ElectEvanHunt

20-year USAF combat veteran, business leader, and family man, running for Congress in TX-03 to restore trust in our Democracy and defend the Constitution. #TX03

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Your are what you do when it counts. #ServiceBeforeSelf

https://t.co/hpt8Hs8jzk

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

I really hope this latest New World Screwworm outbreak is contained and does not spread beyond South Texas. But in the military we have a saying: hope is not a course of action.

New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living flesh of cattle, horses, wildlife, pets, and even humans. An untreated infestation can kill a cow in less than two weeks. A widespread outbreak could cost Texas ranchers billions of dollars and drive beef prices even higher for American families.

This week, USDA confirmed the first U.S. case of New World Screwworm since 1966 in a calf near La Pryor, Texas. Federal and state officials have imposed quarantines, movement restrictions, surveillance, and sterile-fly releases.

Unsurprisingly, instead of owning the problem, the Trump administration is already trying to blame Biden. But if we’re going to talk about responsibility, let’s talk about the dangerous decisions that were actually made.

The threat has been known for years. In fact, the screwworm was eradicated from the United States for 60 years. Yet, last year, DOGE cut funding for prevention, field inspections and highly successful cross-board Agricultural safety initiatives, because it saw those programs as “foreign aid.”

They weren’t. They were actually a fence around our ranch, because prevention is actually America First.

The programs helping track and contain New World Screwworm in Central America were a cheap insurance policy protecting Texas ranchers from a billion-dollar threat. Spending a few million dollars overseas to stop a problem before it reaches our border isn’t charity. It’s protecting American jobs, American ranchers, American consumers, and our food supply.

Texas cattle inventories are already at their lowest levels in generations. Ranchers are facing rising costs and uncertainty from hastily rolled-out tariffs and higher energy costs due to the war in the Middle East. The last thing they need is another preventable threat to their livelihoods.

Texas ranchers don’t need excuses. They need leaders who identify threats early, act before a crisis reaches our borders, and protect the people who feed America.

#ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

It’s Jewish American Heritage Month, and my family was honored to attend a lecture today at the incredible Holocaust Museum in Dallas by an actual Holocaust survivor from Hungary, where hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, including more than 400,000 deported to Auschwitz in a matter of weeks in 1944.

Amid stories of unimaginable heartbreak, he survived because of extraordinary kindness from “upstanders” who protected and cared for him and his family. Even at the height of the Holocaust, he said no more than 20-30% of the population was truly antisemitic. But an angry, violent, and cruel minority faction took over the country, and everyone paid the price.

That is why we cannot allow our country to be ruled by extremists. In a world of bullies, be an upstander. Stand up for other people. Speak out against cruelty, hatred, and dehumanization, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. An attack on one is an attack on all.

#hatehasnohomehere #servicebeforeself

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Keith Self fixates on fringe hypotheticals and culture-war distractions while staying silent about the very real abuses of power unfolding under the Trump administration.

Beyond the usual Sharia Law fearmongering, Self has spent months warning about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and speculative “vehicle kill switches,” portraying imagined future surveillance states as the greatest threat to American freedom.

Yet he says almost nothing about the real surveillance infrastructure rapidly being built around us right now: unregulated AI systems, facial recognition, biometric tracking, corporate data harvesting, and massive data-center expansion with little public oversight.

Nothing about guardrails for AI.
Nothing about deepfakes or algorithmic manipulation.
Nothing about mass digital profiling.
Nothing about how giant AI-driven data centers are reshaping communities, energy grids, water usage, and privacy protections across the country.

And he has nothing to say about the Trump meme coin or the increasingly blurred line between political power, personal branding, and crypto speculation tied directly to Trump himself.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pushed expanded surveillance and enforcement powers: “extreme vetting” tied to social media monitoring, aggressive federal monitoring of protests, warrantless surveillance authorities under Section 702, and expanded facial recognition and biometric tracking at airports and border crossings.

“Don’t forget your papers.”
“You don’t look like you belong here.”
“No warrant needed.”
“Quiet, piggy.”

THAT’s the surveillance state.
THAT’s the erosion of civil liberties.

And through all of it, Keith Self has said almost nothing.

Here’s what I would advocate for instead:

* Rebuild our immigration system so it is lawful, functional, humane, and accountable, with secure borders, faster courts, modern technology, and due process.
* Enforce the Hatch Act and strengthen protections against political coercion and propaganda on taxpayer-funded systems.
* Defend freedom of the press and protect journalists from political retaliation and intimidation.
* Establish real guardrails for AI, facial recognition, biometric tracking, and mass-data systems before unregulated technology becomes the backbone of a permanent surveillance state.
* Demand transparency and accountability for massive AI and data-center projects that consume public resources and reshape local communities.
* And ACTUALLY stand up to the executive branch when it steps on civil liberties, even if it favors my own party.

If you only oppose government overreach when the other side does it, then you do not actually oppose government overreach at all.

And if you will not stand up for regular people when it matters most, then you are not defending liberty. You are defending power.
#ServiceBeforeSelf #SurveillanceState

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

A fresh wave of hate is rising in Texas.

A hate cloaked in false patriotism. A shape-shifting hate that wraps itself in religion and the language of “protecting our way of life.” A hate that dehumanizes people, begets suffering, and inevitably creates more hate in return.

It’s easy to recognize.

It thrives on dehumanization and demonization. Fear-mongering about Sharia law. Hysteria about immigrant fraud. Belittling LGBTQ Americans. Blaming the vulnerable for problems that only the rich and powerful can solve.

