MEET THE CANDIDATES
EDITOR’S NOTE: As 2026 shapes up as a historic midterm year, The Concho Observer’s will be publishing questionnaires sent to local candidates for our “Meet the Candidate” series.
Name: Claire Reynolds (D)
Running for: Democratic Nomination for U.S. House Representative (TX-11)
Why are you running/seeking re-election?
A lot of your readers might wonder why a lady from Austin is running for U.S. Congress in District 11. Is it because I think I know what’s best for the people of the Concho Valley and West Texas? Absolutely not.
Is it because I think West Texas has better BBQ than Austin and I want a reason to travel there on the regular? Also no. Well, not that alone.
It’s because Texans, including myself, believe that our leaders should lead from the top down, with courage, empathy and humanity.
Instead, what we have now is an administration that treats immigrants like animals and speaks about women and people of color as if they are second-class citizens. The current representative of CD-11 has said nothing about this, nor has he shown a particular interest in protecting our civil liberties, like the right to free speech, or the right to not have ICE bust in our doors without a warrant. (And don’t even get me started on the threats to invade our long-standing allies.)
I’m running because we can either sit here and take it, or we can send a message to Washington that when you refuse to stand up for Texans — all Texans, regardless of what they look like — we vote you out of office.
What are your top priorities?
My first order of business will be to make Congress start doing its job. Article I of the U.S. Constitution says that the job of making law and determining how to spend our hard-earned tax dollars is supposed to be done by Congress, not the President. That means we restore funding to the many, many worthy organizations that were set up to help the American people. It also means that we do something — anything — to stop this administration from proceeding with its numerous unconstitutional executive orders.
My second order of business will be to push for legislation that improves the quality of life for everyone in CD11. This includes increasing funding to federal programs designed to help working class Texans, such as those that address food insecurity, like The Emergency Food Assistance Program. This not only provides nourishing food to hungry rural Texans, but it helps small, local farmers as well.
What issues have constituents told you they were concerned about?
The constituents I’ve spoken with have mentioned things like the high cost of living and stagnant salaries, but it would be a mistake to think that Texans only care about things that directly affect themselves. I’ve heard from older women who are angry that their granddaughters have fewer rights than they did. I’ve heard from the friends and family of LGBTQ+ people who fear for their lives. And I’ve heard from Texans who care about the safety of their immigrant neighbors, the absolute devastation in Gaza, and our relationship with our allies who have fought and died when we’ve asked them to back us up in military conflicts.
Texans are complex human beings with a capacity to empathize with people that they’ve never met, and I love them for it.
Any plans for rallies, town halls, or meetings in the near future?
I’m trying to attend as many Democratic county and club meetings as I can, but you don’t have to be a Democrat to be concerned about the things I’m concerned about. If you want to meet with me and have a productive, respectful discussion, I’ll happily be there. In the meantime, you can find me at a candidate forum in San Angelo on February 2, speaking with the Concho County Democrats on February 3, and eating my weight in chicken wings at my neighbor’s house on Super Bowl Sunday. If anyone knows of any walks or fun runs after that, let me know, because I suspect I’ll need it.
TX-11 is currently occupied by Rep. August Pfluger (R). Reynolds is running against Pedro Ruiz of Midland in the Democratic primary.
More information about this candidate can be found at their campaign website:
www.clairereynoldsforcongress.org
