October 04, 2020 / By mobanmarket
Two former Democratic administration officials are jockeying for the chance to take on Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), setting up a race that Democrats hope will help the party expand its footprint in the red state.
Colin Allred, a former professional football player and former Department of Housing and Urban Development lawyer, and Ed Meier, a former State Department aide, have both won interest from Democrats eager to unseat Sessions, who represents a district won by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE in 2016.
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But Republicans aren’t worried, saying they’re confident that Sessions’s long career and Texas’s deep-red politics will protect his seat.
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“That’s going to be a pretty high hurdle for the Democrats to get over. It’s smart to start early, show they can put the work in to get the money they need,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor from the University of Houston.
“Despite the fact that Sessions potentially could be vulnerable, most of the reasons are unrealized, and those that are realized, like the change in support at the presidential level, can be explained away.”
Clinton’s 2-point victory in the Dallas-area district has emboldened Democrats even though Sessions has had a firm grip on the seat ever since it was created following the 2000 census. The Texas Republican didn’t even face a Democratic opponent in last year’s general election.
Now, more than half a dozen Democrats are interested in challenging Sessions. Meier and Allred, who have emerged as the top-tier contenders, have raised hefty sums nearly 17 months out from the midterms.
Both Democrats have raised impressive numbers in their first few months, according to figures released by the campaigns last week. Meier, who announced on May 3, raised $345,000, with $300,000 on hand. Allred, who jumped in on April 20, raised $200,000.
The increased enthusiasm could be a blessing for Democrats looking to take the district, but it could also backfire if energy for both candidates prolongs the primary. Texas primaries go to a runoff if no candidate wins the majority of support, an outcome that could drain Democratic resources and delay a messaging shift to win over the center.
Allred, a civil rights attorney and former NFL linebacker for the Tennessee Titans from 2006 to 2010, has been holding “Coffee with Colin” events where he meets with constituents in coffee shops around the district. While he gets questions about President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE, Allred said voters are most concerned about healthcare as Senate Republicans negotiate an ObamaCare replacement.
“It’s a huge issue in that district, and it crosses racial lines … class lines,” Allred told The Hill. “I think the healthcare bill is going to be a big deal in this race.”
Both candidates pointed to the healthcare effort as a vulnerability for Sessions, who found himself in hot water this year after telling frustrated constituents that they “don’t know how to listen” as he defended the House GOP’s unpopular bill.
Allred has been playing up his ties to the district, where he grew up and played high school football. He’s used that background to take aim at Sessions, whom he said has a “disconnection from the district.” Allred added that a goal of his campaign is to “introduce” the Texas Republican’s record to voters because he hasn’t had a serious challenger in years.
Meier has also met with voters and touts his experience in Dallas politics. He’s currently the interim executive director for Big Thought, an education nonprofit. Meier worked for three years in the State Department as a senior aide overseeing the military-civilian transition as soldiers left Iraq.
The former policy aide for Clinton’s campaign said he was inspired to challenge Sessions after Trump’s election. In his announcement video, he blasted Sessions for the biting comments at his healthcare town hall and framed him as a yes man for Trump. But aside from the president, whose agenda Meier says Sessions follows in “lockstep,” he’s heard from constituents about the need for better-paying jobs.
The two former administration officials don’t differ much in policy or style. For now, they’re less focused on each other, preferring to take shots at Sessions and his party-line voting record.
But Democrats face a tough road in the district. Former President Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaHarris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Five ways America would take a hard left under Joe Biden Valerie Jarrett: ‘Democracy depends upon having law enforcement’ MORE lost there by double digits during 2008 and 2012. And while Clinton may have been slightly more popular than Trump in the conservative district on Election Day, she’s hardly a favorite. That will give Republicans an opening to exploit those ties to rally their base.
Texas’s 32nd District is a model for the kind of district that Democrats are looking to snatch: well-educated and increasingly diverse. But while the anti-Trump rhetoric could mobilize the Democratic base, experts are skeptical that the district’s electorate has shifted enough for Democrats to win in 2018.
Meier and Allred acknowledge that Democrats can’t just rely on running against Trump, especially as the party tries to create a message apart from attacks on the president.
“I don’t want to just be an opposition. I want to talk about where do we want to go, what’s our bold, positive message look like,” Meier told The Hill. “But I’m certainly not going to be afraid to call out Donald Trump.”
While Trump’s poor showing in the district and his low favorable rating has boosted Democratic hopes that Sessions could feel a similar drag, Dallas-area Republicans have largely stood by their longtime congressman.
Phillip Huffines, the Dallas County GOP chairman, told The Hill that he expects Democratic enthusiasm in the district to flag.
“It’s a complete and total myth that Democrats have a chance to win,” he said.
“The Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE and George Soros wing of the Democrat party does more to motivate Republicans than anyone. Voters recognize that we simply cannot afford another big-government voice in Congress.”
Sessions won 71 percent of the vote in 2016, when he didn’t face a Democratic challenger. His margin of victory has never fallen below double-digits since redistricting created the 32nd district ahead of the 2002 election. Sessions’s reelection campaign in 2004 was his toughest, when he fought off a challenge from longtime Democratic Rep. Martin Frost, whose seat had become deep red through redistricting.
The congressman’s electoral record is one reason why his party isn’t concerned about him. A former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Sessions has experience with tough campaigns and an army of backers who could come to his aid in case of a close race.
Republicans are skeptical of Democratic claims that they’ll make a serious investment in Texas.
“That’s an extraordinarily expensive district,” said Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based GOP strategist and a contributor to The Hill. “If you are the [Democrats] looking at the map, do you want to spend $5 million in Dallas or in four districts in the Midwest?”
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