Whoever wins the election for Texas’ 12th Congressional District has enormous shoes to fill.
This district has been deftly represented since 1997 by outgoing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House in Texas. Now that Granger is retiring, Republican state Rep. Craig Goldman and Democrat Trey J. Hunt are competing for her seat.
Goldman has a strong conservative track record— a great fit for this largely GOP district spanning the western half of Tarrant County and most of Parker County. He advanced from this year’s GOP primary, defeating Fort Worth businessman John O’Shea in a runoff election. Goldman has the right experience and is the better choice.
Goldman, 56, has occupied the Texas House District 97 seat since 2013. During the last two legislative sessions, he served as chair of the Energy Resources Committee. He’s been involved in a number of well-crafted bills that became law.
Goldman authored a law known as “Molly Jane’s Law” in 2019, requiring state law enforcement agencies to enter investigative information about sex offenses into an FBI database so that serial rapists can be more easily identified.
Goldman was also behind a law that will end the use of temporary paper license plates after July 1, 2025. He has been an advocate for continued support to Ukraine and is a strong supporter of Israel. And last year, Goldman voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
There are a few bills Goldman has been involved with that we don’t support. For example, he supported a law we’ve raised serious concerns about that makes it a state crime to enter Texas illegally from another country. But our disagreements with him don’t disqualify Goldman from being a competent lawmaker.
For this election, Goldman has racked up significant endorsements. He is supported by Granger, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.
Neither Hunt nor Goldman participated in our Voter Guide, and we were unable to reach either for an interview. We are comfortable recommending Goldman, however, because he is a long-serving representative with a known track record. In contrast, Hunt has no experience in elected office and has put forward policy ideas we can’t support.
Hunt, 29, a homeless-housing coordinator, has voiced support through his social media for legalizing marijuana and instituting term limits for the Supreme Court. During our interview for the primary, Hunt articulated far-fetched ideas such as redirecting the military-industrial complex to produce green energy technologies.
Voters should choose Goldman to occupy this critical seat.
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