In key House races, Davis, Jones the best candidates
Congressional District 21 has morphed from a safe Republican seat to one of the most competitive races in the country, pitting Democratic challenger Wendy Davis against U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who has served a single term.
We recommend Davis, a former state senator and 2014 Democratic nominee for governor. She knows the legislative process, is knowledgeable on a wide range of issues and is more attuned and ready to respond to the most urgent crises of our times. If elected, she would hit the ground running.
Calling health care the most important issue for her to work on, Davis takes seriously the threat of COVID-19. She also is serious about mitigating man-made climate change, but in a way that recognizes the many jobs tied to the oil and gas sector. That means re-entering the Paris climate agreement, incentivizing wind, solar and geothermal technology, and providing training to workers in the energy sector. She would also be a voice for comprehensive immigration reform and Dreamers.
Roy is smart, informed and engaging. We are grateful he took an hour to speak with us. Should he win re-election, we hope to continue that dialogue. Yes, we differ with Roy on many issues. All the more reason to hear from him.
That said, while he accepts that some degree of man-made climate change is occurring, he also told us the left has “sensationalized” climate change “in a way that is about fear and hysteria.” And while it is clear Roy takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously — one of his biggest accomplishments is a bipartisan bill that gives small businesses more flexibility for Paycheck Protection Program loans — he likewise characterized the initial response to the pandemic as being politicized. We were also struck by a comment he made in May to the Texas Tribune that “we need herd immunity.”
Roy is also opposed to Obamacare and has instead advocated for a plan that would place funds into personal savings accounts for people. We don’t see this as a suitable replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
A Democrat hasn’t represented this district, which runs north of San Antonio, across the Hill Country and into Austin, since Bob Krueger was elected in 1974 and served two terms. That tenure was anchored by the 32 years served by Lamar Smith until his retirement in 2018, when he was succeeded by Roy.
But because Roy was elected by less than 3 percentage points, it’s certainly possible Davis could flip the seat. We will know soon.
In Congressional District 23, which has long been competitive, we recommend Democratic candidate Gina Ortiz Jones.
Stretching 550 miles from San Antonio to El Paso along the U.s.-mexico border, the district has been as volatile as it is large. Since 2006, Republicans and Democrats have traded the seat back and forth with only the current incumbent, Republican Will Hurd, able to hold it for three consecutive terms.
Hurd’s decision to not seek a fourth term set up this November’s matchup between Jones, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, and Republican candidate Tony Gonzales, a former Navy cryptologist. Gonzales is passionate and has a promising political future, but his answers to questions were painfully vague. Jones is superbly qualified and deeply knowledgeable on a wide range of issues, particularly health care, national security, immigration and trade. Jones nearly defeated Hurd in 2018, raising her national profile.
She is a graduate of John Jay High School and Boston University, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics as well as a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies. Jones also has a master’s degree from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies.
During her active-duty service, Jones was deployed to Iraq. Since leaving the military, she’s advised on operations in Latin America and Africa. Under President Barack Obama, she was the senior adviser for trade enforcement before serving as a director for investment at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Few congressional districts are as directly touched by the trio of issues of immigration, national security and health care as District 23. On these and other issues, Jones would bring a fresh voice and uniquely informed perspective to Congress. She is an outstanding candidate.