It feeds on aggression and indifference. Threats. Name-calling. Public humiliation. A growing indifference to the suffering of others.

It relies on intimidation and fear. Lawsuits. Masks. Violence. Punishing entire groups for the actions of individuals. Weaponizing the justice system while ignoring due process and court orders.

And make no mistake about it - it is fueled, encouraged, and excused by leaders in the Trump-MAGA-Republican party.

Worse still, this hate is becoming policy, funded by our own tax dollars.

We were told we “had” to put children in cages to keep America safe. That ICE officers “had” to use lethal force against Americans who got in the way. That entire groups of people must be deported to preserve our culture or stop fraud. That we “had” to involve ourselves in yet another Middle East conflict to prevent nuclear catastrophe.

Storming the Capitol? Minimized. Racial profiling? Accepted. Excessive force? Excused. Bombed a school? Somebody else’s fault.

And beneath it all is one of history’s oldest and most dangerous lies: that the ends justify the means.

America was never perfect, but it was supposed to be different.

A nation built on the radical idea that freedom and human dignity belong to everyone. A refuge from oppression. The base of the Statue of Liberty reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Standing up for the vulnerable is not just a Democratic value. It is a moral calling shared across Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and countless other faith traditions.

Most importantly, it is an American value. American greatness has always come from people willing to stand up for others.

Hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers died to abolish slavery. Americans crossed oceans to fight fascism in Europe. Men joined the women’s suffrage movement. Black and white Americans marched together for civil rights despite beatings, arrests, and murder. Veterans of every race and religion have sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Martin Luther King Jr. warned that our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

The time for “going along to get along” is over. It’s time to speak up. It’s time to have difficult conversations at the dinner table.

Because if you’ve been following the Frisco mayoral race, the anti-immigrant outbursts at Murphy and Wylie City Council meetings, or the divisive rhetoric spread by my opponent Keith Self, then you’ve probably noticed a painful truth: this wave of hate is infecting our local communities.

It’s time to stand up for other people before their suffering, and the hatred it creates, eventually arrives at your kid’s school or your doorstep - and no one is left willing to stand up for you.

#nohate #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton over John Cornyn proves what I’ve been saying all along: in Trump’s new Republican Party, extreme personal loyalty matters more than integrity, competence, or ethics.

The Attorney General’s job is supposed to be protecting the public and enforcing the law against real crime, real corruption, real fraud, and real abuse of power.

So after more than a decade in office, where are Paxton’s major corruption prosecutions? Where are the major fraud networks dismantled? Where are the powerful insiders held accountable?

Instead, Paxton’s service record is defined far more by scandal and political theater than meaningful accomplishments for everyday Texans. Much of his tenure has revolved around partisan lawsuits, culture war headlines, and investigations that generate media attention more than meaningful reform.

And ironically, the most high-profile corruption allegations tied to the office during Paxton’s tenure ended up involving Paxton himself. This is not “fake news” or partisan spin. It is a documented pattern of ethical scandals, alleged corruption, and abuse of power stretching back years.

He was indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015. Those charges hung over him for nearly a decade before prosecutors eventually dropped the case after a controversial settlement agreement.

Multiple senior aides in his own office, many of them conservative Republicans he personally hired, accused him of bribery and abusing his office to help a political donor. Those whistleblowers were later fired, and Texas taxpayers ultimately paid $3.3 million to settle the retaliation lawsuit tied to their claims.

The Texas House, led largely by Republicans, impeached him in 2023 on accusations ranging from abuse of office to obstruction and misuse of public resources. The Senate acquitted him, but the evidence and testimony were serious enough that members of his own party brought the case forward.

Paxton publicly acknowledged an extramarital affair during the impeachment proceedings, and his wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, later filed for divorce citing “biblical grounds.”

None of this was disqualifying to Trump, because Paxton remained loyal. Meanwhile, Republicans with real backbone - like Thomas Massie - lose favor the moment they break ranks or pushes for transparency that could become politically inconvenient.

By contrast, James Talarico has built a reputation around transparency, civility, and public service without the cloud of indictments, corruption investigations, or scandals hanging over him.

This election is not be about left versus right. This isn’t even about top versus bottom. This is about right versus wrong.
James Talarico
#ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war for a reason. After Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution specifically to stop presidents from dragging the country into prolonged conflicts without public debate and approval from Congress.

The law requires the president to end military hostilities within 60 days unless Congress authorizes the conflict or declares war.

We are now nearly 80 days in.

At least 13 American service members have already been killed. Thousands of Iranians have been killed. Tens of thousands have been injured. Millions have been displaced.

Our troops are still in harm’s way. U.S. forces remain deployed across the region. Threats of escalation are still being made.

We are openly breaking our own law. And the executive branch, the branch that is supposed to enforce the law, is ignoring it while misleading the public.

The administration has repeatedly claimed the conflict was ending or under control while continuing deployments and threats of escalation.

And despite an embarrassing pattern of late night Truth Social posts and mixed messaging that should compel Congress to publicly debate and vote on the conflict, Congress still refuses to hold a full authorization vote.

It is obvious many members are terrified of crossing the president, party leadership, and donors during an election year. They would rather protect their political careers and compete for endorsements than defend the Constitution they swore an oath to uphold.

The moment we talk about lowering housing, childcare, healthcare, or college costs, Washington suddenly becomes obsessed with fiscal responsibility.

But when it comes to undeclared war, endless military operations, and emergency spending, the money always appears. And Americans are paying the price at the pump today while adding to tomorrow’s deficits.

