Susan Wright, Jake Ellzey Campaign During Final Push In Runoff For North Texas Congressional Seat
(CBSDFW.COM) - Susan Wright and Jake Ellzey say they're not only greeting voters at the polls, but their campaigns are also knocking on doors and working the phones in the final days of their special runoff election for the 6th Congressional District.
The winner of Tuesday's election will complete the term of the late Republican congressman Ron Wright, Susan's husband, who died after testing positive for COVID-19 and battling cancer.
Both candidates said Friday they have qualities to address the issues.
Wright said, "I'm really well-versed on working on policy, working with people on policy to come together and to get a good police we can agree on and move it forward. And of course, I've got time with Ron so I have some experience in terms of knowing what to expect when I get there. It's not the same as doing it, but I've had at least a good glimpse inside."
Ellzey said, "We see our military seeming to be overtaken by political correctness. It's important to have a 20-year military veteran and Naval Academy graduate going up to Congress to go to the one institution of the government that the American people count on not being political and we're seeing that shift."
If elected, Ellzey said his priorities will be constituent services and building a coalition of conservative members of Congress who also served in the military to move the country in the right direction.
Wright said her priorities also include constituent services, but also securing the border, the economy, and keeping local control of education.
Each has big-name endorsements.
Former President Donald Trump is backing Wright, and Rick Perry, the state's longest-serving governor and energy secretary for the former president, is backing Ellzey, a state representative from Waxahachie.
Ellzey has a big fundraising advantage over Wright.
Federal Election Commission records show he's raised a total of $1,736,446 and spent $1,251,505. He has $484,940 cash on hand.
Records show Wright raised a total of $740,617 and spent $576,515. She has $164,101 cash on hand.
Wright and Ellzey emerged from a large field of candidates in the special May election, when 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, an Independent and a Libertarian ran.
Wright won both Tarrant and Navarro counties, while Ellzey won Ellis County.
With both Wright and Ellzey being Republican, the chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, Dr. Allison Campolo, said she's heard of two schools of thought among Democrats: Either voting against Wright because she was endorsed by former President Trump or intentionally under-voting, in which they go vote and select neither candidate.
Elections officials say while neither candidate receives a vote, the person is still counted as having voted.
When asked about that scenario, Wright said, "Whoever's going to win this seat is going to represent everybody in the district. Obviously, it's two Republicans, our issues and our base is going to be Republican voters. That's who we're talking to, but I'm talking to anybody who comes to our meet and greets. Ours are open to the public. I don't ask them party affiliation."
She said she didn't understand why people would go the polling location only not to vote for a candidate.
Regarding their endorsements, Wright said, "It says a lot about both of us."
Ellzey said, "I've got great endorsements, so does she. It comes down to the candidate, what kind of campaign they run, what kind of legislator they're going to be, what kind of congressman they're going to be, what kind of energy they're going to show."
With turnout in the low-single digits during the first four days of early voting, the campaigns will tell you every vote counts.
