Gary Chambers

The Don Lemon Bill was approved by the Louisiana House Committee on Criminal Justice with the help of 4 Democrats: Rep. Patricia Moore, Rep. Alonzo Knox, Rep. Roy Daryl Adams, and Rep. Vanessa Caston LeFleur. I told you I would be sharing committee votes so you can see how those you elected are representing you — and so they have the opportunity to hear directly from you about these decisions. We need our legislators to recognize when the law is being weaponized against people seeking justice. This is not the time to be casual about policies that can be used oppressively. Louisiana already has laws for disturbing the peace and battery. We do not need more. And we certainly don’t need Democrats helping pass Republican policies that harm our communities. I also have to say, people protesting isn’t the same as what has been done to Black people in Black churches and we should never compare the two. I hope you will share your thoughts here and contact their offices to let them know we expect them to fight bad policies in committee — not go along to get along. Our state ranks #50, yet we’re focused on expanding disturbing the peace laws. This won’t make us safer, it will help republicans make the process more difficult for those willing to stand up against them. Share if you care 🦾

Yesterday I told you that two Democrats voted in the Louisiana House Transportation Committee to name a bridge after Donald Trump. Rep. Tehmi Chassion reached out to explain his vote and has been clear that on Monday he will vote No on naming a bridge after Trump. I wanted you all to know that Mike Echols appears to be using this issue to score political points with Trump — not to secure funding for the project, but to seek an endorsement. I appreciate that Rep. Chassion acknowledged he should have taken more time to fully verify what he was voting on. He heard the concerns of his district and people across the state loud and clear, and he wants you to know he plans to vote No on Monday. To all Democratic Senators and Representatives: I will be watching how you vote — including members of the Legislative Black Caucus — throughout this entire session. I’m not calling to ask about your vote before informing the public. You are elected officials, and you all should be able to explain to the public every vote you take. The stakes are too high. Share if you care 🦾

Louisiana is attempting to name a new bridge after Donald Trump. I’m not surprised by the antics of conservatives, but when I learned that two Democrats on the committee voted for it, I had to check the record. A member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Rep. Tehmi Chassion, and newly elected Rep. Chasity Martinez (@electchasitymartinez) both voted yes. It’s bad enough that we’re facing a Republican supermajority. Having people on our side voting for distractions like this should let you know we need to pay close attention when the big bills come up. Voters in their districts deserve to know how they are being represented. If you disagree with their votes, they should hear from you. To all Democrats — especially Black Democrats — this is a recommendation: begin each week in your caucus meetings identifying the bills that are unacceptable for any member to support. Otherwise, we will be publicly sharing the votes that harm our communities. It makes all of you look bad that your colleagues take these terrible votes and you stand smiling in pictures together like everything is cool. Some of you re playing connect four while the other side is playing war games. Share if you care 🦾

Pop’s broke his hip January 13th, today March 14th we brought my guy home. My guy is 84, and still looks good even in the midst of all these transitions. My momma is almost 80 and never missed a day with my Dad. I am blessed to be able to witness their love for each other. Thank you to the caretakers at Baton Rouge Health Care Center for getting him on his feet. God is faithful, I am grateful. 🖤🦾

Baton Rouge there is a special election today. You can help steal a seat from Republicans in this low turnout election. Vote for Angela Roberts for State Representative in District 69. I want you to notice how none of our Black Democrat elected officials are pushing to try and steal this seat in a sleeper election. I’m calling them out because people expect more from me than they do from the people you actually elected. They should be actively engaging voters, but they are taking pictures at receptions. So when you see the results of these special elections ask your representatives and senators where were they? The People are being failed in this parish and Black leadership has let this majority Black city and equally split parish be ran by white radicals while you all play politics. Get up and do something for someone other than yourselves. Go vote!

New Orleans there is a special election for Senate District 3, I’m asking you to go vote for @kennbarnes. If you don’t know if you live in Senate District 3 you can look it up on the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website. Senators have a lot of power to make a difference in your lives, they influence millions of dollars, impact laws and policies, and confirm appointments of the governor, so go vote. You have until 8pm today to go vote.

