AUSTIN, Texas — Social unrest, a raging pandemic, economic uncertainty.
The stakes feel higher in the 2020 election – because they are. Americans will not only elect a new president but have the power to flip the House red or turn the Senate blue.
And Texans will have a big say in what happens.
Texas is one of 34 states where voters will elect senators this November.
And while analysts said the seat leans red, Democrats aren't going down without a fight.
By now you've seen the ads, read the attacks and are likely tired of all the noise. That's why we set out to bring you interviews with the candidates that could reveal more about who they are as people, what drives them, as well as discuss their policy ideas.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate MJ Hegar agreed to participate. Sen. John Cornyn's team initially expressed interest, then stopped responding to KVUE's correspondence.
But our Vote Texas mission – to bring our viewers information so they can make the best decision for them – doesn't stop. Which is why we decided to move forward with this special.
The November election is right around the corner, and your voice, your vote, matters more than ever.
Yes, the presidential election is very important, but so are the other races on the ballot. Especially the U.S. Senate, where there is a tug of war for power.
Getting to know MJ Hegar
It takes 51 seats to have a majority in the Senate. Political analysts at RealClearPolitics have the Senate evenly divided right now: 46-up with eight toss-up districts. Texas isn't one of the eight.
It's expected to remain red but one woman is trying to change that – Round Rock's MJ Hegar.
In 2018, she burst onto the political scene with a viral campaign ad. Her fight to represent District 31 in the U.S. House of Representatives caught the attention of voters and the nation. But it wasn’t enough. While Hegar came close, she lost to Republican John Carter.
Fast forward two years, and she’s back. This time, she's fighting for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
"As someone who has flown water missions to suppress wildfires, it's kind of in my nature to find the biggest bucket of water I can find and put out the biggest fire that I can find. I believe that I'm in a position to unseat John Cornyn," she said.
The road to November wasn't easy. Hegar had to beat out a crowded field of Democrats in the primary, followed by a run-off against State Sen. Royce West, but she's made it to this moment to face off against Sen. John Cornyn.
Ashley Goudeau: We want to start by getting to know you a little better. So putting politics aside, I want you to tell us what motivates you every day.
Hegar: My kids for sure. You know, I grew up in a family, early on, we're survivors of domestic violence.
And as a very young child, it instilled an idea in me that I wanted to grow up and be able to protect the people that I loved. Because when I was really little, I didn't feel like I could do that. And so both joining the military, becoming a rescue pilot, now running for office, it's just an extension of the way I'm trying to protect not only my boys but the state that I love so much, the country that I love so much.
Goudeau: You know, I think people in Texas are pretty familiar with your military background. You know, at this point and the hardships that you had to overcome, you know, your resiliency has really stood out. But outside of that experience, thinking outside of your military background, what is the hardest thing you've had to overcome?
Hegar: I would say the scariest thing I've ever done, people would probably say, you know, jumping out of airplanes or being shot, it was having kids and not the childbirth, although I did have very complicated pregnancies and I know the value of keeping politicians and government out of the relationship between a woman and her doctor. You know, when I was pregnant with my first, I was getting laid off from my health care job. And so really worried about where we were going to get our health care. But I would say just the act of being a parent was the scariest thing and the most rewarding because, you know, you want to kind of bubble-tape the world and pad every corner and, you know, you can't do that. You don't want your kids to grow up sheltered either, you don't want them to be jerks. Right. You want them to grow up with experiences. And so, you know, they may put on the uniform one day because they're proud of me and proud of what I've done and I'm just trying to fight to make sure they have a stable as possible foreign policy environment and that America is still a global superpower.
Goudeau: You know, people are motivated or inspired to get into politics for a lot of different reasons. Talk to us about that journey for you and what led you to get into this game.
Hegar: You know, it always makes me a little nervous when I hear somebody say that they've always wanted to do this, you know, because I know how that feels.
I always wanted to be a pilot and I know what I would have done to become and to maintain my position as a pilot.
