One of the most closely watched races for the upcoming March 3 primary election is for the 33rd Congressional District, a newly drawn district in Dallas County that has a majority of Latino residents. 

The seat is the result of mid-decade redistricting that Texas Republican lawmakers approved last summer after President Trump pushed to have five additional Congressional seats in the Lone Star State. 

Early voting is set to begin on Tuesday. It is one of two Democratic majority districts in North Texas after the 32nd Congressional District was redrawn to have a majority of Republicans. 

CBS News Texas spoke with all four Democratic candidates in the race. 

In alphabetical order, they include:

former Congressman Colin Allred of Dallas who represented the 32nd Congressional District for three terms, Attorney and tech executive Zeeshan Hafeez, Congresswoman Julie Johnson who succeeded Allred in office and represents the current 32nd DistrictCarlos Quintanilla who has been a community activist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and who has run for Congress in the current 33rd Congressional District, which is in Dallas and Tarrant Counties.

We asked each of the candidates why voters should select them over their opponents. 

Former Congressman Colin Allred 

Allred told Eye On Politics, “I know this district well. It’s one of those I was born and raised in, and it’s one that I have already served in some capacity, have delivered $135 million in federal funds for this district before I even represented it. I have a record in Congress, being someone who really got a lot of things done and provided great services to my constituents. But I think it’s also time we have to have somebody who knows how to stand up to this administration. I have certainly shown that I’ll do that even when I was in an incredibly, as you know, politically tough district. I was always willing to speak out. I was certainly willing to stand up and fight on Jan. 6 against that mob that was trying to overturn an election; and I’ll stand up to this administration now. I think that I have a record of service, but also want to serve with dignity, that in six years I never took a dime of corporate PAC money, because I didn’t want anyone to think that I was serving someone else other than them, that in six years I’d never traded a single stock. Rep. Johnson has only been in office for a little bit over a year. She’s taken a very different approach, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate PAC money, being one of the top stock traders in the entire country, including trading on stocks on issues that were before Congress and that she made profits on. I found that to be inappropriate.”

Zeeshan Hafeez 

In an interview, Zeeshan Hafeez said, “A lot of Democratic primary voters that we’re talking to are frustrated with the status quo. I think they’ve seen that the establishment Democrats have let us down. The country is going and creeping towards an authoritarian takeover by Donald Trump. We see ICE, and there are gross injustices that are happening where they’re literally murdering people on the streets. We have people with no badges, no uniforms, no IDs, wearing masks, and terrorizing communities of color. I’m the candidate who’s calling to prosecute and abolish ICE. Meanwhile, Colin and Julie believe it can be reformed. Meanwhile, Julie has profited off of Palantir stock while she’s been in Congress. Meanwhile, we have the lack of ability to say yes. There’s a fine line in the sand that must be drawn. We must abolish ICE. And then we talk about other social justice issues. Let’s talk about Palestine. The fact that we have a genocide occurring, and I’m the only candidate that’s calling it a genocide. Julie and Colin refuse to call it a genocide. They’ve taken a combined $700,000 from a PAC in the pro-Israel lobby. That’s 700,000 reasons to vote against your best interests.”

Congresswoman Julie Johnson

Johnson explained why Democrats should select her. “Effectiveness, consistency, democratic values, and working hard to get the job done. I have worked very hard while I’ve been in Congress to deliver real results for people. People are really struggling. When the votes were on the line, when my opponent, Mr. Allred in particular, had a chance to stand with Democratic values or stand with Republicans, he stood with Republicans. That is not helping my people. An example of that is when he voted to allow Republicans to investigate nonprofit organizations. There are a lot of organizations right here in North Texas that help serve the LGBT community, the immigrant community, the homeless people who need real help, that the Trump administration is targeting in large part because of votes that Mr. Allred already took. I voted to stand with immigrants. I voted to stand with the rule of law and make sure that due process means something in this country. He voted to allow mass deportations without due process. He voted to allow women who’ve been victims of sexual assault and violence to be deported without due process. That’s not who we are as a country.”

Carlos Quintanilla 

“My message to Democrats is that they should vote for me because I don’t take any PAC money. I’m not a stockbroker. I haven’t made $47 million. I haven’t passed legislation that criminalizes undocumented individuals simply for being here in the United States. We need to point out that Colin Allred voted for a bill that criminalizes immigrants simply for being here without any due process, without any final conviction of any crime. He just basically went along with the Republican leadership and voted for the Laken Riley bill. That significantly and adversely affects immigrant families. So, you have two candidates (Allred and Johnson) running in a majority Latino district now preaching the gospel that they’re champions for immigration. They haven’t been there on issues on the deportations. You can’t negate the fact that she bought Palantir’s stock. You look at your portfolio. You know what you’re buying. You know what you’re investing in. You get your reports. The mere fact that they invested in Palantir should have sent a red flag right from the very beginning. She should have said, ‘Wait, wait, wait, I don’t want to buy Palantir’s stock.’ She bought it… I have a history of community activism. You’ve interviewed me many, many times, so I’m not unknown. I’ve been involved on issues affecting immigrant families. I led the anti-cheese heroin campaign when children were being addicted to cheese heroin. I did Farmers Branch. I did 635. I did breakfast in the classroom. I’ve created a significant base.”

Allred on Johnson’s accusations he voted with Republicans  

CBS News Texas asked Allred about the accusations by Johnson that he voted with Republicans, allowing nonprofits to be investigated and allowing mass deportations without due process, including women who were victims of sexual assault. He denied it. 

“That’s just not true,” said Allred. “But also, she took my votes that were taken during the Biden administration. It was a very different administration with a very different approach to immigration enforcement and immigration as a whole. So, to compare the two is really disingenuous and something that folks should recognize. There are many things and approaches that I would never even consider under a Trump administration: Knowing the abuse of power that they’ve taken and what they’ve done with ICE in particular and the slush fund that it’s received. The lowering of the standards for officers and ICE, and the way that it’s not being adhered to the Constitution or to our values. There are many things that were changed in this administration, but I haven’t been in office under this administration. In the second term, Ms. Johnson has.”

Johnson on stock trades

Johnson answered questions about her individual stock trades and the criticism she has received. Federal records show that on Jan. 15 last year, days before Mr. Trump entered office and again on Feb. 12, she purchased stock from Palantir, a company the Trump administration uses to track people in the U.S. illegally and deport them. 

“I’ve been very upfront and very transparent about this,” Johnson said. “I’ve had independent money managers that have managed my stock and investment portfolio. I’ve made no independent decisions about what we buy, what we sell, anything of the sort. I have been very clear as supportive of a stock trading ban. I signed on to it right away, and I also voluntarily began the divestment process of any and all of my actively traded accounts, which required me to sell that stock. When I realized we had it, we sold it. This is a disingenuous argument. This is an attempt by Mr. Allred to create a smokescreen to deflect from his failed record as a Democrat.”

Two reports by Notus last year said Johnson purchased individual stocks as late as August of 2025 and described her as among the top 2% of stock traders in Congress. 

When asked if the reports are accurate and what sparked her decision to divest last year, Johnson said, “Because I support the stock trading ban. So, I have divested all of my actively traded stock accounts, 100%. I think it’s important to actually do it. It’s not required of me. It’s totally voluntary. There’s no rule in Congress right now that requires members of Congress to divest. All we are required to do is report. I have reported everything I’ve ever done in total compliance with the law, and I’ve gone a step further in that I have divested. So, I have divested from all of my actively traded stock accounts.”

Johnson has received endorsements from multiple members of Congress, state and Dallas County elected officials.

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