“If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”

Houston Chronicle: Candidates make their pitch to fill John Whitmire's vacated Texas senate seat after 40-year tenure

Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, is not new to the race for Senate District 15. She challenged Whitmire in the Democratic primary two years ago and lost to the incumbent with a 42% to 58% vote split. The contest marked Whitmire's narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.

She has been at the forefront of several grassroots organizing efforts, including an initiative to halt the massive I-45 expansion project and a successful campaign last year to amplify Houston's influence on a regional planning body.

“You have to show up over and over again for people, be authentic and genuine, and let them know that they can depend on you, and then follow through to build relationships and build cohesion across our district,” Cook said. “If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”