Gas in Baton Rouge just cost me $3.26 — about $1 higher since this war with Iran started. When bombs drop in one of the most oil-rich regions on Earth, prices go up everywhere — including right here at your pump. You are literally funding this with your wallet. Stop thinking politics doesn’t touch your life. Stop believing rich men and TV personalities care about your survival. Stop choosing leadership based on vibes, race, party, or who “talk tough.” In 2024, 43% of registered Black voters in Louisiana did NOT vote, compared to 28% of white voters who stayed home. Now 100% of us are paying the bill for who showed up — and who didn’t. This isn’t because these people can’t be beaten. It’s because we keep walking into fights with half our army missing. Then we act shocked when everybody gets hurt. Groceries up. Gas up. Rent up. Insurance up. Everything up. Elections have consequences whether you participate or not. Sitting out is still a decision — you just handed your power to somebody else. We get another shot in November. If we show up like we did last time, expect more of the same. Anybody telling you elections don’t matter contribute to how we got here. They impact everything. They aren’t the only solution and won’t fix everything but not voting damn sure doesn’t fix anything. It just cost us all in the end. Start getting your people ready for a fight in November if you want a shot at shifting any of this…

I got called out for not speaking on Republicans trying to name a bridge after Trump. I don’t give a shit what they name that bridge. We drive over racist white men every day. But I pull up to a school that used to be named after Robert E. Lee to pick up my daughter every day. I focus on what actually impacts the lives of my people. I also pushed for us to elect Shawn Wilson governor — this would’ve been vetoed on sight. Maybe when folks see how far these people will go, they’ll start listening. And let me be clear: I ran for office more than once. I lost. The people chose the leaders they wanted. I’m not required to show up and fight every battle. Call the elected officials you voted for. I show up. I use my platform to inform people about the issues I believe matter. The name of a bridge they can’t even decide where to put is another distraction — while they work to remove judges in Orleans Parish. Got smoke for me for helping our neighbor is crazy work… That self hate is a cancer.

It’s amazing how the news gives @mayorsidedwards a pass on just about everything — including the recent spikes in violence across Baton Rouge. The mayor brags about tearing down 200 houses, but can’t point to how many jobs his administration has created. The media keeps talking about problems from the past, but won’t press the man currently in office about the problems that persist under his leadership. Anybody else notice how @wbrz, @wafb, @brbizreport, and @theadvocatebr aren’t highlighting this mayor’s failures the way they scrutinized the last one? Murders and shootings are happening in neighborhoods where that wasn’t the norm. He’s been on the job a year with little to show, yet he’s still treated like he has training wheels on — while earning $200,000 a year. He talks about what he’s torn down, not what he’s building. And most of the construction projects you see today? Those were started under the previous administration — the Black mayor’s work. Sid, they might, but I’m not gone let you slide… Share if you care 🦾

Before anything else was added to our identity — religion, politics, class, gender, sexuality — we were Black. And in America, that reality has always shaped how we’re treated. So protecting, preserving, and uplifting Black people isn’t about hating anyone else. It’s about refusing to abandon ourselves. Every other community organizes around its interests. When Black people do the same, it’s called divisive. It’s not divisive. It’s survival. Being pro-Black doesn’t make you anti-white. Watch the full conversation with @attorneycrump on @baldwinandcompany YouTube. Share if you care 🦾🦾

When @stephenasmith asked if he was wrong about Congresswoman Crockett’s approach, I told him I think so. Political primaries are about turning out your tribe. Whatever group your campaign believes is your highest-likelihood voter, that’s who you go after in a primary. Talarico invested in Hispanic radio, bilingual ads, and white liberal turnout in Austin. The data shows exactly how he won. This came down to execution in the largest counties. Jasmine Crockett didn’t need to tone herself down to win. The numbers say he did better at turning out his tribe. He ran up 112,000 votes in Travis County alone out of his 144,000 vote win. Here is what the data also shows. She got 189,000 votes in Harris County where over 1 million Black people live and over 500,000 are eligible voters. In the counties where Black voters showed up she was pulling 80% or better. A 6.9% increase in Black turnout across Harris, Tarrant, and Fort Bend and she wins this primary. The voters were there the turnout wasn’t. In God we trust. Everybody else bring data.

I joined @stephenasmith to talk about the Texas Primary and my belief that investing in Black voters is the missing link. Black voters who show up are the party’s most loyal base — over 80% of Black men and more than 90% of Black women vote Democratic. If you want different outcomes, you have to make different investments. The only place Democrats have flipped Senate seats in the South is Georgia, the third Blackest state in America — where there was a real investment in turning out Black voters. The question isn’t complicated: Why aren’t Democrats investing in the Black vote in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi? Also, primaries are about turning out your bases. The data says that Talarico had the money and time to invest in turning out white and Hispanic voters. To win he will have to do what no other Texas Democrat has been able to do in a general election — invest in Black voters to turnout Black communities.

