Candidates for Fort Worth area U.S. Representative, Congressional District 24
Jan McDowell
Age: 69
Political party: Democratic
Campaign website: www.janmcdowell.com
Occupation: retired CPA
Education: Texas Tech University, BA in Journalism/Public Relations
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): I have run for Congress (TX-24) in 2016 and 2018, also the primary in 2020
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Through the height of the pandemic, I packed food boxes at Metrocrest Services, and I also volunteered at vaccine clinics with the Denton County Medical Reserve Corps.
I am the immediate past president of the American Association of University Women-North Dallas, vice chair of Justice For Our Neighbors-DFW, and a board member of the Dallas Democratic Forum.
Before Covid, I regularly attended climate rallies, women’s marches, Pride parades, workers’ rights rallies, and anti-hate marches.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: private individuals who live in District 24
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent?: To me, being a representative means showing up and being mindful of the needs and concerns of the people in the district I represent. I strive to take a fact-based, inclusive approach in making decisions. My opponent has consistently voted NO, in lock-step with her party, on critically important issues to benefit citizens. Those include measures to ban assault weapons, to codify the right to abortion and to contraception, to require the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages, and to to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.In her former position as Mayor of Irving, my opponent repeatedly engaged in fear-mongering about the large Muslim population in that city. I am determined to help everyone have the opportunity to thrive, because that will benefit us all.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?: Saving our democracy! My opponent voted to not certify the 2020 election. Undermining belief in our elections is dangerous and must not be rewarded with a second term. The peaceful transfer of power is central to our democracy. Americans must have the freedom to vote, without prejudicial maps that predetermine the likely outcome of elections. Votes must be counted, recorded and then certified without partisan influence. Protecting women’s healthcare rights! My opponent is in favor of the extreme abortion ban currently in place in Texas. She even voted against Texas women being able to leave the state to get the healthcare they need, while claiming she believes in freedom. Making meaningful progress toward combating climate change! We are seeing the undeniable evidence that climate change is a threat to the planet. Perhaps you, like me, are scared by the historic disasters that have become all too frequent. There is no Planet B.
What, if anything, can Congress do to reduce inflation or offer relief to Americans struggling to pay the bills? What policies do you support to make energy more affordable?: Inflation was a predictable result of the worldwide pandemic. Nations around the world are struggling, but notably, in the U.S., our level of inflation is better than in most other countries.Democrats in Congress recently passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act. It establishes a corporate minimum tax of 15%, and also provides money to enable the IRS to audit wealthy taxpayers to ensure that income is accurately reported. Notably, my opponent voted “NO” with all the House Republicans.Congress can do things like limiting the monthly price of insulin and other common drugs. Republicans blocked this from being done for all Americans rather than just Medicare recipients. Congress could also enact windfall profit limits on industries that are profiting from the post-pandemic market demands and logging record profits. My opponent recently voted against one such provision aimed at gasoline prices, while continuing to complain that Biden is causing inflation.
Would you vote for a bill to implement a uniform abortion policy in the U.S.? How late in a pregnancy is abortion acceptable?: I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose, and I would therefore support a federal codification of Roe v Wade. I do not believe there is a magic number of weeks after which an abortion should be outlawed. Late term abortions are almost exclusively performed due to severe complications in pregnancy, and it has been proven that abortion bans put women’s lives at risk. Neither doctors nor patients are choosing late term abortions for convenience. The bottom line is that women need to be free to work with their doctors and partners to make the right decision for their families. There is also the serious issue of privacy related to abortion healthcare. Women have a right to privacy that needs to be protected. The current discussions in Texas about prohibiting women from leaving the state to get healthcare are terrifying and abhorrent.
Should Congress attempt to overturn President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel portions of college-loan debt? What higher education reform policies do you support?: Absolutely not. President Biden’s loan cancellation was limited in scope to lower income people who deserve support as much as corporations who have received much attention and help for decades.Congress has the opportunity to enact ambitious, far-reaching reforms. College should be more affordable, gradually moving toward being debt free. Equity gaps, quality, and accountability must be improved to give all students the chance to further their education, whether at a four-year or two-year institution.Education is the key to ensuring that we continue to learn our nation’s history. As Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.” That tells us that banning books and muffling the teaching of fact-based history are dangerous steps in the wrong direction. For surely the corollary is true, that when you don’t know better, you don’t do better. As a nation, we can learn and do better, and we must.
