A Pragmatic Republican Makes His Case: Will Hurd

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

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5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 July 2023

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Moderate Republican Will Hurd insists that across the country "there is more that unites us than divides us." The former GOP Congressman threw his hat into the ring in June with a video announcement that he's running for President of the United States. Our latest episode of "Let's Find Common Ground" re-visits our interview with Will Hurd, recorded one year ago. Hurd stresses the need for both pragmatism and nuance when tackling guns, immigration, and other hot-button issues. But don't call him a squishy moderate. “In the media in Washington DC…moderate means middle of the road,” he says. “But in reality, moderates are the ones that do the hard work and get things done because they’re the ones that are having to take a philosophy to people that may not identify with it.” Will Hurd served as a CIA agent overseas and conducted briefings for members of Congress. This experience inspired him to run for Texas 23rd Congressional district, which he won in 2014. Congress. He was elected three times in a swing district where Democrats often win. Hurd says in our podcast interview that he succeeded by engaging with voters from both sides, not just voters who shared all his beliefs.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This summer we're revisiting a few popular shows from the past.
0:03.8	This week's episode is prompted by a recent news event.
0:06.7	Yeah, former Texas Congressman Will Hurd recently announced he's joining the pack of Republican candidates for president.
0:14.0	He's running with the slogan,
0:16.0	common sense for complicated times.
0:19.8	We spoke with Will in the spring of last year, not long after he published his first book.
0:24.7	Our episode focused on the important role of centrists in U.S. politics.
0:29.5	And by the way, common ground committee wants to be clear that airing this episode does not come with an endorsement.
0:37.2	So here's our show from June 2022.
0:42.3	We live in a world of political extremes with a far-right and far-left denigrating each other on a regular basis.
0:49.5	But could the future lie with politicians who appeal to everyone else?
0:54.1	Our guest in this week's podcast says,
0:56.8	yes, former CIA agent and Republican Congressman Will Hurd of San Antonio won three terms in the 23rd Congressional District in Texas,
1:07.8	a place that he was told he could never win because it was bright blue while he was red.
1:20.3	This is Let's Find Common Ground. I'm Richard Davies.
1:24.2	And I'm Ashley Nell Tite.
1:26.3	Will Hurd says he succeeded by engaging with everyone, not just voters who shared all his beliefs.
1:32.0	And he says others like him can do the same.
1:34.9	In his book, American Reboot, he outlines how to get big things done by focusing on policy, not politics.
1:42.7	We spoke with Will just before a bipartisan compromise deal was announced on guns,
1:48.2	and also as the January 6th hearings in Congress were about to get underway.
1:54.3	Diving right in with current events will obviously the whole country is shaken by the recent mass shootings,
	...

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