Candidates in Democratic primary for Texas Congressional District 33 on March 5
Marc Veasey
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 53
Campaign website: marcveasey.com
Best way for voters to reach you: Contact my campaign website
Occupation: Member of Congress
Education: Graduate of Arlington Heights High School (1990) and Texas Wesleyan University (1995)
Have you run for elected office before?
Before that, I represented Texas’s 95th State House District from 2005 to 2013.
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
Since I was sworn into the House of Representatives in 2013, my offices in Fort Worth have always worked hard to help the constituents I serve by making casework a high priority. We also work with local nonprofits to help obtain funding for projects. Specifically, my offices help constituents access millions in benefits from the Social Security Agency, Veterans Affairs agencies, and more. Over the last few years, Congress started community project funding again, where members help local projects access much-needed funding from the government through the appropriations process. Since 2021, I have helped our community secure over $40 million in community funding. I also helped create the Affordable Connectivity Program, which is helping over 1 million people in Texas, not to mention those across the country, connect to affordable internet and bridge the digital divide.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Please see FEC
Why are you seeking this office?
I am a lifelong North Texas resident, and I am running once again to give diverse communities across Texas’ 33rd district a voice in Washington. During my timein Congress I have worked to combat issues like access to good-paying jobs, updating our infrastructure, improving public education, access to the sacred right to vote, and lack of access to quality, affordable healthcare. I currently serve on the Energy and Commerce and House Armed Services Committees and have used my position to deliver critical resources to our state. I am also using my position as the co-founder of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus to protect the right to vote for all Texans. I have also worked alongside the Administration to pass legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Lastly, in a split government like the one we have now, the people of Texas 33 need a leader willing to work across the aisle with Republicans to get things done.
What are the biggest challenges facing Congressional District 33?
Our state faces many pressing challenges. Access to affordable health care, better career opportunities for people and families that live in low-income communities, protection of our reproductive freedom, accessing the right to vote, safe and travelable infrastructure, curbing gun violence, and good education for Texas kids are some of the biggest problems that are facing the state right now. Democrats in Congress are doing our best to work with reasonable Republicans to pass legislation to help our constituents and address these issues.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Protecting and expanding essential healthcare
Fighting to protect our democracy
Lowering costs for working families
How will you measure your success as a U.S. Representative?
My office and I have worked to deliver for TX-33 for over ten years. Measuring success comes with how much my office and I are working to better the daily lives of our constituents. That means getting legislation signed into law that will directly help them, securing funding that will better our Metroplex, and also serving them daily by helping them with their constituent inquiries.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I have proudly served in Congress for 6 terms. During this time, I have worked to create jobs, expand affordable health care, bolster our infrastructure, protect voting rights, fight for comprehensive immigration reform, and help deploy critical COVID-19 relief and resources. I also have the opportunity to serve on the Energy and Commerce and House Armed Services Committee. Given Texas’ dominance in the Energy sector and the number of service members and defense companies that call North Texas home, I have used these positions to deliver critical resources to our state. I am proud of my work with the Biden-Harris Administration to secure key funding that has directly benefited North Texas. In a divided Congress, I have built close relationships with our Republican counterparts and am working across the aisle to still deliver for North Texas. I am seeking reelection because I want to continue this progress by serving and delivering resources to the 33rd District of Texas.
What should Congress do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Republicans must stop playing partisan politics and work with Democrats to finally pass a much-needed immigration reform package that will fix the broken system and secure the border. We need cooperation and collaboration with countries to get to the root of the migration problem and should work to strengthen Latin American economies and democracies.
What should Congress do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
The Metroplex is still one of the regions growing the fastest in our nation. And, it’s going to be that way for some time. We must prepare by continuing to invest in a quality public education program that compensates teachers more in annual pay, continue to work on affordable housing solutions as home prices and rents rise with growth, and keep investing public dollars into the most efficient, affordable, and cleaner mobility solutions.
What should be the top federal funding priorities for Congress and why?
Stabilizing democracy around the world with military and nation building spending
Affordable Connectivity Program
Housing solutions
Should the U.S. send additional foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine?
We must continue to provide aid and humanitarian relief to our allies like Ukraine and Israel. Ukraine needs the proper resources to defend itself against authoritarians like Putin. Israel also will need more resources to root out Hamas and free hostages that the terrorist organization has captured. Helping our democratic allies strengthens our relationships and boosts our national security in the short and long term.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Access to affordable internet. In 2020, I helped launch the Emergency Broadband Benefit program that later became the Affordable Connectivity Program and has helped millions of low-income families access affordable internet. This vital program will run out of federal funding in the next few months unless Congress acts. Republicans must work with Democrats and President Biden to get this vital program more funding.
Carlos Quintanilla
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 66
Campaign website: QuintanillaforCongress.com
Best way for voters to reach you: 817 771 1114 Campaign Number
Occupation: Business Owner/Activist
Education: 4 years college, few hours remaining for a Bachelors Degree, 46 hours of Masters Coursecthat were not applied towards my Bachelors Degree
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years)
Yes
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
1. Led the litigation campaign that ended the hate base anti Immigration initiative of then Farmers Branch Mayor Tim O Haye.
