AUSTIN, Texas — State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, has launched her campaign for Congress, hoping to flip a seat that has been held by a Republican for two decades.
What You Need To Know
Eckhardt announced on Monday that she will be running for Texas’ 10th Congressional District, which has been represented by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, since 2005. McCaul announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking reelection
The last Democrat to represent the district was U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, before it was redrawn in a mid-decade redistricting in 2003
Eckhardt isn’t up for reelection in the Texas Senate until 2028, so she won’t have to give up her seat to run for Congress
The 10th District was redrawn in the mid-decade redistricting earlier this year. The district now includes some more Democratic areas, but it is still projected to be majority Republican
Eckhardt announced on Monday that she will be running for Texas’ 10th Congressional District, which has been represented by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, since 2005. McCaul announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking reelection.
The last Democrat to represent the district was U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, before it was redrawn in a mid-decade redistricting in 2003. The district includes parts of the Austin suburbs and stretches to the Houston area.
In her announcement video, Eckhardt evoked the Founding Fathers, comparing the 13 colonies to the 13 counties in the 10th District. Eckhardt talked about how different each of the counties in the district are, but that her campaign will be one to find “common ground.”
“We are not going to agree on everything. But just like those original 13 colonies, we can work together to build things that last as long as Mansfield Dam, not just until the next election cycle,” she said.
Eckhardt went on to say that “what we have in common is so much greater than what divides us.”
On Eckhardt’s campaign website, she says she is running “to restore trust and accountability in government.”
Eckhardt isn’t up for reelection in the Texas Senate until 2028, so she won’t have to give up her seat to run for Congress. Eckhardt has deep political ties to the Austin area. Her father, Bob Eckhardt, represented Texas’ 8th Congressional District from 1967 to 1981. She has previously served as a prosecutor and Travis County Judge.
The 10th District was redrawn in the mid-decade redistricting earlier this year. The district now includes some more Democratic areas, but it is still projected to be majority Republican. Under the new map, 60% of people in the district voted for President Donald Trump and 58% voted for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the last election.