Grassroots Women : A Memoir of the Texas Republican Party

“Okay, girls, let’s go save the country,” was Gwen Pharo’s rallying call as she and thousands of ordinary women fought to bring two-party politics to Texas. As the 1950s began, an entrenched and complacent Democratic Party ruled the state, as it had since Reconstruction, without a Republican in sight. By 1998, Republicans occupied every statewide office, with a governor poised to be president of the United States.
This remarkable transformation was the result of the hard work and commitment of women from all corners of Texas—women who believed in the necessity of choice and political competition for responsible and responsive government.
Nearly 250 women, speaking for thousands of others who worked by their sides, relive the ups and downs of this historic political movement in Grassroots Women. From the precinct conventions and county organizations to the state committee and up to the national arena—as committeewomen, chairwomen, fundraisers, campaign managers and workers, candidates, staff members, and elected officials—their participation in politics and public service gives us a selfless, uncynical model of the power of grassroots organization, volunteerism, and faith in democracy., ISBN13: 9780970496607 ISBN10: 0970496605 Material Type: hardcover