- James Talarico is among the Texas Democrats who are benefiting from expenditures made by a group that wants to abolish police and prisons
- Mijente PAC and the Working Families Party are among the groups with anti-police views that have engaged in Texas elections this year
- The groups have received funding from a California heiress who is an advocate for prison and police abolition and PACs with financial ties to George Soros
An Arizona-based organization that seeks to dismantle the criminal justice system by abolishing police and prisons is among the anti-police groups that are engaging in Texas elections, throwing their support behind James Talarico and other Democrats.
The political arm of Mijente, which describes itself as a “vehicle for building independent Latinx political power”, filed an independent expenditure report with the Federal Election Commission last week showing it had spent $112,000 to benefit Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and TX-09 Congressional Candidate Leticia Gutierrez.
On its website, Mijente voices its opposition to the criminal justice system, which it decries as “punishment culture.”
“It’s clear that safety and transformative justice do not exist within our policing systems nor the prison-industrial complex,” the group states.
Mijente has also voiced anti-police views on social media.
“Policing in all its forms is violent and racist,” the group wrote in a 2021 Facebook post. “Justice will only truly be served for communities of color when an institution that has caused irreparable, generational harm is abolished.”
In another post, Mijente echoed calls to abolish the criminal justice system.
“Any argument for the abolition of ICE can—and must—be extended to police, prisons, and the larger criminal justice system. All were founded for the purpose of protecting the wealth and economic interests of the elite, not the safety of the masses,” read the post.
Mijente also opposes the enforcement of immigration laws and has called for the repeal of laws governing unlawful entry into the United States.
The Working Families Party – an organization which also advocates for defunding law enforcement – recently announced its endorsement of a slate of Democrats running for office in Texas.
The Texas Democrats endorsed by the Working Families Party include:
- Alisa Simmons – Tarrant County Judge
- Tiffany Burks – Tarrant County District Attorney
- Keenen Colbert – Texas Senate 2
- Shannon Dicely – Texas Senate 11
- Erica Gillum – Texas Senate District 18
- Riley Rodriguez – Texas Senate 28
- Holly Taylor – Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9
- Julio Salinas – Texas House 41
- Dawn Richardson – Texas House 54
- Brittany Black – Texas House 61
- Detrick DeBurr – Texas House 65
- Katie O’Brien Duzan – Texas House 94
- Josh Wallenstein – Texas House 133
- Odus Evbagharu – Texas House 135
- Celina Vasquez – Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2
- Nathan Smith – Tarrant County District Clerk
- Grandison Porter – Brazoria County District Clerk
In 2020, the Working Families Party announced the creation of the “WFP Justice Fund” to support candidates who oppose law enforcement.
“We need elected officials who stand on the side of freedom — who will shift funding from police to our community priorities. And when they take those stands, the WFP Justice Fund will be there to have their backs. The WFP Justice Fund will support candidates who: Take bold stands to move resources from policing to real community safety, refuse or return money from law enforcement, and are committed to fighting for racial and economic justice,” the announcement said.
The Working Families Party’s “People’s Charter” also expresses support for defunding police and prisons.
In a plank entitled “Repair Historic Harms and End Systemic Racism,” the Working Families Party expresses its desire to “Shift resources away from policing, jails and detention centers, endless wars and agencies that separate families. Shift resources into schools, housing, healthcare and jobs, to enable all people – especially Black and brown people, immigrants, and Indigenous people – to thrive.”
The Working Families Party has a history of supporting candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
The Mijente PAC and the Working Families Party share some of the same far-left funding sources. Rachel Gelman, a California heiress who is an advocate for the abolition of police and prisons, donated $250,000 to the Working Families Party last year and $100,000 to Mijente PAC in 2024. Organizations with funding ties to Democratic megadonor George Soros have also donated to Mijente PAC and the Working Families Party.
