Our Editorial Board’s recommendation for voters in Arlington-area battle for Congress
Fewer things are less fun in politics than being in the minority in the U.S. House.
The majority controls all the committees, the most powerful positions and the flow of legislation. It’s even harder if you’re a first-term lawmaker; without either seniority or party power, it’s hard to be effective.
Rep. Ron Wright, a Republican finishing up his two-year term under those circumstances, has nonetheless found ways to be effective, often in a bipartisan way. He’s earned a second term representing the 6th District, which covers much of Arlington and Mansfield and counties southeast of Tarrant.
Wright, 67, is capping a career of service. He worked for his predecessor, Rep. Joe Barton, in North Texas and in Washington, giving him extensive knowledge of the district and a leg up on how Congress operates. Before winning the seat in 2018, he was also Tarrant County tax assessor-collector and Arlington mayor pro tem.
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.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
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.
He’s a rock-solid conservative, to the point of joining the House Freedom Caucus. That group has often created headaches for GOP leadership by drawing a hard line on tax and spending compromises. Wright, however, lacks the rough edges of many of his colleagues, and his views reflect much of his district.
If any Democrat were to win the district, it would be one such as Wright’s opponent this year, Stephen Daniel. The 44-year-old lawyer and small business owner is largely a political neophyte. He’s running as a moderate focused on health care, favoring a public option that allows Americans to access Medicare-style coverage, rather than a single-payer system.
While Democrats are expressing some hope that Wright could be vulnerable if a major Democratic sweep materializes, Daniel needs a little more seasoning before he’s ready for Congress.
Wright, however, hit the ground running. He’s worked with Democratic colleagues, including Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, on issues such as improving internet access in developing countries and infrastructure security.
The Wright-Daniel race has been a relatively sleepy contest. The pandemic, of course, has dampened campaigns, and Wright’s ongoing battle with lung cancer, including a recent hospitalization for pneumonia, has limited his activity. The incumbent says he’s feeling well and that his trial has given him perspective on the importance of good health coverage and the danger of a single-payer system.
Wright is advocating for protections against surprise bills, mandatory coverage of pre-existing conditions and efforts to curb drug prices. Too often, the health care debate is reduced to the fate of the Affordable Care Act or another attempt to completely overhaul the system. It’ll be more useful for lawmakers to try to tackle specific problems in a bipartisan way, though of course the details will determine the merit of such proposals.
In a joint interview with the Editorial Board, both candidates also emphasized the need to tackle the pandemic through expanded testing, economic relief and vaccine development. Wright might be a step too far on the “open everything now” side of the debate for our comfort, but he understands that no serious economic recovery is possible until the coronavirus is under control.
Wright’s experience and even temperament have served the 6th District and Tarrant County well for decades. There’s no reason for voters to fire him now.