POLITICO: Texas Dem seriously considering district swap

In case you missed it, Vicente Gonzalez is running scared.

He’s trying to swap congressional districts and run where he thinks he’ll have a better shot at winning because he knows Democrats are doomed. 

In Case You Missed It…

Texas Dem seriously considering district swap

Ally Mutnick

Politico

October 1, 2021

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/01/texas-dem-seriously-considering-district-swap-514928

Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez is strongly considering vacating his newly competitive swing district in favor of a safe blue seat next door.

Gonzalez, a three-term incumbent representing the Rio Grande Valley, said Friday that he will likely run in the 34th District of retiring Rep. Filemón Vela, who says he would support his colleague making the switch.

Republicans’ map would turn the Brownsville-based seat held by Vela, who announced his retirement earlier this year, into one that backed Biden by nearly 16 points in 2020.

In a statement to POLITICO, Vela said: “I will endorse Congressman Gonzalez no matter which district he runs in.”

Gonzalez said he is considering running in Vela’s seat because the incumbent is retiring and because Vela absorbed some of his Democratic voters from Hidalgo County.

But Gonzalez would not face an empty Democratic primary field. He could still face carpetbagging attacks because his hometown of McAllen is in his old district, and he is also more moderate and a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.

Four Democrats have filed to run for the seat. The most prominent one is Rochelle Garza, a civil rights attorney from Brownsville. But most will probably struggle to match Gonzalez’s war chest.

A trial lawyer by trade, Gonzalez also the ability to self-fund.