NRCC Statement on TX-07 Democratic Runoff

NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman released the following statement regarding Laura Moser, who was openly attacked by the DCCC, and Lizzie Fletcher continuing to a runoff election for the TX-07 Democratic nomination.

“I guess the DCCC can’t rig a primary as well as their counterparts at the DNC,” said NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman.

“It’s not the first time national Democrats and Nancy Pelosi interfered with the will of primary voters and it certainly won’t be the last. The NRCC commends them for how ruthlessly they attack Democratic candidates.”

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
March 7, 2018

THE CASE AGAINST JOHN CULBERSON

DCCC Spokesperson, Cole Leiter released the following statement:

“Democratic energy in Houston is undeniably surging, while Congressman Culberson is stuck on defense as he struggles to sell an unpopular tax bill, explain skyrocketing healthcare costs, and connect with voters who are sick of Republican-controlled Washington. Texas Democrats have been working hard for over a year to hold John Culberson accountable and flip this district blue, and after picking a clear frontrunner are in a strong position to win in November.”

To: Interested Parties
From: Cole Leiter, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 6, 2018
RE: The Case Against John Culberson

After nearly twenty years in Washington, Congressman Culberson has become a DC swamp creature – he’s still hanging on to his decade-old Tea Party playbook and hoping it will work in a district that swung more than 22-points towards Hillary Clinton in 2016. Now, with a clear Democratic front runner, voters in Houston will have the opportunity to finally retire this political relic.

This strategy is unlikely to work for Culberson, but he doesn’t seem to mind – or even notice. Instead of learning from 2016, he continues to march lockstep with Speaker Ryan and President Trump, despite his party pursuing a reckless agenda that hurts people in Houston.

Throughout his career, Culberson has voted for his party and against Houston repeatedly. He has voted against local infrastructure development – including opposition to bills that could have helped the city manage Hurricane Harvey. He has a long record of being anti-worker and anti-organized labor, and his part in the Republican war on affordable healthcare is deeply damaging. Moreover, at a time when voters are determined to drain Washington’s swamp, Culberson got caught using his government insider connections to buy and sell stock.

Culberson’s eagerness to back Trump, his years of undermining the needs and security of Houstonians, and his starring role in Washington’s swamp highlight just how far he’ll go to stand with his party, regardless of the damage it does to Houston.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING “…Culberson’s accomplishments for the 7th Congressional District, which covers west Houston neighborhoods from West University through the Energy Corridor, seem pretty thin. That historically weak record, combined with a district that went for Hillary Clinton in 2016, has attracted a strong group of Democratic challengers for the general election.” [Houston Chronicle Editorial Board, 2/18/2018]

“Culberson was again outraised by two Democratic challengers… The two Democrats not only raised more than the incumbent during the period, but they also emerged from the quarter with larger war chests.” [Texas Tribune, 10/16/2018]

Headline: “Harvey’s Shadow Hangs Over Culberson’s Reelection Hopes” [Houston Public Media, 2/19/2018]

Headline: “GOP Rep. John Culberson Gets An Earful From Angry Voters” [Houston Chronicle, 3/27/2017]

Headline: “Culberson stock asset may prove political liability” [Houston Chronicle, 6/27/2017]

JOHN CULBERSON: A CAREER POLITICIAN OUT FOR HIMSELF, NOT HOUSTON

Culberson’s Inaction on Infrastructure Left Houston Unprepared

Houstonians, some of whose houses are still underwater after Hurricane Harvey, are paying the price for Culberson’s career in politics and his repeated votes opposing critical investments in Houston’s dams that were deemed to be at “high risk” of failure as early as 2004. Beyond voting with his party and against repairing deficient dams, Culberson has repeatedly undermined emergency response and preparedness in flood zones across the country. That shows how far John Culberson will go – since the beginning of his days in Washington – to stand with his political party, not the needs of Houstonians.

