U.S. Congress, part 2
Voters would benefit by returning these veteran representatives to Capital Hill.
United States Representative, District 14: Randy Weber
We agree with Randy Weber on one thing: There may be no congressman in the Texas delegation who has a more important district. His territory, which stretches from the Louisiana border to an area just west of Freeport, covers a mix of precious but vulnerable wetlands in addition to five key ports.
The affable Republican incumbent has an underwhelming record after two terms in Congress, and seems to focus more on blocking bills he doesn’t like than promoting the issues key to his district. But given that his Democratic opponent Michael Cole — a former teacher’s aide and perennial candidate — lacks the depth of experience necessary to assume this important office, we encourage voters to send Weber back to Washington with a to-do list: Weber needs to make a case for the Ike Dike and other hurricane protection infrastructure at the federal level, deliver funding for port dredging, support NASA and help in the fight against Zika.
Gene Green is frustrated with the Affordable Care Act. More specifically, the 12-term Democratic congressman is frustrated that Congress won’t try to improve it.
“Any law that you ever pass, you typically go back to it and fix it,” Green told the editorial board. “We haven’t had that opportunity. In the last six years, they’ve tried to repeal it 60-plus times.”
Representing a largely Hispanic and blue-collar district that circles from north Houston around through Pasadena and east Houston, Green puts his focus on those meat-and-potato issues that help keep his constituents healthy and the Port of Houston humming.
Even after a particularly contentious Congress, Green can point to a list of accomplishments as the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health: improved Medicare reimbursement for doctors, reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and moving forward bipartisan bill packages on opioid addiction and mental health. On the energy side, Green has also worked across the aisle on a pipeline safety bill and reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act.
His Republican opponent and restaurateur, Julio Garza, says that Green can’t adequately represent Hispanic voters — an argument that didn’t work too well for former sheriff Adrian Garcia in the Democratic primary. United States Representative, District 18: Sheila Jackson Lee “Sheila Jackson Lee is stalking me.” Those are the words of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, courtesy of Wikileaks. He was complaining that Houston’s own Jackson Lee wanted to be “involved in everything” and wouldn’t stop hounding him about Clinton accepting the Barbara Jordan Medallion for Service at Texas Southern University.
Whether you call it tenacity or stalking, it worked: Clinton showed up in person at TSU to receive the award.
After 11 terms in Congress, the former city councilwoman has learned how to pull levers of power in Washington to deliver for the city and her district, which circles from northeast Houston through downtown, Midtown and the Third Ward, and back up toward Acres Homes and George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Lee’s Republican challenger, Lori Bartley, has an inspiring personal story of overcoming poverty and finding success in life. However, her focus on issues like homelessness, crime and community empowerment would be a better fit for City Council or the state Legislature. United States Representative, District 22: Pete Olson
Incumbent Pete Olson did not meet with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, but he nonetheless earned our endorsement over his Democratic challenger, Mark Gibson.
As the Republican vice chairman of the House Energy and Power Subcommittee, Olson is a key advocate in Washington for Houston’s important oil and gas industry. He even tried to get ethanol from natural gas certified as a biofuel so that it could compete with corn-based ethanol.
Representing most of Brazoria and Fort Bend counties, including Sugar Land, and part of Harris County, the four-term congressman and former Navy pilot has also been at the forefront of bringing Gulf Coast storm surge concerns to Washington.
Gibson, a retired Army colonel with 30-years service, has a passion for veterans issues.