State Rep. Terry Meza
It’s been several weeks since Dallas Voice published its article announcing Mike Hendrix’s campaign for House District 105, but I still find myself coming back to it. Not because it was powerful, but because it was deeply disappointing.
As someone who has relied on Dallas Voice for nearly all of my adult life, I’ve always trusted this publication to offer informed, community-grounded coverage, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues, allies and values. That’s why the tone and framing of this article were so difficult to read.
The piece didn’t just introduce a candidate. It lifted up one voice while all but erasing another. It overlooked the years of leadership and public service of state Rep.Terry Meza, a Latina Democrat who flipped her district, held it through tough election cycles and has built a record that reflects the very values this publication has long stood for.
Terry Meza has fought for public education, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality and working families. Oddly, the Dallas Voice failed to note two bills to stop conversion therapy from being practiced in Texas despite its coverage “Meza files additional anti-conversion therapy bills” on March 11, 2021.
Rep Meza’s work has supported foster youth, expanded protections in jails and helped raise wages for underpaid Medicaid attendants. She’s earned the trust of labor unions, Stonewall Democrats, Texas Equity PAC and education and civil rights advocates across the state every election cycle. And she’s earned it more than once.
That kind of steady, values-based service deserved to be front and center in the Voice’s coverage. Instead, the focus was on a challenger who only recently moved into the district after frequent moves back and forth from Dallas, Austin and Florida, and who launched his campaign while the Democratic caucus was bracing for a potential special session and quorum break.
That timing alone raised concerns.
What has been even more troubling is what we’ve learned since. It has been publicly confirmed that Cathedral of Hope is now investigating the reported use of church member and donor data to help launch that campaign. For many of us who have long respected that church and considered it a beacon of justice and inclusion, that news has been deeply upsetting.
Even more concerning is the way the Rev. Neil Thomas’s title has been used in campaign communications.
Whether intentional or not, the line between his official pasto-ral role and his personal involvement in the campaign has been blurred. That kind of blurring is not neutral.
When church infrastructure and pastoral authority appear to align with a political campaign, especially one targeting a woman of color who has been a longtime ally, it causes real harm.
And this cannot be brushed aside with a vague apology. When someone with institutional power helps fuel a campaign that pushes aside a leader who has spent her life standing with the marginalized, it demands more than a private message or a half-step clarification.
It was also incredibly sad that the Voice failed to even mention that Hendrix’s earlier work in the Texas Legislature was for far-right Republicans. The article continues to mislead readers by suggesting he worked for Democrats at age 22, when articles, videos (including “Mike Hendrix Street Team for Newt”), and business activities tied to Red Digital Media confirm this is simply not true.
Hendrix also led digital, outreach and street team efforts for Newt Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign. This fact, well-documented in Slate’s Feb. 1, 2012, article “How Newt Lost,” was notably absent from the Voice’s coverage. The Voice article was in support of a candidate who led efforts against President Obama’s second term, which is just bizarre. Instead, the publication has ignored it.
Terry Meza has never needed a spotlight. She’s never chased headlines. She has simply done the work.
And now, because she is not loud or new or flashy, some want to tell us she’s no longer effective.
That is not just untrue, it is offensive to those of us who know the difference between ambition and public service.
To the editors of Dallas Voice, I write this with respect and with care. I have counted on your publication for decades. It’s been my routine every Friday to pick up a paper copy of the Voice. I know your legacy.
But this time, you missed the mark. I hope you will take another look, because Terry Meza deserves better. And so do your readers like me.
Jeff Strater is a Democratic National Committeeman from Texas.
👀
I have known Representative Meza for many years, dating back to the 80s when we served together on the Fort Worth Chapter of the ACLU. She was a champion of civil rights then, and has continued to be an ally ever since.
I’m increasingly concerned by how certain political campaigns lean on manipulative and divisive behavior patterns that resemble those often discussed in the context of toxic leadership. These tactics are too often reframed by the political establishment as “necessary” or “normal.” Over time, MAGA politics has helped normalize this style, and now I see elements of the Democratic side increasingly adopting similar approaches in a reactive, tit-for-tat manner.
Dallas Voice needs to cover the scandal of Hendrix how Hendrix obtained CoH member and donor data along with how Neil allowed or aided. To just sweep this under the rug would be neglect by the Voice and its long history of holding leaders to account. The entire Hendrix story is rife with lies, drugs, delusion, burned bridges, just being a horrible human being and a Republican. The fact that the senior pastor of CoH was taken in by this and that CoH is now investigating itself is gross. DO YOUR JOB! The Hendrix article you did obviously didn’t investigate. It takes 5 minutes of asking people in Dallas or Wilton Manners to uncover a real yucky pile of crap all tied to the con artist.
I’ve been doing politics for 70+ years, mostly in Dallas County. I’ve seen a lot. One thing I know for sure, young ones (like I was once) do not want to wait for their turn to win public office. The second thing I’ve learned is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. These two axioms cause tension. However, when a tried and true advocate for everything we who believe in civil rights work and contribute to support, it should be a basic duty to invest a little time in finding out the history of a potential candidate, especially if most in the front lines have never heard of anything positive that person did to support the democratic battle to save those rights and, especially now, to save our entire democratic way of government. I’m aware that sometimes people do sometimes “convert” and change their minds. I have also changed my mind on issues. However, if someone is running against an incumbent who says, believes, works and is effective in her support of everyone’s rights and of our constitution, the least a contender can do is tell the story of their background with a party that believes in none of these things. It is insulting to assume that voters aren’t entitled to an explanation and some kind of evidence that this is anything more than some young one who just doesn’t want to wait and/or knows they will not win the support of their original affiliated political party. Yes, Virginia, there are some Democrats who “dance with them that brung ’em.” There are plenty of other opportunities to do public service on behalf of democrats who are trying desperately to assure that we will even have elections after the 2026 General. Instead of opposing Terri Meza in the Democratic Primary, Mr. Hendrix should get some significant perks first within the establishment actually doing some work either for a solid Democratic candidate or the party itself. There are still opportunities within Dallas County, some of them are even non-partisan, who do not have good representation. Pick one of those if not now, in the future. Leave Representative Meza alone.