In Dallas County Texas House race, Button ad takes Chambers to task on ‘diversity’ comment

AUSTIN — A television ad released Thursday by State Rep. Angie Chen Button’s campaign admonishes Democrat Brandy K. Chambers for calling for diversity in elected office while running against the only Asian woman in the Legislature.

The ad, titled “A Tale of Two Candidates,” includes a series of side-by-side comparisons that portray Button, a Republican, as an immigrant from Taiwan who achieved the American Dream and Chambers as a proponent of “socialist tax increases and energy drilling bans that destroy jobs.”

“Angie makes Texans proud. She’s the only Asian woman in the Legislature,” the 30-second ad says. “Brandy said she’s running because we need more diversity. Then she falsely attacked Angie.”

“You decide how the story ends.”

In a statement, Chambers said Friday it is “sad that a representative who has been in office for 12 years can’t run on her record, but instead thinks she must blatantly lie about me and my positions to win.”

“Rep. Button says she supports freedom, but voted for discriminatory maps and voter suppression. Says she supports women, but voted against equal pay for women. Says she supports diversity, but voted for the ‘show me your papers’ law. Rep. Button can say anything she likes in her million dollar attack ads. Her extreme votes speak for themselves, and do not reflect the values of our district.”

The ad is the latest salvo in a heated campaign for House District 112 which covers Richardson, Garland, Sachse and Rowlett. The election is a rematch of two years ago when Button held off Chambers by 1,100 votes and could have major repercussions for the battle for the Texas House, which Democrats are trying to win back for the first time since 2001.

Last week, the pro-Democratic super PAC Forward Majority Action Texas dropped a $2.6 million ad buy in North Texas that included a spot knocking Button for “profiting off investments in health insurance companies” and “looking out for herself, not us” at the Legislature.

Button’s campaign is hammering Chambers for a Facebook post from last year after a South Asian forum on diversity in the Legislature.

“Our state is diverse and our elected officials should reflect the faces and experiences of Texans,” wrote Chambers, who has said she is Hispanic.

Button’s campaign said their candidate does reflect the state’s diversity. Button’s family experience fleeing China informs her views on American and global politics. And as a person who immigrated legally — Button first came to the U.S. on a student visa and naturalized after marrying an American citizen she met while studying at UT Dallas — she said she understands the views of those who want to crack down on illegal immigration.

Button’s ad is part of a TV buy that includes $525,000 on broadcast television and $280,000 on cable.

In the ad, Button’s campaign says she moved to Taiwan to escape communist China.

“Brandy Chambers worked for a Chinese company that stole American secret for communists,” the ad says.

Chambers worked as a senior corporate counsel for employment for Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications equipment maker that was accused of trying to steal American trade secrets in 2019, according to her law firm’s website.

In that role, Chambers advised the company on “risk avoidance, compliance, contractual obligations and internal policies regarding labor and employment issues.” Chambers last worked for Huawei in Nov. 2013.