State Rep. Marc Veasey promises to continue his strong LGBT support if elected to Congress, turns attention to general election
VEASEY VICTORY | Marc Veasey hugs a supporter after the runoff results came back declaring him the winner with 53 percent of the vote Tuesday, July 31. (Anna Waugh/Dallas Voice)
State Rep. Marc Veasey won the highly sought Democratic nomination for the new Congressional District 33 on July 31.
Veasey and former state Rep. Domingo Garcia faced off in a runoff after a pool of 11 candidates narrowed down to just them in May. Veasey won the runoff with 53 percent of the vote.
The cheers and applause for Veasey’s victory on Tuesday night were explosive but Veasey reminded the crowd that the work was not over, as he will face Republican Chuck Bradley of Fort Worth in the Nov. 6 general election. The district is heavily Democratic.
Veasey thanked his supporters after his win, reminding them that amid the racial and county separations during the race for the district, which encompasses many minorities including some of the most heavily LGBT precinct in Tarrant and Dallas counties, that the race was always about “representing North Texas fairly and honestly.”
Domingo Garcia told Dallas Voice that he was proud of the support he gained, especially with 70 percent of the vote in Dallas County. He said coming within a close margin, he would review the numbers closely and decide whether to run again for office in the future.
“I’m really proud of the effort that our volunteers and campaign put in,” he said. “We had terrific support from the LGBT community.”
Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats President Felipe Guttierez was a personal supporter of Veasey who joined in celebrating his victory.
Veasey was a strong LGBT ally during his time in the Texas House, and Garcia was also an ally while he served on Dallas City Council.
Guttierez said that while both Garcia and Veasey showed strong support for LGBT issues in he past, Veasey stood out as the best candidate because of his record, strong endorsements, personality and demeanor.
“Although I find Domingo Garcia a champion for a lot of our [LGBT] causes, I think voters in Dallas and Tarrant County made the right choice,” he said. “He will stand for LGBT issues. His record shows that. He’s going to stand for the blacks and the Hispanics and every minority group. I would be saying that if Garcia had won the nomination for District 33.”
Tarrant County Stonewall doesn’t endorse in the primary, but Guttierez said it was evident that the group’s members who regularly attend meetings were completely supportive of Veasey. The group will now vote to endorse Veasey in the general election, of which he said is now the focus of the campaign.
President of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas Omar Narvaez said the runoff’s results were “bittersweet.” Garcia was endorsed by Dallas Stonewall in the primary, so he said it was a disappoint when Veasey won.
“Obviously we’re disappointed that Domingo did not win, but we’re grateful he ran and he has been an advocate for us in the past,” he said.
Narvaez said the Democratic candidates that won and were not originally endorsed by Dallas Stonewall will have the opportunity to meet with the group with new questions in a screening process to possibly gain an endorsement in the general election. Since Veasey already reached out for the group’s endorsement in the primary, Narvaez said he will be asked to come in for different questions by the end of August.
“We’re already in conversations with him and the possibility of endorsing him in the future,” Narvaez said.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 3, 2012.