Fletcher sustains lead over Culberson in Houston's toss-up 7th Congressional District ...
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Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District, arrives to her election watch party after she was declared the winner on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District, arrives to her election watch party after she was declared the winner on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston. - window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true});
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Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District, arrives to her election watch party after she was declared the winner on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District, arrives to her election watch party after she was declared the winner on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston. Fletcher beats Culberson in Houston̢۪s toss-up 7th Congressional District Back to GalleryLizzie Pannill Fletcher has unseated her incumbent Republican challenger, John Culberson, in a race that was seen as key to vaulting Democrats back to a majority in Congress.
“We are at our best when we are working together, and that is what will happen with this new House, which has officially been declared for the Democrats,†Fletcher told a crowd of cheering supporters in Houston.
The 43-year-old corporate lawyer and first-time Democratic challenger angled for the upset by courting moderate, anti-Trump conservatives, especially college-educated women put off by the president̢۪s divisive rhetoric. Houston̢۪s Seventh Congressional District includes the city̢۪s affluent west side and Harris County suburbs.
The historically Republican district had been closely watched. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton carried it by a slim margin in 2016, even as she lost the state to Donald Trump by nine points. Clinton’s strong showing â€" in a district that Republicans had held since George H.W. Bush won it in 1966 â€" put a target on the back of Culberson, who has rarely had to break a sweat in past contests.
Culberson, 62, got off to a slow start in his re-election bid, falling behind Fletcher in fundraising. He has backed Trump on some issues, but skipped the president̢۪s rally for Sen. Ted Cruz in Houston last month. Trump spent the closing weeks of the election mobilizing his base with hardline talk about the Central American migrant caravan and the border wall.
Fletcher has reached out heavily to independents and soft “Never Trump†Republicans, refraining from committing to support for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi as speaker if the Democrats take the House. For the most part, she has refrained from attacking Trump directly, instead emphasizing the need for practical bipartisan solutions to the nation’s problems.
The race is the first for the district since Hurricane Harvey pummeled it in 2017. Fletcher has attacked Culberson on his response to flood control, faulting him for the slow progress in addressing needed infrastructure improvements such as the ongoing upgrades to the Barker and Addicks dams.
Kevin Diaz contributed reporting from Washington.
Follow along as we track the precinct-by-precinct results for Congressional District 7 in Harris County.Red indicates precincts where Culberson garnered more than 50 percent of the votes. Blue indicates precincts where Fletcher garnered more than 50 percent of the votes.Source: Harris County Clerk's OfficeSource: Google News | Netizen 24 United States
