TX-24: In heated North Texas Democratic runoff, it's about resume vs. life experience
Democratic voters in North Texas’ 24th Congressional District next month will select the woman — Retired Col. Kim Olson or former school board member Candace Valenzuela — they want to challenge Republican Beth Van Duyne in one of the fall’s most highly anticipated congressional contests.
The decision between Olson and Valenzuela is punishing for many Democrats who see both women as capable of beating Van Duyne, the former Irving mayor endorsed by President Donald Trump. The ultimate goal, Democrats sandwiched between Dallas and Fort Worth have said all year, is flipping the seat that has been occupied by Rep. Kenny Marchant for eight terms.
Marchant is one of several Texas Republicans retiring from Congress this year as the state becomes more competitive for Democrats. Marchant easily won his seat 16 years ago but narrowly beat his Democratic opponent in 2018 by just three points. Local and national Democrats see the seat as theirs for the taking and a key component of keeping their majority in the U.S. House.
“We all feel like we’ve been in a holding pattern and we’re waiting for the choice to be made,” said Angie Hetisimer, a Tarrant County precinct chair and member of Indivisible Grapevine, which works to help elect progressive candidates. “I think for me and most of the people I talk to, we just want 24 to flip. Luckily we have two fantastic candidates.”
Given there is little light between Olson and Valenzuela on policy -- both fluctuate between moderate and progressive on different questions but would be reliable votes for the Democratic agenda in Washington -- the election is largely framed as a decision between Olson’s extensive resume and Valenzuela’s biography. Olson was one of America’s first female fighter pilots. And if elected, Valenzuela will be the first Afro-Latina member of Congress.
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