2018 Texas District 10 Us House of Representatives Election

When Mike Siegel fabricated a long-shot bid to unseat U.Southward. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, 2 years ago, few were watching — until he surprised political observers and came within five points of flipping the longtime Republican seat. Now the seat is upward for election once more, and national Democrats are paying attending.

Siegel'southward 2022 issue means the 10th Congressional District, which stretches from metro Austin to the northwest outskirts of Houston, is finally considered in play afterwards a 2003 redistricting left it deeply gerrymandered and solidly red. Many more eyes are now on the race, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee'south. Merely for Siegel, that has translated to tougher competition.

A one-time lawyer for the city of Austin, Siegel is vying for the Democratic nomination along with 2 newcomers: labor and employment lawyer Shannon Hutcheson and doc Pritesh Gandhi, both also from Austin.

A primary runoff is likely in TX-ten, merely with ii weeks to get until Super Tuesday, it's nonetheless uncertain who will make the cut. Siegel and his supporters put the district "on the map" last cycle afterward "the state and national party had left [it] for dead," Siegel told The Intercept in June.

"People across this district remember me for showing upward when for decades Democrats hadn't really shown up, in some of these rural communities in particular," Siegel told The Texas Tribune. "They capeesh that we brought this race and then close without a lot of exterior support."

Siegel faced even more primary opponents in 2022 merely won the nomination relatively hands. He garnered more double the votes of each of his opponents in the offset round of voting and went on to win the runoff by nearly 40 percent points.

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But Siegel holds views that might enhance questions near whether he's the right candidate to flip a traditionally crimson district. Because he is the most progressive candidate and the but ane who supports "Medicare for All" and the Light-green New Deal, his bid could exist seen as a riskier choice to claiming McCaul in the historically Republican district.

Hutcheson and Gandhi take taken more moderate positions, and each is getting some national support. Hutcheson has been endorsed past EMILY'south List, the influential group that works to elect Autonomous women who support abortion rights. Gandhi, meanwhile, has the backing of 314 Action, which backs scientists running for office.

Fundraising in the chief has been competitive, especially betwixt Gandhi and Hutcheson. In the fourth quarter, Gandhi and Hutcheson raised $257,000 and $216,000, respectively, while Siegel has trailed backside with $96,000. This was the first quarter Gandhi out-raised his opponents.

"We are peaking both in terms of our fundraising, we're peaking in terms of our field organizing, and we have built a campaign that has animated the hearts and minds of people all across this district, beyond this state and beyond this country," Gandhi said.

Siegel said he puts less stock in the fundraising "horse race" and more than in his own proper name recognition, strong presence on the ground and coalition of support, including a long listing of endorsements from local and national unions, like the AFL-CIO, climate organizations and progressive groups.

"The thought that with money alone you lot can win a nomination … it's kind of a cynical approach to politics," Siegel said. "The thought that yous tin can just bombard voters with last-minute ads and mail pieces and convince them to vote for you lot."

Hutcheson has emphasized her working-class roots and her struggles with educatee loan debt. She is also running on her work representing Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas and advocating for corruption survivors.

Her rising, she said, is exemplary of the American dream.

"I am doing this for my daughters and for this next generation," said Hutcheson, whose daughters are 16 and 20. "I think that when women take a voice and a seat at the tabular array, things are more fair, I think things are more reasonable, I call back things are more rational, and nosotros get stuff done. And I recollect that'due south what's sorely needed in D.C."

But Hutcheson has run into controversy over her legal record and by political support. While she describes herself every bit a "lifelong Democrat" who has long supported the party financially and otherwise, she gave four times to Republican judicial candidates over the by 17 years and voted in the 2010 GOP primary

During a candidate forum final month in Austin, Hutcheson addressed criticism of the donations, which were given in 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

"The only Republicans I have ever supported are a couple of judges who were longtime friends of mine," Hutcheson said. "I have been a lawyer, as I said, in this community for 23 years. At that place was a long catamenia of time on the Court of Appeals, and still to this day on the Supreme Courtroom, where nosotros didn't have Democrats and nosotros couldn't get them elected. And and so equally lawyers, it was important to make sure that the Republicans that we did get elected were good people and were good judges."

Two of the judges, Scott Field and Patrick Keel, had Democratic challengers when Hutcheson gave to their campaigns.

Gandhi has flagged these inconsistencies on his website. Siegel, when asked for annotate, brought up his work suing Gov. Greg Abbott on behalf of Austin over a 2022 bill banning "sanctuary cities" in the state.

"I retrieve that'south a articulate contrast with how Ms. Hutcheson has spent her time as a lawyer," Siegel said.

Siegel may have his ain vulnerabilities in the primary, especially as he presents himself as a labor champion. He supports ending the "misclassification of workers as 'independent contractors,'" but Siegel's own acme staffers have been working as contractors since he appear. The use of independent contractors remains a by and large frowned-upon practice because it allows campaigns to avoid paying payroll taxes and providing certain benefits.

The campaign says members of the three-person management team were given the choice of working equally consultants or employees, and all chose the former. Three field organizers were brought on in Nov, and nether a collective bargaining agreement that went into issue Jan. i, they are making $17 per 60 minutes with reimbursements for travel and health care.

"We believe every worker deserves a living wage, and believe our compensation structure has exemplified that commitment," Siegel entrada manager Briana Burns said in a statement.

Gandhi's meridian entrada staffers have all been treated as employees from the showtime.

"It is critical that the values I fight for on the campaign trail are reflected not simply in theory, simply in do with how I run this organization," he said when asked for comment.

Gandhi appeared at start to be the underdog, but afterwards out-raising both in the terminal quarter, he's emerged as a nighttime horse. Running for his beginning elected position, Gandhi cites his organizing and customs piece of work as qualifications for function.

"Am I a politician? Admittedly not," Gandhi said. "Am I a fighter, and am I an advocate? My entire life … whether it's on choice, or gun violence, or early babyhood teaching, or climate change, I've been all over the country, and all over the state, and all over the district fighting for that for well over the last decade."

A first-generation American and a doctor who serves under- and uninsured patients, Gandhi's platform emphasizes issues of immigration, health intendance and climate change. Unlike Siegel, though, he hasn't come out in support of Medicare for All or the Green New Deal.

"I'm a problem solver. I am professionally trained to solve problems. I'grand not interested in getting to Washington and getting into ideological battles," Gandhi said. "I'thousand interested in going to Washington and taking an testify-based approach to how we deliver on key problems."

Both Hutcheson and Gandhi previously supported Siegel. But Gandhi said Siegel fell brusque and squandered the "best opportunity in a decade" to win the district equally Beto O'Rourke, at the summit of the ticket, carried it by less than a point.

"Mike [Siegel] demonstrated an disability to put together the kind of campaign that tin can win," Gandhi said. "What we have demonstrated in half the fourth dimension — Mike has been running for now almost two years — is that we tin scale a entrada that can defeat Mike McCaul."

With $269,000 raised in the last quarter, $984,000 cash on hand and 16 years representing the district, McCaul will exist difficult to unseat for any Democrat who emerges every bit the nominee.

"And ultimately, that'southward what this is almost," Gandhi said. "Who is all-time suited to defeat McCaul in November and deliver this seat for Texas families all beyond this district?"

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in office by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no part in the Tribune's journalism. Notice a complete list of them here.

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Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/21/texas-congressional-district-10-draws-national-attention-2020/

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