Beth Van Duyne is Republicans’ best choice for Fort Worth-area congressional seat
When we met with the Republicans running to succeed Rep. Kenny Marchant in the 24th Congressional District, one of the candidates made a blunt but accurate observation to partly explain why he was running: An open seat in Congress is a rare opportunity.
He’s right, and both parties need to put their best foot forward in one of the most competitive districts in the country. For Republicans, we believe that’s former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne.
Van Duyne, 48, brings the most experience and political polish to the five-candidate race. Her career in Irving and, most recently, as a Department of Housing and Urban Development administrator in the Trump administration prepares her for a career in Congress in a way that her opponents can’t match.
She has the potential to be an important voice for conservative women in Congress. Van Duyne has joined with three other female GOP candidates to offer a right-leaning version of “the squad” to counter the liberal Democratic representatives, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have generated so much attention.
But at the same time, we’re encouraged by Van Duyne’s seriousness on policy and openness to moderate on some positions. In our interview, she indicated a willingness to consider a path to legalization for so-called Dreamers, those brought illegally to the U.S. at a very young age.
On efforts to reduce the deficit, she proposed “sunset” provisions so that spending programs must undergo review, a process that has helped state government find improvements in many agencies over the years. She’s a staunch Second Amendment advocate who wants to tackle gun violence by strengthening enforcement of laws meant to keep weapons out of criminals’ hands.
And her years as a mayor in the district, which sprawls from Hurst to Addison, give her perspective on the need for infrastructure investment, which she is making a campaign priority.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
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How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.
Voters should recall, though, Van Duyne’s role in spreading false and inflammatory rhetoric about an Islamic dispute resolution service. She suggested that the service may have introduced Sharia law to North Texas, and she pushed the Irving City Council to support a divisive and unnecessary state House bill that sought to keep judges from considering foreign laws.
She also added fuel to the nationwide fire over an Irving student who brought to school a homemade alarm clock that some said resembled a bomb. If she wants to represent an increasingly diverse district, she can’t indulge in fear-based conspiracy theories.
None of her opponents can match her experience; indeed, none have run for office before, even locally, making a congressional campaign a big step.
Small-business owner Desi Maes, a 53-year-old retired Army Green Beret, would bring valuable perspective from those roles but may have unrealistic expectations about applying business principles to government. The rest — Realtor Jeron Liverman, 50, Realtor Sunny Chaparala, 41, and property manager David Fegan, 25 — need much more seasoning before they’re prepared to be in Congress.
With such a large field, a runoff is possible, if no candidate gets more than half the votes in the March 3 primary. The winner will face one of six Democrats in the fall general election.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 5:03 AM.