Crenshaw should do ‘town halls, not podcasts’ says Navy vet challenging him

Elisa Cardnell, the Navy veteran and teacher running to replace Rep. Dan Crenshaw, says the Houston-area Republican should spend less time podcasting and more time speaking to his constituents. 

“I believe members of Congress should be holding town halls, not podcasts,” Cardnell tweeted on Monday, taking Crenshaw to task for being the only Republican to break the Town Hall Pledge in 2019, a pledge to hold a minimum of four town halls per year.

Crenshaw, who grew to celebrity status among Republicans last year for his use of social media (yes, the bar is that low) and his impressive fundraising ability, only had time to hold one town hall during his first year in Congress.

Cardnell is one of three Democratic candidates seeking the nomination this March to challenge Crenshaw in November. Aided by their shared military background, Cardnell’s candidacy offers an interesting foil to the incumbent Republican.

While Cardnell has promised not to take a dime of corporate PAC money, Crenshaw has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars from business-related PACS; while Cardnell is campaigning to appeal to swing voters in an emerging competitive district; Crenshaw has made it clear he plans to be a loyal ally to Trump, voting for his agenda 93 percent of the time. 

Other issues at stake supported by Cardnell include raising the minimum wage, implementing universal background checks, and ending endless wars abroad. 

So far, she’s raised about $281,324 in the race, less than the leading fundraiser in the race, Beto O’Rourke-endorsed Sima Ladjevardian. 

Early voting for the Texas primaries begins Tuesday. Primary election day, also known as Super Tuesday, will take place March 3. 

Photo: Elisa Cardnell Campaign Website

*Correction: An early version of this story stated Cardnell’s campaign did not accept PAC money. Cardnell’s campaign does not accept corporate PAC money.