As of the time of the article, the Nov. 3 General Election is only a couple of weeks away. If you spent any time watching television over the last couple of months, you have no doubt been inundated with advertisements highlighting the positives of a particular candidate, but even more likely, how awful their opponent is. By the time you actually read this, the outcome of the elections will likely be known, and TADA will know who we are dealing with in both the Texas Legislature and Congress.
I mentioned the headwinds that typically face the party in power, and it will be interesting to see whether that precedent held true this cycle or if President Trump was able to create a new narrative. Conventional wisdom around the Capitol has the Democrats picking up a number of seats in the Texas House and the Republicans not picking up all the new seats that were created in last year’s Redistricting Special Session. At the end of the day, it seems that the margins for both the state and federal chambers will be tighter, and party politics will drive policy discussions.
What all of this means, practically, is that personal relationships will matter more than ever in the next session. New car dealers are uniquely positioned to educate elected officials on both the Republican and Democratic sides. Many of you see legislators at church, around town or at community events, or because your kids grew up together. As business cornerstones of your community, dealers are involved in so many local endeavors and are major employers and taxpayers that support economic development. Every legislator knows a local dealer, but I can assure you that very few of them understand the complexities and operations of your businesses.
I recently attended the centennial celebration of Lockhart Ford, which has been operated by the Clark family. It was an amazing experience, and I had the chance to meet so many great employees and family members as well as executives from Ford to honor the four generations that have taken care of the Lockhart community. Both State Sen. Judith Zaffirini and State Rep. Stan Gerdes recognized the dealership for reaching such a rare business milestone.
The challenges facing us are difficult. Dealers face headwinds every day. Sometimes it is with their manufacturer partners, sometimes it is on the federal and state fronts with legislation or through challenges on the regulatory fronts, and other times it may be in the courts. The longevity of dealers points to the fact that each of you does a great job of problem-solving and working through challenges. This can-do spirit is the heart of TADA and is the reason Texas has some of the best franchise laws in the country.
With the consolidation we are seeing in the industry, it is more important than ever for each local dealer to engage and build a relationship with elected officials. All 181 members of the Texas Legislature and 40 members of Congress know a local dealer.
Every dealership visit with their elected official is an opportunity. We have one Texas dealer that is currently serving as a member of the political class — Congressman Roger Williams — and he does an excellent job educating his colleagues on the nuances of running a car dealership. Since there is no dealer serving in the Texas Legislature, it is incredibly important for you to help educate your local legislators. It matters when legislators spend real time with their dealers across the state — it ensures that when TADA speaks for the industry, we are speaking from the collective experience of our membership. My mom always said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and being at the dealership and seeing your employees and customers helps to reinforce the work that you are doing to take care of their constituents.
Our most effective advocacy comes when legislators hear directly from the dealers they represent. What legislators value most is your relationships, your experience and your perspective. We appreciate your time and investment in advancing the TADA advocacy agenda.
Our legislative success has always been a partnership. TADA brings policy expertise and legislative strategy; dealers bring the relationships, credibility and real-world experience that legislators trust. Our past efforts have resulted in strong franchise laws that give dealers the ability to serve their customers and communities. Together, we are stronger, and we make sure that Texans are able to get on down the road.
If you need help getting started, please feel free to reach out to me at dwhitehurst@tada.org or to my chief lobbyist, Kate McGrath, at kmcgrath@tada.org.
