Highlighting the efforts of others is an integral part of being a leader. Quite frankly, running any organization isn't a one person show as it takes a team to win. Today, I want to showcase the efforts of Julie Luton as the first of many in our "Democrats of Collin County" series.
Let's start with the basics... Julie grew up in Chickasha, Oklahoma and currently lives in McKinney, Texas. Her minister father and public school teacher mother raised her to serve and be active in her community. She's been a strong Democrat her whole life as she believes the Party's principles are vital to ensuring a welcoming, prosperous community. In fact, she felt so strongly about these principles that she ran against the Republican incumbent in Texas House District 70. This is where I came to know Julie a couple years ago.
It doesn't take long to realize that Julie is not only a great person, with a warm and welcoming heart, but there's an edge to her that let's you know she means business. As we sat at the local Starbucks, I couldn't help notice this presence about her as I was also thinking my Chai Latte had a little too much cinnamon in it. That's when she started talking about her black belt in Tae Kwon Do and how she tore her ACL during her testing for the red belt.
Wait?! What??!
And now my brain has ventured off into whether she can take on the whole Starbucks in a Tarantino-like ninja movie. Doing back flips over the counter, throwing people across the room, all while getting me another Chai Latte without so much cinnamon. My parents always told me anything is possible.
In all seriousness, it's no wonder her efforts opened the gates for future success in her Texas House District. Her disciplined campaign greatly increased the percentage of Democratic voters, activated local volunteers, and brought notoriety to the McKinney Area Democratic Club to which she's the Vice President. When you speak with Julie, it doesn't take long to realize that she's an amazing individual who is determined to make this world a better place. In her own words, "I’m committed to doing everything in my power to turn out enough voters who will vote Democratic so we can return our country to a fair, open, and moral democracy that serves as a force for good in the world."