DALLAS — Democratic Rep. Martin Frost, gerrymandered out of his “safe” district by Texas Republicans in a recent redistricting, declared yesterday that he would move back to Dallas to oppose Republican incumbent Pete Sessions in the state’s 32nd District.
Mr. Frost, dean of the Texas congressional delegation — winding down his 13th term — predicted he would beat Mr. Sessions.
He said he would be a voice of moderation, while painting the conservative Mr. Sessions as “out of the mainstream in Dallas.”
“This going to be one of the most contested, most interesting congressional races anywhere in the country,” Mr. Frost said.
Mr. Sessions immediately painted Mr. Frost as a tax-and-spend liberal.
“The choice between Frost and myself is simple and dramatic,” he said. “Do the people of Dallas County want the Martin Frost tax-and-spend vision for America, which depends on class warfare and national labor unions for its survival?”
He also said the race will be the “the tip of the spear for the Republican Party, for President Bush and myself.”
Southern Methodist University political scientist Dennis Simon said Mr. Frost’s move was his best opportunity to stay in Congress, but would be an “uphill battle.”
“That’s a relatively new district,” Mr. Simon said. “There’s never been an active Democrat in that geographic part of the city running a credible campaign, so we don’t know.”
Mr. Frost, whose current district was sliced into several parts in the GOP remapping, considered two other districts before deciding on the 32nd, where he owns a condominium, friends said.
The district would have to be considered Republican leaning, its stronghold being Highland Park and University Park.
Mr. Frost was asked at his press conference if his opposition to Mr. Bush might hurt him. He replied that he was not always aligned against the president.
The veteran lawmaker pointed out that he supported the war in Iraq, the death penalty, voted for Mr. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” act and offered strong military and homeland defense credentials.
“When the president is right,” he added, “I will support him.”
Political experts expect the two candidates could spend as much as $8 million in the race.
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