Doggett Pressures Casar To Avoid A Messy Democratic Primary Fight In Texas

Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett isn't backing down from what could be a thorny primary fight with Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar if Texas finalizes its redistricting effort to merge their seats.

Texas Republicans’ new legislative maps draw Doggett and Casar, both from formerly safe blue districts, into one Austin-based seat. But Doggett, who last year became the first Democratic lawmaker to press President Joe Biden to end his 2024 reelection bid, in a Sunday campaign email framed his decades of experience in the House as an asset.

“In a House again controlled by Democrats, seniority is power,” Doggett, a 16-term lawmaker, said in the email. “And in fighting Republican shenanigans, experience is an asset. Nor was I personally slowed in working in all-night efforts to amend and fight Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, which harms so many in so many ways.”

Doggett, 78, was first elected to Congress in 1994. He serves as the ranking member on the House Ways and Means’ Health subcommittee. Casar is more than 40 years his junior.

Casar has been an Austin elected official for a decade and spent seven years in the City Council before his election to Congress in 2022.

“I love you Austin Texas,” he posted on X in response to the email Monday.

But Casar, Doggett claimed, is better served running in Texas’ newly redistricted 35th congressional district, which Republicans turned into a Trump +10 seat with a Hispanic majority in their new map. Doggett called the seat “probably the most winnable Trump-created new district.”

“He has the potential to use his organizing skills and populist message to win over the disaffected, particularly disaffected Hispanic voters,” Doggett said. “This could become a national model for turning back the Trump tide. Without Greg’s power of incumbency and ability to attract support, this seat could be lost by a weaker Democratic nominee.”

Casar’s team acknowledged receipt of POLITICO’s request for comment but did not provide one by deadline.

But Wendy Davis, a former state senator who challenged Greg Abbott in the 2014 governor's race, said in an interview that she doesn't think it's fair to ask Casar "to sacrifice his political trajectory" in a race that's ultimately a long shot.

"I think there's a feeling that while we all should right now be focusing on trying to support our Texas House Democrats, who are fighting like hell to keep this map from passing, Lloyd got way out in front of any conversation about this to try to honestly head Greg off at the pass," she said. "I think that a broader discussion with voters in Austin needs to be had. And this just feels one-sided, and it feels like it's just trying to get a jump on Greg without giving him an opportunity to really give his perspective on this."