The Candidate
Andrew Bryce Swindler was born on January 1st, 1981 to two Conservative, Christian, Republicans in Temple, Texas. Andrew’s mother is a nurse who raised him and his three siblings while simultaneously working towards her RN. Andrew’s father is a paramedic and first generation Mexican. He has two younger twin brothers, Colton and Calvin, and a little sister, Oaklyn.
Andrew was accepted to Harvard University on a baseball scholarship and graduated with a joint degree in Master in Public Policy from Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School. It was at Harvard that Andrew would become infatuated with politics and the law and their relationship together. As a registered Republican for the first 21 years of his life, Andrew registered as a Democrat at the age of 22.
After graduation, Andrew worked at one of the most prestigious law firms in Austin, quickly making partner, and then starting his own law firm at the age of 31. It was then that he started to get involved with local politics and ran for the Texas senate, running on many progressive policies targeted at the minority population of the State of Texas and becoming one of the youngest Democratic senators elected.
In 2018, Andrew decided to run for the Governor’s office. Andrew personally contributes to much of his political career thanks to his success as a lawyer, although a large portion of his campaign funds have been backed by donors and supporters made during his time at Harvard Law School.
Campaign Message
Andrew’s is running as the outsider in a state that is predominately conservative, white, rich, and Republican. His is from a middle-class, mixed race, working family. As such, his campaign message is bold. It is built to appeal to his targeted audiences’ sense of humanity and is running on DACA protections, faster and easier ways to citizenship, education, and women’s healthcare. Andrew believes that his campaign message will be effective in Texas based on the states growing diverse population.
Campaign Strategy
As a first generation American, Andrew’s father taught him the importance of opportunities given to immigrants. DACA became something Andrew fought for frequently and learning about immigration reform was something he continuously seeks out. Thus, making the process more humane and smooth became a priority for Andrew, something he has carried over into his campaign for Governor. He believes that his own background will appeal to the large minority population of Texas.
Andrew draws from his admiration for his working mother, who spent the majority of his childhood continuing her own education and runs on free childcare for middle-class and lower-class working families. Free community college for up to 2 years and women’s health care are also deeply important to Andrew and two policy issues that he advocates regularly for. As a nurse, Andrew’s mother also ingrained in him a deep respect for women’s healthcare rights and the ability to be autonomous over their own bodies.
As more American’s move to Texas from other states, specifically in large metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston, Andrew feels confident that he can appeal to the growing progressive millennial population of the state with his social campaign policies. Younger generations who are in the Tech Industry, a booming Texan industry, tend to lean more towards the left and makes up a large portion of Andrew’s target audience.
Campaign Resources
Andrew’s campaign resources are varied. He is largely self-funded, thanks to his success as a lawyer and investments made early in his career. However, he also has many Democratic donors from his Harvard time. Through a few viral videos during campaign rallies, Andrew has also amassed a number of celebrity donors and endorsements. As Hollywood has become more Liberal leaning, more celebrity endorsements have helped to reach a large portion of Texas’ population.
His voters and those who work for him and on his campaign are largely progressive millennials and minorities. Many are registered Democrats, with a large number of registered Libertarians who are fiscally conservative but who’s outlook on social issues align with Andrew’s.
