🌾 Rural Texas Summit 2025: Building Power Where It’s Needed Most
- Carla Schoonover-Porter

- May 13
- 3 min read
Updated: May 25
📅 June 13–14, 2025 | 📍 Bastrop Convention Center Hosted by 134 PAC and CODA
Rural Texas is at a crossroads.
For decades, rural communities across our state have been underrepresented, underfunded, and underestimated. But the truth is, rural Texas is rich with potential—and it’s time we harness that power. That’s why we’re bringing together organizers, elected officials, activists, and everyday Texans for the Rural Texas Summit 2025.
This isn’t just another political event. It’s a call to action.
💡 Why This Summit Matters
Rural Texans face unique challenges—limited access to healthcare, underfunded schools, economic instability, and political isolation. But these challenges also present opportunities: to organize, to collaborate, and to lead.
The Rural Texas Summit is about building coalitions that last. It’s about creating a space where voices from every corner of the state can be heard, where strategies are shared, and where real, grassroots power is built from the ground up.
We believe that when rural communities are connected and empowered, they can shape the future of Texas.
🎤 What You’ll Experience
Saturday
🔹 Engaging Panels on the Issues That Matter Most
Talking with Your Rural Neighbors
Panelists: Jon Mark Hogg, Will Westmoreland
Moderator: Woodrow Wagner Wilson
Women Running in Rural Texas
Panelists: Tanya Lloyd, Theresa Boisseau, Terris Goodwin, Maggie Ellis
Moderator: Laura Jones
Urban and Rural Relationships
Panelists: Pooja Sethi, Ramon Rodriguez Aranda, Carl Jones
Education Vouchers and the Way Out
Panelists: Tracy Fisher, Grandparents for Public Education
Moderator: Nancy Thompson
Agriculture and Why It Matters for Democrats
Panelists: Clayton Tucker, Mike Oldman
Moderator: Judith McQueary
What’s it like to be an elected Democrat in Rural Texas
Panelists: Kendric Jones
Moderator: Thierry Tchenko
Friday panel discussions from 10 am to 3 pm
DEMS101- Unifying Rural Texas
Contest Every Race- Helping Rural Democrats Recruit Candidates.
Blue Horizon -Flood the Zone with Candidates: Run For Everything!
THE 134 PAC & Texas Democratic Party: Organizing in Rural Texas: The Way Forward
Plus, a keynote address from Senator Sarah Eckhart and a powerful closing session on Saturday titled “The Way Forward”
🎉 Friday Night Fundraiser – A Celebration of Rural Leadership
Kick off the summit with an evening of inspiration, music, and community:
Featured Speakers:
Kendall Scudder, New Texas Democratic Party Chairman
Nancy Thompson, Founder of Mothers Against Greg Abbott
Libby Villari as Ann Richards
Live Music by Suzanne Choffel
Silent Auction & Catered Dinner
🎟️ Tickets: $55 (includes dinner and entertainment)
💼 Sponsor or Exhibit
We’re offering sponsorship and vendor opportunities for organizations that want to support rural progress and connect with engaged attendees.
To sponsor and or to reserve a booth follow this link Rural TX Summit Sponsor & Vendor Form - Google Forms Make payment to The 134 PAC — Donate via ActBlue
Be Part of the Movement
This summit is about more than two days in Bastrop. It’s about building a long-term framework for collaboration across East, West, North, and South Texas. It’s about creating regional hubs, sharing resources, and continuing the conversation long after the summit ends.
If you care about the future of rural Texas, this is where you need to be.
👉 To register, follow this link THE 134 PAC Events - 3 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
👉To plan your trip to Bastrop visit Plan Your Trip to Bastrop, TX | Restaurants, Hotels & Events
Let’s come together to build a stronger, more connected, and more powerful Rural Texas!
Together for Rural Texas,
Carla Schoonover
Co-founder, 134 PAC



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