Self-Dealing Washington Insider

Culberson implicated himself in an insider-trading scheme, led by a fellow Republican Congressman, to make pharmaceutical stock purchases based on insider tips. As a reminder, this is the same scandal that dogged former Congressman Tom Price’s nomination to be President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Culberson’s apparent use of insider knowledge for his trading is consistent with his record on ethics. Culberson voted against establishing the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2008. On this note, stay tuned…

98.5% with Trump, Not With Houston

Even when it hurts Houstonians, Culberson stands with Speaker Ryan over 90% of the time and President Trump a mind-boggling 98.5% of the time. That vote record is deeply out of step with TX-07, which swung against Trump by more than 22-points between 2012 and 2016. Culberson’s support for the Republican agenda, backed by President Trump, includes voting to jack up healthcare costs and jeopardize access to coverage for 62,800 of his constituents, and voting to raise taxes on millions of middle class families.

Anti-Worker

John Culberson has a long record of being anti-worker and anti-union. He has repeatedly co-sponsored legislation – the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act – to end the requirement that workers receive a prevailing wage on federally funded construction contract. Culberson has also co-sponsored Right-to-Work legislation in 7 different Congresses (107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 113th, 114th, and 115th). On top of his decades-long record of hostility to labor, Culberson has also thumbed his nose at workers earning the lowest wages, having voted against raising the minimum wage 5 times, despite the fact that his Congressional salary has increased quite a bit since Culberson came to Congress.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

TX-07’s big primary turnout reflects a state-wide swell in early voter engagement and energy on Democrats’ side. That increase in grassroots engagement does not bode well for Congressman Culberson, whose net negative favorability, recorded in a DCCC-conducted poll from November, puts him 13-percentage points underwater. On top of that, among modeled-Republican voters, Culberson’s weak personal brand leads him to underperform a generic-Republican by a full 11-percentage points.

The bad news does not stop there for John Culberson. TX-07’s makeup is more than 58% suburban, reflecting the kind of district that has shifted dramatically towards Democrats under Trump. That shift is evident in the more than 22-point swing at the Presidential level between 2012 and 2016, leading Hillary Clinton to win TX-07 by 1.4 points. Since 2016, the deeply unpopular, Washington Republican and Trump backed agenda on healthcare and taxes have made the President even more toxic, with the same DCCC poll showing Trump’s net-negative un-favorability to have grown to 7 points.

That’s a big problem for a Representative who is disliked and whose most distinguishing characteristics are his 94% Speaker Ryan and 98.5% Trump voting record.

THE CASE AGAINST WILL HURD

DCCC Spokesperson, Cole Leiter released the following statement:

“Since the day he went to Washington, Congressman Hurd has tried to convince voters he’s different, but his record tells the real story. From his votes to fund Trump’s border wall, to his full-throated support for a tax handout to the wealthiest Americans, to his failure to move his party on DREAMers, Hurd has not delivered for West Texans. And if the surge in Democratic turnout demanding a change is any indication — Congressman Hurd’s eagerness to walk lockstep with Speaker Ryan and President Trump, even when it’s bad for West Texas, will be his political undoing.” 

To: Interested Parties
From: Cole Leiter, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 7, 2018
RE: The Case Against Will Hurd

Congressman Will Hurd would have you believe he’s different. But stack his record up next to any other Republican politician in Washington and the truth is evident that his loyalties lie with his political party in Washington and President Trump – not with West Texas voters.

From his full-throated support for a tax handout to the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations, paid for by middle class families, to his votes to fund Trump’s border wall, Hurd has stood with his political party and with President Trump more than 97% of the time, even when it’s bad for the Texas families he’s supposed to represent.

Hurd’s loyalty to his Washington party bosses and to Donald Trump sets up his own undoing in a heavily Hispanic district where the President’s approval rating is underwater. Luckily, voters in Texas’ 23rd will have the opportunity to elect a Democratic candidate with a strong records of service, who has shown they are ready to take the fight to a reckless and unpopular Republican agenda, backed by a reckless and unpopular President. Congressman Hurd will spend the final months of his time in office defending his shameful Speaker Ryan and Trump voting record that puts Washington first and Texans last, and failing to convince voters he’s anything but a typical Washington Republican.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“The two most damning accusations against Hurd is that he voted in favor of repealing Obamacare during his first term and only voted against repeal this year; and that he speaks out against the border wall, but once voted to fund it.” [Texas Monthly, 8/11/2017]

