The progeny of two west Texas farming and ranching families, entrepreneur Liz Lambert and former politician Wendy Davis have long shared a big love of their state; now they share a fight to ensure its future embraces all Texans.
Words by Liz Lambert & Wendy Davis
October 25, 2022
We are daughters of Texas. Both of us have histories here that trace back generations, in the hardscrabble soil of west Texas. Liz hails from a family of ranchers who settled near Odessa in the early 1900s, while Wendy’s grandparents settled in Muleshoe as tenant farmers and raised her mother, one of 14 children, there.
For us, the Texas we came of age in was one that felt grounded in the promise of hope. We both became lawyers. Wendy became the first in her family to go to college, eventually graduating from Harvard Law School with honors. Afterward, she was elected a Texas senator and ran for governor of the state in 2014. Liz grew up gay in conservative west Texas and is now married, with a son named Lyndon. She worked as a lawyer in the district attorney’s office in New York and the attorney general's office in Texas before embarking on a creative career as a hotelier, starting renowned properties like the Hotel San José in Austin and El Cosmico in Marfa. As young, ambitious people, we were told that hard work would be met with opportunity — that our generation could realize its potential beyond anything our ancestors could have dreamed. We were both lucky to be raised in families that valued and supported us regardless of where we fell in the spectrum of expectation and tradition. Familial trust and an innate commitment to love, one bigger than politics, defined who we are today and informed our understanding of what it means to be Texans, Southerners, women, and people.
In that same spirit, we now find ourselves at a moment that asks us to fight for this same acceptance and freedom for all Texans, especially the next generation. It is one of those profound times in history that require us to conjure our deepest convictions and clear a trail in a complicated world. It is also a moment we share with the entire South, where decisions up and down the ballot will decide what kind of future we want for this region, and ultimately the country.
And in many states across the South, including Texas, partisan gerrymandering and low voter turnout have given a small minority unfair power in electing officials. For example, here, in 2014, only 20% of registered voters elected current Governor Greg Abbott, and he was reelected with less than 30% of the vote. Wendy ran against Abbott in that 2014 race and knows firsthand the challenges of running against an opponent with an outsize advantage.
Liz Lambert sits inside Joann’s Fine Foods at the Austin Motel on South Congress Avenue. Photo by Nick Simonite.
We love our state. We’re saddened, frustrated, and angry that a small percentage of people have co-opted its identity, values, and promise of a better life in order to advance an agenda of hatred under the guise of “religious values.”
Today, Texas has become a place where public schools remain drastically underfunded and students fear for their safety; where women cannot govern decisions over their own bodies; and where the rights of our LGBTQ community are regularly threatened. Transgender children are denied the gender-affirming healthcare they need, and their parents could face charges of child abuse if they attempt to provide them with that care. Democracy itself is under attack as more voter suppression laws and assaults on local elections officials assure a continued hold on power for a few who don’t speak for all.
Texas has long championed liberty, autonomy, and individualism — at least for white men. This is our time to translate these values to all people. No matter where we fall politically, we are a greater society when we respect the right and responsibility of each individual to determine their own future. We stand alongside our fellow Southerners in spreading this ideal across the region.
Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis represented the 10th District, which includes the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She ran for governor in 2014. Photo by Cristina Fisher.
Voting isn’t the only answer to the challenges we face, but it is the critical first step. Democracy has always been imperfect, and for many of us, our faith in government has waned. But we can’t let that stop us. Hope demands action in return for the promise of Texas, and we’re ready.
This fall, we’re proud to be supporting progressive candidates here, including: Beto O’Rourke, who is running for governor alongside Mike Collier for lieutenant governor, with an inclusive platform built on safe, top-notch schools, practical gun regulations, and accessible healthcare; attorney general candidate and fronteriza Rochelle Garza, who knows women can make their own healthcare decisions and that immigration solutions require compassion; and Luke Warford, who will keep our power grid secure and reliable. We know that there are Betos, Mikes, Rochelles, and Lukes on the ballot in your state, too, and we hope that you are just as energized to elect them.
We’re proud to live in a state with such a long history of strong women at the front lines of justice, from fierce former governors like Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson and Ann Richards to the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan. One of the greats among so many of these trailblazers, political journalist Molly Ivins, said it best: “Raise hell — big time. I want y’all to get out there and raise hell about damned near everything. My word, there’s a world out there that needs fixing. Get out there and get after it.”
Liz Lambert is a partner at Lambert McGuire Design and founder of Bunkhouse Group. A celebrated hotelier and designer who has created some of the country’s most interesting lifestyle hotels, Lambert’s creations include Hotel San José, Hotel Saint Cecilia, and Austin Motel in Austin; El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas; Hotel San Cristóbal in Todos Santos, BCS; and Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans, as well as numerous food and beverage and retail endeavors.
Wendy Davis is a former Texas state senator and was the Democratic nominee for Texas governor in 2014. After founding Deeds Not Words in 2015, she went on to found DefendTheFrontline.org, which raises funds to indemnify healthcare workers and others who may be criminally or civilly sued for providing access to abortion care for those who need it. Davis is a frequent public speaker and appears regularly on MSNBC and CNN.
Cristina Fisher is a film and digital photographer and creative producer based in Austin, Texas. Her art is heavily influenced by her love for music and film, often exhibiting an imaginative look and feel. Specialties include portraiture, lifestyle, music, and events.
Nick Simonite is an editorial and commercial photographer and director based in Austin, Texas. His background is in photojournalism and documentary photography. He is a regular contributor to Texas Monthly and has shot advertising campaigns for Texas Tourism, New York State Tourism, Coors Light, and Southwest Airlines, among others. His work has been recognized by American Photography, and he has exhibited work at Droga5, Preacher, Guerilla Suit.
