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WASHINGTON — Businessman Tom Sell says being a fifth-generation West Texan is about as far back as you can go.

His family came to Lubbock as sharecroppers in 1906 — before the city was even incorporated. They’ve been in the region ever since.

Now he is running for Texas’ 19th Congressional District, which includes his hometown and other High Plains towns such as Big Spring and Dimmit. He is banking on his deep ties to the region to best six other candidates to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington.

“We’ve done a lot here in the local community, from our church to little league coach, we’ve raised our four kids here,” Sell said. “I’ve been proud to serve in that way and just be a part of the heart and soul of love in Texas.”

While Sell, who has won the endorsements of many agricultural groups that represent the farmers who work in the region, has leaned into his local ties and past experience working on agricultural policy, another leading candidate, Abraham Enriquez, is emphasizing his connections to President Donald Trump.

Enriquez, on his campaign website, displays a photo of himself with Trump and highlights his work mobilizing Hispanic voters in the 2024 election. There’s also a banner at the top of the page with his endorsement from Gov. Greg Abbott and details about his commitment to the America First movement.

Enriquez is the founder of the conservative outreach organization Bienvenido US.

He was born and raised in West Texas and went to college in Abilene, which is also part of the congressional district. In a statement to The Texas Tribune, he said he believes in the same values of his community: “hard work, faith in God, and American freedom.”

“My top priorities are to make President Trump’s border policies permanent, restore American energy dominance, and cut the regulations and spending that are squeezing working families,” Enriquez’ statement read. “Governor Abbott, Turning Point Action, the National Border Patrol Council, and dozens of conservative leaders are standing with me because they know I’m the America First candidate in this race.”

Joel Sievert, an associate professor of political science at Texas Tech University, said the different campaign strategies between Sell and Enriquez are indicative of a shift in focus and rhetoric within the Republican Party. Sell is trying to reach voters who value his local roots while Enriquez is playing up his national ties, Sievert said.

“They both really don’t look that different on paper, but how they are framing their candidacy does reflect some of those tensions within the Republican Party,” he said.

Also in the mix in this race is Jason Corley, a former Lubbock County commissioner. There’s also small business owner James Bob Barbee; Air Force veteran and surgeon Donald May; roofing business owner Matt Smith and Ryan Zink, who was convicted and later pardoned for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump won the district by a 52-point margin in 2024 — the widest gap out of all 38 Texas congressional districts.

The winner of the March 3 Republican primary is expected to win the November general election, setting up a potentially long career in a district with a history of lengthy congressional representation. Larry Combest, for example, represented the district for nearly two decades beginning in 1985; Randy Neugebauer filled the seat for 14 years; and Arrington handily won reelection each cycle.

Sell has brought in the most money out of all candidates, raising more than $1.2 million in a short fundraising window due to Arrington’s mid-November retirement announcement. Enriquez trails Sell with about $434,000.

Sell said that if he were to be elected to office, he’d want to be a voice for rural districts — typically outnumbered in congressional representation — in areas like health care and road infrastructure. He added that he’d want to serve on the agricultural committee and work on better trade deals to support the cotton industry, which is a major sector in the district.

Agriculture and oil are dominant in the region. Cotton, livestock and dairy producers are major sectors to the local economy.

Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish said the next representative from the area must make passing the Farm Bill, a package of laws supporting the agricultural industry, a priority.

“We always need a very strong West Texas advocate in Congress to help shepherd the Farm Bill and to watch over the interests of all the growers, producers and ranchers in the West Texas area,” Parrish said to the Texas Tribune.

Sell previously worked for Combest, the former representative who chaired the House Agriculture Committee. He served as deputy staff director for the House Agriculture Committee between 1999 and early 2003.

This policy experience drove Texas Corn Producers, which is based in Lubbock and represents corn producers across the state, to endorse Sell, said David Gibson, the organization’s executive director.

“We are losing more and more of our representatives across the state and across the nation that really represent agricultural areas, and this is one of the key districts that still has significant agricultural income and enterprises,” Gibson said. “Tom knows the issues, and is ready to hit the ground running.”

Farmers face challenges with low commodity prices and high input prices, as well as climate issues such as drought and floods. Gibson said he wants someone in Congress to first and foremost represent farmers.

Corley, the former county commissioner, told The Texas Tribune in December that he decided to run for Congress to save his constituents millions of dollars in Washington, specifically by assisting them with grant writing. He shrugged off Sell’s agriculture endorsements, calling the candidate a “career lobbyist,” and said he has the most experience and name identification out of the pool of candidates.

“I’m the only person who has any elected experience,” Corley said in December. “A lot of people are going to say what they’re going to do. I can sit here tell you, ‘Yeah, I did it.’”

Corley has raised a little over $10,000.

Craig Goodman, an associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University-Victoria, said Corley is a more traditional candidate with political experience — one political science expert would expect to have a leg up in a congressional race but that are increasingly unfavorable as Republican voters grow opposed to career politicians.

“One of the things that we’ve seen over the last couple of years within the Republican Party, especially, is that the outsider candidates have tended to do pretty well,” Goodman said. “The recent history within the Republican Party has been that these are the candidates that don’t perform as well because they’re seen as too tied to the institutional structure of politics.”

Trump endorsed Arrington for reelection in November, but has not weighed in on the new set of candidates. It’s one of the few Texas congressional races the president has not given an endorsement in.

Early voting ends Feb. 27. Election Day is March 3.

Disclosure: Texas Corn Producers Association and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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