On Monday night, Republicans from all across Texas packed the Sherman Municipal building for Texas State Representative Shelley Luther’s Red River Roll Call, a large rally aimed at energizing voters ahead of the November general election. The Kidd-Key Auditorium filled with almost 1,200 supporters as the lineup included many Republican officials who had rarely been seen together for a state representative’s local event.
Speakers included Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, U.S. Representatives Pat Fallon and Brandon Gill, Attorney General nominee Mayes Middleton, Railroad Commissioner nominee Bo French, and others. Texas Attorney General and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Ken Paxton also addressed the crowd.
Throughout the evening, speakers gathered around the topic of unity in hopes of keeping conservatives across Texas engaged and ready to vote in the upcoming election. Many speakers echoed the proposed spending the Democratic Party of Texas is going to spend and said that the road leading up to November will be expensive and is crucial for the direction of Texas.
Governor Abbott praised Shelley Luther’s work for her constituents and highlighted the support she had on legislation focused on foreign land ownership, election integrity, border security,and property tax. He also addressed local concerns about data centers in rural areas, outlined the proposed guardrails, and emphasized the desire to lower appraisal caps with the eventual elimination of property taxes on homesteads. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick stressed the importance of rural Texans coming out to vote and pointed to the dangers of Texas turning blue. Multiple speakers focused on the U.S. Senate race, pinning it as central to the November ballot.
Luther, a first-term representative for House District 62 covering Grayson and surrounding counties with cities like Sherman and Denison, organized the rally as a get-out-the-vote effort. The former salon owner gained national attention in 2020 after being arrested and placed in jail for reopening her salon business during the COVID-19 shutdowns. She has since built an influence in the Legislature and framed the event around Republican unity after past differences with some leaders on stage.
The Red River Roll Call united many elected officials to maximize turnout in Republican strongholds like Grayson County ahead of the November 3 general election. Speakers repeatedly stressed the importance of strong participation up and down the ballot, which would be essential to retaining statewide officials and keeping Texas red.