GOP Strategist-Turned Democrat Matthew Dowd Quits Texas Lt. Governor Race, Claiming Lack of Diversity
Matthew Dowd, the Republican political strategist-turned Democrat who launched a bid for Texas lieutenant governor earlier this year, has ended his bid, citing a lack of of diversity in the field of candidates.
Dowd, who announced his run at the end of September, told The Texas Tribune this week he would end his campaign before the filing deadline and move out of the way so that women and candidates of color can face less opposition in the March primary.
“When I first announced, the only other candidate was a white male Christian,” Dowd said of fellow Democratic challenger Mike Collier, who was defeated by current Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in 2018 by roughly five points. “A diverse field is now emerging in the Democratic primary for this office. I do not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.”
Dowd posted on Twitter that he made the decision to exit the race from “a place of integrity.”
Important news. I am ending my campaign for Lt. Governor of Texas. Now that the race is emerging in a more diverse way, I have made the decision from a place of integrity to step back. see attached release. pic.twitter.com/SOl8ZJJFnz
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) December 7, 2021
A poll released in October by the Texas Politics Project found that of registered voters surveyed, only nine percent viewed Dowd favorably. The poll reported a margin of error at +/- 2.8 percent.
Dowd was the chief strategist for the 2004 re-election campaign of former President George W. Bush. He announced on Sept. 29 he would seek to challenge Patrick in the general election next fall.
“As Texans we believe in the values of integrity, compassion and community—as well as common sense and common decency for the common good,” Dowd said in a press release announcing his candidacy. “These are the values we were raised on as children and many of us have tried to instill in our own kids. Shouldn’t we expect the same values in our Lt. Governor?”
“While Dan Patrick has been lying and dividing, he’s ignored the big issues that face us,” Dowd added. “Patrick doesn’t govern with common sense, doesn’t act with common decency, and doesn’t believe in the common good. He puts himself and the 5% of the state aligned with his cruel agenda before everyone else. It’s his ‘me’ over our ‘we,’” Dowd said of Patrick.
Dowd resigned as chief political analyst for ABC News in January through a tweet that was later deleted. He first joined the network in 2013.
