Texas Dem raises nearly $90K after attack from House Dem campaign arm

A Texas Democrat running in a crowded House primary to unseat Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) announced that she’s raised $86,700 in the four days since the House Democrats’ campaign arm launched an attack against her.

Laura Moser, a journalist and activist, said she’s received an “overwhelming response” since the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) posted negative opposition research about her candidacy on its website on Thursday.

In a rare move from the DCCC, the committee came out against a fellow Democrat, labeling her as a “Washington insider, who begrudgingly moved to Houston to run for Congress.”

{mosads}The site points to a Washingtonian magazine story she wrote in 2014 that said “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Paris, Texas, which is more than 300 miles away from where Moser is running. The DCCC also noted that as of January, she claimed her primary residence to be the nation’s capital to qualify for a homestead tax exemption.

Moser called the attack “disappointing,” arguing that this is why Americans hate politics.

“We’re used to tough talk here in Texas, but it’s disappointing to hear it from Washington operatives trying to tell Texans what to do,” she said in a Thursday statement. “The days when party bosses picked the candidates in their smoke-filled rooms are over. D.C. needs to let Houston vote.”

Moser is one of seven Democrats running in a primary to face Culberson. The race is a top priority for Democrats since Hillary Clinton narrowly won Culberson’s district in the 2016 presidential election. But even with a recent Democratic edge, some within the party worry that Moser is too liberal to win the Houston-area district.

She’s been a prolific fundraiser, keeping pace with other top candidates including Alex Triantaphyllis and Lizzie Pannill Smith. And Moser recently scored an endorsement from Our Revolution, a group aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The publication of opposition research came days after early voting kicked off and less than two weeks before Texas’s March 6 primaries. But with such a large field, it’s unlikely a candidate will be able to garner 50 percent of the vote. A runoff is scheduled for May 22.

Updated at 8:38 p.m.