Cate Brennan

Cate Brennan graduated from Thomas Jefferson-Dallas High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas in 1984 and a graduate degree from Texas Woman's University in 2004. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit executive director.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A North Texan since 1970, Cate was a two-time CEO and a senior executive with national nonprofit healthcare associations for 25+ years. She ran multimillion-dollar businesses while being an energetic healthcare advocate working to end human trafficking, prevent brain injuries and heat-related deaths in youth sports, and to ensure effective delivery of childhood vaccinations. Locally, she volunteers as a precinct chair, TCDP committee chair, poll worker and voter Volunteer Deputy Registrar. She has a BS, MBA and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). Cate now lives in Grapevine with her significant other and two adopted large dogs. She has one adult child in Dallas, two sisters and a stepmother in Grapevine, and other family throughout Texas. Cate is running for Texas House District 98 to restore the true Texas values she grew up with: fairness, equality, diversity and grace. She is running to change the political balance in the Texas legislature and build a future that is affordable and available to all Texans now and in the future.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must restore public school full funding and repeal the school voucher scam. Our public schools are struggling with adequate funding, teacher retention and student achievement. We must work to restore the trust of teachers, administrators, parents and students by ensuring academic integrity and religiously unbiased curriculums and classrooms.Another high priority is to increase the minimum wage to $20/hour so young adults and families can better afford housing, daycare, food and healthcare premiums. Texas must address its long-term affordability challenges so our children and grandchildren will benefit from what we build today. Our future and the long-term economic strength of Texas depends heavily on a well-educated, healthy workforce.Brennan believes that the personal freedoms of Texans have been drastically eroded over the past 30 years because of conservative extremists in the state legislature. She is committed to getting government out of Texan’s personal lives, specifically LGBTQ+ and abortion rights, religious freedoms and gender identity. Brennan states that the true Texas values are integrity, fairness, equity, diversity and opportunity to thrive. MAGA values are not true Texas values. The people of HD98 want practical solutions focused on making their lives better, not culture wars that only stir division, Brennan said.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about early childhood education and affordable childcare. I will work to establish a free or low-cost programs in both these areas. New Mexico has a very good model for free childcare, which is funded by a state trust fund. I'm positive that we can reorder our budget priorities to fund these valuable programs. Additionally, I will fight to fund free tuition to community colleges and approved trade schools for Texans.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Dallas Morning news recommended me for the Democratic primary; The Center for Freethought Equality PAC