The former George W. Bush strategist announced on Tuesday that he would no longer be running as a Democrat for Texas lieutenant governor. In a statement posted on Twitter, Dowd managed to irk people on both sides of the political spectrum.
“When I first announced, the only other candidate was a white male Christian,” Dowd said. “A diverse field is now emerging in the Democratic primary for this office. I do not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.”
Dowd opened the statement by noting that in 2018, he'd penned an opinion column for ABC: "Us White Male Christians Need to Step Back and Give Others Room to Lead."
Some applauded the former candidate for his “team player” spirit. But others were less enthusiastic about his reasoning, saying that instead of lifting up candidates of color, Dowd was effectively demeaning them.
Now, some are slamming what they see as Dowd’s “White-Savior Industrial Complex” approach to backing out.
In a tweet, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson wrote he was “confused and a little disturbed” by the reasoning Dowd outlined in his letter. To Johnson, it seemed as though the former candidate was claiming that certain voters would always snub women and minorities for the white male choice.
“If this is in fact the case then shame on the Democratic primary voters who are incapable of voting for women and minority candidates if presented with a white male alternative,” he continued. “But for white male candidates to stop running as Democrats to ‘give us a chance’ feels wrong to me.”
District 7 City Council member Adam Bazaldua seemed similarly offended by Dowd’s statement.
“Micro-aggression at its finest… are we supposed to be thankful that he believes that the only chance a woman or BIPOC candidate has to win is by eliminating white Christian candidates as a choice?! Supremacy much?” he wrote in response to the mayor’s tweet.
Micro-aggression at its finest… are we supposed to be thankful that he believes that the only chance a woman or BIPOC candidate has to win is by eliminating white Christian candidates as a choice?!
— Adam R. Bazaldua (@AdamBazaldua) December 8, 2021
Supremacy much?
Dowd’s big announcement landed the day before another candidate formally filed: Texas secessionist Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, who’s running as a Republican. Democrat Mike Collier has noted that he’s still in the running to defeat incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, too.
Dowd has made himself out to be a sort of “white savior” coming to save the day, said Jason Vaughn, president-elect of the Houston Young Republicans. His statement reminded Vaughn of another Democratic politician: state Rep. James Talarico of Round Rock.
Talarico is moving from his current district into one that’s 70% minority, Vaughn said, and it’s another instance where a white male is painting himself as a “white savior.” In both cases, they’re running as though others are weaker, “not in a place of true empowerment for all Americans and all Texans," he said.
In Vaughn's opinion, it would have been better if Dowd had conceded that there are better candidates than him to represent the Democratic Party. Instead, the message he was sending made it seem as though he’s stepping back because others aren’t strong enough to compete against him.
Vaughn says he agrees that more women and minorities are desperately needed in office. “I don’t think it means that anybody else has to step down,” he said. “I think it means that everybody else needs to feel empowered to step up.”
