“A commonsense voice for hardworking Texans and small businesses, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher is bringing Houston’s values to Washington D.C. every day. It’s an honor to serve with Congresswoman Fletcher and watch her work across the aisle on key priorities like protecting health care, lower prescription drug costs, guarding families against flooding and protecting Houston’s role as the energy capital of the world. I have no doubt Congresswoman Fletcher will continue serving Houstonians for many years to come.” – DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos
—
To: Interested Parties
From: Avery Jaffe, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 3, 2020
Subject: The Case Against Wesley Hunt
Tonight’s Republican primary results in Texas’ 7th Congressional District put Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher in an excellent position to win re-election in this urban and suburban west Houston seat.
Trusted, visible and well-liked by Houstonians across the political spectrum, Congresswoman Fletcher will face unknown conservative Republican Wesley Hunt.
Attacked by the Houston GOP establishment as a drag-and-drop candidate picked by Washington insiders, Hunt was forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid stumbling into a GOP runoff, severely draining his campaign bank account.
In contrast to Wesley Hunt’s growing liabilities, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher is building a bipartisan record of achievement in Congress. In 2018, Fletcher specifically campaigned on a proposal to lower drug costs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug prices. In 2019, Fletcher kept her promise and helped pass H.R. 3, the Elijah Cummings Lower Prescription Drug Costs Now Act.
Congresswoman Fletcher is also fulfilling her campaign pledge to address flooding concerns. Working across the aisle, Fletcher teamed up with conservative Congressmen Pete Olson and Mark Meadows to pass bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and speed up rebuilding efforts when natural disasters strike. She worked with Republicans to successfully dislodge billions in long-overdue HUD funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery and bring tax dollars back to Texas. And her leadership on flooding issues in the district successfully resulted in Texas’ General Land Office to change their rules to allow for faster and more efficient flood mitigation efforts.
Finally, Fletcher is standing up to protect Houston’s status as energy capital of the world, opposing efforts to limit Texas’ energy potential.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
HEADLINE: “Texas GOP congressional candidate Wesley Hunt has a convicted felon on his payroll” [Texas Signal, 11/19/19]
“During the first Republican candidate’s forum with all the competitors for Houston’s 7th Congressional District, it didn’t take long for Wesley Hunt to be put on the defensive over a vote he made almost a dozen years ago.” [Houston Chronicle, 1/7/20]
“This week, Fletcher announced she would oppose a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing… highlighting her independence in a district where plenty of voters are employed in the energy sector. And Democrats believe they can link Hunt to allegations that Perry Homes disturbed protected wetlands, causing severe flooding in area homes.” [Cook Political Report, 2/14/20]
“Fletcher… has emerged as a moderate voice on energy policy in a district home to many oil and gas companies.” [Energy & Environment News, 3/2/20]
“Since she’s taken office, some Houston Republicans — old school, Bush-acolyte types — concede she’s an on-the-ground presence and a force to be reckoned with for whoever the Republicans nominate.” [Houston Chronicle, 1/20/20]
“The prescription bill was a key victory for Fletcher. The legislation would allow the government to negotiate lower prices for drugs in Medicare — something Fletcher campaigned on specifically in her run against Culberson.” [Houston Chronicle, 1/5/20]
“Rep. Lizzie Fletcher’s first bill — a measure meant to cut away federal red tape and speed up disaster recovery funding — passed the House nearly unanimously, with just seven votes against it and some of the chamber’s most conservative members joining the freshman Democrat in pushing the legislation forward.” [Houston Chronicle, 1/5/20]
Wesley Hunt: Beloved by Special Interests, Unknown to Houston
ENABLING AN AGENDA THAT HURTS HOUSTON
Voters in Texas’s 7th Congressional District rejected President Trump and Washington Republicans’ recklessness in 2016 and 2018 and are set to do so again in 2020. That hasn’t stopped Wesley Hunt from doubling down on some of Washington Republicans’ most egregious missteps that TX-07 voters rejected in 2018.
Hunt supports repealing the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, a disastrous move that would jeopardize health care for 347,900 TX-07 residents with pre-existing conditions, raise prescription drug costs and leave millions of Americans without access to vital health care services.
He refused to speak out against President Trump’s budget that steals $1 trillion from Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits that Texans have earned.
Hunt also cheered efforts to permanently repeal key sections of the Affordable Care Act, even though it cost millions of Americans their access to health insurance and increased costs for Texans. Hunt is vehemently anti-choice and supports stripping away commonsense funding for Planned Parenthood.\
DECRIED BY HOUSTON REPUBLICANS AS D.C.’S DROP-IN CANDIDATE
In 2018, FiveThirtyEight identified TX-07 as the “Ultimate Romney-Clinton District” – highlighting the district as a prime example of the suburban realignment occurring nationwide as historically Republican areas reject Washington Republican recklessness.
Virtually unknown to conservatives and Republican activists in Harris County, Washington Republicans of course went all-in for Wesley Hunt to get him over the finish line. But even with all his help from Washington special interests, Hunt failed to put away former Mayor of Bellaire Cindy Siegel who was better-known and better-liked by Harris County GOP faithful and boasted an impressive list of more than 360 endorsements.
Influential “Conservative Republicans of Harris County” founder Dr. Steven Hotze even rescinded his endorsement of Hunt in favor of Siegel over his swampy ties, and a local conservative blog described hunt as “someone that can play a role but has no core convictions. Want him to play another role? Get him another script.”
Despite TX-07 rejecting Donald Trump in 2016, Hunt’s utterly undefined record forced him to work overtime to cozy up to an agenda that hurts Houston in a district that is quickly moving further and further away from Trump-style politics – with 2016 and 2018 as prime examples of how the president’s agenda is further isolating suburban voters.
WESLEY HUNT’S SKETCHY ASSOCIATIONS
Hunt kicked off his campaign by putting a convicted felon on his payroll, fundraised with controversial Harris County Commissioner Steve “People Enjoy Floods” Radack and failed to condemn President Trump’s false claim that Texans “made a fortune” from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. Welcome to Houston, Mr. Hunt.
PATH TO VICTORY
TX-07’s makeup is more than 58 percent suburban, reflecting the kind of district that has shifted dramatically towards Democrats under Trump. That shift is evident in the more than 22-point swing at the presidential level between 2012 and 2016, leading Hillary Clinton to win TX-07 by 1.4 points.
Since 2016, the deeply unpopular Washington Republican and Trump-backed agenda on health care and taxes have made the president even more toxic, leading TX-07 to replace former Congressman John Culberson in favor of Congresswoman Fletcher in 2018. Beto O’Rourke also won the district in 2018. That shift reflects the changing demographics of this former Republican stronghold:
- Latino voters are a rapidly growing demographic in TX-07, jumping from 9.3% of the 2012 vote to 12.4% of 2016 and 13.0% of 2018. Their support at the top-of-ticket jumped from Obama in 2012 (46%) to Clinton in 2016 (56%) to O’Rourke in 2018 (57%).
- Asian American voters are also an increasing share of the vote: 5.2% in 2012 and 7.0% in 2016. Their support for Democrats has risen dramatically. From an estimated two-way support of 47% for the 2012 congressional Democrat — to 62% for the 2016 congressional Democrat — to 73% for now-Congresswoman Fletcher.
And Congresswoman Fletcher has put herself on path to repeat her strong 2018 showing with nearly $2 million banked in her campaign account, consistently outraising the Republican field.
###