will of the people

premacy, colluding with Russia, and nepotism, not to mention several pending investigations and a civil rape trial. With all of Mr. Trump’s personal and political baggage, he remains a powerful force due to the many Republican enablers covering

David Marshall

for him from their elected offices and the MAGA voters who see him as their cultural war champion.

Harris County, with its population of nearly 5 million people, is the largest county in Texas and the third most populous county in the nation. Its county seat is Houston, the largest city in the state and the fourth largest in the nation. Houston has become the most diverse city in the country. While the number of people in Harris County who identify as non-Hispanic white declined by nearly 3%, all other racial groups increased.

The changing demographics, along with the shifting electoral landscape of Harris County, is what scares the GOP. This once Republican stronghold, which now leans reliably Democratic, could turn Texas from red to blue in future presidential elections. Without Texas’ 38 votes in the Electoral College, the Republicans would be hard-pressed to win any future presidential elections without winning Texas.

Like 2020, the next presidential election is not about free and fair elections. The Texas Republican-controlled Senate passed a bill allowing the secretary of state to redo elections in Harris County, where several Democratic candidates gained strong midterm results. The

Democratic candidate edged out the closely contested race for Harris County judge, the highest position in the county. The bill applies to all counties with a population over 2.7 million, of which there is only one, Harris County. If the House passes the bill and Gov. Greg Abbott signs it, the party claiming to be about free and fair elections has provided a built-in contingency if the 2024 election results in Texas fail to go their way.

The Republicans are not the party of law and order when they constantly refuse to address the nation’s gun violence by supporting a responsible assault weapon ban. The country experienced another mass shooting, with eight victims killed in an Allen, Texas, mall. The GOP was not the party of patriotism when the Republican National Committee censured the two House Republicans who participated on the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack.

Republicans are not the party of jobs creation when their proposed legislation to address the debt ceiling crisis includes eliminating over 100,000 American manufacturing jobs in the clean energy industry. Many of the jobs are in red states. If there is one word that describes the mindset of GOP leadership, that word would be purge. They are positioning themselves to purge votes, purge elected officials they disagree with, purge jobs, and remove the written history of Black Americans. The only way to effectively respond is to do our purging at the ballot box in numbers that cannot be disputed.

The writer is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body.

The Free Press welcomes letters engagement strategies as well as collect DNA samples from Black men with lung cancer to address why they are disproportionately impacted by this disease. It’s this type of funding and collaboration that’s critical to addressing all cancer disparities. Inequities in lung cancer need to be addressed at all levels of the public health continuum. We need to test, refine and implement new 21st century approaches and ensure we’re harnessing all of the research and technology available to us. People impacted by lung cancer – especially our communities that are disproportionately affected – deserve no less. aprilcoleman@richmondfreepress.com Staff Writers

The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

The writer is director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center Leader, SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team: Southeastern Consortium for Lung Cancer Health Equity.

Jeter, Frances Crutchfield Hazel Trice Edney

Sandra Sellars sandrasellars@richmondfreepress.com Regina H. Boone reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Traffic Coordinator Cynthia Downing advertising@richmondfreepress.com classifieds@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Fax: (804) 643-5436