Facebook / Representative Will Hurd
Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd
Hurd represented Texas' 23rd Congressional District — which includes both San Antonio and a long swath of the U.S.-Mexico border — for three terms before joining a wave of congressional Republicans who retired ahead of the 2020 election. At the time, he was the only Black Republican in the House.
Hurd, 45, was one of the few congressional Republicans willing to publicly criticize former President Donald Trump during his time in office. He enters a field crowded with 11 other GOP candidates, including Trump, the current frontrunner.
The former congressman and one-time CIA officer announced his candidacy during a Thursday morning interview with CBS News. During his time on camera, Hurd complained that lawmakers are looking to the past rather than focusing on the future threats posed by China, artificial intelligence and U.S. students' poor math and science scores.
“These are the issues we should be talking about," Hurd said. "And to be frank, I’m pissed that we’re not talking about these things."
Hurd also said that, if elected, he wouldn't pardon Trump should the former president be convicted of the federal charges he faces for allegedly taking classified documents. The one-time congressman added that it's “insane” for other Republican presidential candidates to say they'd consider the option.
During his time in office, Hurd took heat from his own party for being one of just four House Republicans to vote in support of a 2019 resolution condemning Trump’s racist tweets targeting four Democratic congresswomen. He also penned a New York Times op-ed arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin was manipulating Trump.
Despite his criticism of Trump and his willingness to work across party lines, Hurd had a conservative voting record and drew the ire of environmentalists, who criticized him for being unwilling to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed
