Fort Worth area Republicans targeted by gun safety group ready to spend millions
The Tarrant Five is being targeted again.
First it was by Tarrant Democrats hoping to flip that handful of Texas House seats to their party.
Now it’s by Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun control group that has financial support from Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat running for president.
“We believe that Texas, as it becomes younger and increasingly diverse, can be the next emerging battleground state with gun safety as the tipping point,” Chris Carr, the group’s political director, said in a statement. “So in 2020 we will launch a new political effort, ‘Gun Sense Majority: Texas,’ and invest at least $8 million in the state.
“We believe there are opportunities to elect gun sense candidates up and down the ballot, from the Statehouse to the U.S. Congress — with potential for competitive statewide races at the U.S. Senate and presidential levels.”
This is a battle that will play out after the March 3 primary election.
Gun safety has been in the forefront across the nation in the wake of mass shootings.
In Texas, licensed residents have been able to carry concealed handguns since 1995. And open carry has been allowed since 2016.
This Everytown for Gun Safety campaign will focus on suburban voters, particularly women, along with younger voters and African-American and Asian voters.
They’ll reach out through phone banks, block walking, TV ads, voter registration efforts and more. They plan to use a “sophisticated digital program designed to reach voters where they are,” Carr noted.
The Tarrant Five — made up of Texas House Districts 92, 93, 94, 96 and 97 — isn’t the only target for Everytown for Gun Safety.
Those seats are now represented by Republicans Jonathan Stickland of Bedford, who is not seeking re-election, Matt Krause of Fort Worth, Tony Tinderholt of Arlington, Bill Zedler of Arlington, who is not seeking re-election, and Craig Goldman of Fort Worth.
More than 20 Texas House seats are being targeted along with seven U.S. House seats, including the 24th Congressional District represented by the retiring U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell.
“We are launching an unprecedented financial and grassroots effort that will begin with making important gains in the state House, defending recently elected Texas gun sense champions in the U.S. House, flipping key congressional seats in the suburbs, and growing the voting electorate in order to make Texas competitive up and down the ballot,” Carr’s memo stated.
To take control of the Texas House, Democrats need to flip nine seats — and hold on to the seats they have.
“I am not sure you can spend enough money to want Texans to give up their 2nd Amendment rights,” Krause said. “But I look forward to a vigorous campaign season where we get to draw the contrast between candidates who stand firm on the 2nd Amendment and others who are more aligned with Beto O’Rourke and policies that would take guns away from law-abiding citizens.”
Democrats have said they hope to make gains in Tarrant County after O’Rourke — who lost his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last year — beat Cruz in the county by 3,869 votes.
Everytown for Gun Safety is an effort founded by Bloomberg, a former New York mayor, to end gun violence. It includes Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, and is largely funded by Bloomberg.
“Given the size of our movement in Texas and the sheer number of electoral targets in the fast-growing suburbs of Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, we’ll mobilize our grassroots supporters to knock doors, make phone calls, and register thousands of new Texas voters this cycle,” Carr’s memo stated.