Keith Self is a clear example of this hypocrisy. He brags about micromanaging SNAP benefits and preaches about the national debt, but refuses to demand anything less than a blank check for military escalation.

He is a veteran serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, so this issue is absolutely in his lane. But he’s accepted tens of thousands of dollars tied to AIPAC-aligned donor networks and refused to challenge this administration’s unchecked war powers. And like too many career politicians in Washington, he appears more focused on securing a third term and the third government pension that comes with it than defending Congress’s constitutional responsibilities.

This is everything that is wrong with our politics today: special interests and political self-preservation taking priority over constituents and the Constitution.

This war that is not a war is not “America First.” It is not conservative. It is not making life more affordable. And it is not making Americans safer.

#IranWar #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Fraud, waste, and abuse are not diseases of one party or another. They are symptoms of a much deeper problem.

Big money’s unchecked influence at the highest levels of government has weakened our democratic republic, concentrating power in the hands of wealthy donors, corporations, lobbyists, and political insiders.

Campaigns now cost millions, even billions, of dollars, and winning often depends on fundraising. As a result, politicians spend enormous amounts of time courting wealthy donors, corporations, PACs, and Super PACs instead of focusing on governing.

In recent election cycles, billionaires alone accounted for roughly one-fifth of federal campaign spending. Why do they spend this money instead of investing it elsewhere? Because political influence delivers a proven return on investment.

That does not automatically mean every donation is corrupt. People and organizations absolutely have the right to support causes and candidates they believe in.

But when political influence scales with wealth, the voices of regular Americans matter less.

You can see the effects everywhere:

- Massive bills packed with carveouts and special-interest riders that most Americans never asked for.

- Pharmaceutical and insurance lobbying helping keep healthcare costs high while millions of Americans struggle to afford care, prescriptions, and coverage.

- Defense contractors spending millions lobbying Congress while the Pentagon budget continues to grow despite repeated audit failures and cost overruns.

- Oil, tech, and financial industries pouring money into campaigns and then receiving favorable tax treatment, subsidies, loopholes, or regulatory influence.

- Small farms, local hospitals, local newspapers, and independent businesses disappearing while massive corporations gain more control over agriculture, healthcare, media, and online speech.

- Massive AI data centers moving into communities and placing major demands on electricity and water infrastructure, while industry-backed efforts push for weaker oversight.

- Corporate bailouts protecting massive companies while small businesses fail and ordinary Americans are told to absorb the losses.

- Well-connected elites and political insiders receiving reduced consequences, special treatment or pardons that ordinary citizens would never receive.

- Elected officials making suspiciously well-timed stock trades while voting on legislation that affects entire industries.

We will not solve these problems by pointing fingers at each other. We need bold reforms that restore balance, accountability, and public trust:

- Term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court.

- A 5-year ban on lobbying after leaving public office.

- A binding and enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, including stronger disclosure and recusal requirements.

- Ban members of Congress and senior public officials from trading individual stocks while in office.

- Ban out-of-cycle gerrymandering and stop dividing counties, cities, and communities into disconnected districts purely for political advantage.

- Pass campaign finance reforms that cap or reduce the outsized influence of massive private and corporate money in politics.

If we want to fix fraud, waste, and abuse, we have to fix the system that rewards and protects it. The fish rots from the head.
Take BAC Congress

#electevanhunt #servicebeforeself #FraudPrevention

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

I have repeatedly offered to debate Congressman Keith Self publicly about the issues affecting TX-03. Healthcare. Housing. National security. Immigration. Infrastructure. Education. Gerrymandering. The national debt. Representation.

Not only does he refuse, he ignores me completely. Which does not really surprise me, because I am just one of many constituents who feel ignored. Self doesn’t even bother showing up to candidate forums where there might be opposition in the audience, including events hosted by the McKinney PTA, the League of Women Voters, or the Collin County NAACP.

And frankly, this reflects a much bigger problem in Washington.

The filibuster was originally designed as a tool for extended debate in the Senate. Senators who strongly opposed a bill had to physically hold the floor for hours, sometimes days, publicly defending their position before the American people. Eventually they ran out of time, support, or stamina. Debate ended, and the Senate voted. That was the talking filibuster.

Today, just 41 senators can stall major legislation indefinitely without even having to publicly defend their position.

That is not debate. That is hiding behind procedure instead of defending your ideas.

Look at the bipartisan border bill in 2024. After months of negotiations, senators from both parties produced a compromise package with tougher asylum standards and expanded border enforcement. Then Donald Trump publicly pressured Republicans to kill the deal because he did not want Democrats getting a bipartisan win during an election year. Cloture failed, and the bill died before Americans ever got a real public debate on the Senate floor.

We need more healthy disagreement in America, not less. If lawmakers want to block legislation, they should have to defend that position publicly so Americans can hear the arguments and decide for themselves.

If elected, I will push for reforms to restore the talking filibuster and force Congress to publicly defend its decisions again.

If you are unwilling to defend your ideas in person, maybe you should not be writing laws for 340 million Americans.
@RepKeithSelf
#filibuster #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

The separation of Church and State is foundational to America because many of the early colonists and founders had firsthand experience with governments using religion as a tool for political power. The First Amendment was designed to prevent the government from establishing or favoring a religion, while also protecting the free exercise of faith. That balance is part of what allowed America to become a nation where people of different religions, and no religion at all, could coexist under the same government.

