Democratic hopeful canvases Texas ahead of coming Senate election, hoping to unseat Cruz

Steve Keough, a retired Navy veteran, recently announced his bid to unseat Senator Ted Cruz in elections this coming year. He is joining the pool of Democratic hopefuls, which now numbers at least 13.

Ahead of the Democratic primary, Keough has taken to the streets visiting small and medium-sized towns across Texas in the hope of reaching more voters. The Democratic primary will be March 5, 2024, when Democratic Texans will decide if Keough has what it takes to take on heavyweight Cruz in the November 2024 elections.

Keough's roots

Keough was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1977. After a storied career with the U.S. Navy, he retired as a Navy Captain and went on to Washington D.C.

Keough was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a civilian special advisor to the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, which focused on "assessing and countering nuclear threats to America." The administration of President George W. Bush later affirmed that appointment.

Border wall and immigration issues

Immigration is at the forefront of Keough's campaign. According to a press release from his office, he believes that the "government has a responsibility to keep its citizens safe while at the same time a duty to treat immigrants and asylum-seekers with care."

In an interview with the Abilene Reporter News, Keough emphasized that he is against a complete physical wall across the border, but instead favors the addition of more resources to aid in the immigration process.

Keough hopes to reduce the average wait time for families wishing to immigrate to the United States. Currently, he estimates that families wait around 10 months in holding camps just over the Mexican border, before receiving an entrance interview to properly vet them.

At this time, the United States has built some sections of a border wall that separates the U.S. from Mexico and holding camps, but there are large gaps in the fencing on the expansive 2,000-mile border.

The Texas border, according to USA Today, however, "is mostly unfenced because of treaty provisions, private-property rights, litigation and floodplains."

Healthcare and women's rights

Keough is a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat who declared in an Abilene Reporter News interview that he is "pro-choice," often referring to it as “body autonomy.” During his press conference in Abilene, he also emphasized that "abortion care is healthcare." Keough was specifically worried about the women who could suffer the consequences of an ectopic pregnancy and their need for an abortion to alleviate it.

Keough also stressed within his press release that "the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade has 'thrown women to the dogs – the rabid dogs of extremism.'” He referenced the controversial overturn as taking reproductive rights away from women "by frankly, a corrupted Supreme Court" with "a failed ethic structure or lack thereof."

Many Texas cities have since chosen to become sanctuary cities for the unborn, passing legislation to make all abortions illegal outright. Abilene is one of these cities, and Keough said that while he disagrees with the citizens who voted in favor of it becoming a sanctuary city, he respects the decision of the voters.

Proposed new gun legislation

In addition to being an impassioned supporter of women's rights, Keough also supports gun rights as “a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association,” according to his election website. He specifically advocates for the "proper use and handling of guns," also supporting the "rights and duties of responsible gun ownership."

The biggest platform of his gun stance was the adoption of "Red Flag" legislation across America. Red Flag laws would allow law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from gun owners who are undergoing some type of psychological distress, according to Keough, in order to prevent future tragedies.

Keough referenced a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, prior to which family, friends and co-workers expressed concern about the behavior of Robert Card. The Army recommended the removal of Card's firearms to no avail, ahead of the deadliest mass shooting in state history Oct. 25.

According to USA Today coverage of that incident, local law enforcement could have detained Card under Maine’s "yellow flag" law which "would have allowed police to order a psychiatric assessment. That, in turn, would have opened the door to asking a judge to ban Card from possessing firearms."

When asked how he planned to secure the Democratic nomination, Keough passionately explained that none of the other candidates have the longest record of service to the United States as he does in both civilian and military roles.

Check back with Reporter News to follow coverage of the Democratic Primary, and to see if Keough does have what it takes to secure the nomination from his party.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Democratic candidate canvases Texas ahead of coming Senate election