The clock is ticking for Republicans to enter the race to .
Tarrant County officials are charting their plans 鈥� or not 鈥� to be the next person to represent Texas鈥� 12th Congressional District, a ruby red area that in 2020. Political observers expect the race to draw millions of dollars and national attention.
The filing for elections . The primary is March 5.
The Fort Worth Report and 四虎影院 were the first to report Granger鈥檚 intention to not seek reelection. Granger confirmed her plans to retire Wednesday morning.
State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, is widely considered a contender for Granger鈥檚 seat. He has , according to The Texas Tribune.
鈥淭oday is about honoring the historic career of Congresswoman Granger,鈥� Goldman said in a statement to the Report and 四虎影院. 鈥淎s far as my political plans go, I鈥檓 honored and humbled by all who have reached out and will have a decision made very soon.鈥�
, has $707,120 in his coffers, according to mid-July campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission.
State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, would not confirm or deny any plans to run in a phone interview Wednesday. His focus right now is on the ongoing special session, he said.
鈥淎nything is possible in the future,鈥� he said.
Schatzline expects a lot of Republicans to jump into the primary race in the safe Republican district, he said.
James Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University, described the open race for the 12th Congressional District as a rare moment. Since 1919, only five people have represented the district 鈥� three of whom have been influential, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a very competitive race, even though we don鈥檛 know who those candidates will be,鈥� Riddlesperger said.
Republican John O鈥橲hea has been running for Granger鈥檚 seat since April. Granger was not ready for a legitimate campaign fight, O鈥橲hea said. The congresswoman鈥檚 decision to enjoy more time with her family is well-earned after her distinguished career, he said.
O鈥橲hea, a longtime friend of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, welcomed the likely campaign of Goldman, who .
鈥淣ow anybody getting ready to file with just weeks remaining in the filing period and a couple of months before the primary, God, you know, it looks to me like they didn鈥檛 have the intestinal fortitude to challenge Kay Granger, and now they see it鈥檚 an open seat,鈥� O鈥橲hea told the Report and 四虎影院. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e political opportunists.鈥�
Chris Putnam, former mayor pro tem of Colleyville and a former Granger opponent , is considering another try at the seat, he said. He鈥檒l keep an eye on which candidates the big funders coalesce behind.
鈥淭he No. 1 thing is money. Right or wrong, running a congressional race is very, very expensive,鈥� Putnam said. 鈥淵ou just can鈥檛 grassroots your way to a victory in a congressional race.鈥�
Fundraising likely will be a problem for anyone who jumps into the race, Riddlesperger said. The primary election could require at least $1 million.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of money we鈥檙e talking about,鈥� Riddlesperger said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a challenge to put money together to run a campaign, and you need to be in a position of having adequate resources immediately if you鈥檙e going to challenge someone who has name recognition or a position of influence right now.鈥�
Putnam also is interested to see if Granger鈥檚 seat experiences the same rightward shift that Tarrant County鈥檚 local offices have taken in recent years, he said. He pointed to County Judge Tim O鈥橦are,, beating the more moderate Republican in the primaries, as an example.
O鈥橦are鈥檚 colleague on the Commissioners Court, Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, confirmed he鈥檚 considering a run but wouldn鈥檛 give a timeline for his decision 鈥� just 鈥渟oon.鈥� He said people have urged him to consider a campaign.
鈥淚 recognize we need the next generation of conservative leadership to put results over rhetoric,鈥� Ramirez said.
Ramirez took up his seat representing Tarrant County Precinct 4 at the beginning of the year. He and Granger represent a lot of the same people in northwest Tarrant County, he said.
Ramirez has described himself as a politician who鈥檚 interested in the hyperlocal, such as fixing roads and bridges. He鈥檚 weighing the possibility of leaving that behind and going to Washington, he said.
鈥淯ltimately, the environment in Washington right now, I think we all recognize that it's broken,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's going to take significant effort and significant energy to put it on the right track.鈥�
O鈥橲hea, the only active candidate so far in the race, said he had heard Ramirez鈥檚 name bandied about. O鈥橲hea brought up the commissioner鈥檚 recent entrance into elected politics.
鈥淚 understand that sometimes people use positions for stepping stones but, I mean, he was just sworn in just recently,鈥� O鈥橲hea said.
Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French said he hopes Granger enjoys her retirement after nearly 30 years of service. He set expectations for her eventual replacement.
鈥淚t is imperative we elect a strong conservative committed to fighting the Washington swamp to fill her seat. Our voters deserve no less,鈥� French said.
Some local officials have already confirmed they鈥檙e not running for Granger鈥檚 seat. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker is staying put, her spokesperson told the Report and 四虎影院.
So is O鈥橦are, who is 鈥済rateful to be Tarrant County judge,鈥� he said in an emailed statement.
鈥淢y No. 1 job is taking care of my wife and kids. I鈥檓 staying right where I am,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
The field will be crowded, said Thomas Marshall, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.
鈥淚 would not be surprised if significant outside people with big dollars got involved, too. I would think that it might end up certainly being a multimillion-dollar primary 鈥� and runoff,鈥� Marshall said.
Riddlesperger expects more candidates to emerge in the coming weeks.
鈥淭here is no question that there are probably a dozen Republicans and maybe four or five Democrats who have been dreaming of a day when the 12th District of Texas opened up, and that they might have the wherewithal to run to replace her,鈥� Riddlesperger said.
This story has been updated with comments from John O'Shea.
The Fort Worth Report's Austin correspondent Dave Montgomery contributed to this report.
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