Texas Candidate MJ Hegar Thinks She Can Turn a Red State Blue
*By Max Godnick*
House Representative John Carter (R-TX) hasn't won a race by fewer than twenty points in a decade, but this year might be different.
Enter MJ Hegar, the Air Force veteran and Purple Heart recipient running for Congress in her native state's 31st district. Back in 2012, she sued the Department of Defense and won, leading to the repeal of the unconstitutional Ground Combat Exclusion Policy. Now, she's got her sight on the Republican incumbent.
"He's never faced somebody like me," Hegar told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin in an interview on Monday.
The self-described "motorcycle-riding, Texas Democrat" won her party's primary in March and is mobilizing her supporters to turn one of the Lone Star State's most reliably red districts blue.
"We are putting together a campaign that's unlike anything \[Carter's\] seen," she said. "We're just going to out-raise him and outwork him."
The hard work is already starting to pay off. In June, Hegar released a campaign video called ["Doors"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi6v4CYNSIQ) that quickly skyrocketed to viral success - racking up over two and a half million YouTube views in just a week, and over four million views across all online platforms. The video features slick and professional production techniques to tell the candidate's story by focusing on the many important doors in her life.
"What ended up happening was a really amazing, resonating video that has touched people all over the country," Hegar said.
Democratic candidates from across the nation would be wise to look to the video's success as a source of inspiration toward finding a new and effective way of reaching out to and engaging with voters. Hegar noted that the ad's content is not explicitly political, something she thinks can help other candidates from her party.
"People don't ask if you're a Republican or a Democrat anymore these days in my district," she said. "They ask, 'What are you going to do?' 'Are you going to answer your phone when I call?' 'Are you going to shut your door on me?'"
Hegar hopes her candidacy will be a part of a national "blue wave" that carries Democrats from around the country to victory in both House and Senate races. While everything might be bigger in Texas, voter turnout isn't. The state had the country's lowest voter turnout in the 2014 midterm elections. Hegar says part of the battle will be teaching voters that Democratic success in Texas, while rare in recent years, is not unprecedented.
"We're doing our best to remind people that this is the state of LBJ, Anne Richards, Barbara Jordan," she said. "Some strong, kick-ass Democratic women."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/inside-the-democratic-congressional-campaign-gone-viral).
John Petrides, Portfolio Manager at Tocqueville Asset Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down Monday's market activity amid the emergence of the omicron variant, and what it could mean for the Fed's timeline when it comes to raising rates and tapering pandemic aid.
Earlier in the week, we saw President Biden nominate Jerome Powell to serve as Fed chair for another four-year term in the midst of the country’s struggles with covid, inflation, and supply unrest. Claudia Sahm, senior fellow at the Jain Family Institute and former Federal Reserve and White House economist explains why the markets saw a boost following the nomination.
House Democrats saw a big win on Friday when President Biden's trillion dollar Build Back Better social spending bill was passed but now the question is - can the bill hold up in the senate as it faces possible ongoing scrutiny from not only Republicans, but also some Democrats. Julia Manchester, reporter at The Hill, explains whether or not the bill will make it to President Biden's desk by Christmas.
Jamil Jaffer, Founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute, joined Cheddar to discuss the concern surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's disappearance following a social media post accusing a former high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault.
Just hours before the scheduled execution of inmate Julius Jones, the Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stit has now granted commuted his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Several advocates along with a number of celebrities have been fighting to stop the execution. Defense Attorney and Police Director Erin Haney, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The book 'The Brainwashing of My Dad' examines how the rise of right-wing media changed a father and impacted the nation. Author of the book, Jen Senko, joins Cheddar News to discuss the history and future of conservative media.
Natalie Fertig, Federal Cannabis Policy Reporter for Politico Pro, joined Cheddar to discuss the shift among republicans to support federally legalizing marijuana.
The House has officially passed the $1.75 trillion social policy and climate big. This new bill is expected to bring some huge investments into working towards fighting climate change. U.S. President of We Don't Have Time, Sweta Chakraborty, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Guilty verdicts have been handed down to the three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery was out for a jog in February 2020 when Travis McMichael, William "Roddie" Bryan, and Gregory McMichael chased him down and killed him. The judge read the verdicts for each of the three men aloud, starting with the man who pulled the trigger, Travis McMichael. Kirk Burkhalter, professor at New York Law School joins Cheddar News to recap the trial.
All three defendants in the Ahmaud Arbery killing were found guilty today on numerous charges including felony murder. Criminal Defense Attorney Anthony Hall joined Cheddar to discuss.