For nearly 70 years, the Johnson Amendment has prohibited churches and other tax-exempt nonprofits from officially endorsing political candidates while keeping their 501(c)(3) status. The principle was simple: organizations receiving public tax advantages should not function as political campaign machines. Under current law, churches engaging in explicit partisan political endorsements can potentially risk their tax-exempt status. For large churches, those taxpayer subsidies can be worth millions of dollars.

The IRS has historically distinguished between speaking on moral or political issues, which churches are allowed to do, and directly supporting candidates or functioning as political campaign operations. But mega churches have already been openly testing the boundaries of this law for years with virtually no consequences. Prominent pro-Trump pastors and televangelists have used church platforms to advocate for Trump, frame elections in explicitly religious terms, host campaign-style events, and tell congregants that supporting Trump was a Christian obligation.

It has all worked out so well for Trump that he openly said, “I love the fact that churches could endorse a political candidate,” and repeatedly called for the Johnson Amendment to be “totally destroyed.” In 2025, Trump’s IRS even filed a court brief arguing that churches should be allowed to endorse political candidates to their own congregations during religious services without risking their tax-exempt status. The administration also backed churches challenging the Johnson Amendment in federal court.

He also chose not to enforce the law. In his time in office, Trump’s IRS did not make a single major public enforcement action against a prominent pro-Trump church for partisan political activity. So the message from this administration was unmistakable: partisan political activity from aligned churches would be tolerated.

This deviation from American norms has emboldened divisive rhetoric in our own communities. In Frisco, the pastor of Elevate Church recently endorsed mayoral candidate Rod Vilahauer during church service while warning congregants that Muslims would take over the city “first by the ballot, then by blood,” mocking concerns about Islamophobia and framing the election as a kind of crusade against Muslim Americans.

Conversely, many local faith leaders that I know personally, oppose the administration, fear retaliation and investigations. This is especially true of those who speak on issues like immigration, poverty, racial justice, or the treatment of minority communities.

This is why religious liberty cannot mean freedom for only one political viewpoint. Churches absolutely have First Amendment rights, and pastors can personally support candidates. But if tax-exempt institutions are going to openly operate as partisan political organizations, taxpayers should not be subsidizing that activity through special tax treatment.

If you believe freedom applies only to some people and not others, then you do not believe in freedom. You believe in privilege.

#ChurchAndState #FreedomOfReligion #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

I haven’t spoken to one person who feels safer or more confident about America’s future than they did a year ago. We aren’t making America great again, we’re making America hate again.

At a time when we’re bombing Iran, alienating allies, and watching instability spread across the globe, America should be focused on real national security threats. Instead, this administration is redirecting resources toward “ideological enemies” at home.

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned over the administration’s expanding conflict with Iran, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran” and warning that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States.

Think about it. After 9/11, we shifted enormous amounts of money, manpower, and focus toward counterterrorism because we understood what happens when governments lose sight of real threats. Now tens of billions are being redirected toward mass immigration enforcement and ICE expansion instead.

With reduced resources, our priorities become more important than ever. So who this administration chooses to classify as a threat, and who it does not, leaves us vulnerable.

Page 7 of the new counterterrorism strategy talks about “anti-government” narratives, “anti-authority violent extremism,” and groups tied to “Antifa” and “pro-trans activism” while politicians like Keith Self continue framing entire communities as threats.

The strategy discusses domestic extremism broadly, but it does not specifically name neo-Nazi organizations or white supremacist movements, despite the fact that January 6th was only a few years ago.

We all watched rioters assault police officers, storm the Capitol, and try to stop the peaceful transfer of power in real time. But many of those same people were later pardoned and welcomed back into the political fold.

We all know there are people committing crimes, or people with violent criminal records who want to commit crimes again. That is exactly why law enforcement and counterterrorism resources should stay focused on actual criminal behavior.

There is a very real difference between targeting violent extremist organizations and broadly treating religious communities, minority groups, or political movements as suspicious.

Organized extremist movements that advocate violence and political intimidation are insider threats. ISIS and al Qaeda are real threats. Neo-Nazi movements are real threats.

Not LGBTQ Americans. Not organizations fighting for equal treatment. Not people holding “No Fascism” signs at No Kings protests. Not Muslim Americans building communities.

Al Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center, not the East Plano Islamic Association.

The Proud Boys attacked the Capitol. The Pride Parade did not.

Cole Tomas Allen was arrested for attacking the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, not the George Soros Foundation.

Anybody serious about law enforcement understands there is a difference between extremist individuals, violent criminal networks, and entire political or religious communities.

History has seen this before.

In communist Russia, governments labeled dissenters, minority groups, and activists as “enemies of the state” to justify surveillance, intimidation, arrests, and suppression.

When governments start targeting people for general ideology instead of documented criminal intent or criminal actions, constitutional rights stop meaning anything.

In America, people should be judged by what they DO, not by who they are, who they love, or what political movement they associate with. In America, all are innocent until proven guilty.

#CounterTerrorism #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Texas’s 3rd Congressional District has not elected a Democrat since 1968, so few expected the district to be redrawn to stretch farther east and absorb five additional rural counties. It is obvious this new map was meant to offset Collin County’s rapidly changing demographics and preserve Republican power in the face of change.

It certainly was not done to strengthen community representation. I have traveled from East Plano to Mount Pleasant and seen the effects of gerrymandering firsthand. People are confused about who represents them. Communities that naturally belong together were split apart. Frisco was removed from the district entirely. Plano was divided. Collin County voters were fractured across multiple congressional districts.

In many ways, it is even worse for rural voters. Communities in Hopkins, Franklin, Morris, Titus, and Delta counties are now politically tied to fast-growing suburban areas more than two hours away with very different economic realities and priorities. Yet those five counties together account for only about 10% of the district’s vote, with Hunt County for another 10%, leaving Collin County to account for roughly 80%.

