Rep. Will Hurd will not seek re-election

By Alex Hartman
Pulse Staff Reporter

Texas Republican Will Hurd of Congressional District 23 announced he will not run for re-election in 2020; his district includes Palo Alto College.

“I have made the decision to not seek re-election for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in order to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security,” Hurd tweeted on Aug 1, 2019.

Some students who are represented by the retiring congressman have questions and concerns.

“I am not sure what the new representative will do for the community. I wonder if they will make change or not do much at all. I hope they can make change,” said Bailee Garetz, a Political Science major who is a Palo Alto College alumna.

With re-election just around the corner and the Congressional seat up for grabs, supporters of Hurd are also wondering what the future congressperson will bring to the United States House of Representatives.

“For leaders, [I want] someone who is more open to the people and represents the people. Someone who understands the community and wants to be partially involved with the community,” said Michael Andrade, a sophomore at Palo Alto College.

For this district, nine individuals have stepped up to the plate, hoping they will be elected.

According to Ballotpedia.org, Democratic candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, who ran against Hurd in 2018 and lost by less than 1,000 votes, is running again in 2020. Republican Alma Arredondo-Lynch also plans on running for a second time in 2020.

Besides being up to speed on candidates and their platforms, it could also be helpful to understand issues that are of concern; whether those issues are at more of a local level or even a national level.

“In terms of my local scope, I think the place is starting to get a lot more dirty and homeless; it is starting to become a larger issue. I am not sure how hard it is to tackle an issue like that, but I feel like that is something that should be addressed,” said Ausencio Sanchez, a freshman at Palo Alto College.

As the 2020 elections inch closer, Texans, and all Americans, can use credible resources to become more knowledgeable of candidates and their platforms. Various websites such as Ballopedia.org, Vote411.org, FactCheck.org, Snopes.com, PolitiFact.com and VoteSmart.org supply factual information about candidates, elections, voting and more.