2. Led the Anti Cheese Heroin Campaign that killed 37 teenagers and addicted thousands of young Children.
3. Led the “Call to Action Against Fentanyl” in Carrolton Farmers Branch.
4. Created Breakfast in the Classroom for Dallas and Irving ISD that now feeds over 250,000 Children daily.’
5. Organized 164 homeowners to sue Trinity Infrastructure whose homes were destroyed by the building of the 635 Tollroad that resulted in a 11 million dollar settlement for homeowners.
6. Led the fight that landed Farmers Branch Police Officer Ken Johnson in prision for the murder of teenager José Cruz.
7. A partner and visible voice in the Black Lives Matters Protest in Dallas and Ft Worth.
8. Organize the biggest Rally for Justice for Vanessa Guillén.
9. Led the Protest in Irving to end the massive deportation of Immigrants for minor traffic offenses in Irving.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes, 1990. I have paid my debt to society many times over.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes, Child Support.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
The 300 plus people who have contributed less than $33
Why are you seeking this office?
Because of everything that our Current Congressman has failed to do in 12 years, he has enriched himself with corporate contribution and lobbying contracts, while the 33rd Congressional District continues to be one of the poorest and most neglected Congressional Districts in Texas despite have two major urban centers , Dallas and Ft. Worth as its anchors.
What are the biggest challenges facing Congressional District 33?
Neglect by our current Congressman. 76104 is one of the poorest zip codes in Texas, with the lowest life expectancy rate in the Country. Access to health care insurance is among the lowest in Texas, many residents of the 33rd Congressional District do not have access to quality health care insurance. Many parts of 33rd Congressional District where there is a significant Black population live in food desserts, with high unemployment. 12 Children in the 33rd CD died from Fentanyl, Marc Veasey absent. Marc Veasey has received over 10 million from special interest making him a millionaire at the expense of our community. Recently he joined with Senator Ted Cruz at a community forum both were speaking the same language that ”asking American for patience” to give Israel more time so that Israel could continue its masacre in Gaza. Marc Veasey has sold out the 33CD abandoning the voters whom elected him by voting on behalf of fracking, predatory lenders and the military industrial complex.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1. Creating an “Activist Service Office” to address the many issues directly affecting the residents of the 33rd Congressional District.
2. My Social Empowerment Plan of Action includes: Working diligently to increase access to quality health care, increasing employment opportunities through job training programs, pushing for incentive programs for small businesses to hire and train young people to work in their companies, expanding access to capital for small businesses. Addressing the food dessert crisis in predominantly Black neighborhoods and increasing drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and drug education programs to save our communities from the drugs that are destroying our future.
3. Every day I will push for Immigration Reform that will provide relief to the more than 11 million Immigrants who have been an integral, productive and contributing part of the 33rd Congressional District.
How will you measure your success as a U.S. Representative?
By the help and resources that the residents of the 33rd Congressional District are receiving and benefitting from.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I have given many reasons why Voters should choose me over my opponent.
1. My long effective track record on Activism and advocacy on behalf of the residents of the 33rd Congressional District.
2. Because our Congressman has sold the safety and sanctity of our district to special interest, anti environmentalists, military weapons contributors, to abusive Payloan companies, he votes with the money and not with the people of the 33rd Congressional District. Marc Veasey has failed to call for a Cease Fire in Gaza that will end the massacre of Palestinian Women and Children by the Israel military.
3. Marc Veasey has been absent on issues important to the residents of the 33rd Congressional District, absent on Black Lives Matter, absent on Fentanyl, absent when homeowners homes were devastated by the hurricanes and the Atmos Gas explosions, absent on SB4, absent in the Black community, absent in the Latino community and absent in the Muslim American Community.
What should Congress do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Ignore the hate base messaging of Donald Trump. Address the issue of poverty and corruption in the countries where Immigrants are coming from by investing in their infrastructure, their tourism business, their agricultural business and their quality of life. By working with those governments to crack down on dangerous gangs and cartels.
Immigrants who have been a viable and contributing part of America need to get relief, they contribute billions of dollars in local economies and pay billion of dollars in taxes to city, state and federal governments. We need to address a broken Immigration system that has abandoned these productive contributors to the United States. They are not criminals, drug dealers or terrorist.
We must secure the border not as a response to the hate base messaging of Donald Trump. Securing the border includes a fair and equitable process. Developing a clearly defined Long term strategy that includes investment in high migrant exodus countries.
What should Congress do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
End the political fighting and work across party lines to address crumbling infrastructure, revitalize abandoned communities and invest the neccesary resources before the growth and not after the growth.
What should be the top federal funding priorities for Congress and why?
For the 33rd Congressional District
1. Investing in infrastructure.
2. Investing in economic empowerment through jobs, training programs and access to capital for small businesses.
3. Investing in drug rehabilitation and drug awareness programs that are plaguing communities throughout America including the 33rd Congressional District.
4. Investing in Health Care for All!
Should the U.S. send additional foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine?
Yes to Ukraine, NO TO ISRAEL!
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
The response to drug addiction in our communities
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 10:32 AM.