That means rural voices begin diluted from the start. This is exactly the kind of manipulation Americans have spent generations fighting against.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed because Americans recognized that voting rights could be undermined not only through intimidation and discrimination, but also through political systems designed to weaken the voices of entire communities.

The Voting Rights Act has not been overturned, but several of its strongest protections have been weakened over time through Supreme Court rulings limiting federal oversight of voting laws and redistricting. Most recently, in the 2026 case Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision further weakens the Voting Rights Act by narrowing how it can be used to challenge maps that dilute minority voting power.

The result has been a fresh wave of lawsuits, aggressive map drawing, and growing public distrust across the country.

What is legal is not always right. As James Talarico said, this is “running up the scoreboard when you’re already ahead.”

Worse, this is rot from the inside: taxpayer-funded resources, legal maneuvering, and political engineering being used to protect power for its own sake instead of solving real problems for the American people. It’s no wonder people are losing faith in our system.

That is why, when I get to Congress, I will introduce the Let Voters Choose Act.

The bill would:
- Ban partisan gerrymandering
- Ban mid-cycle redistricting
- Require congressional maps to be drawn only once every 10 years after the census
- Require transparent bipartisan or independent commissions
- Prohibit the unnecessary splitting of cities and counties between districts
- Require compact districts that respect existing communities and local identities

Voters should choose their representatives. Politicians should not choose their voters.
James Talarico has already said he agrees.
Help put Texas Democrats in office this November to finally start fixing our nation with common sense, systematic reforms in the people’s interest.
#gerrymandering #ServiceBeforeSelf
@jamestalarico

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Believe it or not, modern Texas Democrats and Republicans have more in common than you’d think.

Political parties are always changing, but on both sides, there is a deep distrust of the establishment. A belief that politicians cannot be trusted. That government has become disconnected from the needs of ordinary people.

Both sides recognize that something in America is deeply broken. Both feel that our system no longer serves ordinary people the way it should.

The divide is how modern Republicans and Democrats propose to heal our nation’s mind, body, and spirit.

On the mind - our economy -

Republicans blame immigration, both legal and illegal, for declining wages, rising insecurity, and pressure on public systems. They believe deportations and reduced immigration will make the country safer and more prosperous. They also blame “the lazy,” folks who apparently prefer handouts to hard work.

Democrats blame the unchecked consolidation of wealth and power. They argue that the growing influence of billionaires and giant corporations has hollowed out the middle class and widened the gap between the wealthy and everyone else.

On the body - our government -

Republicans want to get the government out of the way. They blame fraud, waste, and abuse. They paint the picture that somewhere there is a “gray suit” getting rich off our tax dollars, or somebody ineptly bloating our agencies. Elon Musk’s DOGE was the perfect example of this.

Conversely, Democrats want to fix the government so it can do its job. They blame the growing influence of big money and special interests in politics. They argue that politicians increasingly answer to donors like Elon Musk, lobbyists, and corporations instead of voters. They push for systematic reforms like term limits, overturning Citizens United, anti-gerrymandering measures, and stronger ethics laws.

On the spirit - our values -

Republicans increasingly push that America as a nation fundamentally shaped by Christian values and traditions. They believe those traditions should remain visible in public life and civic culture. This is how you end up with a push for the Ten Commandments in schools and Bible readings by the President.

Democrats believe America’s strength comes from pluralism: our immigrant heritage, religious freedom, and diversity. They believe those principles are what make the country uniquely American. This is also how you sometimes end up with an overemphasis on identity politics.

In conclusion:

Modern Republicans often frame immigrants, other cultures, religions, and “bureaucrats” as the source of America’s problems, while Democrats believe that the real problem is the “Epstein class” and its grip over government.

In our imperfect two-party system, these are the choices in front of Texas voters.

Although I have plenty of Republican friends, I’m a Democrat because, based on my lived experience with other cultures and my work with the federal government, I just don’t “buy” the Republican version.

Most people want a hand-up, not a handout. Most people who come to this country want real freedom. They want to live in peace and work hard. Most people don’t want to perpetuate fraud and risk getting audited, imprisoned or deported. And almost everybody who works in government, be it the military, the VA, DHS, or elsewhere, is a humble patriot who isn’t making a big paycheck. They aren’t in it for the money.

As you decide who to vote for, I’d ask you to put party labels aside and look at your own lived experience and determine what approach makes the most sense to you.

Most Americans are tired of division, corruption, war, outrage, debt, distrust, and a system that feels increasingly rigged against ordinary people.

The American way is to debate and disagree without dehumanizing each other. To save our great nation, we must reform what is broken without destroying what is good, and remember that America belongs to all of us.

#ServiceBeforeSelf #twopartysystem

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

The problem with Keith Self’s approach to governance is simple. There is no real accounting in his version of accountability.

He talks about limiting government power and cutting spending. But that stops when it comes to putting real limits on the Trump administration, with either power or money. In a recent WFAA interview, he acknowledged that changing the name of the Department of “Defense” to “War” would cost over $52 million, and admitted it was unnecessary…but would not say he would vote against it.

In other words, Self is fixated on a drip in a cabin while the ship heads toward an iceberg.

Self has pushed to restrict how families use SNAP, opposing something as basic as a hot rotisserie chicken and backing limits on items like soda.

SNAP exists because we decided people should not go hungry and farmers should not go broke. Since the Food Stamp Act of 1964, it has done both. It works. Every dollar generates about $1.50 to $1.80 in local economic activity.

