Heard of Hurd? Probably not, and we don’t blame you. But he wants to be your president. Former Congressman Will Hurd looks likely to throw his hat into the presidential ring, challenging former President Trump for the nomination.
Hurd is probably most well known as being a very moderate GOP congressman. He previously represented a mass area of Texas that went from suburban El Paso to suburban San Antonio, stretching along the US-Mexico border. The 45 year old served three terms in congress, and struck an interesting profile as a half black Congressman representing a heavily Hispanics area. Representing a swing district, he knocked off a Democratic incumbent in his first victorious race.
Hurd even wrote the book on being a moderate in a way with his American Reboot memoir. There, he asks his party not to be racist, sexist or homophobic, although many would feel the GOP doesn’t feel that way in the first place. But perhaps cutting a niche, he is one of the few Republicans to raise the alarm about income inequality, and calling for an appeal to the middle of the voting populace versus the hard left or right. Unsurprisingly, he was in favor of Trump’s second impeachment.
Almost a sure sign of running, Hurd visited a marquee prayer breakfast in the early voting state of Iowa. There he declared he most certainly wouldn’t support Trump. He also said that DeSantis was too hard right to attract moderate and independent voters, and would lose the general election.
He avoided any culture war talk, dodging the key questions on parents’ roles in education. Most candidates gave an answer saying there are woke efforts to indoctrinate our kids. But Hurd changed the subject, while still answering the question, to charter schools, a conservative favorite, and the opportunities it provided for black and brown kids.
Hurd will be a longshot to say the least should he jump in. But he has one thing going for him. He could be one of the few directly criticizing Donald Trump. And with hard lined conservatives sticking with the former president, his more liberal immigration views (ie creating an easier process for legal immigration, and visas for basic and skilled workers), might attract some moderate votes when Trump is seen as unforgivable and DeSantis, particularly with his recent abortion stance, seems too extreme. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is also running and criticizing Trump, but Hurd is quite a few years younger and is considerably more charismatic. His best hope is getting into a Trump-DeSantis-Hurd showdown, where Hurd can take an early state and gain some momentum. Good luck with that.
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