It took a few days, and my congressional district was finally settled: the GOP's Beth Van Duyne defeated Democrat Candace Valenzuela.  Van Duyne will replace retiring Kenny Marchant, who had been around here for a while. The final numbers say a couple of things about District 24, another one of those Dallas-area suburbs that includes Carrollton, Irving, parts of Coppell, and so on. First, this is a diverse district.  It has a significant Hispanic population.  Nevertheless, Van Duyne's tough position on illegal immigration did not hurt as much as Democrats were hoping. Second, this is a district growing, and small businesses are everywhere.  My guess is that calling for a $15 minimum wage did not sit well with all of those business-owners who can't afford to pay that. Third, the GOP wrapped the "defund the police" message around Valenzuela, as it did to just about every Democrat in Texas. In the end,...(Read Full Post)