By Patrick Svitek
First in The Blast: The national Democratic group End Citizens United is throwing its support behind three more U.S. House nominees in Texas, including one in a district that’s getting increasing attention as an emerging battleground.
The candidates are:
TX-3: Lulu Seikaly, who’s opposing Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano
TX-10: Mike Siegel, who’s running against Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin
TX-31: Donna Imam, who’s challenging Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock
All three are coming off primary runoff victories last month, though Seikaly stands out a bit more: Unlike Siegel and Imam, the seat she’s running for is not currently a target of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She’s nonetheless built some momentum since the runoff, releasing an internal poll showing a single-digit race against Taylor and earning the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio.
ECU’s support is also notable for Siegel and Imam, who are the two nominees in the targeted seats that the DCCC has not named to its Red to Blue program yet.
In a statement on the latest endorsements, End Citizens United cites the candidates’ refusal to take campaign money from corporate PACs and federal lobbyists. They “are proving they’ll fight on behalf of Texans in Washington by building grassroots-powered campaigns,” ECU’s president, Tiffany Muller, says in the statement.
The group merged earlier this year with another national organization, Let America Vote, which focuses on voting rights.