I have not always wanted to do this. And I actually kind of think that that's great, that we need more people that this wasn't their lifelong dream and they're not going to sell their soul to keep it. I got into this because when I was working in health care and it was near the end of my military career, I was called to advocate to open hundreds of thousands of jobs for women in the military. The Joint Chiefs unanimously wanted to do that, too. And so to go and fight for a stronger military, I took time off of my health care job and went to DC as a private citizen. And long story short, my experience there was, I was successful in building a broad bipartisan coalition of support, but the dysfunction and the corruption and it just, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and I would argue that the way our government is working or is not working right now is a domestic threat to our Constitution. And I was really kind of disgusted by the impact of, you know, the very uber-wealthy special interests and the dysfunction and the hyper-partisanship and the lack of servant leadership and centering people's focus on the mission and fighting for regular, hardworking Texans like me and my family. And so, you know, I'm not the kind of person who can see a problem and just will complain about it. I'll usually, like, take action to fix it. And so if I'm going to complain about it, I have to do something to try to fix it.
Goudeau: You voted for Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican. Some Democrats would frown upon that. What do you say to those Democrats who say this makes you not a true Democrat if you were voting for a Republican?
Hegar: I think an 18 years ago vote, if somebody is going to put a litmus test like that on it, then we're not going to change our record over the last couple of decades here in Texas. That, you know, instead of looking at what somebody did 20 years ago, we really need to talk about, this includes John Cornyn, instead of looking at his promises from 20 years ago, we should be looking at what people are doing now and what people are fighting for now. And my values haven't changed. I've always, you know, fought for marginalized communities, fought for equal rights, fought for access to health care.
I worked in health care for five years and saw how damaging the current health care system is to Texas. We were in a health care crisis before COVID. You know, I'm fighting for women's reproductive rights. I'm fighting for all sorts of choices in our health care. People should be able to choose a public option into Medicare. Women should be able to choose what to do with our bodies. I believe that I'm a gun owner and I want to protect our Second Amendment rights. But I am, like many responsible gun owners in Texas, a strong advocate for gun safety legislation.
Commonsense gun safety legislation, not the least of which I mean, obviously, to protect my boys and to send them to school without having to buy them bulletproof backpacks, but also because the gun violence epidemic is the greatest threat to our Second Amendment rights. And so, you know, the vast majority of Texans want universal background checks. But John Cornyn won't vote for them because he takes so much money from the gun lobby.
So, you know, I don't know, if people talk to me for five minutes I think that they understand that I don't make decisions based on partisanship. But the things that I am fighting for are all the things that are reasons why we need to get rid of John Cornyn.
Goudeau: If you are elected to the U.S. Senate, what would be your top legislative priority for 2021?
Hegar: I think that's got to be health care reform because that's what's hurting Texans the most. I don't think we can get the action that we need on the very important things like health care reform, immigration reform, getting our economy back up and working with jobs for regular people like us, gun safety, climate change, all of the really important things that we need to tackle, until we do something about the influence of the corporate PAC money and the corruption in DC. So definitely doing something to get our government functioning again, back up and running for regular people like us is my top priority. But my top legislative priority will be health care reform, because right now we have one out of three adults that don't have access to health insurance. And as someone who worked in health care for five years, I can tell you that the lack of access to health insurance, even if you have insurance and you feel like things are OK for you and your family, first of all, with record unemployment, I hope things can continue to be good for you and your family because people are losing their jobs left and right right now. But even if you feel like you like your plan, that's great. I'm going to fight for you to be able to keep your plan. But at the same time, the costs that you're paying when you walk into an emergency room and you pay $50 for a tablet of ibuprofen, I have declined ibuprofen in the emergency room before because I knew what it would show up on my bill. And the reason that tablet of ibuprofen is $50 is because we're also paying for how many people come in and receive their care, without access to preventative care, received their care in the most expensive environment, in trauma care and urgent care and ERs, for things that could have been prevented. So not only are we talking about life and death for people, but we're also talking about costs. It just it doesn't, the current system doesn't benefit anyone but the insurance agencies. And so we're closing health care facilities in rural Texas, where you already sometimes have to drive somebody an hour in your pickup truck who's having a heart attack to get actual help. We've got a health care crisis here in Texas and so health care reform is certainly going to be my top issue.
