Gina Ortiz Jones’ GOP opponent drops out of congressional race

Will Hurd's retirement opens the door for Gina Ortiz Jones, right.

The road to Congress just got a lot smoother for Gina Ortiz Jones when her opponent, incumbent Republican Will Hurd announced Thursday (Aug. 1) that he would not be seeking reelection in Texas' Congressional District 23.

Hurd's decision to retire opens the door for his chief challenger, Democrat Ortiz Jones, who, if she wins in 2020, would become the first Filipina American elected to Congress.

The three-term congressman rocked the Republican establishment when he made his surprise announcement in a statement and on Twitter, where Hurd wrote he will continue to "pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security."

Hurd, a former CIA intelligence officer and the lone Republican African American in the House of Representatives, said that he's "taken a conservative message to places that don't often hear it. I'm going to (stay) involved in politics to help make sure the Republican Party looks like America."

He was one of the few Republicans who criticized Trump around immigration, the border wall and, more recently, Trump's racist messages against four House members of color and against Rep. Elijah Cummings, who represents Baltimore.

Despite his critical positions, as Air Force veteran Ortiz Jones has repeatedly pointed out, when it came time to vote on the House floor, Hurd would vote along along party lines supporting Trump.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer said the 23rd District leans Republican, and the party "will fight tooth and nail to ensure it remains in Republican hands in 2020."

Ortiz Jones narrowly lost to Hurd in 2018 and should assume the role of favorite in the sprawling district which has a long stretch of border with Mexico and is 70% Latino.

It won't be a cakewalk for Ortiz Jones. She will still have to fight for the seat. Two other Democrats have filed to run for the Party's nomination: Activist Rosalinda Ramos Abuabara and  journalist Liz Wahl. 

Interestingly, one of Ortiz Jones' Democratic rivals is another Filipina American, television journalist Liz Wahl. Her biggest claim to fame is when she quit on air,  her news anchor job with Russia Today, a television network, after she figured out that it was just a Russian propaganda organ.

Ramos Abuabara is counting on her involvement with the local LGBTQ community and to energize the Latino vote to challenge Ortiz Jones.

The Texas Primary is March 3, 2020.

Below is Will Hurd's retirement announcement:

There are many reasons why I love America. I have learned over my three terms in Congress, by representing people that voted for me, didn’t vote for me or didn’t vote at all, that America is better than the sum of its parts. Serving people of all walks of life has shown me that way more unites our country than divides us. This understanding has allowed me to win elections many people thought I couldn’t, especially when the political environment was overwhelmingly against my party.

In this experiment called America we strive to create a more perfect union. Our founding principle of a right to free speech has given us the freedom to disagree, and the resulting competition of ideas has produced policies tackling a variety of problems. As has happened many times throughout our history, we now face generational defining challenges at home and abroad.

We are in a geopolitical competition with China to have the world’s most important economy. There is a global race to be the leader in artificial intelligence, because whoever dominates AI will rule the world. We face growing cyberattacks every day. Extreme poverty, lack of economic opportunity and violence in Central America is placing unbearable pressure on our borders. While Congress has a role in these issues, so does the private sector and civil society.

After reflecting on how best to help our country address these challenges, I have made the decision to not seek reelection for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in order to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security.

I left a job I loved in the CIA as an undercover officer to meet what I believed to be a need for new leadership in Congress on intelligence and national security matters. I wanted to help the Intelligence Community in a different way by bringing my knowledge and experience to Congress. I’m leaving the House of Representatives to help our country in a different way. I want to use my knowledge and experience to focus on these generational challenges in new ways. It was never my intention to stay in Congress forever, but I will stay involved in politics to grow a Republican Party that looks like America.

As the only African American Republican in the House of Representatives and as a Congressman who represents a 71% Latino district, I’ve taken a conservative message to places that don’t often hear it. Folks in these communities believe in order to solve problems we should empower people not the government, help families move up the economic ladder through free markets not socialism and achieve and maintain peace by being nice with nice guys and tough with tough guys. These Republican ideals resonate with people who don’t think they identify with the Republican Party. Every American should feel they have a home in our party.

While I have 17 months left in my term, I’m very proud of the last 55. There were times when it was fun and times when it wasn’t. When people were mad, it was my job to listen. When people felt hopeless, it was my job to care. When something was broken, it was my job to find out how to fix it.

