Campaign News

Bernie Sanders compares rodeo to D.C. at Dallas campaign rally

Bernie Sanders at Mesquite Arena on February 14.

Image courtesy of Bernie Sanders

A capacity crowd turned out on February 14 for a last-minute campaign rally at the Mesquite Arena, starring presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

The appearance was announced only five days before, following Sanders' win of the primary in New Hampshire, and it was his only appearance in Texas. His last local appearance was at a campaign rally at a hotel in downtown Dallas in 2016.

A spokesperson for the campaign said the event was booked in Mesquite, home to the Mesquite Rodeo, because that was the only venue available on short notice. The arena holds 5,500 people.

A line formed down the parking lot, and vendors selling T-shirts, pins, and other memorabilia set up shop along the adjacent grass.

Doors opened at 6 pm, and local band The Vandoliers performed as the crowd milled in. Sanders' remarks were preceded by speakers that included SMU professor Omar Suleiman; LULAC President Domingo Garcia; attorney Lee Merritt; and a representative from the Sunrise Movement, a youth group fighting climate change.

Sanders opened with a joke about the venue. He had a couple good lines, but he definitely saved the best for first.

"I have never been to a rodeo in my life but I do work in Washington, D.C. and I do hear a lot of bullshit," he said. "Bullshit is not anything I'm unfamiliar with."

"Let me begin by making a dramatic announcement," he said. "Are you ready? We're going to win the state of Texas."

He acknowledged that everyone might not agree with everything he stands for, but said that the common ground was the importance of stopping a president whom he called a pathological liar, running a corrupt administration.

Sanders said that the message of his campaign was "us, not me."

"It says that we believe the function of human life is to work together to make a better life for all people," he said.

The other facet of "us, not me" had to do with the idea that true change comes from the bottom and works its way up, and used historical examples including the labor movement, civil rights, the women's movement, gay rights, and the environment.

"What we have got to do is change the political culture of this country," he said. "We need to make people understand that living in a democratic society means you have a responsibility to vote, and especially at this moment in American history. Nobody can sit it out — we gotta be involved."

His priorities include:

increase minimum wage to $15 per hour
pay women the same rate as men
create jobs by rebuilding the country's infrastructure and building affordable housing
increase funding for low-income Title 1 schools
increase salary levels for teachers
expunge college debt
improve the health care system
reform the criminal justice system, including ending capital punishment and ending cash bail
legalize marijuana
pass bipartisan immigration reform legislation
shift away from fossil fuels to energy-efficient and sustainable fuel sources

"Donald Trump thinks climate change is a hoax — I think Donald Trump is a hoax," he said.

"We are sick and tired today of massive levels of income and wealth inequality," he said. "We are tired of tax breaks for billionaires while our kids can’t get a decent education. We are at that moment in history where we’re seeing people stand up and fight back and tell the corporate elite that this country belongs to all of us, not just the 1 percent."

"As a U.S. Senator, I know a little about the power of the 1 percent," he said. "I understand that the billionaire class has endless amounts of money, and the ability to buy elections. But at the end of the day, the 1 percent is still only 1 percent."

A poll by the University of Texas/Texas Tribune shows Sanders in first place among candidates in the Texas primary; Texas is the second largest Super Tuesday state, behind California.

Election day is March 3, but early voting begins on February 18.

Other candidates still in the race include Senator Elizabeth Warren, who came to Dallas in March 2019; ex-VP Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Mike Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, and Tulsi Gabbard.

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family values

Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids

Courtesy of SmartAsset/iStock

Raising a child in Dallas will cost parents over $23,000 this year.

Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, and a new study has determined Dallas parents are saddled with the second-highest costs for childrearing in Texas, with expenses jumping higher than any other metro statewide since 2025.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Dallas-Fort Worth have grown 4.5 percent since last year, totaling $23,340 for a family of three in 2026. That's over $1,000 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,414 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the cost for raising a child in Dallas:

Cost of childcare: $10,736
Cost of food: $1,826
Other expenses: $10,778

Though Dallas has the second-steepest costs for raising a child in Texas, the metro is actually much more affordable than most other places in the U.S.: DFW ranked 39th in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the 10th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a family.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Meanwhile, San Antonio-New Braunfels is the most affordable metro in the Lone Star State for raising a family, and it's the third-most affordable place for raising a child nationwide. San Antonio parents will spend $21,393, or $448 more than last year, on their childrearing costs.

Houston also ranked among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child, landing in 7th place nationally, with childrearing costs adding up to $22,605 in 2026. That's only $737 more than last year.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family dallas fort worth arlington smartasset reports livability

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Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids