Nathan Hawks
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
Nash@DallasVoice.com
“Politics,” said Nathan Hawks, “was never really something my family talked about.”
His parents came to North Texas from Michigan, bringing with them the conservative mindset they had grown up with. He, himself, had “always had a lot of trust in public institutions,” believing that even when those institutions got off track, they would “course correct” and get back on track to do what is best for the country and its people.
Then came Donald Trump’s first presidency, and Hawks’ trust in those institutions began to waver. But, he said, “the second Trump election made things really land with me. After Jan. 6 (2021) and all that chaos, I really began to see how terribly this administration treats our people. Then he was re-elected, and it got worse.”
The 2024 election results made Hawks start thinking that “maybe it’s time to leave the U.S.” and start fresh somewhere else. But in February, as he worked on campaigns for local municipal candidates, his perspective began to change.
“I did a lot of block walking with candidates,” Hawks said. “We were out there talking to a lot of people, and I was realizing that there are a lot of like-minded people out there who really want a better future for themselves and their families.”
So he set his sights on elected office then narrowed that down to Texas Congressional District 24, which includes Keller, Watauga, Southlake, Colleyville, Bedford and parts of Hurst and Euless on the west, then stretches east to include Coppell and parts of Carrollton and Farmers Branch.
District 24 is currently represented by Beth Van Duyne, former mayor of Irving. Democrats Jon Buchwald, Kevin Burge and TJ Ware have also announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination for District 24 in the 2026 midterms, according to Ballotpedia. The website lists no Republican candidates for that office yet.
Running for — and holding — public office is never an easy task, especially for an openly gay man in what is commonly considered a conservative district. And, Hawks admits, “It’s not something I would have even considered if I had not realized how Van Duyne is not showing up for the people of 24.”
He continued, “What she is voting for, how she is representing our district is just so misaligned with our values. Our district deserves better; our district deserves a fighter.”
The folks at The Republican Accountability Project agree. While Republicans in general “would like to simply move on from the chaos of the Jan. 6 insurrection, those behind The Republican Accountability Project believe that “without accountability, there is no clear path forward.”
The Republican Accountability Project gives Van Duyne an F for her “very poor” record in Congress.
Again acknowledging the difficulty of running for office, Hawks said he believes he has the “grit and determination” necessary to win the race and to do the job in Congress. He points to his grandfather, who started out his adult working life “painting smokestacks on a chemical plant” then eventually moved up to become manager of the plant before retiring to drive a public school bus.
He also credits his mother who “gave up her own dreams” to put his father through college and then, after they divorced, managing her own work and personal life with raising her son.
“What I learned from them is that you do your best. You get the job done. That’s something I have always carried with me,” Hawks said.
The candidate notes that he was “born and raised right here in the heart of [District] 24.” After graduating from Creekview High School in June 2011, Hawks attended UT Dallas and went to work right out of college as a CPS “helping people with their tax returns who didn’t have the resources to pay someone for help.”
He went on to work in the fields of business strategy and consulting before joining the corporate strategy department of McKesson Medical Supplies, Pharmaceuticals Healthcare Solutions. Hawks said much of his time at McKesson has been focused on helping the company prepare for setting up a pharmacy in what has been a “pharmacy desert.”
That background as a CPA and in the field of health services, he said, has prepared to navigate and address the “seemingly daily changes in our health care and tax landscapes and understand the impact of these policies.”
As a member of Congress, he acknowledged, he would be called on to understand and handle a wide range of issues outside his own areas of expertise. But, Hawks said, the work ethic he learned from his grandfather and his mother will serve him well in that endeavor.
Plus, he continued, “I’m a little bit of a nerd when it comes to the details. A lot of policy, on its face, seems like just a matter of common sense. But when you get into the weeds of it and start understanding the details, that’s where the research and hard work is. But research doesn’t scare me. It’s something I nerd out on and really enjoy.”
As someone who dealt with the struggles of “growing up as a queer kid in Texas,” Hawks said he understands “what it feels like to be marginalized, to be told you don’t belong and feel like there is no one fighting for you. I want to show people they do belong; they do have the right to be in these spaces.
“I want to be there for young people who are like me,” he added. “Everyone deserves a fighter like the one I didn’t have growing up. I want to be that fighter.”
For more information, visit HawksForCongress.com.