GOP Strategist-Turned Democrat Matthew Dowd Quits TX Lt Gov Race, Claiming Lack of Diversi

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Matthew Dowd, the Republican political strategist-turned Democrat who launched a bid for Texas lieutenant governor earlier this year, has ended his bid, citing a lack of of diversity in the field of candidates.

Dowd, who announced his run at the end of September, told The Texas Tribune this week he would end his campaign before the filing deadline and move out of the way so that women and candidates of color can face less opposition in the March primary.

“When I first announced, the only other candidate was a white male Christian,” Dowd said of fellow Democratic challenger Mike Collier, who was defeated by current Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in 2018 by roughly five points. “A diverse field is now emerging in the Democratic primary for this office. I do not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.”

Dowd posted on Twitter that he made the decision to exit the race from “a place of integrity.”

A poll released in October by the Texas Politics Project found that of registered voters surveyed, only nine percent viewed Dowd favorably. The poll reported a margin of error at +/- 2.8 percent.

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