134 PAC, Democrats 'Rockin' to Save Rural Texas'

The 134 PAC and Panhandle area Democrats are inviting the community to build a strong rural party by "Rockin' to Save Rural Texas." The event will be held 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Grand Plaza inside the Amarillo Civic Center, located at 401 S. Buchanan St.

"Part of why we wanted to do this event is show our presence in Amarillo and show the Democratic presence in the Panhandle in general, and because it's such a red area, that is why we chose Amarillo. We feel like there are great prospects there. ... We invited Beto; we heave a band coming. We will have food; we will have drinks. It's going to be a good time, and the whole thing is a fundraiser for us to benefit rural voting turnout," said Jon Hogg, co-founder of 134 PAC.

The event will include food, drinks, and live music provided by local band Touching Voodoo. The event will also include a silent auction of pieces donated by local artists. Some art pieces that will be included in the auction are jewelry created from the paint of the Cadillac Ranch, a collection sculpted with knives, local landmark paintings and more.

During the event, several Democratic candidates — including Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, congressional candidate Kathleen Brown, Janet Dudding, running for state comptroller, and Susan Hays, running for state agriculture commissioner, along with Amarillo representative Melodie Graves — will speak about the importance of the rural vote to the whole Democratic party and the chances of victory in the November 2022 election.

"We formed a PAC to advocate for and promote Democrats in rural Texas and grow Democratic parties in rural Texas and strengthen them. One of the things that we are doing to ensure that, is we are providing grants to Democratic parties to assist with the vote effort, especially in rural Texas, and the overall building of their parties for the November election and the Democratic ticket, which includes Beto O'Rourke, Mike Collier, Janet Dudding, Susan Hays, Jay Kleberg, Luke Warford, and many others," Hogg said.

During the event, individuals will also have the opportunity to speak with and learn about the Democrats who are running. Individuals will also be able to register to vote if they are not currently registered.

"The reason the event was planned for Amarillo is because there is a lot of rural area in Texas, but every area is different — two hours away, their life is different — and they wanted to represent all of rural Texas, and the best way to do that is be a part of it, so they created this event here as an opportunity to get people from this area involved, organized, and help them find new friendships," said Kat Rosas, event coordinator for Rockin' to Save Rural Texas.

"For people who want change in Texas, especially with recent events, and want to take action but don't know how to get started or involved, this is the perfect introduction and event. Those that are not Democratic but want change, there is a place here for them, too; we want everyone to be included," Rosas said.

All proceeds raised in the event will go toward supporting voting efforts in rural Texas including the Panhandle area, the 134 counties that PAC serves and beyond.

Tickets are available for $13.40 per individual and can be purchased online at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/saveruraltexas.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: 134 PAC 'Rocks to Save Rural Texas,' benefit rural Democratic voting