Greetings From the Radical Middle

I often get asked whether I’m a progressive or a moderate. I like to joke that I live in the radical middle. And most folks I meet in our district live there too.

I don’t say that because I split the difference on every issue, because I don’t. Nor do I say it because I think the right answer is always halfway between two competing positions, because sometimes, one side is simply wrong.

What I mean is that I try very hard to think for myself.

I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats. I’ve served in the Army. And I’ve spent enough time living through American politics to know what happens when we sort people into two distinct teams and the pressure to adopt every position that comes with wearing your team’s jersey.

I’ve never been very good at viewing things in such stark terms.

I believe in a strong national defense, and I also believe we should be extraordinarily careful about sending Americans to war. I believe we need a secure border, and I also believe our immigration system is badly broken and needs comprehensive reform. I believe government can do big, consequential things, and I also believe that taxpayers deserve to know whether it’s doing them well. I believe in economic growth, and I also believe that communities should have a real say when that growth affects their water, power, roads, schools, and quality of life.

Those positions don’t always fit neatly into the boxes of our modern politics, and I’m just fine with that. That’s why two recent endorsements meant a lot to me.

The Forward Party, a centrist political party that’s building a “credible, durable alternative” to the traditional two-party system, endorsed our campaign, highlighting that we represent “servant leadership and decorum” and bring a “focus on practical solutions” to bridge political divides in Congress.

And the League of Independent Voters, a grassroots organization with deep roots among independent Texas voters, endorsed me again for the general election, after supporting me in the primary. Their endorsement called our campaign “a breath of fresh air in transparency.”

Although they don’t wield the money or power of the two major parties, these two organizations, to me, represent where a lot of people are in 2026. Their shared expectation that elected officials should think independently and answer to the people they represent was equally a breath of fresh air for me.

When I talk to people across TX-10, I find that most of them don’t fit neatly into a political box either. They might align with one party on one issue and the other party on another. They might distrust one party, both parties, or politics altogether. Mostly, they want someone to listen, bring some common sense to Washington, and actually solve problems.

Maybe that’s the radical middle. It’s not mushy, it’s not afraid to take a position, it’s definitely not “both sides” for the sake of both sides. What it is, is being independent enough to ask whether something works, to take an honest look at data and tradeoffs, and to answer whether I, as a representative of my constituents, am willing to stand by the answer even when my own side doesn’t like it.

That’s the kind of independent thinking and service-over-politics mindset I’ll bring to Congress.