Texas runoff between Laura Moser and Lizzie Pannill Fletcher a pivotal moment for national Democrats

By Abby Livingston, Texas Tribune


HOUSTON — Houston Democratic players are now calling what was once the wildest Democratic primary in the state a word not spoken often in Texas politics: boring.

But even as local political junkies are tiring of the national drama surrounding the 7th Congressional District's Democratic primary in west Houston featuring attorney Lizzie Pannill Fletcher and activist Laura Moser, what happens here Tuesday night will have outsized implications for national Democrats' optimism and tactics in their bid to take control of the U.S. House in the fall.

It all started when the House Democratic campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, took the unusual step of dumping a tranche of opposition research on Moser, a member of their own party. The objective was to knock her out of the seven-way primary to challenge U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, because national operatives believed Moser is too liberal for the district and has some liabilities that could take the seat out of contention in the fall.

The race was instantly nationalized, and locally, it was the talk of the town.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/18/texas-runoff-between-laura-moser-and-lizzie-fletcher-pivotal-moment-de/