Congressman Will Hurd shared a positive message with the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition Spring Supper attendees. Hurd, who is an ex-CIA operative, shared his personal background of growing up the son of an interracial couple in Texas in 1971.
When his parents bought a home, there was just one neighborhood in San Antonio that would sell a house to an interracial couple.
“Thirty-five years later their youngest son became the representative for that community,” he said. “America hasn’t always been perfect, but we’re always trying to get better.”
Hurd noted the times today are “incredibly complicated and dangerous.” He discussed economic challenges for Americans, education concerns and the challenges of the border. He said we’re in a new cold war with the Chinese Communist Party.
“This is what the Chinese government has said about themselves in English since at least 2015,” he said. “Why should we care? Because if they win this new cold war, it’s going to affect all of us.”
The first question Iowa AG Brenna Bird asked was what can happen at the federal level to give parents more of a voice in their child’s education.
“It starts, we have to win,” Hurd said. “The GOP has to win.”
Republicans have lost seven of the last eight popular elections, he noted.
“We have to start winning,” he said. “And here’s the reality — Independents and Democrats are sick and tired of the direction that the country is going in as well.”
Hurd said the Republican message must be taken to different communities.
“Nobody thought that a black Republican was going to win in a 72 percent Latino district,” he said. “But I went to places that had never seen a Republican, and here’s what I learned. Whether you’re in a ruby-red town or a deep-blue city, people care about the same issues. They want to put food on their table, a roof over their head and make sure the people that they love are healthy, happy and safe. And they want common sense leadership for these issues.”
Black and brown kids who attend charter schools have no achievement gap with other kids over 20 years, he said. That is a message that can be taken to communities that do not traditionally vote GOP, but with leaders willing to stand up for those principles and discuss those issues, a dent can be made.
While in the CIA, Hurd said he saw people in places like India, Pakistan and Afghanistan fighting for the religious liberty we have in America. He called on churches to do more for homelessness and kids who may not have as many resources as others.
Hurd discussed the decoupling of the dollar. And he said it matters because it impacts Americans’ ability to have a larger quality of life.
He said America should have been helping Ukraine in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
“And we should be helping countries like Tawain now because it impacts our quality of life and I want to make sure that the rest of this century stays the American century,” Hurd said.
