Pelosi’s visit signals city’s political importance
Competitive midterm races are attracting national attention
Former (and possibly future) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spent nearly six hours in Houston campaigning for Democrats on Wednesday, yet another sign of the city’s significance on the national political landscape with November midterm elections just three months away.
Pelosi’s visit comes a week before Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit and raise money for endangered Republican U.S. Rep. John Culberson, who holds a west Houston district both parties acknowledge is a jump ball. President Donald Trump has donated to Culberson’s campaign.
Earlier this week, former Vice President Joe Biden threw his support behind Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, Culberson’s opponent.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said just last week that he’s talked to Trump about campaigning in Texas to help Cruz and other Republicans.
“It’s definitely competitive here,” Pelosi said. “We’re going to get a big turnout in all of these races.”
Harris County has grown as a target for Democrats since the 2016 elections, when Hillary Clinton won over 100,000 more votes in
the county than former President Barack Obama did four years earlier.
“All of the national attention speaks highly of the political dynamic in Harris County,” said Vlad Davidiuk, communications director for the Harris County Republican Party.
He said Harris is the largest swing county in the nation and can be a deciding factor in statewide races.
“On both sides, they are trying to find ways to motivate their voters,” he said.
Maybe no candidate is feeling the pressure as much as Culberson. Despite being in Congress for almost 18 years, Culberson is considered one of the most endangered Republicans because Clinton received more votes in his 7th Congressional District than Trump.
Fletcher raised over $1 million in the last financial quarter, more than double what Culberson reported receiving.
But it’s not just that race. Pelosi said Democrat Todd Litton is giving the party a shot at picking up another Republican-held seat in Houston. Litton is battling Republican Dan Crenshaw for the 2nd Congressional District that has been held by retiring U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Atascocita.
Democrats have also shown increased energy in the 22nd Congressional District, where Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni is banking on a big turnout from Hispanic and Asian voters to knock off incumbent Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land.
Pelosi said the key to every race is an effective ground game to get voters — energized this year partly in response to Trump — to the polls.
Still, Pelosi stopped short of declaring that Texas will turn blue this year. She said it could be turning “at least purple pretty soon.”
“We must own the ground,” Pelosi told Democrats at Talento Bilingüe, where she attended a town hall meeting with state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat running against Republican Phillip Aronoff to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Gene Green in the 29th Congressional District.
Dems prioritize health care
At a Moms Summit at Houston Community College with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, and then later at Talento Bilingue, Pelosi hammered home what she’s calling a “For the People” campaign agenda that Democrats hope will return the U.S. House of Representatives to their control for the first time in eight years.
The themes for Democrats are lowering health care costs, better wages for workers and cleaning up the government, Pelosi said.
She said no issue, however, is bigger than health care. She said voters are turning to Democrats for help as they see the Affordable Care Act dismantled and the threat that people with pre-existing medical conditions could once again find themselves unable to afford health insurance.
“Health care is not just about people’s health and well-being, it is about their economic security and their financial security,” said Pelosi, who is on a campaign run through nine cities.
At the moms event with Jackson Lee, Pelosi took aim at the Republican tax cuts Trump signed into law. She said those cuts mostly benefit the rich and are adding to the national debt.
“America’s moms need a better deal, an agenda that works for all the people,” said Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Budget Committee.
There’s little doubting Pelosi sees a big role for Jackson Lee if Democrats win back the majority of seats in Congress. Pelosi called Jackson Lee a “force of nature” who commands respect in the community and on Capitol Hill. Pelosi, 78, has said she intends to make another bid to become speaker of the House if Democrats pick up the 23 seats they need to retake the majority.
Congressional watchers like Nathan Gonzales at Inside Elections in Washington, D.C., have predicted Democrats are positioned to pick up 20 to 30 seats, with the possibility of larger gains.
Energizing GOP?
Republicans scoff at the idea of a so-called blue wave flipping Texas. On the campaign trail, Cruz has said there are clearly more Texas conservatives than liberals and the GOP needs only to make sure they turn out their numbers to keep the state bright red.
Some Republicans have welcomed Pelosi campaign visits, saying she helps fire up Republican voters, too.
On the other side, Democrats point to strong turnout among female voters in special elections as a reason for optimism. Pelosi said Democrats have recruited more women to run for Congress to accentuate that advantage.
“It’s really important for young moms out there raising families to see people who share their experience, their hopes their aspirations, their challenges,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi is no stranger to Houston. With grandkids who live in the area, Pelosi said, she’s frequently in Houston and held up a “Houston Strong” T-shirt to a loud round of applause while campaigning with Garcia.