When border patrol agents weren’t getting the tools they needed to do their job, I stepped in to help. When I found an opportunity to expose more students to computer science, I partnered with non-profits to train local teachers to incorporate coding into math class. I made sure taxpayer money was used more efficiently by changing how the government purchases IT goods and services.

It was never about the size nor difficulty nor sexiness of the problem; It was about making a difference. My philosophy has been simple. Be honest. Treat people with respect. Never shy away from a fight. Never accept “no” or the status quo and never hesitate to speak my mind. 

Two centuries ago, I would have been counted as three-fifths of a person, and today I can say I’ve had the honor of serving three terms in Congress. America has come a long way and we still have more to do in our pursuit of a more perfect union. However, this pursuit will stall if we don’t all do our part. When I took the oath of office after joining the CIA, I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies. I took the same oath on my first day in Congress. This oath doesn’t have a statute of limitations. I will keep fighting to ensure the country I love excels during what will be a time of unprecedented technological change. I will keep fighting to make certain we successfully meet these generational challenges head on. I will keep fighting to remind people why I love America: that we are neither Republican nor Democrat nor Independent; We are better than the sum of our parts.

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Sunday Read: Texas candiate breaking ground as an LGBTQ Filipina American

Democratic candidate Gina Ortiz Jones and her mother Victoria, a teacher.

June is Pride Month. Gina Ortiz Jones could not only be the first Filipina American in Congress, she could be the first openly gay congressmember from the state of Texas if she beats incumbent Republican, Rep. Will Hurd this November.

"I was talking to some local leaders and they asked me if I would run as openly out. And I said look, given what’s going on right now coming out of Austin and also what’s coming out of Washington D.C." said Ortiz to Tagg magazine.

"I’m going to run as openly gay, openly first generation, openly veteran, openly Asian-American, openly everything. Right now is not the time to be closeted or be ashamed of who you are or who you love," she said.

In the 2018 Mid-terms, she barely lost by a slim 926 votes in the contest for the 23rd Congressional District. Some say if Rep. Beto O'Rourke had endorsed her she would have gained the seat but the wildly popular O'Rourke promised Hurd, one of his best friends in Congress that he would remain neutral in the 23rd Disrict race.

For 2020, O’Rourke, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for POTUS, indicated Wednesday (June 5) that he does not plan to repeat his neutrality vow and, instead, “will be supporting” Ortiz Jones if she emerges victorious in the Democratic primary.Jones acknowledged her contest has significance for the LGBT community. If elected, she’d be the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Texas, according to The Blade.

“I’d be honored to be the first, but it is more important that I am not the last. And that’s what this race is about,” Jones told The Blade. “It’s about protecting all the opportunities that allowed me even just to get to this place, right? So, we are overdue in terms of representation, and I think we’re seeing every single day just how quickly the progress that we fought for can be ripped away from us if we don’t stand up.”

Ortiz Jones is a lesbian first-generation Filipina American who served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force in Iraq under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”In 2017, the former Obama White House staffer tweeted about how she came out to hre Filipina mother. She wrote:

“Mom, I think I like girls.”

My mother replied, not bothering to look up from the magazine she was reading, “I think you just like the clothes that they’re wearing.

And that’s how I came out to my mom at the age of 15. In hindsight, I knew she was just trying to protect me. I think it was difficult for her to accept what I was saying at the time, because she knew it would be harder for me.

And it was. It was hard to fully enjoy my time at Boston University, because the four-year Air Force ROTC Scholarship I earned required that I sign a piece of paper agreeing not to engage in homosexual behavior. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was the policy, and my education depended on it. My education depended on me not being able to be me.

It didn’t get any easier when I entered the military. I had the honor of working with some of the finest people I have ever met - true patriots that we should all be thankful made the decision to wear our Nation’s cloth. However, I wish I knew them better, and I wish they knew me better.

The immeasurable cost of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell for me was not being able to form the type of bonds that military members are known for forming with one another. Small talk about weekend plans or questions about my personal life were always exercises in deflection or outright lying. Ironically, the cost to be part of the team, was not being part of the team.

My girlfriend teases me sometimes for not sharing enough about myself on social media, particularly as I endeavor into an arena where people need to know the person, before they want to hear the policies. I can’t help but think that some of that is still related to the precautionary steps I took as a cadet and officer. All this to say, there are effects to not coming out, or feeling as though you’re not able to come out.

