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Outgoing GOP Rep. Will Hurd urges Texas suburban Republicans to craft message independent of Trump

President Donald Trump might have short coattails.

That’s the concern of Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, who worries that the national climate will cost Texas Republicans in 2020. He offers the local GOP this advice: Create your own message, and develop a brand independent of Trump.

He pointed to success that some Texas Democrats had in the 2018 midterm elections as examples on why it’s critical to keep a local message.

“The Democrats that kept this as a local issue and didn’t try to nationalize it, they were the ones who were successful,” Hurd said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News and KXAS (NBC5). “This notion of nationalizing elections is a bad idea.”

But Trump, one of the most controversial presidents in history, will dominate the 2020 election cycle. The nation is divided, and the outcome of the presidential contest could be determined by which party — Democrats or Republicans — can mobilize its base voters. Independents will also play a role. We’ll know more about their preferences when the Democrats settle on a presidential nominee.

There’s increasing evidence that Trump is a liability in suburban America, where college-educated women are turning to Democratic Party candidates in greater numbers. Hurd said the president also is unpopular with minority and young voters.

Paul Morrow, left, a concrete business owner, joins the stage with President Donald Trump during the Black Voices for Trump Coalition Rollout, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Atlanta.  (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Paul Morrow, left, a concrete business owner, joins the stage with President Donald Trump during the Black Voices for Trump Coalition Rollout, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)(Curtis Compton)

So while Trump is an asset in small towns and rural areas, he’s a potential albatross for local Republican candidates — even in what is normally reliable red Texas.

Texas Republicans could incur losses in Congress. And Hurd said the threat of Democrats taking the Texas House is real.

“We also have to be concerned with the trends we saw this week in Virginia,” Hurd said. “The fact that Democrats have taken over all levels of government in Virginia, and it started in the previous election cycle in the major cities and grew out into the suburbs, that’s a particular trend we can see here in Texas.”

“We have to pay attention to all the districts,” Hurd said. “We can win in the suburbs. We’ve got to make sure we’re getting the message out.”

That’s not always easy.

In 2018, former NFL player Colin Allred easily defeated longtime incumbent Pete Sessions by performing well with women in the northern and eastern Dallas County district. The suburban women that Sessions counted on in the past became one of Allred’s not-so-secret weapons, as he used issues like health care and education to distinguish himself from his rival.

Sessions also was saddled with Trump, who is very unpopular in parts of the Dallas-area district. Trump’s endorsement of Sessions brought smiles to the faces of Allred’s campaign team.

The next candidates in the 32nd Congressional District will have to distinguish themselves from Trump on policy and politics. If it becomes a national contest, it favors Allred.

That story line could be repeated in other suburban areas, including the contest to replace Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell, in the 24th Congressional District.

There are still more Republicans in the Texas electorate than Democrats, but the gap will close if local GOP leaders don’t take control of their brand.

“We have to take this seriously,” Hurd said.

Now in his third term, Hurd, 42, won’t seek reelection in 2020. He said he’ll focus on issues related to technology and national security. The former CIA operations officer said he also wants to help make sure “we have a Republican Party that looks like America.”

There’s been speculation that the Republican will one day be a presidential candidate.

“If the opportunity to serve my country presents itself, then I will evaluate it,” he said.

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