Goldman, Hunt seek Granger’s Fort Worth-area US House seat

Fort Worth will soon have a new congressman.

Voters in Texas’ 12th Congressional District will decide between Republican Craig Goldman and Democrat Trey Hunt as their next U.S. House member. The winner will succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, to represent western Tarrant County and most of Parker County.

Goldman is a six-term Texas House member, while Hunt is a My Health My Resources of Tarrant County homeless housing coordinator who previously ran against Granger in 2022. Both men are Fort Worth natives.

The 2024 election marks the first open race for the seat since Granger’s election in 1996. She has served nearly three decades in Congress.

The seat is solidly red. No Democrat has won it since 1994. In 2020, President Donald Trump won the 12th Congressional District by 18 percentage points.

Hunt, however, sees a path for flipping the district.

“Flipping Texas’ 12th District blue in 2024 is possible, but we need a winning strategy,” Hunt said in a September Facebook post. “We’re focusing on voter turnout, building coalitions, and fighting for healthcare, jobs, and reproductive rights.”

Goldman has leaned into his record in the Texas Legislature, where he has been a top lieutenant to Speaker Dade Phelan.

“I encourage you to go to my website, look at my record and look at what I’ve done. My entire adult life, I’ve identified a problem, I’ve come up with a solution. I’ve been able to do it at the Texas Legislature. I’m certainly going to do it as a member of the U.S. Congress, and I’d be honored to have your vote,” Goldman said during a primary election victory party May 28.

Goldman has focused on securing the U.S.-Mexico border. The federal government under President Joe Biden has not paid attention to the border, leading the Legislature to approve $5 billion for border security in 2023, Goldman said. The Fort Worth Republican has said the issue will be his top priority in Washington, D.C.

Hunt also wants to secure the border. He supports a pathway to citizenship.

Goldman has significantly outraised Hunt. Throughout the campaign, Goldman raised nearly $2.8 million, while Hunt collected $27,836, according to finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.