Schoolchildren suffered dramatic learning loss during the COVID pandemic. How can Congress help states and school districts catch them up?: Step One goes back to the adage that when you’re in a hole, stop digging. Teachers are the obvious drivers of learning improvement, yet vast numbers of them are leaving or considering leaving the profession. States such as Texas need to stop driving teachers away with culture issue attacks. Congress can offer funds to pay teachers better. Those funds should not be available to states that outlaw teaching history lessons they find uncomfortable, or that ban books that various portions of their student bodies identify with.Congress can also help with broadband access, an issue that affects not only rural areas, but urban and suburban cities and counties as well. Households that cannot afford internet access are at an enormous disadvantage in children’s ability to learn.
Should the states be able to enforce federal immigration law? What changes to the U.S. asylum system do you support? What should the priorities of the U.S. immigration system be?: No, states should not be able to enforce federal immigration law unless contracted to do so by the federal government. The changes needed to the US asylum system involve making it more efficient and effective. The wait to get an answer needs to be significantly reduced. The priorities should be to respond to asylum requests quickly and efficiently with compassion and as much accuracy as possible. Immigration in general needs to be color blind and not financially biased. The system should allow for temporary residency in the United States to fill jobs that employers require. Once there is an effective temporary visa program that is responsive, employers that hire people who have illegally entered the country rather than those with a work visa should face more than a minor fine in order to discourage the practice.
What investigations, if any, of federal policy during the pandemic should Congress undertake?: The fraud surrounding covid relief funds needs to be thoroughly investigated and any fraudulently acquired funds need to be recovered. Undue influence of the White House on the CDC and the court’s undermining of the CDC power to implement public safety policy should be revisited. The federal preparation for the next pandemic should be reinstated and reviewed regularly, including US manufacturing of necessary PPE and necessary supplies for all citizens.
If these elections result in divided government, how can Republicans and Democrats compromise on these issues — or will Americans have to wait for the 2024 elections to possibly resolve it?: In order to have productive discussions that are truly focused on finding solutions, those discussions must begin with an agreement of the basic facts of the issue. If one side is operating in a fact-free mode, no progress is possible. If elected representatives knew that their next election would be more balanced and fair, perhaps they would be less determined to persist in purely obstructive behavior. One effective way to address a willingness to compromise is to address the primary process in the states. A move to ranked choice voting seems to be one way to encourage the success of more reasonable, less extreme, candidates. Another way is to stop allowing state legislatures to severely gerrymander politically safe districts. Competitive districts lead to bipartisan compromise.
Beth Van Duyne
Age: 51
Political party: Republican
Campaign website: BethForTexas.com
Occupation: Member of Congress proudly representing the people of Texas’ 24th District
Education: Cornell University, BA, magna cum laude with studies in city and regional planning, government and law.
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): City Council and Mayor of Irving, Texas
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Member of the Trump Administration (2017-2019), appointed Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Mayor of the City of Irving, Texas from 2011-2017 and an Irving City Council Representative from 2004-2010. Board member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities and Texas Municipal League and as Texas Chair of Community Leaders of America, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Board, chaired the Economic Development Advisory Council.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?: With strict contribution limits, we have dozens of people who have chosen to show their support for our campaign with a maximum contribution.
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent?: Republicans sent to Congress in 2020 have been given a large responsibility by our voters – to work together against the anti-American leftist agenda inflicted on our country by Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi who are catering to the extremists in their party. The day of my swearing in, I knew Republicans would be in the minority, yet I have passed two bills to strengthen American small businesses and worked every day to both fight against socialist policies and ensure our district office was one of the best in the country – maintaining a 100% response rate to constituents, providing programs for students of every age, and hosting the largest job fair in DFW since before COVID to get North Texas families back to work.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?: The biggest challenges for North Texans are escalating inflation and navigating the crises in Biden’s economy so the businesses employing our citizens can thrive. North Texas is home to thousands of small businesses who along with an economy on the brink of recession and crippling inflation are facing worker shortages, supply chain issues and they do not have the ability to weather the economic storms like a major corporation. That is why I have spent the last 20 months meeting with employers, passing legislation to enable them to compete, addressing the supply chain issues, connecting North Texans with jobs, and hosting round tables with business owners to ensure their needs are being addressed in Washington.
We have also seen President Biden’s crisis at the border have a devastating effect here in North Texas.
What, if anything, can Congress do to reduce inflation or offer relief to Americans struggling to pay the bills? What policies do you support to make energy more affordable?: The first thing we must do to fight inflation that is crushing working families is stop the vast overspending. This year Democrats have already passed an extra $4 trillion of spending on new and expanded programs while continuing to push for more even more despite inflation spiraling out of control. Controlling energy costs is of paramount importance and could be done by expanding American energy development and stopping Biden’s ongoing hostilities to producing and refining our own energy. Unfortunately, Biden continues to use agencies and regulatory power to attempt to decimate American energy jobs and production. I find it disgraceful the Biden Administration would turn our nation from one who was achieving global energy dominance and able to export Freedom Fuel to allies around the world, to a beggar asking dictators and hostile foreign powers to please help us meet our energy needs.