Goudeau: Give us some final thoughts about why you think people should elect you this November.
Hegar: I think when we have an opportunity as voters to elect one of us instead of one of them, we've got to take it. We've got to take it. I am so tired of these career politicians with stars in their eyes for majority leader power who won't vote for things like term limits, things that would limit their powers, things that I've been advocating for. When we have an opportunity to elect someone who has worked minimum wage jobs, been laid off, worried about whether or not Social Security is going to be there for her and her family. John Cornyn right now is taking, right now, taking three taxpayer-funded pensions. He's not worried about whether or not Social Security is going to be there for him in his retirement. And he's got a fourth coming to him in November when I retire him. So we need to elect servant leaders with a history of taking on tough battles with the right type of experience. Not experience of being in D.C. for 18 years. John Cornyn says we need a steady hand on the wheel right now, not if that person's driving us off a cliff. We need someone who knows when to turn the wheel. And so if we can have an opportunity to elect someone who has a proven history of being able to take on tough challenges, who has Texas values like grit and backbone and integrity and servant leadership, then we can actually get our government up and running for regular Texans again. And we have to take that opportunity.
More about Sen. John Cornyn
As we mentioned earlier, we made several efforts to get an interview with Sen. Cornyn. His team initially expressed interest, but then stopped responding.
But Sen. Cornyn has been a public servant and on the Texas political scene for decades, so we can still share some things about him with you.
Since 2002, Cornyn has been working on behalf of the people of Texas in the U.S. Senate, but his time as a public servant started long before that.
Back in 1984, at the age of 32, the young attorney won a state district judge seat in Bexar County. Six years later, he was elected to the Texas Supreme Court, where he served until 1997 – the year he ran for Texas attorney general and won.
Cornyn served as the state's top attorney until winning a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2002. Voters have re-elected him twice and the Republican said his work is not done yet
For Sen. Cornyn, winning a fourth term won't happen easily.
Democrats have found a candidate in MJ Hegar, who they believe could unseat Cornyn, making this race one Texas – and the nation – is watching.
Tensions have grown between Sen. Cornyn and Hegar. In September, the veteran challenged the senator to participate in three debates – including one hosted by our parent company, TEGNA.
Senator Cornyn only agreed to one debate. Here's a look at some of the policy positions he took during that face-off.
The debate back in early October consisted of timely issues, much of which had to do with how to handle COVID-19 in Texas, but it also included whether or not each candidate would vote for more stimulus checks for Texans.
"I've actually done something about it by supporting this bipartisan $3.8 trillion expenditure but we need to do more," Sen. Cornyn said.
But when it comes to supporting another lockdown:
"So I don't believe that we need any lockdowns. It's done tremendous damage to individuals and the economy," said the senator. "And we need this economy to be there once we put the virus in the rearview mirror."
He said he also does not see a need for a national mask mandate.
"Because I think the United States is a big diverse place, Texas is a big diverse place. Obviously, out in West Texas, they know how to socially distance they do it every day," said Cornyn.
When it comes to sending kids to schools during the pandemic, he said, "I support kids going to school when they can safely do so in consultation with their parents. Because one of the biggest problems is poor children who don't have access to broadband or the internet are falling farther and farther behind and that's a human tragedy."
And, of course, the topic on everyone's mind is a vaccine for the virus. When Sen. Cornyn was asked if he'd get a vaccine he responded, in part, "I will eventually get it but not first in line."
Sen. Cornyn was part of the judiciary committee handling the hearing on judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination for Supreme Court justice. When asked about whether or not he supports term limits for the highest court of the land, he said:
"At the federal level, it's a different model. Lifetime tenure, supposed to be removed from politics not making policy decisions. ... So I think that's something we should talk about because, unfortunately, too many people now see judges as making policy from the bench."
Moving on to law enforcement and the criminal justice system, Cornyn was also asked about qualified immunity for police officers.
"I think they need to be held accountable when they cross the line, but I think some measure of qualified immunity where you think you're doing the right thing in good faith is appropriate," he said.
