District 33 candidate goes to work on area's sacred cows

By Bud Kennedy

bud@star-telegram.com

The Democratic campaign for U.S. House District 33 has everything: former City Council members, a thundering pastor, an urban hipster and a phantom millionaire.

But when early voting begins Monday, among 11 candidates the two to watch will be former state Rep. Domingo Garcia of Dallas and state Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth.

It's more than two weeks until the May 29 election day, and an underdog like Fort Worth City Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks or big-spending Dallas dentist David Alameel might edge into the July 31 runoff.

But it's more likely to be a million-dollar runoff between Garcia and Veasey, and that campaign began last week.

Before a crowd of Democrats in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, Garcia sounded like no congressional candidate Tarrant County has ever seen.

He dismissed legacy Arlington employer General Motors and its gas-hungry SUVs as "not good for America" and called Fort Worth-based American Airlines' management "reprehensible."

Asked whether he would defend the pricey F-35 project to save jobs at Lockheed Martin, he said no.

In Cowtown, Garcia bucked every sacred cow.

Instead, he delivered a populist message about changing "business as usual Washington-style" and praising party heroes and values, giving the fractured Tarrant County Democrats hope for victories like in Dallas.

Veasey didn't get to reply directly because nine of the 11 candidates (minus the seldom-seen Alameel and no-show hipster Jason Roberts of Dallas) were taking turns.

But when he spoke, he sounded like the candidate backed by two former Fort Worth Congress members, two former mayors and a who's who of Democrats in Fort Worth.

He said if rising fuel economy standards threaten jobs at General Motors' Arlington plant, "I'd want us to take another look."

Both Veasey and Garcia promised to defend the Love Field compromise allowing Southwest Airlines to fly anywhere from a limit of 16 gates beginning in 2014, but instead of complaining about American Airlines, Veasey talked about how both cities need a strong DFW Airport.

Candidates were asked to answer the F-35 question as "yes" or "no." Veasey said yes.

Some in the crowd groaned audibly at Garcia's answers, particularly about Lockheed and when he said, "I don't have any confidence in General Motors."

I guess he's new here.

Bud Kennedy's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 817-390-7538

Twitter: @budkennedy

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