Rep. Craig Goldman
State Rep. Craig Goldman announced Friday he is running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a fellow Fort Worth Republican.
“My record proves I will be a conservative fighter who will prioritize border security and the American taxpayer, and I am excited to announce I am all in to serve the people of Tarrant and Parker counties as their next Congressman,” Goldman said in a news release.
Goldman, who chairs the Texas House Republican Caucus, announced his campaign two days after Granger said she would not seek reelection. She has served in Congress for nearly three decades.
Granger’s district is heavily Republican and will likely attract a crowded primary field. One Republican, Fort Worth businessman John O’Shea, was already running against Granger before she announced her retirement and boasts the support of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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Goldman has served in the House since 2013 and currently chairs the House Energy Resources Committee.
Goldman’s decision creates an open seat in state House District 97, a GOP-leaning seat covering southwest Tarrant County.
See here for the background. Two points of interest here. One, as Daily Kos noted, Goldman was among the many House Republicans who voted to impeach Ken Paxton, back when there was a fleeting moment of possibility that Paxton could be held accountable by his fellow Republicans for his many crimes. Paxton will be supporting one of Goldman’s opponents in the CD12 primary, so you can imagine how that will go.
And two, Goldman’s HD97 is a modestly Republican district, won 53.9-44.3 by Trump in 2020 and 55.2-43.6 by Abbott in 2022. Goldman himself won it by 16 points in 2022, so one presumes an open seat race would be a better challenge for Tarrant Democrats. I’ll keep an eye on that one as Filing Season begins.
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