James Talarico ran up the score in the whitest area of Texas. Meanwhile Harris County — home to a million Black people — only produced 189,000 total Democratic primary votes. Talarico had a strategy to target white and Latino voters and the data shows that’s how he won. Black people have to realize the power we have and maximize it. People don’t want to highlight raw numbers because they cut out the emotion. They paint a clear picture of how we got here. Black communities in the Deep South aren’t being engaged at the level needed to turnout and flip states. That is the core issue with the Democratic Party. If @jamestalarico is going to be successful in the fall he’s going to need to engage Black voters in Texas with the same funding and energy he’s put into Hispanic voters. Beto lost chasing the middle while 900,000 Black voters in Texas stayed home when he ran. I don’t apologize for wanting more Black leadership in America. We elect 80-85 white people to the U.S. Senate every term. I believe if we want something different we have to do something different, we have to send a different type of leader. I’m going live to discuss this further, Black people we have the numbers to shift the landscape. We need a hyper focus on turning our people out. Doing so will increase our power, which unlocks wealth and will benefit the nation as a whole. In God we trust, everybody else bring data! Share if you care 🦾

Harris County, Texas — last call. 42,379 voted Thursday — the highest day yet. Total early voters: 269,000. That means 2.3 million people still haven’t voted. Democrats: 168K Republicans: 101K Dems up 60K. You’ve got until 7PM today to early vote. Election Day is March 3rd. Text 10 people. Go vote. Share if you care. Black people, make the streets talk and move for @jasmineforus.

The Governor of Oklahoma said it clearly: If undocumented workers disappeared, it would “devastate” the economy. But he’s not talking about citizenship. He’s not talking about equal rights. He’s talking about keeping the labor. That’s the pattern in America: Essential to work. Optional for belonging. Black Americans know this history well. Cheap labor is welcome. New citizens? Not so much. A civil war took place for Black people to be free citizens in this nation. Then 100 years of battling their ancestors for full rights as citizens. And you thought assimilating would get it done for you? I hope more of us are turning to the same page in the book now. Share if you care 🦾

225,000 people have early voted in Harris County. Out of 2.6 million registered voters. That means 2.3 million people still haven’t cast a ballot. 140,000 Democrats. 84,000 Republicans. And 31,000 people showed up just yesterday — the highest single day so far. We know how this works. Black voters show up strong in the final days. You have until polls close today, and Friday is the last day of early voting. Governor. U.S. Senate. Lt. Governor. Congress. Statewide offices. Constitutional amendments. If you want a say, you have to show up. I’m doing for @jasmineforus what I wished others had done when I ran, leaning in. Text 10 people. Share if you care.

Harris County, Texas — it’s Wednesday and only 7.4% have voted early. 192,000 out of 2.6 million registered voters. 114K Democrats. 72K Republicans. That leaves 2.4 million who haven’t shown up yet. Thursday and Friday are the last days of early voting before March 3rd. Don’t assume people are locked in. Text the group chat. Make the call. Go vote. I’m asking you to support @jasmineforus the most qualified candidate for U.S. Senate. Only 1 in 10 people have voted. So it’s not just your hood family member, it’s your bougie cousins, aunts, and uncles too. Hit everybody up. Don’t blame anybody else if you can do more! Share if you care.

Primaries are competition. Not coronation ceremonies. I think people forget @jasmineforus and @jamestalarico are in a competition. All these false standards that get put on Black leaders in competitions is absurd. If you can’t withstand scrutiny in a primary, how are you going to survive a general election? Conflict isn’t betrayal. It’s clarification. The goal isn’t to protect feelings. The goal is to send the strongest, most battle-tested person forward. Texas is choosing a U.S. Senator in serious times. Do you want someone polished — or someone proven? Early vote is happening now go vote for @jasmineforus, the most qualified and battle tested candidate in the race. Show up. Share if you care. 🦾

Houston, we have a problem. 423,844 registered voters. 27,166 showed up. That’s 6.4% turnout in a majority-minority district. And y’all writing think pieces? You don’t win elections on Twitter. You win by knocking doors and moving voters. If you’ll pay taxes at brunch, you can show up to decide where the money goes. Early voting is happening now for the U.S. Senate primary to replace Sen. Cornyn — who proudly backed Trump 99% of the time. Black folks and forward-thinking people of all races need to turn out for @jasmineforus if you believe she’s the best candidate. Share if you care, because we should assume everyone knows it’s early voting right now in Texas.

. @attorneycrump and I sat down at @dillarduniversity, hosted by @baldwinandcompany, to talk about his new book Worse Than A Lie. This legal thriller is a strong read, and I encourage you to grab a copy. I told Attorney Crump how much I appreciate seeing Ben Crump the writer. Storytelling helps paint the full picture of our reality in ways headlines never can. It’s always good to be with the people of New Orleans — my second home 🖤🦾 He sold out of books last night, Thank You New Orleans! Black people support this Black man’s book. Pull up and support in your city. He puts in the work and deserves our support.