Councilwoman to run for Cornyn’s Senate seat
City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards announced Thursday she is running for U.S. Senate, becoming the latest Democrat — and the second from the Bayou City — to contend for the seat held by Republican John Cornyn.
Edwards, who holds one of Houston’s five at-large council seats, likely would have faced a clear reelection path in November. She is forgoing a second four-year term, though, setting up a clash in the Democratic primary with former congressional candidate and Air Force pilot MJ Hegar and former Houston congressman Chris Bell. Others, including Dallas state Sen. Royce West, are expected to join the race, which is being targeted by national Democrats as a potential key to their hopes for taking the Senate in 2020.
“It’s not always about staying in places where you’re more comfortable. I think you have to go into the places and arenas that need you most,” the 37-yearold Edwards said. “My style and approach to leadership — my servant leadership — is exactly what Texans need at this time, exactly what they need.
“This is going to be a very pivotal moment in our country’s trajectory,” she added. “This is going to be potentially the shift of the power paradigm of our nation, right here in Texas.”
First, however, Edwards will have to get through an already crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination. She said she thinks she can stand out by targeting millennial and minority voters, saying she’s a “millennial in this race” and touting work she has done on city task forces focused on minority-owned businesses and supporting startups.
“I’m looking at it as to how we can provide more access, more opportunities for more people,” she said.
Edwards made the announcement on Twitter, where she posted a launch video and linked to a new campaign website.
“This is not about politics. This is about people, and what matters most to us,” she says in the video. “It’s about people like my parents, whose battles with cancer illustrate that for so many Americans and their families, access to health care is really a matter of life or death and isn’t just a chip in some political game.”
Meanwhile, Edwards can keep her City Council seat through the end of her term, which expires in January. Elected officials in Texas who become candidates for another office are required to resign only if they have more than a year and 30 days left in their terms.
Though she began mulling a run for Senate months ago, Edwards waited to join the race until City Council approved Houston’s budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. Edwards serves as vice chair of the city budget committee and led several department budget workshops in Chairman
Dave Martin’s absence.
The Senate marks a sizable jump for Edwards, but she has been bullish on her chances because she represents a citywide office in Texas’ largest city.
“It’s not a traditional launching pad,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University. “But an at-large Houston City Council member is at the same level as a state rep or even state senator in terms of public recognition.”
Slight edge for Hegar
Still, Edwards will have to build further popularity among Houston voters to be competitive, in addition to the other parts of the state where she is a relatively unknown, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
“The one thing you can say about the Democratic field is that it’s nascent at this point,” Jillson said. “Hegar is a little bit ahead, because she’s got more money than everyone else.”
Bell’s candidacy may further complicate Edwards’ bid, though it is not clear how much support remains for the former Houston city councilman and congressman. Bell received 7.4 percent of the vote in his 2015 bid for mayor, the last time he ran for elected office.
Jones predicted Bell would have difficulty drawing support from Anglo women and African American voters, two dominant constituencies in the Democratic primary who Jones said are more likely to back Edwards, Hegar and West.
Edwards’ city campaign account had about $193,000 cash on hand through the end of June. She cannot transfer the money to her Senate campaign, though she could send unspent campaign funds back to donors and ask them to re-contribute.
Soon after Edwards’ announcement, Cornyn’s team issued a statement criticizing her record.
“Councilwoman Edwards is a true progressive with a record that would make Elizabeth Warren jealous,” campaign manager John Jackson said. “We look forward to seeing which two liberals make the inevitable runoff.”
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued a statement calling Edwards a “community builder, forward thinker and innovator.”
“Edwards represents the future of Texas,” Hinojosa said. “As a transformative results-oriented leader, she is blazing a trail for young Texans, women of color, and Texans who have felt locked out of their government.”
Cornyn will have plenty of money to fend off challengers. He headed into July with a war chest of more than $9 million, after raising $2.5 million the second quarter of the year. Hegar reported a haul of more than $1 million during the same period — her first period of fundraising since joining the race in April — leaving her campaign with nearly $600,000 cash on hand.
Cornyn’s campaign has tried to align Hegar with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., casting Hegar as Schumer’s “handpicked candidate.” Both Hegar and Edwards said they met with Schumer before announcing their Senate bids.
Senator responds
A spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which raises money to back GOP Senate candidates, used Edwards’ announcement as a knock on national Democrats.
“Everyone knows there is no telling Texans what to do, except, apparently, national Democrats who decided to rally behind a failed House candidate as their chosen one before other Texas Democrats even had a chance to consider their candidacy,” NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said. “Bless their hearts.”
In a statement, Hegar welcomed Edwards to the race.
“The number of candidates in this race and groundswell of enthusiasm speaks to the urgency in retiring John Cornyn and ending his nearly 20-year record of putting DC special interests over Texans,” Hegar said. “As a veteran and working mother who successfully fought to open up hundreds of thousands of jobs to women in the military, I am focused on talking with Texans about my record of taking on tough fights.”
The Democratic primary field is likely to expand further, with West expected to announce his candidacy Monday. Beaumont NAACP Chair Michael Cooper also is running, along with Sema Hernandez, who received about 24 percent of the vote in the 2018 Senate primary against Beto O’Rourke.
Edwards, a lawyer who focuses on municipal finance, first was elected to City Council in 2015. She attended Eisenhower High School in Aldine ISD, then worked for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee before attending Harvard Law School. She served as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle in New Orleans before returning to Houston.