Headline: Trump agenda lays traps for Texas’ most vulnerable Republican. [McClatchy, 2/05/2018]

Headline: Here’s How Much San Antonio Congressmen Were Paid to Let Internet Providers Sell Your Browser History [San Antonio Current, 4/06/2017]

“Hurd votes in accordance with Trump’s position 96.9 percent of the time, as outlined by fivethirtyeight.com’s ‘Trump score’ tracking model. That’s similar to other Republican House members, with only one lawmaker aligning with Trump less than 90 percent of the time.” [San Antonio Express-News, 1/25/2018]

WILL HURD: TALKS AS BIG AS TEXAS, VOTES PARTY LINE IN DC

President Trump, You’re Wall-come

Congressman Hurd claims to oppose President Trump’s border wall, but he has cast two votes to fund the construction of that wall, a clear indication of where his loyalties lie in Washington. Folks in Texas are starting to wise up to that, and his pro-Trump voting record will define him this November.

Nothing Independent About 97% Trump

Congressman Hurd ducked and dodged the Trump question in 2016, but as soon as Trump was elected, Will Hurd welcomed him with open arms, even when his policies  hurt people in Texas. In fact, as of last month, Hurd had voted with Trump 97% of the time and with Speaker Ryan 95% of the time. That record makes it clear Hurd’s disavowal of the President in 2016 was an opportunistic election year stunt to mask his true partisan colors.

All Hat, No Cattle

Hurd’s lack of bipartisan accomplishment cuts against his claims that he is a bipartisan problem-solver.  For all of the national media attention he seeks, Hurd has accomplished strikingly little on issues key to TX-23.

Here’s just one example: Hurd was named to the Republican DACA task force to much fanfare. But when it came time to get his DC party bosses like Speaker Ryan – who run the Swamp – to take action to protect DREAMers, he failed. Ultimately, Hurd’s party is in control of the White House and all of Congress, and it has produced nothing but downside for the people of Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

TX-23 is a perennial swing district and Trump’s 3.4 point loss in this district in 2016 sets TX-23 up as one of the most competitive districts in the state. A public poll from February 2018 shows Donald Trump 10-points underwater, with a generic Democrat within one-point of Will Hurd. Add Hurd’s record of voting with Speaker Ryan 95% of the time and with President Trump 97% of the time to that and it shows just how vulnerable Rep. Hurd truly is.

There is no district in the country that holds more of the US-Mexican border, and the reality of the President’s proposed border wall is front and center for voters here, approximately 60% of whom are Hispanic.

Bexar County, the most suburban portion of the district, resembles other areas that have swung towards Democrats in reaction to Trump’s presidency. Nearly half of the more than 65,000 potential new Democratic voters in this district are located in Bexar County. Where TX-23 saw a strong primary turnout, that grassroots energy means Democrats have the opportunity to bring thousands of new votes into the Democratic column.

THE CASE AGAINST PETE SESSIONS

DCCC Spokesperson, Cole Leiter released the following statement:

“Democrats turned out in record numbers for the chance to pick their nominee against Congressman Sessions in November. Sessions is the portrait of a Washington politician who for two decades has put his political party first and Dallas families last, and clearly voters are ready for a change. This primary demonstrated that Democrats are ready to put in the work to bring that change this November.”

To: Interested Parties
From: Cole Leiter, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 7, 2018
RE: The Case Against Pete Sessions

Congressman Sessions is the very portrait of a career Washington politician, deeply out-of-touch with a district that he hasn’t truly lived in for years, and eager to pledge his allegiance to an historically unpopular Republican Congress and White House.

