Somewhere on the campaign trail in the 25th congressional district of Texas you’ll find Julie Oliver, the democratic nominee taking on incumbent Roger Williams.
A year ago in July of 2017, Oliver watched congress attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no plan of replacing it; as a woman who has worked in healthcare and taxation for over 20 years, Julie knew it was time for a change. Oddly enough, she first she asked her husband, Matt, to run...but after enough “No’s,” she knew it was up to her.
Since then, Oliver has been running a grassroots campaign and you can see her tracks all over the district which stretches from Cleburne to south Austin. Her campaign is funded off of individual donations and refuses to take any PAC money; in fact, she is one of seven democrats running for congress in Texas who have recently outraised their republican opponents. Julie believes the best way to represent the people of TX-25, is to get to know the people of TX-25. She’s hosted numerous town halls, knocked on plenty of doors, and sat down for coffee with plenty of constituents. Julie always seems to be in contact with her potential constituents; even when on the road from town to town she can be found on a Facebook livestream giving a recap of the stories and concerns that are being brought to her attention. She noted that this campaign has been one of the most energizing yet fatiguing things she’s ever done, yet still so rewarding.
But what might be more impressive than Oliver’s campaign though, is her story.
Julie was born in South Oak Cliff, in the south part of Dallas; her mom was a teacher and her dad owned a pawn shop. When she was 11, her family decided to move to the small town of Ovilla, Texas, after their house was robbed. When asked what her biggest accomplishment was, Oliver said simply, being a mom. Julie had her first born, Nikki, at just 17 years old. Still she was able to put herself through college completely debt free. She then decided to go to law school. At 9 months pregnant with her son, Julie took her CTA exam. Then - a bit later, she took her BAR exam while 7 months pregnant with her daughter. She passed both. From there she went on to work as a lawyer and accountant in healthcare finance. She has extensive experience crafting legislation; In 2003 she co-wrote the Texas Motor Fuels tax, which brings millions of dollars into the state, much of it for roads and infrastructure, but a portion of which is set aside for Texas' badly underfunded public education. In other words; Oliver’s experiences have made her the hard-working, family oriented, do-it-yourself woman she is today.
Yet in a year that more women are running than ever before, Oliver specifically noted that she still believes that there are more systematic barriers preventing women from running; and there are still certain places she cannot be taken serious as a woman. Nevertheless, Julie Oliver persists; chasing the dream of a better future for TX-25, with government officials who reach out, listen to, and serve the constituent’s specific needs.
Her advice given to any women interested in pursuing a career in politics is simply to “Rest well, and don't let anyone discourage you.” Oliver mentioned that some days on the campaign trail can be discouraging, but on those days she takes a deep breath and remembers why she wanted to run in the first place.
With the election about 3 months away; Julie will surely be ‘resting well,’ and hitting the road to meet Texans all over the district. Find her at an event near you, or simply learn more about her campaign here.