In TX-03, only about 1 in 20 households rely on SNAP. It is a small program that helps families stay afloat and keeps kids fed. Ask any teacher how hard it is to teach a hungry child.

Fraud exists, but it is rare, with disqualifications affecting under 1% of participants, and it is usually about eligibility or trafficking, not what is in a grocery cart. Micromanaging chicken and soda does not fix fraud. It just makes life harder for families.

Too often, Republicans today cry fraud as a distraction from fixing real problems. Social service fraud. Voter fraud. H-1B visa fraud. By all means, hold fraudsters accountable and close loopholes. But using fraud as a reason to cut programs or target entire groups is irresponsible. It blames the many for the actions of a few and lets our justice system off the hook. It’s akin to shutting down bridges and tunnels because some people are caught speeding.

And it does nothing to rein in the billions spent on an overseas conflict Congress has not voted to authorize.

If you want to reduce the deficit, you go where the money is. Healthcare costs. Social Security solvency. Defense spending. The national debt. But Self doesn’t dare talk about these because nobody dares to get ahead of Trump on anything consequential.

Focusing on SNAP, which is 1.4% of Federal spending, is not serious budgeting. It is blaming people who are struggling for problems they did not create.

You cannot pay for another bomb overseas by taking a chicken off a family’s table.

#SNAPBenefits #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

In honor of military appreciation month, I’m sharing this excerpt from my retirement ceremony speech in 2022. It still holds true today.

“There were countless missed barbecues, holidays, anniversaries, weddings, and birthdays. All of this missing definitely takes its toll, and I’m excited to get some time back to give back to my loved ones.

But all these moments also afforded some life lessons that, as I think is the tradition, I’ll share with you now:

1. I’ve learned the value of preparation. Maintainers know just how much prior planning prevents negative outcomes. In aviation, there are such small margins for error, limited chances to get things right, and dire consequences when they go wrong. When you really think about it, the same is true for all of life.

2. I’ve also learned the value of just showing up. Your presence matters, and the way you project your presence matters. All of us can only be in one place at one time, but usually there is one place we should be over all the others. If you just show up, the universe inevitably points its finger at you, placing you in moments of opportunity where you are the best tool available for a particular task. We are all ultimately replaceable, but not in a given moment. In that moment, you are the one who can make all the difference.

3. On my first deployment, my commander, “Mad Max,” told his young squadron: you are what you do when it counts. Meaning you don’t have to be perfect all the time. But you do need to try and be aware of when it is your time to shine. You need to focus your energy and summon your strength when it matters most. If you do and you fail, it’s time to double down. The next time will be even more important to get right.

4. And when things do go right, give credit. Nothing is more attractive than appreciation. When things go wrong, don’t point fingers. As a leader, take more than your portion of the blame. Humility endears respect.

5. And when you’re overwhelmed, live by the one-touch rule. Try to leave people, places, and things better than you found them. As a small cog in the wheel of this great military, I think I’m leaving it better than I found it. To borrow an Army term, I’ve fought in my foxhole, trying to help in the ways I know best. I know that the 146th Maintenance Group is strong, and I’m proud of our Airmen, our airplanes, and our mission.

I’m certain that the U.S. military, and this wing in particular, is a world-class organization that I’m proud to be part of. It’s filled with amazing people from all backgrounds and walks of life. They transcend the traditional bonds of geography, culture, and family, and come together to shoulder great responsibility. With minimal resources and painstaking detail, they ensure that these beautiful airplanes fly safely every day, thereby assuring success in our nation’s wars and national emergencies.

Over time, as I’ve watched our politicians quibble, the military has become more of a spiritual place for me than just a career. Like a chapel or temple down the street, I’ve dragged myself across the country every weekend to re-baseline my values and continue learning. It’s a perpetual training ground of sorts, offering an education by which rough young minds are transformed into professional servicemen and women with an embedded sense of American tradition, grit, honor, and integrity.

A place where people smile, laugh, and volunteer in the face of adversity. A place where nobody cares where you came from, only where you are going. Where merit and discipline are rewarded over pride and privilege. A place where people are not honored for their fame or fortune, but for their sacrifices. A place where the soul of our nation remains intact.”

#ServiceBeforeSelf #MilitaryAppreciationMonth

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

We are living in the upside down. The Republican Party has changed, and it is impossible not to see it.

The party of fiscal conservatism has exploded the deficit and added trillions to the debt.

The party whose leader calls opponents evil, un-American, and enemies of the state now wants comedians punished for making jokes.

The party of states’ rights is sending federal agents into our neighborhoods and threatening cities that do not fall in line.

The party of “local control” is underfunding public schools so the state can step in and take them over.

The party that calls itself “pro-life” is passing laws that put mothers at risk, then refusing to help pay for healthcare or childcare.

The party of free speech now calls for investigations and indictments when someone posts something it does not like.

The party that once stood up to Russia now downplays aggression against democratic allies, undermines NATO, and belittles Ukraine.

The party of “drain the swamp” has normalized insider dealing, while justice for victims tied to powerful figures like Jeffrey Epstein continues to feel delayed and incomplete.

The party of “no more wars” now excuses bluster and bombings, even in the face of civilian deaths, while dragging us toward the next conflict.

The party of “don’t tread on me” now supports deporting people for their beliefs.

The party pushing the Ten Commandments into public schools does not hold its own leaders to the same standard.

The party that champions free markets now supports government limits on how companies hire global talent, and is willing to step in with bailouts or even government ownership when it suits political priorities.

