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Hurd Gets Two More Democratic Challengers

Ally of Castro brothers and San Antonio teacher get into the race against Texas Republican incumbent

Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd R-Texas, faces one of the toughest re-election campaigns among all incumbents next year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd R-Texas, faces one of the toughest re-election campaigns among all incumbents next year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Texas Rep. Will Hurd received two more potential Democratic challengers in what will be the most-watched race in the state and likely the nation next year.

Former federal prosecutor Jay Hulings from San Antonio, an ally of Rep. Joaquin Castro and his brother former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, announced his campaign on Sunday.

“There are times when you can sit on the sidelines. This not one of them. I decided I have to get in the fight,” Hulings said in an interview with the Texas Tribune.

San Antonio teacher Rick Treviño joined the race on Friday. Treviño recently ran for city council and narrowly missed a runoff.

In an interview with the Tribune, Treviño, who was backed by the Sen. Bernie Sanders-affiliated Our Revolution, backed left-wing positions such as “Medicare for all,” and a living wage tied to inflation.

“My platform is not going to be tempered by considerations of what corporate donors or the establishment thinks,” Treviño said. “I just know what I’m going to do is stick to my issues, stick to my platform.”

Hurd first won his seat in 2014 when he beat then-Rep. Pete Gallego. Hurd won a rematch with Gallego in 2016 by 1.3 percentage points.

Gallego has been exploring another rematch in 2018, but his spokesman did not give a definite answer to the Tribune about his plans for next year.

The announcements come after Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force Intelligence Officer, announced her challenge to Hurd earlier this month

Texas’ 23rd District has a 68 percent Hispanic population and is the largest in the state and encompasses 700 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River.

Hurd, who is from Helotes, represents the most contested district in Texas and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting it after it broke for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Republicans are also aware that Hurd will face a tough race and the National Republican Campaign Committee listed him as one of ten members of its Patriot Program.

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates Texas’ 23rd District  Tossup.

Correction 11 a.m. August 22 | Jay Hulings’ name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story. 

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