“I am talking to voters for hours and hours a day, and the data looks good, the response is enthusiastic.”
Texas Tribune: Two Houston Democrats face off in back-to-back elections for John Whitmire’s open state Senate seat
“I am talking to voters for hours and hours a day, and the data looks good, the response is enthusiastic, and I think that really came through in our fundraising reports,” she said.
"I want to go the Texas Capitol and save lives millions at a time"
Fox 26 Houston: Meet the candidates for Texas Senate District 15
“Johnson’s experience in office also needs to be examined.”
Reform Austin: Johnson Vs. Cook: Houston’s Political Arena Heats Up
“I promise never to touch dark Republican money that is floating through these PACs.”
Houston Chronicle: 4 debate takeaways as Johnson, Cook clash in heated race to succeed Whitmire in Texas Senate
“I promise never to touch dark Republican money that is floating through these PACs and changing the landscape and culture of our state around public education,” she said.
“I’m used to working against the odds.”
Houston Landing: Molly Cook, Jarvis Johnson face back-to-back elections to fill Whitmire’s old Senate seat
“I’m used to working against the odds, staving off pestilence, plague and death with our bare hands and modern science,” Cook said. “I really can’t think of life experience that prepares you more for walking into that Capitol.”
"Each one of these races is a brand-new race," she said. "We're very excited."
Houston Public Media: Molly Cook, Jarvis Johnson squaring off in back-to-back elections with eyes on vacant Texas Senate seat
“The energy is there. The values are there. What's missing is somebody in that seat who's ready to be the point on the spear to make it happen.”
Houston Chronicle: Race to succeed John Whitmire in Texas Senate down to runoff between Jarvis Johnson, Molly Cook
“We need deep canvassing in the off-season to understand why low-propensity voters are not turning out,” Cook told the Chronicle on Tuesday night at her watch party at The Flat. “The energy is there. The values are there. What's missing is somebody in that seat who's ready to be the point on the spear to make it happen.”
“It's a tough road to make sure that the right people get into the right spots,” Cook said, adding she expects herself to head to a runoff with Johnson. “But now you start fresh with the new batch of likely voters and a new batch of voters that you can bring into it … and I’m excited for it.”
“I owe my success to my team, our volunteers and donors, and every one person who cast their vote last night”
Community Impact: UPDATE: Johnson, Cook headed to runoff in Democratic primary for Texas Senate District 15
"We are resolute and affirmed in our mission to put a nurse and community organizer in the Texas Senate," Cook said in an emailed statement to Community Impact. "It is an honor to be one of two candidates moving forward from a competitive primary into a runoff. A runoff is a new race with a new dynamic, and we are already back to work. I owe my success to my team, our volunteers and donors, and every one person who cast their vote last night to bring nursing leadership, public health and grassroots organizing to the Texas Senate."
We’re coming in fresh, with an honest look at things and a desire to serve.”
Houston Press: Frontrunners Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook Are In A Runoff For Former State Senator John Whitmire's Seat
“The obstacles are going to be nonstop. I have found that the most successful way to fight is to be doggedly persistent. You don’t have to necessarily piss everyone off every time. You just don’t stop,” Cook said. “That is a skill and a personality trait that I have, and I am going to bring with me to the Texas Senate.”
“It’s not just the same old, same old,” Cook said. “It’s fresh work, it’s a fresh perspective. No one is trying to bribe me. We’re coming in fresh, with an honest look at things and a desire to serve.”
“I’m extremely hopeful and extremely excited.”
Houston Chronicle: Texas primary results in major incumbent shakeups despite low turnout
Molly Cook, a Democrat vying to replace John Whitmire in the Texas Senate after he was elected Houston’s mayor, spent Tuesday afternoon at Poe Elementary School campaigning with her dad, Mark Cook.
The pair stood on the sidewalk and handed out fliers to voters passing by.
“I’m proud of her,” Mark Cook said. “This is a lot of work. I had no idea.”
Molly Cook believes her background in nursing and public health, along with her grassroots campaign, is what sets her apart from the six Democratic candidates on the Senate District 15 ticket.
“I’m extremely hopeful and extremely excited,” she said.
“The only public polling on the race has shown Cook… atop the field with 18% support.”
“Democrat Molly Cook, an ER nurse and one of six Democrats running to succeed Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate, chats with a potential voter while block-walking in Acres Homes on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.”
Jasper Scherer
“In a nod to her medical background, which she has also emphasized in her campaign ads, Cook said the Senate should look like “a healthy nursing unit,” with a mix of new, midlevel and experienced nurses.
“Experienced nurses can train young nurses,” Cook said. “They also may be a little set in their ways and tend to cut some corners over time.”
She argued that she is well versed in the legislative process too, pointing to a new law she advocated for last year that cracks down on a loophole certain corporations use to secure tax breaks on market-rate apartment units.”
“Democrat Molly Cook, an ER nurse and one of six Democrats running to succeed Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate, chats with a potential voter while block-walking in Acres Homes on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.”
Photo and article by Jasper Scherer
“We could really use a nurse in that seat to bring expertise and experience that’s currently missing.”
Cook is leaning into her background as an emergency room nurse. Her debut ad shows her heading to work in scrubs and bracing for dealing with things like complicated pregnancies under Texas’ abortion ban.
