On the second-to-last day of early voting, former President Trump finally weighed in on the special election in the sixth congressional district by endorsing Susan Wright, the widow of former congressman Ron Wright. The news is likely disappointing to several other Republican candidates who had been touting their close ties with the former president.
Susan Wright has been considered to be the front-runner in the race. The special election for the sixth congressional district is set for May 1, with early voting ending Monday. With over twenty candidates, a run-off is almost assured for the top two finishers.
In addition to Trump, Susan Wright has the backing of several prominent Republicans in Texas including the mayor of Arlington Jeff Williams and U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden. On Twitter, Wright celebrated the news of the endorsement. “I’m truly honored to be endorsed by President Trump, and I’m so proud to be the only candidate in this race President Trump trusts to be his ally in our fight to Make America Great Again,” wrote Wright.
Many of the other Republican candidates in the race had been running as pro-Trump candidates and generating national scrutiny for their behavior. Sery Kim, a former Trump official in the Small Business Administration, lost the endorsements of two Korean-American U.S. members of congress after comments she made about not wanting immigrants from China. Dan Rodimer, a former professional wrestler who ran for congress with Trump’s endorsement in Nevada last November, also faced plenty of ridicule for an ad his campaign released where the brand-new Texan had a full-blown accent while riding a bull.
There’s also Brian Harrison, a former HHS administrator in the Trump administration. On social media, Harrison had been vocal about his Trump credentials, even boasting about defunding Planned Parenthood while in the administration.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, candidates in the special election have raised over $2.5 million. The latest polling from the race shows Jana Lynne Sanchez, who ran for this seat in 2018, at the top with 16 percent of the vote, followed by Susan Wright at 15 percent. Jana Lynne Sanchez was recently endorsed by Latino Victory Fund.
In the 2020 election, attorney Stephen Daniel lost to Wright, 52.8-44 in a DCCC red-to-blue targeted race. However, Biden lost the district to Trump by just 3 points.
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
