With the November election on the horizon, former President Barack Obama is sticking his head into Texas politics, issuing a first round of endorsements to Democrat candidates in Texas.

The list, posted on Obama’s Twitter account Monday morning, lists eight U.S. congressional candidates and 19 candidates for the Texas House, with a mix of both incumbents and those seeking to claim seats currently held by Republicans.

The endorsements come during an election cycle in which Texas Democrats are ramping up efforts to take control of the Texas House ahead of redistricting in 2021.

Conspicuously missing from the list? MJ Hegar, who recently won the Democrat nomination to face U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Hegar, an Air Force veteran who unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. Rep. John Carter in 2018, narrowly defeated State Sen. Royce West (D–Dallas) in the Democrat primary runoff election last month. Despite this, however, Obama included endorsements of Democrat Senate candidates in other states in his release, including Colorado, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Though Obama billed the endorsement rollout as a “first wave,” leaving open the possibility of a future endorsement for Hegar, it could be viewed as part of a strategy to moderate the Democrat candidate in an effort to be more competitive among general election voters in November. During his presidential campaigns, Texans rejected Obama on the ballot twice, and both times by double-digit margins.

Barack Obama’s U.S. Congressional Endorsements

District Endorsee GOP Opponent
2 Sima Ladjevardian Dan Crenshaw (i)
7 Lizzie Fletcher (i) Wes Hunt
14 Adrienne Bell Randy Weber (i)
21 Wendy Davis Chip Roy (i)
22 Sri Preston Kulkarni Troy Nehls
23 Gina Ortiz Jones Tony Gonzales*
24 Candace Valenzuela Beth Van Duyne
32 Colin Allred Genevieve Collins

*Tony Gonzalez is currently facing a recount against Raul Reyes after the primary runoff election.

Barack Obama’s Texas House Endorsements

District Endorsee GOP Opponent
45 Erin Zwiener Carrie Isaac
52 James Talarico (i) Lucio Valdez
54 Keke Williams Brad Buckley (i)
64 Angela Brewer Lynn Stucky (i)
66 Sharon Hirsch Matt Shaheen (i)
92 Jeff Whitfield Jeff Cason
96 Joe Drago David Cook
97 Elizabeth Beck Craig Goldman (i)
104 Jessica González (i) n/a
105 Terry Meza (i) Gerson Hernandez
108 Joanna Cattanach Morgan Meyer (i)
112 Brandy Chambers Angie Chen Button (i)
113 Rhetta Bowers (i) Will Douglas
121 Celina Montoya Steve Allison (i)
126 Natalie Hurtado Sam Harless (i)
132 Gina Calanni (i) Mike Schofield
134 Ann Johnson Sarah Davis (i)
135 Jon Rosenthal (i) Justin Ray
138 Akilah Bacy Lacey Hull

 

Brandon Waltens

Brandon serves as the Senior Editor for Texas Scorecard. After managing successful campaigns for top conservative legislators and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Texas Capitol, Brandon moved outside the dome in order to shine a spotlight on conservative victories and establishment corruption in Austin. @bwaltens

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