Immigration activist Challenges longtime incumbent for North Texas seat in U.S. House (again)

This isn't the first time Carlos Quintanilla has run for Congress. In fact, he's tried to beat out fellow Democrat and U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey three times in primary races since 2016, falling short each time. In 2016, he got a little more than a third of the vote, but last year, he only managed to win over some 5% of voters. Still, Quintanilla, a longtime immigration rights advocate, hopes this year's primary, scheduled for March 1, will be different. Since first winning the seat in 2012, Veasey has represented Texas' 33rd congressional district, a swath of North Texas that covers parts of Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth. The odds aren't exactly in Quintanilla's favor. Veasey's path to another Democratic primary nomination seems straightforward.

He has beat Quintanilla before and has nearly a dozen years of congressional experience. Plus, the incumbent also has deep PAC pockets and a loyal North Texas following. But Quintanilla's banking on the hope that increased Latino voting in Texas will help him out this time around. “Latinos showed we are a powerful voting bloc in the U.S. and here in Texas,” Quintanilla said. “We haven’t even seen the power of our vote yet.” (While Latinos voted in larger numbers during the November 2020 presidential elections, a growing number voted Republican.) Quintanilla said he was ready to challenge Veasey on the issues facing the district earlier this month at the Dallas Examiner’s Meet The Candidates forum. Opponents for various federal, state and local elected seats debated issues before a live audience, but Veasey never showed. “There’s no reason he shouldn’t show up,” said Quintanilla. (Veasey didn't respond to the Observer's question about why he didn't appear.)