Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is touting bipartisanship in his first 2020 campaign ad as he attempts to fend off Democratic challenger Wendy Davis.
The ad shows Roy on a baseball field with his son highlighting his work on a bipartisan bill that expanded the Paycheck Protection Program to provide relief for businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Roy, a first-term lawmaker who made waves last year for single-handedly blocking a voice vote on a disaster relief bill, asserts in the ad he is willing to buck party lines if he feels it is right for his constituents, and that he’s open to crossing the aisle.
“If this isn’t heaven, it’s pretty darn close. Living our values, that independent spirit, our birthright as Texans. That’s why I hold my party accountable if they’re wrong and work across party lines when it’s right for Texas,” he says in the 30-second television spot slated to air in the San Antonio and Austin areas.
“Easing access to job-saving loans for small businesses, wrote it with a Democrat, signed by the president. I didn’t want to play the game. I ran to keep the dream alive. His, ours, Texas,” he says.
Roy faces a tight race against Davis, who has strong name recognition after her unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2014. The nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report rates the 21st Congressional District as a toss-up.
Internal polling from Davis’s campaign shows a virtual tie between the two candidates.
While the conservative group Club for Growth has aired advertisements and reserved $2.5 million to spend in the race, the new ad marks the first released by Roy’s campaign.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put a strong emphasis on targeting Texas districts, with the House Democrats’ campaign arm spending $1.03 million to bolster Davis.
The most recent campaign finance filings showed Davis with $2.9 million cash on hand to Roy’s $1.7 million.