Democrat Mike Siegel is again challenging longtime Republican incumbent Michael McCaul in Texas’ 10th Congressional District in a race defined by a fierce battle over the oil and gas industry, and has been targeted by the national Democrats.
An Austin attorney with roots in public education, Siegel is running for the second time against Rep. McCaul, who’s held the seat with a comfortable majority since 2004, but beat Siegel by fewer than 4 percentage points in 2018. The 10th district stretches from East Austin to Katy.
Siegel recently won presidential candidate Joe Biden’s endorsement — just as Biden’s remarks about ending the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels rekindled Trump’s attacks on the Democrats’ plans to phase out oil and gas. The energy debate is a key issue in Texas, where 428,000 people worked directly in oil and gas in 2019.
Siegel calls himself progressive and is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-All, stands that have fueled GOP ads casting him as an extremist. But Siegel, like Biden, says investing in renewable energy is an opening for Texas — especially Houston — as the energy sector evolves. They cite major floods and the recent California wildfires as evidence that tackling climate change is necessary.
“I pitch it as an amazing opportunity for Houston,” Siegel said. “We already have international experts, leading practitioners in energy production, we already have multinational companies that are really investing in renewables. And so if this conversation is happening anywhere, it needs to happen here.”
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McCaul has joined Republicans warning of job losses, while also promoting tax credits for alternative energy sources and other policies that don’t exclude oil and gas exploration.
McCaul calls the Green New Deal naive.
“I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that industry,” McCaul said. “Quite honestly, our universities are dependent on the energy sector, it's the backbone of our economy."
In Harris County alone, there were an estimated 125,000 oil and gas jobs in 2019. Since the pandemic began, however, nearly 50,000 oil workers in Texas have had their positions eliminated.
‘A very stark contrast in this race’
The national Democrats’ interest in the 10th district was swift after Siegel’s narrow loss in 2018, which Siegel credits to down-ballot influence from former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s Senate bid.
Siegel says he established himself as a viable candidate in the last race, and expects a more even playing field this time, with help from anti-Trump sentiment among moderate Republicans in the district.
McCaul is emphasizing his 16-year track record, painting Siegel as someone who hasn’t yet proven he can work with Republicans.
McCaul was a top House official before the 2018 Democratic takeover of that chamber, serving on the Foreign Affairs committee and chairing the Homeland Security committee for three terms. A Georgetown University study backs up his claim to being the most bipartisan member of Congress from Texas. He has also been an outspoken China hawks in Congress, and strengthening the border is another key campaign point.
“There's a very stark contrast in this race,” McCaul said. “You know, I value results over rhetoric. His Democratic primary opponent said that (Siegel) values rhetoric and hyperbole over results. I totally agree.”
The 10th district covers a large swath of mostly-Republican territory, the result of a 2003 redistricting which Democrats have long criticized as gerrymandering. Encompassing five counties and parts of four others, the district’s demographics are majority white. But increasing influxes of Asian American voters in the suburbs, as well as a swelling Hispanic population, have contributed to TX-10’s recent designation as a swing district.
Both McCaul and Siegel have made efforts to court new voting blocs. McCaul said he’s conducted outreach efforts to Asian, Hispanic and Black communities in an “aggressive campaign” that began more than a year ago.
Siegel is relying on his roots as an organizer to piece together a diverse coalition. He said he was motivated to run after the 2016 election and points to himself as an example of the diversity that is reshaping Texas.
“I might say I have a Jewish dad, Christian mom, my wife's from a Muslim family,” Siegel said. “And so we think that we're part of the new Texas — very diverse, very multicultural. We were disgusted by Trump's conduct and tone as soon as he took office, and we were disgusted that Matt McCaul was basically an appeaser to everything Trump wanted to do from the beginning.”
McCaul has condemned Siegel’s refusal to denounce the Chinese Communist Party, adding that in Congress he’s been tough on communism and similar political extremes in a way Siegel would not.
Siegel has raised $2.3 million in the campaign, short of McCaul’s $3.5 million.
“This is absolutely a toss up,” Siegel said. “Either McCaul or I could win ... and it depends on who turns out the rest of the way.”
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Oil and gas issues define race between U.S. Rep. McCaul and Democrat Siegel - Houston Chronicle
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