Big Congressional Primary In The Dallas-Fort With Metro? Will The DCCC Interfere?

Ramon Romero (D) vs Marc Veasey (New Dem)

In 2014 Ramón Romero, Jr. (born 1975) primaried Lon Burnam, the 9-term Texas state Rep for downtown Fort Worth (HD 90). In a relatively high-turnout race, Romero won with 2,594 (51.1%) to 2,483 (48.9%).In the last few weeks there have been increasingly loud rumors that Romero is about to launch a primary against Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents TX-33. Like Romero, Veasey came up through the Texas state House, originally being elected and, like Romero, by challenging an entrenched Democratic incumbent (Glenn Lewis).

TX-33 was created by a court to counter the Republican legislature's 2010 attempt, through gerrymandering, to deprive Hispanic voters of equal representation. The GOP had combined the heavily Latino 30 Freeway strip between Fort Worth and Dallas (including Arlington and Grand Prairie) with super-red Parker and Wise counties, blatantly violating the Voting Rights Act. The judges threw out the map and replaced it with one that includes more of urban Tarrant County and which now has a PVI of D+23, a completely safe Democratic seat. Obama beat McCain there, 69-31% and then beat Romney 72-27%. In 2016 Hillary did even better against Trump-- 73-24%. There problem for Veasey, who is African-American, is-- at least in part-- a demographic one:

• Latino- 65.0%
• White- 16.0%
• Black- 15.3%
• Asian- 2.5%

He was able to win the primary run-off against a Latino opponent, Domingo Garcia, because voters split along county lines rather than ethnic lines. Garcia, who lives in Dallas County, did better in that part of the district and Veasey, who lives in Tarrant County, did better there. 60% of the voters live in Tarrant County. If Romero runs, both candidates will be from the Tarrant part of the district. Something else differentiates them though.

Veasey, a New Dem, has a poor voting record. ProgressivePunch rates it "F," especially bad because it's in such a deeply blue district. Romero, on the other hand, is a progressive.