Flower Mound’s Will Fisher preparing to challenge for seat in U.S. House
Matt Harvey | Staff Writer
Will Fisher, a Democrat from Flower Mound, is challenging Republican incumbent Michael C. Burgess for Texas’ 26th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Originally from Oregon, Fisher is an attorney for Commercial Metals and has never held elected office.
“Like many Americans, I woke up on the morning November 9 feeling very frustrated,” Fisher said, referring to the election of President Donald Trump. “I felt I had a moral imperative to do something.”
That moral imperative led Fisher to run for Texas’ 26th congressional district, which is where Denton is located. He referenced that much of the Democratic Party’s leadership at the federal level is outdated and in need of new life.
“We need a new bench of future democratic leadership,” Fisher said.
A husband and father, Fisher said his focus is on families and how to offer them the most support.
“The family is the primary unit in today’s society,” Fisher said. “It provides structure and is at the core of our values as a nation.”
The incumbent since 2003, Burgess is a former physician and staunch conservative who champions healthcare legislation that will reduce costs, improve choices and put patients first. He has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act over 50 times.
Meanwhile, Fisher supports a single-payer healthcare system.
“Michael Burgess is terrible for families,” Fisher said.
Mary Horn, the county judge for Denton and one of Denton County’s elected Republicans, disagrees with Fisher’s assessment about Burgess and families.
“I think he’s been very supportive of families,” Horn said. “He’s been not only instrumental in helping Denton County, but I know he’s had input in trying to draft the revision for the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.”
Horn noted repealing the Affordable Care Act would bring the country closer to having a bill that works for everybody.
An overview of William Fisher’s campaign launch party, which was hosted by Bumbershoot BBQ in Argyle. Amber Nasser
Despire this, Democrats face a tough time in Texas, especially in congressional races.
Texas has been a Republican stronghold since its shift from the Democratic Party in the 1960s, and has not had a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion since Ann Richards in the 1990s.
Dr. Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, a political science professor at UNT, said due to the Republican’s foothold in Texas, there would have to be a significant demographic change for a Democrat to have a chance.
“Incumbents win re-election about 95 percent of the time,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “It’s a monumental task.”
Eshbaugh-Soha also noted Burgess’ success as a representative and said due to it, a Burgess win seems very certain.
“Michael Burgess has done a pretty good job of trying to balance being accessible to constituents,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “Walking the republican line, taking conservative positions on some issues, but not being overly outspoken about others.”
Horn concurred, and said she doesn’t believe Fisher has a very good chance of taking Burgess’ seat.
“I don’t know if they’re going to get into redrawing lines or not,” Horn said. “But even if they’re redrawn, they’re not going to be redrawn to the point that the Democrats can take it.”
Phyllis Wolper, Chairwoman of the Denton County Democratic Party, acknowledged it’s tough to be a Democrat in Texas, but recent political events have led to a swell in support for cleaning up Washington and shifting representation.
“It’s the best chance we’ve had in 25 years,” Wolper said.
Will Fisher’s campaign officially launched Saturday, June 17, at Bumbershoot Barbecue in Argyle.
Republican County Chair Lisa Hendrickson and Michael Burgess could not be reached for comment.
Featured Image: William Fisher (right) at his campaign launch party on Saturday, June 17. Fisher is the Democratic candidate to represent Texas’s 26th district in the U.S. House of Representatives and is running against Republican candidate, Michael C. Burgess. Amber Nasser
The paragraph describing Mr Burgess’s views about healthcare is laughable, especially if you look at what he actually votes for. Mary Horn’s comments don’t serve to illuminate anything either. Why don’t you ask local residents if they think Mr. Burgess is listening to them instead? If you aren’t interested in politics, or health care, why are you writing articles about these topics?
Way to go !!!!!wow at last we have some Democrat standing up against the party that does not care about the less fortunate …and stops pandering to the rich and a crazy President !
I’ve messaged Burgess’ office twice with no response. How does one define accessible?
I give credit to Burgess for holding town halls when our Senators won’t, but I find it incredibly misleading to say the healthcare bill put forth by the House or Senate has anything to do with choice, cost reduction or patients first.
Our original sin was enacting an employer based system that removes a majority of consumers from selecting policies that are right for their situation and being aware of what their healthcare truly costs. That has led to our bloated, opaque, inefficient system that hurts families, businesses and keeps innovators and entrepreneurs from taking risks for fear of losing coverage.
I have had individual coverage for the better part of 20 yrs. I have thought long and hard about it and I have watched the public debates closely. I had high hopes for the ACA when it was being drafted. Those hopes were also dashed when it was introduced. Yes, many more have coverage but it is based on unsustainable subsidies that still allow insurers and pharma to laugh all the way to the bank.
Free-market Republicans have had 8 years to draft transformative policy to bring true competition. Unfortunately, to achieve that, they would have to unwind the employer based system, allowing everybody to shop for their own policies. Compassion would require continued support of the sick & disabled, but that would cost less if the majority of the market was pressuring costs downward.
The proposed bills do none of that. They continue to prop up the obscene profits of the insurance companies at the expense of taxpayers and patients.
It takes political will and possibly political suicide to make real reform happen. Republicans have shown they don’t have it in them. I would argue they either need to step up and enact real free-market reform or step aside for single payer. For the love of country.
Hey! That’s me in that title photo. Is there anyway I could get a copy of that?