Battleground 2020Elections 2020Battleground 2020 Update: Key Texas Races at State and Federal Level Shaping Up

7th Congressional District

Democrat incumbent Lizzie Fletcher, who first won her Houston-area seat against former Rep. John Culberson in 2018 by a five-point margin, is poised to have a competitive race.

Five candidates have filed to run in the GOP primary:

• While Fletcher has raised $1.1 million during the last quarter, Wesley Hunt, a former Army pilot, trailed in second with a little over $500,000 dollars raised.
• Cindy Siegel, former Bellaire mayor, raised about $260,000.
• Maria Espinoza, an anti-illegal-immigrant activist, received the endorsement of Kris Kobach, the former Secretary of State of Kansas who is currently running for Pat Roberts’ (R-Kansas) open Senate seat.
• Pierce Bush, the grandson of George H.W. Bush and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, said in April that he was “seriously considering” a run for the seat, but has made no further announcement.
• Tom DeVor (finance and real estate) and Jim Noteware (businessman) are also running in the Republican primary.

In the House, Fletcher recently broke from the Democratic party to vote against the banning of offshore drilling.

22nd Congressional District

Rep. Pete Olson (R) is retiring, leaving the seat open for a highly competitive race in a rapidly changing district. 

• Olson’s chief of staff told The Texan that his campaign filed an “amendment to the statement of candidacy on September 9 to remove connections to a Leadership PAC and a Joint Fundraising Committee that had been set in motion before the decision not to run again. We have filed Termination reports for those 2 committees.”
• Felicia Harris Hoss joined the Republican primary race in the district and received the endorsement of former Texas Secretary of State Jack Rains. Republican Douglas Haggard also filed to run for the seat.

28th Congressional District

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) is facing challenges from both Republicans and his own party.

• Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) endorsed his Democratic opponent, Jessica Cisneros, an immigration lawyer. Cuellar shot back on Twitter, stating, “We told you the outside special interests were coming to take away local jobs. Elizabeth Warren and our opponent share an agenda that would kill over 108,000 jobs in our region.”
• Sandra Whitten is Cuellar’s only challenger in the Republican primary at the moment. 

32nd Congressional District

Like Fletcher, Colin Allred (D), who won the Dallas-area seat against former Rep. Pete Sessions in 2018 by 6.5 percent, has a number of Republicans seeking to challenge him.

• So far, Republicans who have filed include: Floyd McLendon (retired Navy SEAL), Tania Burgess, Mark Dumdei (insurance salesman and former theology professor), Genevieve Collins (public education advocate), and Bao Vinh.

State House District 47

• In a seat with four other Republican challengers to Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Shady Hollow), Austin police officer Justin Berry received endorsements from the Austin Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
• Republican candidate Don Zimmerman filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin over their decision to fund “abortion logistics.” 
• The other Republicans in the race include Jennifer Fleck, Jenny Forgey, and Aaron Reitz.

State House District 65

• Kronda Thimesch, a Republican, filed to run against Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton). Thimesch is a current Lewisville ISD Board Trustee.
• Beckley, who won for the first time in 2018 against a Republican incumbent by a 2.4 percent margin, is also being challenged by another Democrat, Paige Dixon.
• Nancy Cline, a Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD board member, also filed to run for the seat, but no official announcement or website could be found. Her fellow board member, Candace Valenzuela, is running for the 24th Congressional District as a Democrat.