Session has no record of his own to present to voters: he has backed the establishment Republicans’ healthcare repeal and tax scam, supported President Trump’s border wall and refused to find a solution for DREAMers. Sessions’ record amounts to one party line vote after another, even when it’s bad for people in Dallas. That doesn’t bode well for him when he’ll face one of two Democratic challengers who are ready to stand up for middle class families in Dallas, and retire Sessions to Winter Park, Florida.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Headline: U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions faces rowdy town hall [Texas Tribune, 3/18/2017]

VIDEO: Pete Sessions tells town hall crowd in Richardson: “You don’t know how to listen’ [Dallas Morning News, 3/18/2018]

Headline: Democrats attack Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions for voting for GOP health care bill [Dallas Morning News, 5/05/2017]

“Trump is likely even more unpopular in Sessions’ district than he was in 2016, said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones, and Democrats will no doubt tie Sessions’ voting record on health care, immigration and taxes to the president’s agenda.” [Dallas Morning News, 2/05/2018]

Headline: Rep. Pete Sessions says no to path to citizenship for Dreamers [Washington Times, 1/29/2018]

PETE SESSIONS: TRUMP’S MAN IN WASHINGTON

Trump’s 98.5% Reliable Rubber Stamp

After Texas supported every Republican Presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan, voters in TX-32 swung more than 17 points to firmly reject President Trump in 2016. Congressman Sessions didn’t get the message, though, and continues to vote in lockstep with his Party in Congress and with President Trump 98.5% of the time. You name it, and Pete Sessions was happy to rubber-stamp his Party’s position: healthcare repeal; the Republican tax handout to big corporations paid for by middle class families; and Trump’s reckless approach to North Korea. Sessions’ eagerness to back the GOP and Trump agenda is a head scratcher.

Swamp Thing

After more than 20 years in Washington, Congressman Sessions has become a reliable vote for the DC special interests who have backed his campaigns, contributing hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars.

Take the financial industry, which has feathered Sessions’ nest to the tune of more than a million dollars – all while the Congressman was happy to serve as a reliable rubber stamp to weaken consumer protections and expose countless people to the worst abuses of reckless actors like Equifax. Or take the payday lending industry — Pete Sessions has accepted more than $200,000 from them and he’s served as a reliable vote to loosen regulations for an industry that takes advantage of veterans and so many others. Sessions’ close relationship to the industry even drew an ethics complaint.

Out-of-Touch with Dallas

Pete Sessions has simply forgotten what it means to answer to his voters. When asked to explain his votes on healthcare repeal to his own constituents, Sessions yelled at them, claiming that they “don’t know how to listen.” Voters are scared to lose their affordable healthcare, and if there’s one thing they know, it’s that Members of Congress are the ones who need to be listening to them. That’s particularly true when they’re standing with their political party in Washington, even when it hurts their constituents.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

In 2016, for the first time, TX-32 voted for the Democratic candidate for President when Hillary Clinton won the district by 2 points, a 17.4 percentage-point swing towards the Democrat from 2012. Part of this swing can be attributed to the district’s 62% suburban composition, a geographic makeup that has swung heavily against Republicans in the age of Donald Trump.

According to a Gallup-conducted poll from January of 2018, Trump’s approval ratings have gotten even worse in Texas since 2016, sinking to 39% of voters who approve of the President. That’s a big problem for Pete Sessions, who has walked his party’s line and stood with Trump 98.5% of the time.

And the big primary turnout makes it clear that 2016’s swing was not an aberration in TX-32. Democrats are energized and voters are rejecting today’s Republican Party in once solid-red Texas.

Increased voter engagement and energy has other clear upsides for Democrats in TX-32. With more than 22% of the district’s voting age population unregistered to vote, there are over 60,000 potential new Democratic voters. A competitive primary means multiple candidates working overtime to register and engage these same voters and makes it more likely they’ll turn out again in November to elect a Democrat.

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EMILY's List
March 7, 2018 fundraising email

Our women had a historic night in Texas last night!

Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia won their primary elections outright. Texas has never sent a Latina to Congress, and they could both be the first.

Our other candidates — Gina Ortiz Jones, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, and Lillian Salerno — are advancing to run-off elections on May 22nd. Their races are top opportunities to turn red House seats blue, and we know our women are the right candidates to defeat Republicans.

All five of these women were running in crowded primaries, so these results are a testament to the strong support of this community.

But we can't rest on our laurels. Gina, Lizzie, and Lillian need your help to win their runoffs. And we still have dozens of other women in competitive primaries across the country.

Let's show them we've still got their backs.

Donate $3 to help our women in Texas and across the country:

https://secure.emilyslist.org/Lets-Keep-Winning

Thanks — and go team!

Emily Cain
Executive Director, EMILY's List