Now in his sixth regular legislative session as a member of a largely powerless minority caucus, state Representative Gene Wu, a 45-year-old Houstonian, has cultivated a number of strategies for a Texas Democrat to stay busy. He battles trolls on Twitter; he searches for marginal ways to make state systems work better for vulnerable kids; and lately he’s taken off as a political communicator on Reddit.
An immigrant originally from China, he’s spent years battling xenophobia in Texas’ Capitol. In 2017, he gave a memorable and tearful floor speech decrying that year’s anti-“sanctuary cities” bill, and this year he fought against a bill that would have banned land sales to citizens from certain countries, including China. He represents