Which is why given my personal and professional experiences, I understand “coming out” to be a defiant expression that conveys an understanding of one’s worth and the necessity of their voice in our great American project. Coming out is courageous, and given what we’re facing as a country and as a community, courage can be in no shortage. For some, this journey is easy; for some, it’s still a challenge.

Happy Knowing Your Worth Day

Gina

Lucas Acosta, LGBTQ media director for the Democratic National Committee, said Jones is the right candidate for the LGBT community facing continued hostility from the Trump administration.

“In the face of sustained Republican efforts to roll back the progress we’ve made, leaders within the LGBTQ community, and LGBTQ women of color in particular, are stepping up, running for office and fighting back,” Acosta said. “Ortiz Jones will be a strong advocate not only for her constituents, but also for the LGBTQ community and for all queer women of color, who deserve a voice in Congress.”

Donald Trump's administration has worked to roll back LGBT rights despite his promise during the 2016 election to be a friend to LGBT people. Ortiz Jones rhtorically asked The Blade if Trump has kept that promise.

“The answer is that he has not,” Ortiz Jones told The Blade. “He’s anything but a friend. I mean, with friends like that, who needs enemies?”

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Filipina American Texan will try a second time to win a congressional seat

SCREEN CAPTURE

GINA ORTIZ JONES

After losing by only 926 votes in the 2018 elections to Rep. Will Hurd, Gina Ortiz Jones never really stopped campaigning so it was not a surprise when she announced last May 13 that she would try a second time to unseat the Republican incumbent.

Since she narrowly lost to Hurd in the 2018 elections last November, the 38-year old Filipina American challenger frequently appeared at political events in Texas and continued to criticize Hurd's votes in favor of Donald Trump's policies.

In a brief video posted to Twitter, Ortiz Jones asked supporters to "join us as we finished what we started."

"Last November, I came up a little bit short in my run for Congress — 926 votes — but I've never been one to back down because the promise of our country is worth fighting for," Jones said. “It’s why I served in the military, deployed to Iraq; it’s why I served in President Obama’s administration and it’s why I’ve dedicated my life to public service — and it’s why I’m stepping up again to run for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.”

Ortiz, a former air force intelligence officer, served as director for investment at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama.

Texas' 23rd district, which includes part of San Antonio and the longest stretch of U.S.-Mexico border of any congressional territory. Before Hurd came into office, the district had frequently flipped between GOP and Democratic control. The district is one of the six congressional districts the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has explicitly targeted in Texas for the next election cycle.

Hurd, who said he opposes Trump's immigration policies and his plan to build a wall on the border with Mexico, has tried to position himself as a moderate Republican. 

Hurd and Ortiz Jones are expected to continue to go toe-to-toe on national security and border issues during their second campaign match-up.

The 2020 Presidential election is expected to bring more Democrats to the polls and Ortiz Jones expects the additional voters to help in her bid to become the first Filipina American elected to Congress.

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Filipina American concedes Texas congressional race

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Gina Ortiz Jones during a press conference last week.

VIRGINIA'S REP. BOBBY SCOTT will remain the lone Filipino American in the U.S. Congress after Gina Ortiz Jones ended her quest in Texas.

While Scott was unopposed in his Nov. 6 midterm contest, it took almost two weeks to determine the winner of Congressional District 23. Ortiz Jones ran a tough aggressive campaign narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Rep. Will Hurd by a little more than 1,000 votes.

“Our campaign was based on the belief that everyone is equal – equally deserving to be heard at the ballot box and served in our communities. We worked hard to make this a reality, understanding this is the only path toward the more perfect union that our founders envisioned," Jones said in a statement sent out via social media.

Hurd, whose campaign received massive amounts of PAC funds is the only African American Republican in Congress issued a statement thanking his family and supporters.

"I want to thank my opponent and her supporters for engaging in the democratic process. To thrive, our democracy needs a vigorous competition of ideas, and whether you voted for me or not, I will need your help," said Hurd.

Ortiz Jones' concession thus skipping a possible recount surprised some supporters because she showed no sign of giving up, accepting the invitation to attend the freshmen orientation session in Washington last week. 