The Texas Tribune: Houston-area Democrats line up in competitive primary to succeed John Whitmire in the Senate
Cook, meanwhile, is leaning into her background as an emergency room nurse. Her debut ad shows her heading to work in scrubs and bracing for dealing with things like complicated pregnancies under Texas’ abortion ban.
“I always tell people that businessmen and lawyers are incredibly important — [but] they’re very well-represented at the Capitol,” Cook said in an interview. “We could really use a nurse in that seat to bring expertise and experience that’s currently missing.”
LGBTQ+ Political Caucus moves to endorse Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse who is also bisexual
Members considered endorsing Litton before ultimately choosing Cook. Speakers mentioned her consistent presence at the capital, her work ethic, and her efforts for the LGBTQ community.
Houston Chronicle: Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus endorses Sheila Jackson Lee for U.S. Rep., Sean Teare for County District Attorney
“Members considered endorsing Litton before ultimately choosing Cook. Speakers mentioned her consistent presence at the capital, her work ethic, and her efforts for the LGBTQ community.”
“If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”
Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, is not new to the race for Senate District 15.
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.”
Molly Cook appears on Off the Kuff
“Our next candidate for SD15 is a name that should be familiar to you, Molly Cook. Cook ran in the primary for SD15 against then-Sen. Whitmire and collected 42% of the vote, a strong showing for a first-timer against a veteran incumbent.”
“Our next candidate for SD15 is a name that should be familiar to you, Molly Cook. Cook ran in the primary for SD15 against then-Sen. Whitmire and collected 42% of the vote, a strong showing for a first-timer against a veteran incumbent. Cook was then and still is a nurse, doing emergency and home-health nursing, with a bachelor’s from UT and a master’s in health policy from Johns Hopkins. She has been active in other areas of politics as well, working on the Beto campaign, for Prop B/Fair for Houston, and for Stop TxDOT-I45. You can listen to the interview I did with her for the 2022 primary here, and you can listen to this interview below:”
“You’ve got to be scrappy. You’ve got to build a coalition the right way. You’ve got to do education, and you’ve got to raise money.”
“There are opportunities for bipartisan changes that we can make that will improve the quality of life for Texans, but you’ve got to be creative.”
Houston Landing: How Houston’s recently passed Proposition B can offer a model for increasing voter turnout
“There are opportunities for bipartisan changes that we can make that will improve the quality of life for Texans, but you’ve got to be creative,” said Molly Cook, an organizer for Fair For Houston who previously challenged Mayoral Candidate John Whitmire for his state senate seat in the 2022 Democratic primary. “You’ve got to be scrappy. You’ve got to build a coalition the right way. You’ve got to do education, and you’ve got to raise money.”
“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected.”
The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health.
Houston Chronicle: Like Houston’s population, transportation leaders getting more diverse
"I loved Spring and have many happy memories of climbing trees, jumping with neighbors on our trampoline, swim meets, and riding my bike to the corner store or the pool at the heart of the neighborhood. Other kids my age lived nearby, and I have always enjoyed being a big sister. No family is perfect, but I was content and well-cared for as a child. I reckon everyone in our neighborhood drove. The entrance to our quiet neighborhood was on a very busy Louetta Road. We rode bikes inside the neighborhood, but we basically never left the neighborhood without a car. Dad commuted to work downtown; mom carted us around to various activities and lessons. We relied heavily on our cars. I can remember being 13 and writing in my journal how badly I wanted a license. It represented freedom and independence to me then.
“The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health. But I fell in love with active transportation while walking and biking around the (University of Texas) campus and Austin and traveling to the east coast of the U.S. and western Europe.
“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected. When I am on the train riding from a Rockets game, or when I can smell olive blossoms riding my bike to work, I feel very rooted in my place and my location. That feeling of mindful presence and belonging contributes to longer, healthier lives."
Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again.
Houston Chronicle: Candidate filing underway through Dec. 11 for March 2024 primaries
Houston Chronicle: Candidate filing underway through Dec. 11 for March 2024 primaries
Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again. District 15 could become an open seat if state Sen. John Whitmire wins the Houston mayoral runoff on Dec. 9. Whitmire defeated Cook last year, though the primary challenger took 42% of the vote, giving Whitmire his narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.
“It’ll change me and the way that I fight freeways for the rest of my life.”
America Walks: Freeway Fighters Summit Brings Together a Movement
America Walks: Freeway Fighters Summit Brings Together a Movement
“Connecting and getting to know people and seeing the fights that are going on in other places. It’s more than inspiring,” said Molly Cook of Stop TxDOT I-45 (Houston). “It’ll change me and the way that I fight freeways for the rest of my life.”
— Molly Cook of Stop TxDOT I-45 (Houston)
“A person’s idea really can become a campaign and can be codified to make change.”
Houston Landing: Voters OK props to bolster council’s power and boost Houston on regional board
Houston Landing: Voters OK props to bolster council’s power and boost Houston on regional board
Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston and a candidate for Texas Senate District 15, called Proposition B’s passage a testament to the power of grassroots organizing.
“A person’s idea really can become a campaign and can be codified to make change,” she said.
— Molly Cook, an organizer with Fair for Houston and a candidate for Texas Senate District 15