Would you vote for a bill to implement a uniform abortion policy in the U.S.? How late in a pregnancy is abortion acceptable?: As the Supreme Court noted, this should have always been an issue for the states, and now with the Dobbs decision, it is back where it belongs. Congress needs to stay out of the business of regulating abortion.
Should Congress attempt to overturn President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel portions of college-loan debt? What higher education reform policies do you support?: Biden’s illegal student loan scheme should be stopped by the courts. If that has not happened by the time Republicans control Congress next year, then we will assert authority as the Legislative Branch to shut down this farcical attempt to buy votes. Too many Americans have a story like mine: after graduating high school, I worked for three years at multiple jobs (clerk at a law firm, receptionist at a car dealership, and as a waitress to name several) paying for my own apartment, car, food when I could afford it and trying to save for college. Regardless, I still needed loans to afford college tuition. But I paid every dime back on my own - it took years. No one else was on the hook for my personal debt. And no one should be on the hook today for someone else’s student debt. This is nothing more than a Biden bribery scheme to try and save the midterm elections.
Schoolchildren suffered dramatic learning loss during the COVID pandemic. How can Congress help states and school districts catch them up?: It’s important for North Texans to remember, students were experiencing learning loss, suffering from rising rates of anxiety and depression, and made more vulnerable to abuse and neglect while not in school because Democrats and their union puppet masters continued to push for and enact school shutdowns. There has been funding passed to address the most critical issues in schools caused by liberal-led shutdowns. The most important protection for school children Congress could provide is stifling the power teachers unions have on public policy. Despite the CDC stating virtual learning “might present more risks than in-person instruction related to child and parental mental and emotional health and some health-supporting behaviors”, teachers unions continued to push for school lockdowns and in far too many cases were successful. Rather than bending to union bosses, our schools must always prioritize a commitment to provide excellent, in-person education for our children.
Should the states be able to enforce federal immigration law? What changes to the U.S. asylum system do you support? What should the priorities of the U.S. immigration system be?: What has happened over the last two years at our border is a humanitarian crisis unparalleled by any we have ever before seen on American soil. On January 20th, 2021 Joe Biden threw open the border, stopped construction of the border wall, turned our border patrol from border defenders to paper pushers and babysitters. States must be allowed to help enforce immigration policy, especially as our Federal government has proven unwilling to do so. Texas has had to play a huge role in border protection because of the systematic, purposeful destruction President Biden has inflicted on border security. In addition to closing asylum loopholes the cartels exploit; we must reinstate protections for our country such as the Remain in Mexico policy that prevented illegal immigrant caravans from overwhelming our borders and we need to hire more border enforcement agents to not only deal with surges of illegal immigrants pushed by the cartels but also to interdict the drug trafficking.
What investigations, if any, of federal policy during the pandemic should Congress undertake?: Given the breadth of federal actions, some of which are still on going, the rapid escalation of government control, tragic loss of life, and vast sums of taxpayer dollars spent, there should absolutely be thorough reviews of how our government performed, or failed, during the pandemic. We still deserve a definitive answer on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Guidance from CDC that was often contradictory should be reviewed. Though we already know some aspects of how emergency relief funds were abused, wasted, or lost through outright fraud, there needs to be as comprehensive accounting as possible and prosecution of those who took advantage of the dire situation we all faced. Put more simply, yes, we still have a lot that must be reviewed and evaluated so we can learn from what was done right, what was done wrong, and prepare our agencies to be more adept, effective, and focused in the future.
If these elections result in divided government, how can Republicans and Democrats compromise on these issues — or will Americans have to wait for the 2024 elections to possibly resolve it?: We will have a divided government in 2023 because that is what the American people will choose as their solution to stop one-party, Democrat rule which has caused significant harm. My hope is that the Biden Administration will internalize the coming rebuke and choose to moderate their actions. Biden could choose to accept the American people are not pleased with reckless policies such as: vast overspending driving disastrous inflation, open borders empowering drug cartels, and hostility to American energy production leaving us vulnerable in national and economic security. Rather than treat our policy differences as “threats to democracy,” Biden could decide to work with Republicans on common sense solutions. I am also hopeful the few remaining Democrats in Congress who are not radicalized Leftists will seek constructive ways to engage with Republican majorities on pragmatic solutions to help stabilize and strengthen America.
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