There’s a semi-old adage that states what used to be obvious: All politics is local.

In today’s environment, where many people are driven by the constant tug-of-war on cable television and social media platforms, those words of wisdom don’t always apply.

Political consultants from both major parties are effective at taking national talking points and selling them to voters who speak the same language — whether it’s building a border wall, election integrity, the Green New Deal or defunding the police.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in Mansfield, Texas, or Mansfield, Mo., you’re moved by a national political agenda that local politicians have adopted. (As an aside, Mansfield, Texas, is the largest city named Mansfield in the U.S.)

Last Tuesday, if only in a tiny special election, state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, proved that connecting with voters on a local level still has relevance, even against the powerful persuasion of former President Donald Trump.

POLITICS

Jake Ellzey beats Trump-backed Susan Wright in race to replace the late Ron Wright in Congress

BY GROMER JEFFERS JR.

Ellzey defeated Republican activist Susan Wright of Arlington in the 6th District race to replace Wright’s late husband, Ron Wright.

In doing so, he withstood blistering attacks from a national anti-tax group called the Club for Growth. Officials there paid for ads and sent mailers to district voters that savaged Ellzey, describing him as soft on border security, a tool of Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — and, worse, a Trump hater. Ellzey and his allies aggressively denied the claims, which were clearly rejected by most voters.

While Wright was being championed by the Club for Growth and endorsed by Trump, Ellzey was reaching out to voters on a more personal, local level. Perhaps his biggest endorsement came late, when Joe Barton, who represented the district for 34 years, endorsed Ellzey over Wright. He did so in part because of the Club for Growth ads, and because of his contention that the former Navy pilot and decorated combat veteran has broader experience than Wright.

It’s not like Wright didn’t have local support either. She was backed by the Texas Republican Party, former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and many others. Additionally, she is the widow of Ron Wright, the former Tarrant County tax assessor who was elected to two terms in Congress.

Tarrant County, and even folks in Ellis and Navarro counties are familiar with Susan Wright. The problem was that her campaign was largely defined by Trump’s endorsement and the negative campaigning by the Club for Growth.

That made it easier for Ellzey to gain strength from his underdog position, ultimately creating the positive message that propelled him to an upset victory. A closer looks reveals that Wright’s campaign aides and others underestimated the scrappy Ellzey.

Strange spectacle

Given the distractions in the 6th District open primary, you can see how someone could miss a step.

The 6th District race started out as a strange spectacle. It featured 23 candidates, most of them local. But there also were carpetbaggers, Washington insiders and national themes that made the district a political zoo for the national media to gawk.

There was plenty of weird stuff.

Take Dan “Big Dan” Rodimer, the former WWE wrestler who in November was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for a Las Vegas-anchored congressional district. He finished near the bottom of the pack but garnered plenty of media attention.

Republican Michael Wood ran as a candidate looking to get the GOP to move past Trump, and got the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger. The Illinois Republican gave Wood some spare change from his political action committee, which guaranteed Wood national media attention. After all, he was the anti-Trump candidate trying to make a statement in a red Texas district. Wood also finished well off the pace but got more media shine than Ellzey and Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez.

Sanchez, the 2018 nominee for the 6th District, finished a close third in the May primary that featured 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, a Libertarian and an independent.

Remember Brian Harrison? He’s the former chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services who got some attention by bringing a longshot lawsuit to force the government to resume the expulsion of unaccompanied minors at the border. He touted the backing of numerous former Trump administration officials, but that strategy was thwarted after Wright received Trump’s 11th hour endorsement before the May election. Harrison ran a strong race and was a top finisher.

Then there was Sery Kim, a Trump administration appointee who lost the backing of California GOP Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both of Korean descent, after remarks she made to an Arlington audience about Chinese immigrants.

“I don’t want them here at all,” she said. “They steal our intellectual property, they give us coronavirus, they don’t hold themselves accountable.”

Afterward Kim, who is from South Korea, said she was talking about the Chinese government, but the damage was done.

Voters may have enjoyed the circus-like atmosphere of the May primary. It was worth a trip to the polls during early voting just to watch Rodimer’s enthusiastic poll workers, especially at the Tarrant County sub-courthouse in Mansfield.

Trump’s endorsement

Ultimately, it was Wright’s mishandling of the Trump endorsement that led to her defeat. Armed with Trump’s backing, she obscured her natural advantages, including her contact with constituents and the work she’s done for the district. Wright is more than a politico endorsed by Trump, and her best moments were when she met voters on the campaign trail.