On Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her political action committee Courage for Change endorsed Mike Siegel, a congressional Democrat candidate running against Rep. Michael McCaul in Texas’ 10th congressional district.
“Republicans in Congress continue to block vital legislation everyday working families need and instead serve their special interests, so it’s more important now than ever for us to elect as many allies in Washington as we can get,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a prepared statement.
“Courage to Change is proud to endorse Mike Siegel for Congress, because voting for him is voting to put an end to special treatment for big money interests, and to put the people first by making affordable healthcare accessible for everyone, bringing good jobs to our community, and making clean air and water a reality for everyone,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Formed this year, Courage to Change donates to progressive Democrats who are challenging Republican opponents or more moderate Democrats. During the Texas primaries, it contributed several thousand dollars to the campaigns of congressional candidate Jessica Cisneros and U.S. Senate candidate Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, although the larger flow of money came from the small-dollar donations directed by the New York Congresswoman and her large social media following.
Siegel is running one of the most progressive campaigns in Texas, including backing Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, the latter of which he penned an op-ed in the Signal in support of.
Courage to Change isn’t the only progressive group stumping for Siegel. On Tuesday, the Sunrise Movement, a climate political action group, released an ad about a union electrician who backs the Green New Deal and Siegel.
The Sunrise Movement said it has made 225,000 calls to voters in Texas’ 10th congressional district so far and plans to make another 125,000 calls before Election Day.
An internal poll released Monday shows Siegel almost tied with McCaul. The poll of 400 likely voters in the Austin to Houston district polled the race 45 to 47 percent. The results are nearly identical to another internal poll released late last month.
The competitiveness of the race recently spurred the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, to step into the race. Last week, the DCCC added Siegel to its “Red to Blue” program that will see more funding and resources flow into the race. Similarly, a progressive PAC with ties to Rep. Katie Porter and Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday it would be supporting Siegel with fundraising.
Photo: Franmarie Metzler; U.S. House Office of Photography / Mike Siegel campaign website
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
