From Baghdad to Bosque County

Dan Grant (right) in Afghanistan in 2003: Now aiming for DC in 2013 (Photo courtesy of Dan Grant)

Texas politics can often be a battlefield for democracy: That could be why Dan Grant, an international affairs expert who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, feels comfortable throwing his hat in the ring to run for the new Congressional District 25.

This morning Grant announced that he is forming an exploratory committee for the 2012 Democratic primary. A McCallum High graduate, he knows his way around DC, having graduated from Georgetown University. He went on to work for USAID and has worked on governmental reconstruction and elections oversight in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. He now serves as a consultant and adviser to both the U.S. State and Defense Departments, providing pre-deployment training for military and civilian personnel being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. However, his candidacy is already focusing on domestic issues. Explaining his run, Grant said, "The people of Texas are facing a range of difficulties – unemployment, higher health care costs, threats to Medicare and Social Security, and more."

Grant has already received a statement of support from many local heavy hitter politicians, including Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and Travis County state reps. Donna Howard, Mark Strama and Elliott Naishtat. Just as tellingly, he has got the nod from Larry Joe Doherty, who beat him in the 2008 primary for CD10.

Doherty finally fell before the deep pockets of GOP incumbent Mike McCaul, but the new CD25 (if it stands up to court scrutiny) is a very different beast. Whereas the old CD10 (commonly known as the dragon) meandered from Austin to Houston, the new CD25 stretches from Austin to the outskirts of Tarrant County. The GOP is heading for a potentially toxic primary there, with at least eight potential candidates waiting for filing day. Grant said, "Many of the counties in the new District 25 have been without the benefit of a member of Congress who is willing to put the best interests of the citizens of this district above partisan politics."