Travis County Democratic Party Eager to Turn Page After Chair’s Resignation

It’s been five months since the March primary election, and the dust still hasn’t settled within the Travis County Democratic Party.

The latest chapter in the party’s internal turmoil came July 27, when the newly elected TCDP Chair Jessica Cohen resigned under pressure from party insiders who questioned her ability to lead the organization and raise money for its coordinated campaign at a time when Texas Democrats have a legitimate shot at winning both a U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s office.

Cohen has a criminal background that records indicate started with a car burglary at 17. More serious charges include a 1990 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a 2004 assault causing bodily injury, according to records obtained by The Austin Bulldog’s Ken Martin, who has reported extensively on Cohen’s background in several bruising stories dating back to 2018, when Cohen was a City Council candidate. 

Even so, Cohen defeated incumbent Doug Greco in the March primary by a decisive 61% to 39%. Greco had served as chair since June 2025 after winning a special election of precinct chairs to replace Pooja Sethi, who stepped down to run for Texas House District 47, a seat Democrats expect to retain in November.

This isn’t the first time the party establishment has found itself at odds with Democratic primary voters’ choice for party chair. In 2018, Dyana Limon-Mercado defeated the establishment’s preferred candidate, Anne Wynne. Nevertheless, Limon-Mercado went on to serve as chair and was later elected Travis County clerk.

As things stand now, the party’s precinct chairs will choose Cohen’s successor in a virtual special election on Saturday, Aug. 8, according to an email party secretary Iris Suddaby sent to precinct chairs.

Two candidates have entered the race: Shenghao “Daniel” Wang, an attorney who serves on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors and was one of eight Democrats in the running for Texas House District 49, and Luke Warford, a former Texas Democratic Party strategist who now leads the Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund.

Greco, whose term would have technically ended in June, stepped aside in April and is not seeking the chair position. 

In a text message to the Chronicle, Greco wrote: “After a nine-month term in which we recruited a record number of precinct chairs, exceeded our monthly fundraising goals twofold, and organized the largest Democratic county convention in the state, I stepped aside as TCDP chair in April to give the next elected chair the longest runway possible to build the coordinated campaign. I believe Ms. Cohen made the right decision in resigning, that the party should bring back Executive Director Louis Malfaro as soon as possible, and trust the CEC’s judgment in electing the next chair.” The CEC, or County Executive Committee, is composed of about 200 Travis County precinct chairs.

Greco hired Malfaro earlier this year, and his appointment was widely praised because of his track record as a labor organizer and leader of Education Austin and the Texas American Federation of Teachers.

But according to multiple accounts, including Cohen’s, the relationship between Cohen and Malfaro deteriorated almost immediately after she took office in April. Malfaro was already established in the executive director role while Cohen was just beginning her tenure. Cohen ultimately fired Malfaro, causing further panic within the party. Through an intermediary, Malfaro declined to comment for this story.

“There was so much discord over me winning that election,” said Cohen, an IT network professional and former emergency medical technician – skills she studied and trained for with help from friends, she said. “Doors that were previously open suddenly closed. People who had been answering my calls for years were no longer answering.”

Indeed, Cohen’s brief tenure as chair was marked by repeated challenges to her leadership. After Greco’s early departure, some precinct chairs tried to block her special election to the post. Then there was a petition calling for her removal that laid bare much of her background, from criminal offenses to a raft of traffic violations to conflicting accounts of how long she was certified as an EMT. 

Many party members told the Chronicle that they believed those efforts were excessive and ran counter to  Democratic values of criminal justice reform and second chances. Their concerns were more centered on Cohen’s ability to attract major donors, build a robust field operation, and generate record turnout in Travis County. They also argued that Malfaro’s firing at a critical juncture didn’t help the party’s efforts. 

Chair candidate Wang, for his part, has pledged to bring back Malfaro as the party’s executive director. Wang most recently ran for House District 49 and claimed to have raised $130,000 in the eight-way race.

It’s unclear if Warford would also reinstate Malfaro should he win the chair post. Meanwhile, he has secured endorsements from former party chair and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson; U.S. Rep. Greg Casar; state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, who is running for state comptroller; Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Celia Israel; and state Reps. Donna Howard, Sheryl Cole, John Bucy III, and Lulu Flores.

Despite the chaotic start to Cohen’s first, albeit brief, elected position, she said she is still committed to helping the party win in November, maintaining her position as vice chair of the state party’s LGBTQ+ caucus and continuing her work with local Democratic clubs. Until her election, Cohen served as chair of the Austin Board of Adjustment and as an ex-officio member of the Planning Commission. 

One former Travis County official, who did not want to be named, said the party should at least extend its gratitude to Cohen for her service. “We need to give her grace. She’s still a devoted Democrat, and all the Democrats in Travis County need to move forward and win this damn election.”

The post Travis County Democratic Party Eager to Turn Page After Chair’s Resignation appeared first on The Austin Chronicle.