PROGRESSIVE VIEWS
Before I begin and, as one of my last acts as Democratic Party Chair, I encourage you to vote in the primary election this coming Tuesday. Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Kendall voters can cast their ballot at any of 11 voting centers. You can find the location of those centers and sample ballots on the Kendall County Elections Office website.
This coming Wednesday, I will step down as Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party (KCDP) after five-plus years in the role. I’m a lifelong writer, so you’ll still hear from me in this space about once a month.
I’m leaving KCDP in very capable hands. Suanne Pyle, who has served as KCDP treasurer for 3½ years, has been elected as KCDP’s new Chair. You’ll hear from her in our next column and periodically thereafter.
I want to celebrate some of KCDP’s accomplishments over the past five years:
• Turned out a record 6,000 Democrats for the November 2024 general election.
• Raised a record $52,000 in 2025.
• Placed three billboards in various Kendall County locations in 2025/ early 2026.
• Continuously maintained a year-round office for five-plus years.
• Hosted Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin (along with Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder) at the KCDP office, with a standingroom only crowd.
• Raised Democratic visibility in Kendall County with participation in protests, Adopt a Highway, community parades, an every- other- week column in the local newspaper, and more.
• Fostered and facilitated an active subgroup in Comfort called the Comfort Area Democrats, Independents and Others.
• Facilitated the creation of a local Indivisible group called Cibolo Creek Indivisible and a local chapter of Young Democrats.
• Represented Kendall County on the national stage with a delegate (me) to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, also fulfilling a personal “bucket list” item.
• Garnered national media coverage for billboards placed along Interstate 10 for the November 2024 election.
• Attracted more than 800 participants to the June 2025 “No Kings” protest in Boerne.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to:
• Our stupendous volunteers
• KCDP’s core leadership team; you all know who you are.
• Kendall County Elections Administrator Staci Decker and her team.
• Kevin Henning (KCDP’s immediate past Chair), for his outstanding mentorship and friendship.
• Suanne Pyle, for stepping into the role of Chair.
• And most of all, to my husband of 43 years, Bruce, for his unwavering support and love. What he does makes what I do/did possible.
It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve as Chair, and deputy chair for a few years prior. Without a doubt, KCDP is the best group of people I’ve ever worked with in my 40-year professional career.
What am I most proud of? Raising the profile of our local Democratic community. When I moved here in 2017, Democrats had been keeping their heads down and voices silent. After the 2016 presidential election, we all knew that was no longer a viable approach.
Under the leadership of Kevin and me, that silence and invisibility no longer exist. KCDP may be small, but we like to say we “punch above our weight.”
I now plan to spend most of my time exploring and nurturing my creativity, working on mixed media collage, photography and completing a long-delayed novel. I’ll also remain active as a Texas Master Naturalist and avid birder.
For more information on KCDP and its activism, subscribe to our newsletter on our website, call our office at 830331-1243, or visit: www. kcdems.us.
Laura Bray is the outgoing Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party
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