Feb. 6—U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, hopes to secure reelection in the upcoming Republican Primary but must first face two challengers.

Fort Worth native Matthew Lucci and Midlothian resident Vincent D. Crabb both filed to compete in the primary.

The winner of the primary will win the seat given that they will face no opponent in November’s general election.

Williams is seeking his sixth term in Congress.

“I’m a true representative of Main Street America and small business owners,” Williams answered when asked what prompted his decision to seek reelection. “I still have a business. I’m also chairman of the Small Business Committee, which, as chairman, I get to set the agenda, not follow the agenda.”

Williams described the Small Business Committee as a vital component.

“The committee is so broad based that it touches a lot of people and we can do just about anything,” Williams said. “We have subpoena power. If we have a witness who doesn’t think they want to come talk to us, we can get them up here.

“We’ve had several great hearings, hearings on NIL. We had a hearing today on more jobs for persons with disabilities and how we can help them along.”

If reelected, Williams promised to hold steady on his goals since first coming to Congress.

“My whole platform is lower taxes, less government, cut spending, defend our borders, listen to your generals and understand the 10th Amendment,” Williams said.

Work remains to be done and Williams said, with voter support, he hopes to continue to play a part.

“Regulations are choking Main Street America,” Williams said. “They’re choking banks and small businesses. Since Biden has been president he’s promoted $350 billion worth of regulations on Main Street and it takes 220 million man hours to work those. Because of that, they’re hiring more regulatory officers in banks than they are loan officers.”

Williams said his 52 years as a business owner puts him in good stead to confront such challenges.

“A lot of business people should be up here [in Congress] but they don’t want to be up here,” Williams said. “But I’m a voice for Main Street America and I plan on staying that for a while.”

Williams cited the 22 bills passed out of his committee last year.

“We’re actually bipartisan, probably the only bipartisan committee in Congress right now, and I’m proud of that,” Williams said. “Because Main Street America is bipartisan. There’s 15 committees here and there’s about 3,100 counties in America. To have a congressman from this district be the chair of one of those committees, that’s a big deal.”

Williams cited also his accomplishments and experience in Congress.

“We’ve done quite a bit,” Williams said. “But you shouldn’t always be graded on what you do. It’s sometimes what you don’t do. There’s so many negatives up here, especially with this Biden Administration. Everything coming out of there is anti-Main Street, anti-business, anti-anybody, anti-American.”

Williams name checked his Jump Start America initiatives parts of which, he said, were included in former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts. He went on to express frustration with the situation at the border and inability of both parties to work together to craft solutions on that and other challenges.

Williams promised to push back against bad laws if elected, fight to cut taxes to put more money into the hands of Americans and other measures if reelected.

Crabb

Crabb, a retired U.S. Army colonel also served as a policeman and Arlington firefighter.

“I’m not a politician but this nation’s in a mess,” Crabb said when asked why he decided to run. “What we do or not do now is going to affect our kids and grandkids.

“Unfortunately, It feels like we’re being attacked in our nation from inside rather than outside. We’ve had the best of the best, a place of power and influence. Why on God’s green earth anyone would want to upset what we had going I don’t know. I feel like it’s been done intentionally and I 110% cannot understand that.”

Crabb promised to work for all if elected.

“The divided atmosphere of this nation,” Crabb said. “I spent my whole adult working life protecting and serving others and was proud to do it. When I was a soldier, cop, fireman, I never once got out and asked the person if they were a Republican, Democrat or independent. The people who put this nation together would not be happy how this has all been taken and twisted into a knot.”

Crabb, like Williams, vowed to push for border security if elected.

“We’ve got a wide open border and, depending on who you talk to, people lay blame from Bush to Biden,” Crabb said. “When Trump was there I believe we had it controlled pretty well. But now they want them to come here. We’ve got a mess.

“Our nation is built on immigrants. But if you want to come here, do it legally. We welcome that. But the situation we’re living now is like that movie “Red Dawn.”

“I believe there are good people coming across looking for a better life for their families. But I also think bad actors have slipped through bringing human trafficking, Fentynal and other drugs. We don’t have quality control or oversight over who’s here now frankly.”

Crabb listed school security as another important issue.

“Put people with guns in there willing to use them,” Crabb said. “Police and combat veterans trained in the art of protecting. We’ve got good fighting men and women willing to pull the trigger to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Crabb addressed health care in rural areas, homelessness, teacher salaries and school resources.

“Food should be free at school,” Crabb said. “That would cost a lot of money. But some children, the only food they get in a day is the food they get at school. We’re already sending a lot of money to people who hate us. Why not invest in our children instead and raise the salaries of the ones educating the future leaders of this nation?”

Crabb said he will fight to build the military back up and ensure that police and firefighters receive the resources they need if elected.

Lucci

Lucci, when asked why he’s running for Congress, said it’s for the same reasons that he started his company, Runatek, several years ago.

“A close friend of mine passed away from a fentanyl overdose,” Lucci said. “So I started a medical device company to prevent people from getting addicted to pain medications.

“Through that, I learned so much about how people were getting addicted. I learned about the drug trade, human trafficking, drug trafficking and the situation at the southern border.”

A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Lucci went on to earn a graduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Tyler.

Lucci said that one of his big goals involves working to help end the opioid crisis in America.

“Including the latest wave of fentanyl pouring across our southern border,” Lucci said.

Lucci said he believes he can be more effective than Williams has in those and other areas.

“I prayed with my wife, family and church family on the matter,” Lucci said. “We decided that nothing was going to change unless we stepped forward and we forced the change.”

Lucci vowed also to battle against excess spending and “massive increases in our federal budget” if elected.

“And to give our veterans the health care they’ve earned,” Lucci said. “Veterans should be able to take their VA card and go to any hospital or clinic anywhere in the country and get care immediately instead of having to wait in line at the VA, or put themselves on a list just to be able to get the benefits that they’ve earned.”

Lucci also cited his servant’s heart having volunteered with area school districts, underprivileged children, the Tarrant Area Food Bank, his work as a mentor and advisor in the medical technology field and other outreach endeavors.