Political campaigns in Texas and across the country are laser-focused on the . One of the suburbs is Collin County, north of Dallas, which covers roughly the same area as Texas鈥� 3rd Congressional District. Long a Republican stronghold, the district is seeing a competitive race with two distinct candidates.
The Incumbent
Republican Van Taylor is a fixture in Collin County. Before winning the 3rd Congressional District seat two years ago, he was a for eight years.
鈥淚 started in politics as a precinct chair here in Plano,鈥� he told a group of volunteers ahead of campaign canvassing in early October. 鈥淎nd watch out, [because] you never know where that鈥檚 gonna take you.鈥�
As he greeted people on the doors, Taylor mentioned his time as an officer in the Marine Corps serving in the Iraq War, as well as his tenure in the Texas Legislature.
One of those home visits was to John Hunt of Plano, who voted for Taylor in 2018, aiding the congressman鈥檚 10-point victory that year.
鈥淢y faith is important to me,鈥� he told Taylor. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 pro-life. So [I鈥檓] reading as much as I possibly can about Amy Coney Barrett, and I鈥檓 really happy.鈥�
Hunt鈥檚 stance against abortion means he will not be voting for former Vice President Joe Biden, who favors a woman鈥檚 right to choose. He鈥檚 undecided about voting for President Trump, although he is happy with Barrett and the president鈥檚 other judicial nominations.
Taylor has been a as a member of Congress, although he strikes a more moderate tone. He鈥檒l need it. Democrats are targeting this seat, with the kind of health care message they think was so successful in 2018.
The Challenger
Taylor鈥檚 competition in 2020 is Democrat Lulu Seikaly, a Plano lawyer. Like other Democrats, she talks a lot about health care.
鈥淧eople are concerned about their health care,鈥� Seikaly said. 鈥淗ow they鈥檙e going to afford it, how we鈥檙e going to cover as many people as we can, how we鈥檙e going to maintain the highest quality of insurance for people.鈥�
Driving up to an outdoor event where Seikaly handed out yard signs, supporter Karen Mott introduced herself to Seikaly by saying 鈥渨e love you.鈥� Seikaly soon mentioned the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Mott, a registered nurse, declared 鈥渉ealth care is why I became a Democrat and left the Republican Party.鈥�
Mott has employer-based insurance through her husband, not the ACA鈥檚 health insurance exchanges. Still, some of the ACA鈥檚 other reforms have been crucial for her family.
鈥淚 was able to keep both my children, who were just in college, on our health insurance until they were 26,鈥� she said. Mott also said because of the law, her son, who has autism and several health issues, was able to take less than a full course load in college and not lose coverage.
Karen Mott herself isn鈥檛 a persuadable voter, but college-educated women like her are where many campaigns are focusing their energy. , compared to . Texas鈥� 3rd is one of the most educated congressional districts in the country.
Seikaly also talks about her who has experienced racism.
鈥淲hat if a little girl, who鈥檚 feeling the way I felt after 9-11, is feeling the same way because we have a president who鈥檚 in the White House who鈥檚 spewing all this hateful rhetoric?鈥� she said.
Health Care
On the Affordable Care Act, Taylor said he hears lots of complaints about high costs. To fight that, he wants to increase the number of people getting health care degrees.
鈥淵ou lower the cost of something by increasing the supply,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat means reducing red tape, increasing the supply, and ultimately lowering health care costs to make it more affordable for everybody.鈥�
Premiums have risen in both and since Obamacare went into effect, a result of the additional benefits insurers are now required to cover. Those include .
Despite the higher cost, many other provisions of the law are , like coverage for pre-existing conditions. Before the Affordable Care Act, Texas had one of the most lightly-regulated health insurance markets in the country. Insurers could deny coverage of a pre-existing condition and charge women more than men, .
Taylor wouldn鈥檛 say whether he agreed with the. The U.S. Supreme Court will a week after the election, and there are a .
鈥淚 think the bigger question to ask is, does the current system work? And I think the answer is, it鈥檚 not working,鈥� Taylor said.
The District
Voter Arash Payrovan has seen a lot of change in 20 years.
鈥淲hen I went to [school in] Plano, graduated with 1,400 kids, there was probably like 100鈥� non-white people, said Payrovan, who is Iranian American. 鈥淎nd now you look at it, it鈥檚 the complete opposite.鈥�
Census estimates say Texas鈥� 3rd Congressional District has gained over 147,000 people and become 5.6% less white since 2013.
The shift in diversity has coincided with a shift in political leanings.
Jeff Blaylock, publisher of the subscription website , said in 2002, the precincts that are now in Texas鈥� 3rd Congressional district were 17.4% more Republican than the state as a whole.
鈥淚n 2018, it was 1.8 points redder than the state as a whole,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a fairly dramatic shift.鈥�
In his 2018 Senate race, Democrat Beto O鈥橰ourke and young voters but .
But the result still sent a motivating message, according to Bernard Fraga, a political scientist at Emory University. Fraga said talking directly to communities of color signals their vote matters.
鈥淲hen a group that is important to you, an identity that is important to you is prioritized by campaigns, is really talked about by campaigns 鈥� that鈥檚 when you鈥檙e more likely to see higher voter turnout from members of that group,鈥� Fraga said.
Payrovan isn鈥檛 familiar yet with his Congressional choices. In a year with a noisy presidential race and a cascade of down ballot names, it鈥檒l be hard for any local campaign to break through.
Van Taylor argued business and population growth here proves the success of Republican governance, calling it 鈥渁 statement of support.鈥�
We鈥檒l see if voters agree.
Got a tip? Email Bret Jaspers at bjaspers@kera.org. You can follow Bret on Twitter .
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.
