Democrats are poised to make history in the November 2018 elections—not only in terms of seats flipped and victories won, but also in terms of changing the (predominantly white and male) face of government.
Democratic candidates have stepped forward to run for office in record numbers, and a historic proportion of these candidates are women and people of color. These Democrats have remarkable backgrounds and personal stories, and they bring perspectives on how hardworking Americans are impacted by current politics and policy that are woefully absent from the halls of power.
Gina Ortiz Jones is one of these groundbreaking Democratic candidates. Her mother raised Jones and her sister alone while working multiple jobs. Jones attended college on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and served in Iraq as an intelligence officer. This first-generation American will bring a trio of crucial firsts to Congress: Jones will be the first Iraq War veteran and the first out member of the Texas delegation, and she’ll also be the first Filipina-American member of Congress—ever.
And these are only some of the many reasons Daily Kos is thrilled to endorse Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District to win the primary runoff and go on to defeat Republican Rep. Will Hurd in November.
Jones emerged from the March 6 primary election with 41 percent of the vote in the five-way contest. Her nearest opponent was well behind with 17 percent, so Jones is the heavy favorite to win the May 22 runoff. Then she’ll face GOP incumbent Hurd in this swing seat.
Hurd, who’s running for his third term, defeated Democratic Rep. Pete Gallego by just 2,400 votes in 2014, 50-48 percent. In their 2016 rematch, Hurd won 48-47. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton actually won TX-23, 50-46 percent, rendering this seat a prime pick-up opportunity for Democrats in 2018.
And Hurd himself couldn’t be a more deserving target. He votes with Trump 95 percent of the time, a record that includes at least a couple of his nine separate votes to repeal Obamacare. He voted to target transgender members of the military for discrimination, and he voted to prevent Dreamers from serving in the armed forces.
Jones presents the ultimate contrast. She’s the daughter of an immigrant, and she’s going to fight to protect and expand the opportunities that allowed her to grow up healthy, get an education, and serve her country. She believes that health care is a right, she supports a woman’s right to have access to safe abortions and reproductive care, she backs common-sense gun safety laws, and she’s dedicated to fighting for a clean DREAM Act to protect young immigrants.
Join us in supporting Gina Ortiz Jones in her fight to represent TX-23—contribute $3 to her campaign today!
