texans are “in the cross hairs of hateful policymaking” and at a heightened risk for violence. She has previously opposed Abbott’s policies against gender-affirming care, and testified against a bill last year that would have banned research into juvenile sexual behavior.
“The district has placed a lot of trust in us, but that means they also trust me to go out and win on May 28.”
In an interview Monday, Cook credited her success to her campaign staff’s efforts to remind voters of the Saturday election.
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Cook, for her part, said she intends to continue the strategy that delivered Saturday’s victory and the title of senator-elect, striking a tone as the new frontrunner in declining to respond to Johnson’s comments.
“We are not taking a single thing for granted,” Cook said. “The district has placed a lot of trust in us, but that means they also trust me to go out and win on May 28.”
The win may give Cook a small boost in fundraising and enthusiasm among her supporters, although it is unlikely to have a large impact on the runoff, said Michael Adams, a professor of public affairs at Texas Southern University.
Molly Cook has made history as the first out LGBTQ+ state senator in Texas
Advocate: Texas voters make history electing first LGBTQ+ state senator
Molly Cook has made history as the first out LGBTQ+ state senator in Texas following her victory in a special election to replace John Whitmire, who resigned to become the mayor of Houston. An emergency room nurse, Cook won the election with 57 percent of the votes, defeating Democratic State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, who collected 43 percent, TheTexas Tribune reports.
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According to the Houston Chronicle, Cook’s campaign strategy involved intensive voter engagement and was marked by solid fundraising efforts, particularly after the March primary, when she finished second to Johnson. Cook emphasized her deep roots in community service and her professional experience dealing with public health crises, which she argued brought a critical perspective to the legislative process.
Both candidates advocate for progressive platforms, supporting abortion rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and increased funding for public schools. However, Cook has positioned herself slightly to the left of Johnson, particularly highlighting her stance on local issues and her grassroots campaign approach.
Cook’s victory is not just a win for her legislative agenda but a significant milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Texas. Her election, as the first out LGBTQ+ member of the Texas Senate, marks a turning point in the state.
Texas now has its first openly LGBTQ state senator, thanks to Molly Cook’s victory
Dallas Voice: Cook wins special election, becomes Texas’ 1st LGBTQ state senator
Texas now has its first openly LGBTQ state senator, thanks to Molly Cook’s victory Saturday in a special election to fill the seat left empty when John Whitmire stepped down from the Senate after winning last year’s Houston mayoral election.
Cook, a registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health policy from Johns Hopkins University, has earned the seat through the end of the year with her 57 percent-to-43 percent win in Saturday’s special election. She now faces Jarvis Johnson, a Democratic state representative, in a Democratic Primary runoff to see who will hold the senate seat in the 2025-2026 legislative session.
Molly Cook beats state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in special election
mergency room nurse Molly Cook will serve out the remaining months of John Whitmire’s term in the Texas Senate after defeating state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in a special election Saturday, according to unofficial returns.
With all precincts reporting, Cook led with 57% to Johnson’s 43%. She declared victory in a statement shortly after 10 p.m.
The win means Cook will represent Senate District 15 through the end of the year, making her the first person other than Whitmire to hold the seat since 1983. The post has been vacant since January, when Whitmire resigned to be sworn in as Houston mayor.
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Cook, who came out as bisexual in 2021, will be the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve in the upper chamber, her campaign noted in a press release.
Cook, a community organizer who challenged Whitmire for the Senate seat in 2022, said it was “the honor of my life that the people of District 15 have chosen me as their next State Senator.”
“With the May 28th runoff election fast approaching, our work continues,” Cook said. “As we’ve done twice already, my campaign is prepared to knock on every door, talk to every voter, and reach every corner of District 15.”
Cook outraised and outspent Johnson since the March contest, giving her a financial edge she did not have in the first round when she trailed Johnson. The candidates were also battling for a different — and much smaller — slice of the electorate on Saturday: The special election is open to all voters like a general election, and an anemic 3% of registered voters turned out.