Here is Democrats’ best choice for congressional seat long held by Rep. Kay Granger
As longtime Rep. Kay Granger faces her most significant challenge in years, Democrats have two choices for a nominee to be ready to compete in the Fort Worth-dominated 12th Congressional District should Granger stumble.
College professor Lisa Welch, rather than aircraft assembly worker Danny Anderson, is the better bet for Democrats. Welch shows a firmer grasp on issues facing the district and the nation, along with more political polish.
Welch, 52, a Decatur resident who is a first-time political candidate, says she’d bring a much-needed scientific knowledge to Congress. Anderson, 61, served several terms on the White Settlement City Council. He’s touting his experience building coalitions there and helping to retool the city’s image, and he’s making women’s reproductive health a priority issue.
We interviewed the candidates before news broke Monday night that Fort Worth’s flood-control and development project known as Panther Island had yet again failed to secure significant funding in the Trump administration’s latest budget. Both agreed that the project has long needed a sharper focus on flood control, rather than economic development.
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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.
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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.
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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.
But Anderson sounded willing to see the project shut down, and that’s not feasible. Now more than ever, Panther Island will need strong advocacy in Washington to get the money needed to move forward.
On health care, Welch supports eventual movement to “Medicare for All,” in which the government would insure every American. But she understands that the country isn’t ready for such a dramatic change and supports a so-called public option, which would allow Americans into Medicare but preserve private insurance plans.
Anderson bluntly says the country can’t afford Medicare for all and prefers improvements to the Affordable Care Act. But he doesn’t identify specific changes he would seek to make.
Neither candidate offered a satisfactory answer on the federal deficit. Like nearly all Democrats, they want to repeal the tax cuts President Donald Trump signed into law in 2017 and would target further reductions toward the middle class and the poor. But neither Anderson nor Welch could identify specific spending cuts they would make, even as part of a compromise to undo the Trump tax changes.
Anderson does propose a spending freeze on projects for which funding hasn’t been identified, but that doesn’t begin to address the structural budget problems or the long-term challenges of entitlement programs.
On immigration, Welch seemed to have a better grasp of the issue. In particular, she noted that with the economy essentially at full employment, businesses need foreign labor brought in through a rational immigration system.
This primary has been fairly sleepy, given the district’s Republican tint and the attention devoted to the battle between Granger and Putnam. Democrats in the district should nominate Welch but keep their expectations realistic.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:03 AM.