On March 5, Texas Democrats will decide which candidate will face US Senator Ted Cruz in the general election. Thierry Tchenko, Democratic Candidate for the United States Senate, is making Rural Texas a central part of his campaign. Tchenko recently released a Rural Bill of Rights.
The Houston native attended McMurry University. He says while in Abilene he was able to gain first-hand experience, seeing rural communities being overlooked, “I realized that even though all of us have similarities, there are some unique issues that rural Texas faces and that rural Texas gets neglected very often. That’s something that stayed with me.”
Tchenko’s Rural Bill of Rights contains 11 basic rights that he believes ought to be afforded to every Texan, including those in rural communities. “We’ve now been to almost 80 counties,” Tchenko told KACU. “And we see that everyday folks in rural Texas, they’re voting for candidates, but then those same candidates aren’t fighting for them. So we released our rural Bill of Rights.”
Tchenko says he developed the list because he believes rural Americans deserve better.
1. Right to own land without the threat of private development taking your property2. Right to accessible healthcare
3. Right to affordable health insurance
4. Right to healthy food
5. Right to broadband and cell phone access
6. Right to protection during national emergencies
7. Right to fair prices
8. Right to fully funded public schools
9. Right to strong leadership
10. Right to farm 11. Right to affordable housing
Tchenko’s focus on serving rural Texans, not just residents of major cities, helped him pick up the endorsement of the largest group in Texas that advocates for rural Democrats.
The 134 PAC hadn’t planned on endorsing any individual candidate in the 2024 primary season until Tchenko’s campaign changed their mind. In a blog post, the PAC said that Tchenko, “has proven his commitment to go everywhere, listen to everyone, and represent all Texans”.
His state-wide campaign has had a particular focus on serving all Texans. For Tchenko, that includes making sure rural communities get their voice heard, “They believe that we’re the first campaign since Ann Richards to actually have a real plan for rural Texas. That’s something that as someone that lived in rural Texas for four years, it means a lot to me to be able to have the endorsement.”
Tchenko is in a crowded field of Democrats hoping to unseat Ted Cruz. A recent Emerson College poll shows that most voters are undecided, but the current frontrunners in fundraising, polling, and endorsements are Colin Allred, Roland Gutierrez, and Carl Sherman Sr.