LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – There are seven candidates hoping to earn your vote during the upcoming Republican Primary for Texas\u2019 19th Congressional District. We spoke to some of them Sunday and will air part two of our interview series on Monday.<\/p>\n
James Barbee is an Abilene businessman. He\u2019s running on a platform for term limits, flattening sales taxes, and eliminating the federal income tax.<\/p>\n
He says the biggest issues facing the country are the national debt and the cost of healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is once you reach 65, you pay no more taxes and your healthcare is free. You\u2019ve already paid into it your entire life, so it\u2019s time for us to fulfill the American Dream for our elderly people,\u201d Barbee said. \u201cSome people call my plan socialist. It\u2019s not. Social Security, Medicare, these are plans we\u2019ve had all this time and it\u2019s things we\u2019ve paid into. It\u2019s our money and we want it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abraham Enriquez is the founder of Bienvenido, an organization dedicated to empowering the Hispanic community through the Trump Administration. He says his campaign is rooted in faith and scripture, which would guide his policies if elected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to be the type of Republican that goes to DC and gets their policies from these big bureaucratic think tanks,\u201d Enriquez said. \u201cNo, I get that from the community. My policy advisors are my pastor, my old principal, it\u2019s educators and grassroots leaders. That\u2019s what West Texas means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Donald May is a retina surgeon, who has worked for various medical centers across the country and for the United States Air Force. He\u2019s also a member of Lubbock\u2019s Board of Health. He says national security is the most pressing issue, saying the U.S. needs to come out ahead in the AI development race against foreign adversaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur advancement in military over China, over Iran, over our competitors or enemies is going to depend on Artificial Intelligence,\u201d Dr. May said. \u201cWe\u2019re developing it here in West Texas and all of us are afraid of Artificial Intelligence and that\u2019s okay. That makes us cautious. We have to remember just like our computer, just like our cellphone, it\u2019s a tool and we have to be in control of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Sell is a Lubbock businessman and a former U.S. House staffer on Capitol Hill. He previously worked alongside former Congressman Larry Combest, helping him pass the Crop Insurance Reform Act of 2000 and the 2002 Farm Bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready and I know the system in Washington, DC, so I know how to advance the interests of the 19th District,\u201d Sell said. \u201cWe are the number one cotton producing district in the nation. Cotton has particular challenges, and we have to start building and investing in infrastructure to get to a better place for the cotton producers around this area, as well as other agricultural producers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt Smith, Jason Corley, and Ryan Zink are also running in the Republican Primary for Texas\u2019 19th Congressional District. We\u2019ll be speaking with them in part two of this series on Monday.<\/p>\n
Kyle Rable is the only Democrat running in the Primary. He will face the winner of the Republican Primary in November.<\/p>\n
Early voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 17 and runs through Feb. 27. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. On Sunday, Feb. 22, the polls will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
Election Day is March 3.<\/p>\n
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