During the debate, the candidates also talked about issues at the border. Sen. Cornyn was asked about the "remain in Mexico" policy and whether he supports it or not.
"Keeping people out of the country during this crisis is a public health measure that we should support. But it's important to know that other things come across the border other than asylum seekers – drugs, human trafficking…," he said.
And on the issue of climate change, Cornyn agrees that humans affect the climate but he is against a carbon tax.
"That would destroy the jobs of hundreds of thousands of workers out in West Texas and around the nation," he said.
And one emphasized point by Cornyn was keeping Texas, Texas.
"I don't believe we need to make Texas like Chuck Schumer's New York or Nancy Pelosi's California," said the senator.
Cornyn agrees to an interview
Earlier this month, Sen. John Cornyn spoke with a reporter from KVUE's sister station in Houston about issues surrounding the election.
From the president's response to COVID-19 to the possibility of Texas turning blue, here's some of what he said.
Speaking virtually to KHOU reporter Grace White, Sen. Cornyn discussed whether President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic has hurt the Republican Party.
"Well, this is clearly unprecedented. You know, you're not the first person who's asked me that question," he said. "And I'm sure that looking back on it, we will figure out things we could have done better. But part of the problem is the virus doesn't play by the same rules that we do, it doesn't follow our rule book. I remember, for example, before April, the CDC, Center for Disease Control, said masks were useless. And then in April, they said they're essential. And I believe that today. And that's why I wear my mask when I can't socially distance and we've all learned how to adapt that way."
As Texans head to the polls this fall, there is a looming question that makes Democrats hopeful and Republicans cringe: Could the Lone Star State turn blue?
Sen. Cornyn said that's really up to Republicans.
"I do think there's a chance, but it would be primarily because people like me didn't do our job," he said. "And one of the things I think the (Beto) O'Rourke-(Ted) Cruz race showed is that we've gotten a little complacent. I'm talking about Republicans and we hadn't been attentive to voter registration. The fact a lot of new people have moved to Texas, a lot of younger people have come of age and are now voting. And we haven't done the organization that our Democratic friends have been doing for a number of years. They've been sort of chipping away every election and then came within three points of Sen. Cruz. But we're gonna have a huge turnout, about 11 million people voting. And this will be, of course, in the midst of a pandemic. It's an unprecedented time. So we're trying to do everything we know how to do. That's all you can do is try to control what you can. The rest of it, you just have to hope for the best."
For Sen. Cornyn, that means hoping Texas voters will check his name at the polls. And to him, a vote for Cornyn.
"I believe it means, the sort of policies that have made Texas the envy of the nation when it comes to job creation, in particular, good energy jobs," he said. "My opponent doesn't believe in the energy policies that have produced the greatest renaissance and in natural gas and oil in our lifetime. And that's, of course, hired hundreds of thousands of Texas energy workers. She's not for any of that. She also believes in defunding the police rather than defending the police. That would be a big difference between us. She's compared the border security officials who work along the border, trying to protect our country from human traffickers and illegal drugs, she's compared them to human rights abusers in China who are, the atrocities they're committing against the Uighurs. So I think there's a, there's a pretty stark choice here. One of the conundrums that I think MJ has found herself in is that if she wants to raise the kind of money she needs to raise from national sources, places outside of Texas, she's got to talk a party line at the national level that really puts her out of touch with the people in our state. And I know seniors don't want to see Medicare destroyed. She would extend that to people who haven't paid any money into it and even to illegal immigrants. And she is willing to deny you the benefit of your employer-provided insurance coverage. I think as people learn a little bit more about the differences on policy, the choice is going to be very clear."
Once the polls close on Nov. 3, KVUE will keep track of the 2020 election results here. Mail-in ballots that are postmarked before Nov. 3 can be received by local elections offices by 5 p.m. the day after Election Day, so mail-in ballots in Texas are expected to take longer to tally.
Be sure to download KVUE's app to get updates as they come in: kvue.com/app. On the KVUE app, you can customize the type of content you would like to be notified about and see the most, including election and voting information. Find out how to customize KVUE's app here.
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