Kendall Scudder is an American political organizer who has served as chair of the Texas Democratic Party since March 2025. He was elected by the party's State Democratic Executive Committee after the resignation of longtime chair Gilberto Hinojosa and was re-elected to a full term at the party's June 2026 state convention. Scudder grew up in Bowie County, Texas, graduated from Sam Houston State University, and earned a master's degree in political management from George Washington University. He previously served as the state party's vice chair for finance and as a director of the Dallas Central Appraisal District.
We have documented 1 statement by Kendall Scudder, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
Case updates
Following the grand jury review of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's death?
Get an email if a Harris County grand jury decision is announced, or if DHS answers questions from the family and lawmakers about the shooting.
Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.
Role at the time: Chair of the Texas Democratic Party
Challenged the characterization
Statement summary
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said nobody is defending violent criminals or suggesting that law enforcement should not protect themselves from a genuine threat, but that the public cannot simply be asked to accept an official version of events without transparency.
“Nobody is defending violent criminals or suggesting that law enforcement should not protect themselves when they face a genuine threat
But we’ve already seen this movie in Minneapolis so we know the public cannot simply be asked to accept an official version of events without transparency.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Houston ICE shooting updates: Protesters turn out for vigil to slain fatherLive-update entry headed "Texas Democrats join call for transparency" (page updated July 8, 2026, 8:42 p.m.)
Why we used this label
The case asks whether the ICE officer was justified in fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Scudder said nobody is suggesting that law enforcement should not protect themselves when they face a genuine threat, but that the public cannot simply be asked to accept an official version of events without transparency, pointing to Minneapolis. He questioned the official version without saying whether the shooting was justified, so we labeled it Challenged the characterization.
ICE says an officer shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in self-defense after he used his van as a weapon. Passenger witnesses dispute the claimed threat, and a Harris County grand jury is reviewing the shooting.
