Military Hero MJ Hegar Launches Democratic Bid Against U.S. Rep. John Carter

[riversedge]

1. She will needs lots of courage and strength. it is Texas afterall.

......Hegar's memoir, "Shoot Like a Girl: One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front," was published earlier this year and is being made into a film. Angelina Jolie is reportedly in talks to star in it.

Carter's district has been reliably Republican, but Hegar, now an executive coach and consultant living in Round Rock, believes she can flip it, confident in her ability to garner crossover support with her experience at the national and international levels. She said her decision to run was partly motivated by the election of President Donald Trump, who has caused concern among even his own party's national security professionals.

"I think being a Republican is not what it used to be," Hegar said. "Even though [the district] is historically Republican, I think some people are voting Republican because they have a misperception of what the Democratic Party is."

Hegar grew up in a Republican family and voted for the party in her youth. But she said many of the things that once drew her to the GOP — including the principle of small government — are "no longer true," and she now describes herself as an "independent Democrat."

On a number of hot-button issues, Hegar strikes a moderate tone.......................