We all know what has happened. Donald Trump has hollowed out the conservative core of the Republican Party and replaced it with one endless loyalty test: defend me, lie for me, and do it at all costs.

And too often, that loyalty is wrapped in false patriotism and used to justify policies driven more by religious dogma than by the Constitution or the needs of everyday Americans.

In the face of the noise that follows, from meme factories, partisan pundits, and AI-generated nonsense, Democrats have an opportunity to be the trusted alternative.

But we have to earn it.

The Democratic Party must return to its working-class roots and earn back trust. And Texas can lead the way by building a party grounded in people, not special interests or dark money.

Because Texas Democrats are not anchored to entrenched national party leadership. We have had to build this the hard way, on the front lines, in the face of aggression, apathy, and long odds.

Winning hearts and minds. Grassroots organizing. Showing up for each other. Practicing hard honesty.

As Ann Richards said, “The only thing that’s going to change this country is electing people who tell the truth.”

#ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Last week, Keith Self, Chip Roy, Brent Money, and Brian Harrison hosted a panel warning about “Sharia Law taking over the United States.”

That’s not grounded in reality. It’s fear-based politics.

Even more concerning was their featured guest, Tommy Robinson. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. He has used multiple aliases and built an extremist reputation in the UK around anti-Muslim activism and far-right organizing.

He has been jailed multiple times for offenses including assault, mortgage fraud, using false documents, and contempt of court. He co-founded the English Defence League, a group widely associated with anti-Islam street protests, and has repeatedly pushed claims that Islam has “taken over” parts of the UK. Those claims are not supported by reality. Like here in America, there is no place in the UK where Sharia law replaces British law.

That’s whose voice is being elevated by our elected officials. Not a policy expert. Not a community leader.
Just someone reinforcing a narrative built on fear. And it doesn’t stop there.

Keith Self and Chip Roy have pushed what’s being called the “MAMDANI Act.” It would expand federal authority to deny entry, revoke citizenship, or deport people based on ideological beliefs or associations tied to things like “Marxism” or certain interpretations of Islam. It is the opposite of conservative, because it lays the groundwork for punishing advocacy or speech and limiting the ability to challenge those decisions.

That’s the pattern:
Create fear.
Legitimize it.
Write policy around it.
Use that policy to silence opposition.

Meanwhile, families are dealing with real issues. Rising costs. Water. Infrastructure. Underfunded schools. Healthcare, childcare, tuition, housing, jobs, and even the price of gas and groceries. Not to mention the conflict with Iran that is costing billions.

But instead of real discussion, we get divisive rhetoric. Instead of solutions, we get culture war distractions.

It’s clear that Self, Roy and others are more focused on staying in power than solving problems. Follow this pattern to its conclusion, and it leads to one place. Setting the stage to intimidate, suppress, or even deport people who are likely to vote against them.

You can see the same pattern in how Ken Paxton is using the Texas Attorney General’s office. Investigations into Muslim-affiliated nonprofits and actions targeting ActBlue are obviously partisan, especially as he runs for Senate while being heavily out-fundraised.

This is the kind of governance our founders warned us about.

#ServiceBeforeSelf #IslamInAmerica

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Over two decades of service in the military and government-related industry have shown me what our American government, and the patriots who serve it, can do when it works at its best.

And for the most part, our government is working as designed. It’s just not working for you.

Look at the results: tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy, loopholes like carried interest, corporate subsidies, bailouts for large institutions, and billions in federal contracts flowing to a relatively small group of large companies. Meanwhile, Americans pay some of the highest healthcare costs in the world, small businesses are being cut out, and too often justice depends on how much money you have.

That’s not small government. That’s a government that has stepped aside and cleared the way for the powerful.

The billionaire class is booming while the middle class is getting squeezed. Wealth is heavily concentrated. The top 1% own about half of all stocks, and the top 10% control nearly all of it. Corporate profits are strong, but for many families, getting ahead feels harder than ever, even with two incomes.

We’re told we can’t afford to invest in our own people. But we’re already spending trillions every year, and the policies being pushed right now aren’t reducing the deficit—they’re adding to it. We keep finding money for expanded ICE raids, more funding for foreign wars, and permanent tax cuts for the wealthy. The issue isn’t money. It’s where it goes.

When government is managed well and is focused on people, it works. Social Security, SNAP, Medicare, the VA, FEMA, and public schools deliver real results. They’re not perfect, but they matter.

The real problem is politicians who run campaigns on tearing down government. Because “running against government” usually means not doing the job. It means blaming government instead of fixing it. And it means not standing up for the public when it conflicts with powerful private and special interests.

Keith Self is a clear example of this dynamic. He has spent a lifetime in government and still claims it’s the problem. He talks about fiscal responsibility but supports policies that add to the deficit. Worse, his rhetoric divides our community, and he hasn’t delivered tangible results for our rapidly growing district.

Politicians like Keith Self don’t shrink government. They redirect it.

Nobody likes paying taxes, and most people don’t like government interference or regulation until they need it. I’m not going to lie to you and say I’ll make government go away.

But I will do everything possible to make it work for you again in an efficient and effective way. And I won’t sell out your future to the ultra-powerful or special interests.

That’s my commitment. That’s the job.

#ServiceBeforeSelf #electevanhunt

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

The math isn’t mathing on college anymore. There are a lot of 18-year-olds doing everything right and still running into a system that doesn’t add up.

I’ve got one kid in college and another on the way. The cost is real. For a public, in-state school, you’re looking at roughly $27,000 to $30,000 a year. Private schools can be double that. The max Pell Grant is about $7,395, and first-year federal loans cap at $5,500.

