TEXAS, USA — The next lawmaker from Texas 12th congressional district, Republican or Democrat, will have some big shoes to fill.
The seat is only open because U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger is retiring. The stalwart Texas conservative has held the seat since 1997, when she made history as the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The district is considered reliably Republican thanks to redistricting, so there’s keen interest in who will win the Republican runoff between state Rep. Craig Goldman and construction company owner John O’Shea.
Goldman, who was elected to his first term in the Texas House in 2012, says voters should look at who’s more qualified and who has the record.
“I have a proven conservative voting record in Austin that I want to take to Washington, D.C.. I have a proven record of problem solving, of getting things done. And I’m going to roll up my sleeves and go to D.C. and work just as hard as I have been in Austin,” Goldman told us on Inside Texas Politics.
This is O’Shea’s first attempt at seeking public office.
So he frames his candidacy as a businessperson who is concerned with how things are being run in Washington, D.C. and Austin.
“I would suggest that if somebody is interested in a commonsense outsider, who’s an America First type candidate and will stick to core conservative values, you know, I would be in that lane, whereas Mr. Goldman would represent more the traditional Bush wing of the party and, like I said, has been part of the leadership team down in Austin now,” O’Shea said.
Both candidates also addressed some of the major issues currently facing Congress.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, has promised to soon force a vote to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-LA, after the Speaker worked with Democrats to advance certain issues, including a vote on sending more military aid to Ukraine and a bipartisan budget deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Goldman says he would not support any move to oust the Speaker.
“When you elect a Speaker, that’s your Speaker, that’s your leader of your party during that session. That’s who you should stick with. I think it just causes chaos. And so, I certainly would vote to stick with Speaker Johnson,” Goldman argued.
O’Shea, however, tells us he would vote in favor of removing Speaker Johnson, for many of the same reasons as Rep. Greene.
And O’Shea says he does not support funding more military aid to Ukraine.
He argues the country could have secured a peace deal a couple of years ago, even though Ukraine would have been forced to cede huge swaths of its own land to Russia.
“My whole thing is put an end to hostilities right now. And I think Vladimir Putin is not going to be willing to give up the land and I don’t see that there’s any amount of money or any amount of weapons that are going to replace bodies in the field,” O’Shea said.
While he thinks Ukraine should lay down arms and stop fighting, O’Shea doesn’t feel the same about Israel.
When we asked how that was different than Ukraine’s fight for survival from Russia, O'Shea told us Hamas has threatened to eradicate Israel and he believes the nation has a right to determine how it protects its country.
Goldman, on the other hand, says he does support sending more military aid to both Ukraine and Israel.
While Rep. Goldman is endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton has endorsed O’Shea, part of the AG’s revenge tour against House lawmakers who voted to impeach him.
Goldman told us lawmakers followed the Constitution, and he doesn’t regret his vote to impeach.
“Put before us was the question of whether or not Ken Paxton should stand trial. Not one of us in the Texas House voted that he was innocent or guilty. Based on the Constitution, we were basically members of a grand jury,” Goldman said.
Texas' 12th congressional district includes most of Parker County and the western half of Tarrant County.
The runoff election is May 28.
The Republican winner will face Democrat Trey Hunt in the general election on November 5.
Listen to the full interviews to learn more about both candidates, including their stance on the border and what their top priorities would be if elected.