‘The outcome is predetermined’: Texas Sen. Beverly Powell explains ending reelection bid
The outcome of the Senate District 10 election was predetermined after the latest redistricting cycle, Texas Sen. Beverly Powell said hours after announcing her withdrawal from the November general election.
Powell, a Burleson Democrat and first-term state senator, is suspending her campaign for the North Texas district and withdrawing her name from the ballot. Her exit sets up an all but certain victory for state Rep. Phil King, a Republican who won his primary in March and is set to appear on the November ballot.
In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Powell said she would have stayed in the race were it not for the new boundaries that she and others argue in a federal lawsuit are racially discriminatory, dividing Tarrant County’s Black, Latino and Asian voters.
An El Paso-based court in February ruled in favor of the state and declined to block the map from being used in the March primaries. The case and others with which it was consolidated go to trial in late September.
Using the old map in the Nov. 8 general election is “totally off the table” at this point, Powell said.
“The racial makeup of the district has changed in a way that doesn’t really give us a path forward,” Powell said. “We could have gone on and fought that race to the bitter end, but the outcome is predetermined in this gerrymandered map.”
Senate District 10 had been contained within Tarrant County, spanning much of its southern and central portions, with an arm that reached into part of the county’s northeastern corner. The new boundaries includes part of Tarrant County but stretches the district into rural parts of the state, encompassing part of Parker County and all of Johnson, Palo Pinto, Stephens, Shackelford, Callahan and Brown counties
Under the new map, the district’s population is 49% Anglo, 28.2% Hispanic, 17.7% Black and 3.4% Asian compared to 39.5% Anglo, 32.2% Hispanic, 21.5% Black and 5.7% Asian under the old map.
The district is also more likely to lean Republican, according to election data from the Texas Legislative Council. The state has argued the legislature was seeking a partisan advantage when drawing the map. Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who authored the map of Texas Senate districts, has said her plans were drawn blind to racial data.
Senate District 10 has been held by both Republican and Democratic senators in recent years.
When redistricting started, Powell hoped the district would remain basically the same.
“The district now has a much larger concentration of Anglo voters,” Powell said. “It would be impossible for a candidate who was elected by that large coalition of minority voters to survive a race in that district.”
Powell said there were pragmatic reasons to suspend her campaign, rather than wait for the outcome in November – namely the money, time and emotions running a campaign requires of supporters.
“I cannot in good faith ask my dedicated supporters to spend time and contribute precious resources on an unwinnable race,” Powell said in a video accompanying her withdrawal announcement. “That time and those resources are better spent on efforts that will advance our causes and on the continuing efforts to restore voter rights.”
What is next for Sen. Beverly Powell?
Now Powell’s focus is on finishing out the remainder of her term. Powell said her office will continue to offer constituent services and work to draft and promote legislation ahead of the legislative session that starts in January.
Having a background in education – Powell served as Burleson school board president and Texas Wesleyan University board president – she said that includes looking at public education funding and workforce development.
The Texas Secretary of State’s office does not have a record of any independent, Green Party or Libertarian candidates seeking election to District 10.
Powell said she has been in touch with King, who has served in the House since 1999, to ensure there’s a “seamless transition” for constituent services and support.
“We had a very nice phone call this morning and I appreciate her graciousness in reaching out,” King said in a prepared statement. “I am very excited to represent the eight counties of Senate District 10. In advance of the November election and the next legislative session, I will continue to meet with voters to seek their input and earn their trust. I intend to hit the ground running and fulfill the commitment I made to serve as a strong and effective conservative voice for this district.”
There are situations where a candidate can withdraw and be replaced on the ballot, such as if the candidate has a “catastrophic illness” diagnosed after filing or a candidate withdraws and there isn’t a nominee for another political party that held a primary.
“Based on the facts we know now, it does not appear the state Democratic Party could appoint a replacement nominee,” Texas Secretary of State Spokesperson Sam Taylor said in a Wednesday email.
Powell said she doesn’t know what’s in store after her term is complete. She does plan to stay on as a plaintiff in the federal redistricting case.
“One of the reasons for making the decision at the time that I did, is that I am eager to see the opportunities that may arise for me in public service in some way moving forward,” Powell said.
Will she again run for elected office?
“I would never totally rule anything out,” she said. “At this moment, I’m not interested in pursuing that. But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
Responses to Powell ending her reelection bid
Chair of the Texas Democratic Party Gilberto Hinojosa in a prepared statement said they are “looking into the legal requirements around this situation and will do everything in our power to lift up Democratic candidates.”
“While we of course supported Sen. Powell, we understand that this is a result of Texas Republicans intentionally redrawing districts to be more favorable to their party and strip the rights of Texans to choose who represents them,” he said. “We do expect the district to be redrawn for violating the Voting Right Act and anticipate that there will need to be a special election soon.”
State Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, expressed support for Powell’s decision.
“Beverly Powell is a good friend. She’s a trusted colleague, and her impact on Texas and on Tarrant County in the time she’s been in the Senate is really extraordinary,” he said in a tweet.
Asked about his reaction to Powell’s decision to suspend her campaign, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said he was disappointed but that it’s understandable when “someone stacks the deck against you, and you have explored all potential avenues” to overcome the stacked deck.
“I’m going to be encouraging Democrats to turn out,” he said. “Regardless of whether there’s anyone on that ballot, there are other races that just as if not more important in terms of being able to turn out and elect people that are sensitive to their issues. It’s really clear that that district, that as currently gerrymandered, is not going to be sensitive to… ethnic minority concerns.”
King has demonstrated the ability to be able to reach across the aisle in the past, said West, whose district now includes a portion of Tarrant County.
“Phil would do a great job by making certain that he looks at the interests of the entire district and not just Republicans,” West said.
State Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., D-Fort Worth, agreed with Powell that the district is “unwinnable.” She understands the realities of the district, he said.
“She wanted to represent a particular district in Tarrant County and did a hell of a job doing it,” Romero said. “The politics at play forced her to not be able to do that by taking away the district, in essence. Not just taking it away from Beverly Powell, but taking it away from Fort Worth.”
The new map includes a smaller share of Fort Worth’s population – nearly 115,000 less people, according to Texas Legislative Council data.
“We had one district that was basically up for grabs for either party to convince a large portion of Tarrant County what they believe the Tarrant County priorities are, and we lost that,” Romero said. “That is a huge, incredible loss that now we have to compare our needs to the counties west of us.”
He brushed off the idea of an off chance Powell could have won the seat.
“There’s no off chance of winning,” he said. “Not in that seat.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 4:12 PM.
