In this century, the population of Texas has grown more than twice as fast as the rest of the country, as the state has added 5 million residents since 2000. The two metro areas with the highest growth in the country are both in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, which each added 1.5 million residents. The state also has seen the greatest growth in GDP and is home to 52 Fortune 500 companies. Democrats have not won statewide office since 1994, but Texas has been a majority-minority state since 2005, and two-thirds of its growth has been Latino. Overall union density is only 5.7%, but Texas is one of a few states that has seen its density increase in recent years. However, Texas has the lowest voter turnout in the country and has cleverly drawn legislative maps that allow very few competitive races for state and congressional  seats. Clearly Texas cannot be ignored, yet its size can seem overwhelming. There is a congressional  and senate district that are each larger than France. How can labor organize significant numbers of new members in a giant “right to work” state? How can labor turn out the vote to shift politics in this state, and thus the whole country?  Some efforts  by the Texas AFL-CIO and affiliates already are under way. This session is an opportunity to hear about these efforts and to brainstorm together about more ways to successfully combine political and organizing work to win the Lone Star State for workers.