Valenzuela and Van Duyne dispute the results of Texas Congressional District 24
The race for the 24th Congressional District, which stretches through the suburban neighborhoods between Fort Worth and Dallas, is still up in the air.
Republican Beth Van Duyne declared victory early Wednesday, but Democrat Candace Valenzuela disputed that assertion, saying that ballots in the tight race are still being counted.
As of Wednesday morning, Van Duyne had 48.8% of the vote, compared to Valenzuela’s 47.4%. The two candidates were separated by only about 5,000 votes.
The results included votes in Tarrant, Denton and Dallas counties. The votes do not add up to 100% because there are three other candidates — a Libertarian and two independents — also each receiving a small number of votes.
“I am honored the voters of North Texas have put their trust in me. While tonight we celebrate, tomorrow we start the work to bring our nation back together, ensure our families get back to work, and strengthen the future so all our children will be blessed with the kind of opportunities that only America can deliver,” Van Duyne said in a statement issued early Wednesday.
But Valenzuela’s supporters said Van Duyne’s declaration was premature, and didn’t take into account mail-in ballots still arriving at election offices. State law allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 to be counted as long as they arrive at county offices before 5 p.m. Nov. 4.
Also, ballots mailed by military personnel and voters overseas can be counted up to Nov. 9. Provisional ballots cast by voters whose registration was in question can also be counted until Nov. 9.
“Beth Van Duyne’s declaration of victory is premature and irresponsible,” Geoffrey Simpson, Valenzuela’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “We have seen unprecedented turnout and thousands of votes are still being counted. Our campaign is committed to a full and complete count of all ballots so that every vote is counted and every voice is heard.“
From the beginning, the contest between Valenzuela and Van Duyne was big-dollar and high-profile, with both candidates investing heavily in expensive Dallas-Fort Worth television advertising.
And, the contest became a barometer of sorts for the political mood in Texas overall. Nearly half of District 24 is in Northeast Tarrant County, an area that was once solidly Republican but has undergone a tremendous change in demographics as the area has grown in recent years.
Valenzuela raised a total of $3.589 million for the District 24 competition, according to Federal Election Commission records from last month. That’s a record for the congressional district, which for the past 15 years has been represented by Kenny Marchant.
Van Duyne raised $2.667 million during the same period.
Also, Valenzuela said 93% her contributions were $200 or less, reflecting the grass-roots appeal of her campaign.
“We’ve built a strong grassroots movement without taking a dime of corporate PAC money and in Congress, I’ll stand up to the corporate special interests, fight to lower the cost of health care, and listen to the experts to get this virus under control so North Texans can get back to work safely,” Valenzuela said.
Much of the buzz surrounding Democratic candidates is coming from out of state, as races for public office seats once considered a lock for Republicans in the Fort Worth area are now up for grabs. Many observers credit Texas’ changing demographics — including more people of color, and out-of-state college graduates moving into many neighborhoods.
District 24 is in Tarrant, Dallas and Denton counties. Early voting results showed Van Duyne winning her district’s portion of Tarrant County over Valenzuela, but Valenzuela winning over voters in Dallas and Denton counties. About 43% of Congressional District 24 is in Tarrant County.
Attacks ads
Van Duyne dealt some of the toughest initial blows in the early weeks of the campaign, releasing an attack advertisement in September that accused Valenzuela of being soft on crime. The ad showed footage of the July 2015 shooting of five Dallas police officers, then cut to footage of protestors breaking into an unidentified building.
“Unfortunately, my opponent, Candace Valenzuela, sides with radicals to defund police and end cash bail, releasing criminals back on the streets,” Van Duyne said in the ad. She is then shown standing with seven law enforcement officers, all in uniform.
“I’m Beth Van Duyne,” she continues. “I’ll never defund the police, or side with criminals.”
Then one of the officers in the ad, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, says, “And that’s why we stand with Beth Van Duyne.”
Democratic groups supporting Valenzuela countered with attack ads of their own, linking Van Duyne to President Trump and accusing her of aiming to get rid of health care coverage for thousands of North Texans.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:20 PM.
