Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd has announced his campaign for the presidency, joining an extensive list of more than 10 Republicans seeking the party’s nomination.
Hurd worked for a decade as an undercover CIA agent and last served as the representative of Texas’ 23rd congressional district, a predominantly Latino area which he won by less than 2 percent of the vote. The congressional district is one of the largest in the country and extends from South Texas border towns all the way to San Antonio.
The announcement came during an interview with CBS News. Hurd then released an announcement video in which he said “the soul of our country is under attack” and called former President Donald Trump a “proven loser.”
Hurd tweeted, “I’m running for President because I’m the only one willing to take on Trump AND talk about a modern vision for the Republican Party and America.”
His campaign video highlighted themes like inflation, fentanyl, illegal immigration, and homelessness.
Hurd calls himself a “common sense” Republican and is unabashedly moderate. In Congress, he voted as the fourth most liberal Republican, as shown in a 2019 rating from FreedomWorks.
In 2017, he and then-El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke went on a road trip together and live-streamed their conversations. They later won a Civility in Public Life award for their “bipartisan road trip.”
During his time in office, Hurd voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act, supported increased gun restrictions, criticized Trump’s plan to build a wall, and voted for LGBT non-discrimination protections.
Hurd retired from his position in Congress in 2021.
Candidates he’ll be joining in the Republican primary battle include notable names like former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
The crowded race also features hopefuls like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy, radio host Larry Elder, and more.
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