If Ortiz Jones had won, she would have been the first Filipina American to serve in Congress. She was one of five Filipino Americans running for Congress in the midterm elections. Scott was the only one to win, running unopposed for his 14th term. Republican Christina Osmena and Democrats TJ Cox of California and Jennifer Mijaris-Zimmerman of Florida did not succeed in their bid to unseat incumbents

(UPDATE: As of Nov. 21, the race for California's District 21 with TJ Cox running against a Republican incumbent is still too close to call.)

From left: Rep. Bobby Scott, Christina Osmena and Jennifer Mijares-Zimmerman.

Texas's sprawling 23rd District stretches from the western suburbs of San Antonio to the eastern suburbs of El Paso in the far-west tip of the state and includes 800-miles of the Texas-Mexico border.

A week after Election Day, Jones said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen had not made public the list of provisional voters in the race, making it difficult for voters to ensure their ballots officially counted.

“We’ve had issues in Bexar County providing information that should be a matter of public record,” Ortiz Jones said in a news conference. “This includes the list of folks that voted via provisional ballot.”

Last week, the former Air Force intelligence officer, sued the Bexar County election administrator for not making public a list of provisional voters and asked for a 48-hour extension for the counting of their ballots.

Ortiz Jones' hopes were dashed when a Bexar County judge denied the deadline extension to validate provisional ballots. She had to depend only on the validated votes by the deadline.

The Blue Wave that swept through some Republican-held Congressional seats, especially in California, didn't have as huge an impact in Texas although Democrats were able to unseat two House Republicans. However, that was tempered in the State Legislature where Republicans increased their majority in the Senate.

Although Democrats were able to win over 54% of Latino voters, Democrats needed a better turnout and a greater percentage of Latinos to overcome the traditionally conservative state. 

Nevertheless, the impressive showing of Beto O'Rourke in challenging incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, and the performances of Gina Ortiz Jones and Sri Preston Kulkarni in the 22nd Congressional District give Democrats hope that changing demographics of the Lone Star state may turn Texas purple by 2020.

"Turning Texas blue is not an event, it's a process," state Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in an interview with the Texas Tribune, "and I think 2020 will put us, if not blue, purple — deep purple."

Editor's note: Earlier versions of this article did not have the results for TJ Cox running in California's District 21.

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Filipina American candidate featured in powerful video

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Gina Ortiz Jones is running for Congress in Texas' District 23.

ONE OF CONGRESSIONAL RACES that is being closely watched nationwide is the 23rd District in Texas that involves first-time Democratic candidate Gina Ortiz Jones and incumbent Republican Will Hurd.

At a candidates' forum in Castroville, Texas, Ortiz Jones approached the microphone to answer a question. After answering the question, she turned to her opponent and asked:

“So Will, will you agree to televised debate?” she asked him. “I think folks all across the district should hear these answers.”

He appeared to nod yes, despite avoiding a debate during the campaign. It is boldness like this that is giving her a chance to become the first Filipina American, and the first openly gay woman to serve in Congress.

Ortiz Jones was one of the scores of women who decided to run for office for the first time after Donald Trump was elected in 2016. Now, less than three weeks before the 2018 midterm elections on November 6, women hold a record number of spots on ballots across the country.

Ortiz Jones was included in two powerful videos, both which emphasized her military service. She served in Iraq and Afghanistan and rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force.

In the tight race in the 23rd district, the videos and the message they convey might be the edge she needs to win.

The video, which features eight first-time congressional candidates, was created by Serve America PAC, a political action committee started by Seth Moulton, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts. It was executive-produced by activist Laurie David, who wanted to highlight these women because of their previous commitment to the country.

"They have already served their country in the most prestigious and courageous way, they have already sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States and now they are choosing once again to serve America," David said in a press release. "We all have an obligation too to serve democracy and that is to vote."

She opens the other video produced by The Washington Post. 'The toughest fights are the ones you run towards, not run away from," she says.

After her military service, she worked at the White House as a national security advisor in the Obama administration.

Texas is a deeply red state. The 23rd District leans Republican but voted for Clinton in 2016. According to fivethirtyeight, Hurd has a slight edge.

However, Ortiz Jones raised $3.6 million for her campaign vs. Hurd.s $1.5 million. How Ortiz Jones spends her funds before the election to motivate younger voters and energize the huge Latino electorate may be the deciding factor in the contest.

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