LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – There are seven candidates hoping to earn your vote during the upcoming Republican Primary for Texas’ 19th Congressional District. This is the second part of our interview series.
Matt Smith is an Abilene businessman. He owns “Fat Matt Roofing”. He’s also a pastor, and is campaigning to bring biblical wisdom and West Texas values to America’s problems. Smith calls himself an “outsider”, saying he believes he brings a fresh perspective to a Congress filled with what he calls “career politicians”.
“We keep sending people to D.C. or Austin that are raised up through the political model. It’s time that we send outsiders that realize we can’t keep doing the same thing. That’s insane,” Smith said. “Let’s send people that are willing to make the hard cuts and hard decisions and say ‘no, we can’t keep spending our kids’ future’”.
Ryan Zink is a small business owner from Wolfforth. He previously ran for Congress in 2024. He referred to Washington, D.C. as a “cesspool”, promising to do the job in the nation’s capital and then immediately return to the South Plains. One of his biggest priorities is supporting our area farmers.
“The number one thing I would like to do is get the Farm Bill gets the provisions it needs, to where we don’t have 76% of the benefits headed toward SNAP, to where it will actually benefit the farmer,” Zink said. “If we don’t have food or if we don’t have fiber I can promise you America is going to fall apart. The farmer is the core of service. Anything you ate today, thank a farmer, because they are involved in it some way, somehow.”
Zink was previously convicted of three federal charges related to his participation in the January 6, 2021 riots on the U.S. Capitol. He was later pardoned by President Trump.
Jason Corley is the sitting Lubbock County Commissioner for Precinct 2. He previously ran for Congress in 2014. Corley says his experience on the Commissioner’s Court is what sets him apart, as the only candidate to previously hold an elected position.
“I’ve fought for my constituents in Precinct 2 for seven years now,” Corley said. “I’m running on my record. You know what you get if you’re voting for me.”
Voters who select the Republican ballot at the polls will choose between one of the seven candidates. You can find our coverage of the other four men running for the 19th District here.
Kyle Rable is the only Democrat running for Texas’ 19th Congressional District. His name will be the only one listed during the Primary. Rable will face the winner of the Republican Primary in November.
Rable is an Army Reserve captain, and a PhD. Candidate at Texas Tech. He says both the Republican and the Democratic parties take West Texas for granted.
“I could talk about the cost of formula, the price of diapers, and the cost of gas. Workers are losing out on jobs and 63% of our cotton farmers are making less than $10,000 a year,” Rable said. “My message is simply this: aren’t you tired of not having enough out here in West Texas? I think it’s time our working class and our farmers have a say in our Congress.”
Early voting opens Tuesday, Feb. 17 and runs through Feb. 27. You can find a list of early voting locations here.
Primary Election Day is March 3.
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