That gap doesn’t magically close.

In TX-03, median income families around $100K are often stuck in the middle. Too much for meaningful aid, not enough to actually afford college. So it turns into long-term debt or tough choices about whether to go at all.

Student loan debt is now over $1.7 trillion. That’s not a small problem.

That’s why I will introduce the Serve and Succeed Act: a simple, unified pathway where a few years of national service translate directly into meaningful tuition support or accelerated student loan forgiveness.

National service could include teaching, healthcare, infrastructure, disaster response, or community service, giving young people real work experience while helping them earn their way through college.

It also helps solve multiple problems. As AI reshapes entry-level jobs, a service-to-education pathway gives young people a way to build skills, contribute, and restore a sense of service and shared purpose.

Colleges should be part of the solution. Universities that participate in this pathway should match that commitment with real tuition support and earn designation as Serve and Succeed Qualified institutions, creating a true partnership between students, schools, and public investment.

Many universities have the capacity to do more. Endowments have grown significantly, investment returns are prioritized, and tuition has risen faster than inflation. Administrative costs have also expanded over time, often outpacing spending on instruction. That’s why people say some schools look more like hedge funds with classrooms attached. If institutions are sitting on billions, we should be applying real pressure to use those resources to lower costs and invest in students.

The middle class is getting squeezed, and government should be focused on solving real problems like this, serving the public interest when markets drift toward profit over people, especially in the education of our kids.

Help us put Service before Self into action. Like, share, follow, and get involved at https://t.co/09FJsKYQEZ.

#ServiceBeforeSelf #ServeAndSucceed #EducationForAll

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

The SAVE Act isn’t just about voter ID. It goes beyond that and risks blocking tens of millions of eligible Americans from voting, right before an election.

If you move, turn 18, or change your name, you could be forced to track down paperwork just to stay registered. That’s not security. That’s friction. It creates cost barriers similar to what poll taxes once did.

And for what? It doesn’t solve a real problem. Only U.S. citizens can vote. That’s already the law. There’s no credible evidence of widespread non-citizen voting.

Meanwhile, this is being treated like a top priority. In the middle of rising costs, housing issues, and real challenges facing families, this is what Congress is focused on. That tells you a lot. At this point, it might as well be called the “Save Republicans from Losing the Midterms Act.”

Here’s the part that really doesn’t add up. The government is moving toward automatically registering young Americans for the draft using its own data systems. But when it comes to voting, suddenly you are expected to hunt down documents on your own?

If we can streamline draft registration, we can modernize voter registration. We should be making it easier for eligible citizens to vote, not harder.

And if documentation is required, then help people get it. Cover the cost. Provide free IDs. Do not put the burden on voters.

There is a better way. The PROVE Act is one example of a balanced approach. It strengthens election integrity without putting hurdles in front of millions of Americans by focusing on targeted audits instead of blanket barriers. States would regularly review voter rolls to confirm citizenship, including small, data-driven sample checks of existing and new registrations.

That means improving confidence in our elections without making it harder for eligible citizens to participate. Secure elections and accessible voting are not opposites. We can have both.
Take BAC Congress
#Elections2026 #ServiceBeforeSelf

[ElectEvanHunt @ElectEvanHunt]

Recently I posted about Heather Allambaro’s story. It drew a lot of support, but also a lot of preachy judgement about “breaking the law.” So let’s be clear about a few things.

We don’t even need to argue about immigration. Forget that we are a nation of immigrants. Forget that most Americans agree on strong borders. Set all of that aside. Let’s just talk about the law.

Here’s a fact. Seeking asylum is legal under U.S. law, even for people who entered without inspection. And even when there is a violation, improper entry is typically a misdemeanor for a first offense, not a violent crime.

Here’s another fact. We’ve seen cruelty carried out in the name of the law. Family separations. Children zip-tied and detained. People held for months with limited access to family or legal support. That doesn’t mean every federal agent is cruel, but it does mean the system can operate in ways that are.

And it’s not happening by accident. When policy shifts from “worst first” to maximizing arrests, when agents are pushed to hit numbers, and when detention centers are paid per detainee, per day, you don’t get justice. You get a system built on volume, where human beings become the metric.

Here’s another fact. Donald Trump is a convicted felon, found guilty by a jury of his peers on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records. He has not yet faced full legal consequences.

And while some people lecture about “law and order,” Trump has repeatedly granted clemency to people convicted of serious crimes. In his first term, that included Paul Manafort for tax and bank fraud, Michael Flynn after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI, Roger Stone for obstruction and witness tampering, and Charles Kushner for tax evasion and witness retaliation.

He also granted clemency to Steve Bannon, who was charged with defrauding donors in the “We Build the Wall” scheme. This is the same guy that keeps talking about “civil war” and saying that we should ignore the constitution and let Trump run in 2028.

And in Trump’s current term, he granted sweeping clemency to roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants, including individuals convicted of assaulting police officers. Some have since been charged with additional crimes.

So when people say “the law is the law” and talk about “just consequences,” what they often mean is selective enforcement depending on who you are.

And if your response is that Trump was wrongly convicted, then you’re admitting something important. Our justice system is not perfect. That should make you more empathetic to people caught in it, like Heather’s husband, not less.

As Abraham Lincoln said, just because something is legal doesn’t make it right. The law only works if it applies to everyone. Otherwise, it isn’t justice at all.

Heather Ramer Alambarrio
#ServiceBeforeSelf #immigrationlaw