Joe Biden and Donald Trump are neck and neck in the latest poll in Texas. And Democrats are raising record amounts of money there. Here's how they hope to shift the Lone Star state with the help of powerful women: https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

Sima Ladjevardian, whose family escaped the revolution in Iran, is now running for Congress in the eighth most expensive congressional contest this November. Though a victory is a tough target, she's part of a group of women shaking Texas's political scene https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

Natalí Hurtado, whose Honduran-born mom gained asylum in the US, grew up in Houston and is contesting a seat in the city. Donald Trump's victory in 2016 is what prompted her to run for office https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

Gina Ortiz Jones, a gay former Air Force intelligence officer raised by a single mother from the Philippines, is also running for office in Texas — and she believes that women, angry with how Trump is handling the pandemic, are ready to vote him out https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

These women encapsulate a demographic shift in Texas, where white people now make up only 25% of the state’s population. While the diversity trend generally favours Democrats, the party hasn't been able to convert that into big national victories https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

Beto O’Rourke, who came very close to ousting Ted Cruz in the 2018 Senate race, is heavily involved in these campaigns, forming a group that is mobilising Democrats to vote in the State House races — which for him are what matter most in the long term https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7

O’Rourke's group is just one of many in Texas that are trying to engage communities of colour in civic activities. The killing of George Floyd has also energised them to vote in record numbers in a state that has frequently had a low turnout https://www.ft.com/content/19e4f6e5-9684-4341-976d-da59cc1aecb7