On a recent episode of his podcast “Back Room Access,” State Rep. Jeff Cason (R–Bedford) criticized fellow State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R–Fort Worth) for releasing a campaign ad he believes was edited to mislead voters about her opponent’s views on abortion.
Klick, who currently represents House District 91, faces Army veteran David Lowe in this month’s Republican primary runoff election. Klick first took office in 2012, but voters forced her into a runoff this year after voicing their disapproval of her record on child gender modification.
On his podcast, Cason blasted incumbents for focusing more on their fellow Republican opponents than on Democrat lawmakers.
“The first thing I can’t figure out is why some of these incumbents that are in runoff races right now don’t fight nearly as hard against Democrats during session as they do against their more conservative Republican opponents,” said Cason.
Cason also drew attention to politicians intentionally obscuring facts to help their campaigns and highlighted what he believes is the most common tactic candidates use to manipulate the truth.
“One of the things that angers me more than most is when I witness elected leaders telling outright lies or half-truths while they’re campaigning to earn our trust and our vote,” said Cason. “A big way that many candidates and elected officials lie to the public is through omission.”
He then highlighted a political ad released by Klick’s campaign. The ad included a short clip of Lowe discussing abortion on “The Liberator Podcast,” where he says, “I’m willing to stand on the House floor and vote ‘no’ to any pro-life bill.” Although Lowe followed up his statement with an explanation, Kick’s ad only included his first sentence.
Cason played the full clip, where Lowe explained why he would not vote in favor of any pro-life bills if elected to the Texas House.
“I’m willing to stand on the House floor and vote ‘no’ to any pro-life bill. The only thing we need to do is abolish abortion,” said Lowe. “We’ve had the majority for 20 years in Texas; there shouldn’t be a single thing we don’t get passed. So if you’re trying to regulate abortion instead of abolish abortion, you’re not thinking about the little babies that are being murdered.”
After playing Lowe’s complete statement, Cason blasted Klick’s campaign for editing the clip and potentially leading voters to misunderstand his stance on abortion. Cason also warned listeners to be aware of many politicians’ true intentions.
“Friends, remember most—not all, but most—politicians will tell you what’s expedient or what they want you to hear. Or what they need to say to win you over or make you go away,” said Cason. “And this appears to be a case of lying through omission, a classic attack on Mr. Lowe to divert the attention away from Klick’s own record. Sound bites are a dangerous thing when you’re trying to determine the truth.”
Early voting begins in the runoff elections on May 16. Election Day is May 24.
