House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spent Wednesday in North Texas, where she is kicking off "Resistance Summer," rallying Democrats to get involved and try to win back control of Congress in 2018.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey introduced Pelosi with the rallying cry, "We're gonna do it in 2018 baby!"
Pelosi is among the high-profile Democrats working to flip key congressional seats, like Texas' 32nd District in Dallas, represented by Republican Pete Sessions, and 7th District in Houston, represented by Republican John Culberson. Voters in both of their districts sided with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the November 2016 election.
"We think there are going to be some Democrats that are going to win in some seats that, quite frankly, Republicans never thought were going to be in play," Veasey said.
But as the gap between red and blue appears to deepen, NBC5 sat down with one man who's had enough.
David Sponhaur, of Carrollton, voted for President Donald Trump.
"He's trying to do the right thing, and I'm supporting him," Sponhaur said, adding that since voicing his opinions on social media, he's lost several longtime friends over political disagreements.
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"She basically said, 'You people are idiots, I don't want to even hear you or see you anymore,'" Sponhaur said of one interaction.
In another case, Sponhaur recalled, "He says, 'I don't want to hear from you again.' This makes like four or five people that we've been friends with that just tuned us out."
The personal pain spurred Sponhaur to call for if not national unity, at least mutual respect.
"If we're open-minded enough, we're gonna get some good thoughts, no matter if I agree with you or sometimes you agree with me. It can't be a standstill," Sponhaur said.
There was no resisting that, back at the "Resistance Summer" rally.
"Sometimes we need to take the politics out and just started listening to one another and understanding," said Pelosi supporter Jara Butler.
"That's why we go there, is to find common ground, that's our responsibility," Pelosi said. "If we can't find it, though, we have to stand our ground."
During the rally, Pelosi also spoke out against Texas Senate Bill 4, banning so-called "sanctuary cities" in the state. She called it "cowardly" and called for comprehensive immigration reform instead, along with preventing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, creating more jobs and pushing back against Trump's proposed budget.
In response, Phillip Huffines, Chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party issued the following statement:
"Representative Pelosi demonstrated her incredible arrogance today during her visit to Dallas. She took the opportunity to insult Texas values and the incredible work our Legislators do to keep Texas prosperous. Texas has one of the most robust economies in the world. Dallas County has the best job economy in the country. We do not need another Liberal elite from Washington telling Texans what is best for Texas."
