Democratic candidate Matthew Dowd officially ended his campaign for Texas Lieutenant Governor via his Twitter.
Dowd was a strategist for President Bush and used to commentate on behalf of ABC News. He began his campaign to replace Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, whose anti-abortion and pro-gun viewpoints did not align with Dowd’s vision for Texas.
“I started thinking maybe I should run and remove this guy, so I don’t have to be embarrassed about our own state,” Dowd stated prior.
Dowd has a history as a Republican, back when he served under Bush. After his departure from the Bush administration, Dowd stated, “Did I make mistakes and did we make mistakes? Yeah. And I’ve tried to speak to that.” Dan Bartlett, who was the White House Counselor at the time, said he disagreed with Dowd’s depiction of Bush after leaving the administration.
Dowd exited the nomination after more diverse candidates joined to take over the current seat held by Dan Patrick. In 2018, Dowd stated in a column that “We as white male Christians should do what real leadership demands and practice a level of humility which demonstrates strength by stepping back from the center of the room and begin to give up our seats at the table.”
He said in a statement that he believes that he should re-align himself with those past values, and “live the values I espouse.”
Dowd stepping down comes as foreshadowing for Carla Brailey’s run for office. Brailey is the Texas Democratic Party Vice Chairwoman and announced in December that she would be running for Texas Lieutenant Governor. She supported Dowd’s act, stating in an email, “The Democratic Party is a diverse party and a party that supports the goals and aspirations of women, and in stepping back, Dowd is showing his respect for voters.”
Matthew Dowd had stiff competition before his dropping out, with Mike Collier being a prominent Democrat in the race. Collier was up 15 points according to the University of Texas at Tyler, and Dowd only amassed a third of Collier’s $1.4 million campaign fund.
Dowd’s announcement has gained heavy traction, with over 800 retweets. Some supported his decision to end the campaign, saying that Dowd was right in making room for more diverse candidates, which he earlier praised. However, some who approve of Dowd as a political figure, question his rationale behind ending his run.
One comment read, “This marks the first time I have ever disagreed with anything you have said or done since God put you on the world stage. Diversity is more than culture or skin color. Diversity in thought, in the heart, in vision — that is what Texas needs.”
