In competitive Fort Worth-area Congress race, this candidate gives Democrats best shot
Befitting an open race for what’s suddenly one of the most competitive congressional districts in the nation, Democrats have drawn a diverse field of promising candidates in the 24th District primary.
The two strongest, retired Air Force Col. Kim Olson and former educator Candace Valenzuela, offer a contrast in experience and, to a lesser extent, ideology. We recommend voters go with Olson, whose military service and good showing as a statewide candidate in 2018 indicate she’s the party’s best bet to capture a seat long held by Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant.
Olson, 62, a former Weatherford school board member and administrator for the Dallas school district, is mostly in line with her opponents, and the party in general, on issues. But she has a knack for explaining her positions in terms of the district’s needs.
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.
On immigration, for instance, she’s for a path to citizenship for “Dreamers” and decries the Trump administration’s detention policies. But she frames the issue around the district’s need for more workers as the local economy hums along. Olson builds this into a case for an overall retooling of immigration policy.
Olson also shows promise as a leader who could help find ways out of our usual partisan divides. In our interview with the candidates, she talked about the need to consider climate change in the military budget. The Armed Forces, she argues, are called upon to respond to the destabilizing effects of floods and fires exacerbated by climate change and should be included in the calculations.
Olson has been an advocate for women, particularly in military and veteran settings. She touts that she would be the first female veteran from Texas in the House, and she says her Air Force experience taught her that the ultimate path to gender equity is to have women sit next to “the levers of power.” That can help her among the suburban women who are an important constituency in the race.
The hotly contested battle in the fall will require tremendous campaign resources, and Olson has proved she can run a meaningful campaign. She came within a few points of unseating Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in 2018, and while that was probably due more to the overall Democratic surge, it’s valuable experience. Olson has raised far more money for this race than her rivals, too.
Valenzuela, 35, is a solid candidate as well. She touts endorsements from several liberal groups and politicians, most prominently Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Valenzuela’s personal story of rising from childhood poverty to being elected to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board is compelling.
She makes a strong case that her youth and diversity would well serve the district, which has growing Hispanic and Asian populations. But Olson’s campaign prowess and potential to be a bridge-builder in Congress give her an edge.
John Biggan is a 36-year-old scientist and professor whose primary argument is that he’d be the only neuroscientist in Congress. He lost the 2018 Democratic primary for the seat.
Richard Fleming, 52, is a small businessman and former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school trustee who’s passionate about vocational education and positions himself as a proven problem solver. Progressive Jan McDowell, 66, lost to Marchant in 2016 and in 2018 (by three points). She’s touting the need for campaign finance reform and her connections to liberal causes and activists.
A final candidate, project manager Sam Vega, 30, was not available for our interview.
Several of these candidates are worthy of nomination to public office, and we hope to see them on the ballot again. For this race, though, Democrats’ strongest bet is Olson.