By Caitlyn Meisner | Staff Writer
Erin Shank, Democratic nominee for TX-56 House position, said she hopes to capture McLennan County from incumbent Charles “Doc” Anderson (R) in order to halt gerrymandering, weatherize the power grid and advocate for reproductive rights.
Shank, a bankruptcy lawyer and former Baylor Law professor, is not slowing her campaign as the Nov. 8 election approaches. She announced her candidacy on Nov. 15, 2021, just two days after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin LBJ Women’s Campaign School.
Mark Hays, chair of the McLennan County Democratic Party, said he believes Shank is very qualified for the position.
“[Shank] is a person that is extremely detail-oriented, and I think she will get in the weeds when she gets in the legislature,” Hays said. “She can represent us in a way we haven’t been represented before. Doc Anderson keeps a very low profile, so Erin will be exactly what we need.”
Hays also said it’s better to have people who are willing to engage in conversation with the other side.
“It’s better to have someone who has energy and has experience dealing with the problems rather than someone who’s trying to be on one side or the other of the culture war,” Hays said.
Shank said she was involved in the last legislative session because of the February 2021 snowstorm that hit Texas.
“Two of my clients froze to death, and I couldn’t even go to their funerals,” Shank said. “I was so upset that I couldn’t be with these families as they lost their loved ones. I looked at Doc Anderson’s website, and he was praising ERCOT [Electric Reliability Council of Texas]. I went, ‘Oh my, we deserve better than this.'”
Shank also said 12 years ago, Anderson and the legislators failed to pass legislation weatherizing the grid.
“They got a report, and they said, ‘You need to weatherize the grid,’ and they didn’t,” Shank said. “It’s also a problem because we get so hot in Texas. We have to weatherize for heat and cold. We just experienced the grid failure in the cold, but it would be equally awful, especially when we were so hot this summer.”
Another reason for her candidacy is the recent gerrymandering of Texas districts, Shank said.
While most of McLennan County is included in the 56th Congressional District, Shank said not all of it is. The district excludes East Waco, the H-E-B on I-35 and the area around Live Oak Classical School.
Districts are redrawn every 10 years according to the census. New congressional seats and districts may be added if the population grows like it did in Texas.
Shank said she personally met with Anderson on the issue of redistricting.
“I did everything I could to stop his continued racial gerrymandering of McLennan County,” Shank said. “Now, we won’t have another shot at it for another 10 years.”
The June 24 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was another monumental moment in the campaign, Shank said.
“When Roe v. Wade fell, I literally had to sit for about 30 minutes and [take] some quiet time to take a breath,” Shank said. “There are 150 legislators in the Texas House, but only 38 women. Yeah, we need a lot more women at that table.”
As a woman who has struggled with her own reproductive issues, Shank said this topic hit close to home. She said she and her husband, John, had to stare abortion right in the face due to the risks associated with older pregnancies; Shank was 41 years old at the time.
“We had a very serious discussion about whether or not we should abort,” Shank said. “John and I thought about it, prayed about it, and we made the decision not to. Now, I have a 25-year-old medically fragile, extremely disabled child.”
Shank said she hopes to eradicate abortion, although she said there are necessary steps to reach that point.
“I hate abortion,” Shank said. “I would love to make it where we never had another one in the state. We’re going to get there through prevention and education.”
Especially through her teaching career as a Baylor Law professor, Shank said she hopes to connect more with the Baylor community if elected.
“I really feel I’m part of the Baylor community,” Shank said. “I’m at the law school at least once a month. I’m on the board of directors of the McLennan County Bar Association. I plan on having lots of involvement with Baylor. I will be there for any issues they need.”
East Cobb, Ga., senior and president of College Democrats of Baylor Peyton Lamb said the organization is supporting Shank.
“We feel that compared to Doc Anderson, Erin is a very strong choice for Waco,” Lamb said. “She is very connected with our community and really cares. I think what she has to offer would be very good for Waco and McLennan County as a whole.”
Shank said she hopes to balance the state government if she gets elected to the Texas House.
“Unfortunately, our state government for almost three decades has been almost 100% Republican,” Shank said. “I’m a lawyer; we like the scales of justice. If we could [bring] more Democrats in to give it [a balance], because that’s when you don’t get creative thought. I think it’s a real disservice to Waco, McLennan County and Texas as a whole.”
