U.S. Congressional candidate David E. Cozad says: "Women tell me that you are discriminated against simply because you are women. I know that is true. I watched my wife graduate from architecture school and face discrimination because she is a woman! I'm David E. Cozad. I'm the Democratic Nominee facing Joe Barton for the Texas 6th District in the United States Congress. I need your help."
Unopposed in the Democratic Primary, David E. Cozad will face Republican incumbent Joe Barton in the November General Election. He has run against Barton before. "The district was much bigger when I ran before," explained Cozad. "Then it was seven counties. Now it only contains all of Navarro and Ellis counties and part of Tarrant." In Tarrant, the District includes Mansfield, Crowley and the part of Arlington not represented by U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey (D). Cozad and his family have been residents of Arlington for over 30 years. Cozad claims Arlington as his hometown. Having grown up on or near military bases in the United States and Europe, and serving as a United States Marine Corps officer himself, Arlington was the first and only place he was able to put down roots long enough to claim as a "hometown."
Cozad's world view and that of the incumbent in this district are very different. Both agree that energy self-sufficiency is vital for our national security. However, they differ greatly on how to best achieve it! Barton is noted for "protecting" the coal and fossil fuel energy producers. Cozad states: "Barton used his position when he was Chair of the House Energy Committee to block EPA oversight of the Oil and Gas industry. His efforts slowed our transition to sustainable resources. He even apologized to British Petroleum for the President of the United States requiring them to put money in escrow to pay for some of the damage their negligence caused to the Gulf Coast! He was elected by the people of the 6th District but seems to have greater loyalty to the interests of the coal and oil and gas producers who help finance his campaign."
The damage to the Texas Gulf Coast hurt all the residents of that region. Women-owned businesses and families headed by single mothers were among those who struggled to recover.
Cozad said: "For over three decades Phil Gramm and his handpicked successor, Joe Barton, have voted to the detriment of women and girls. This North Texas district went Republican when Phil Gramm switched parties under Ronald Reagan. More than THIRTY YEARS LATER, my daughters and their generation are still undervalued and underpaid for their contribution in the workplace."
He states: "I am running for the U.S. Congress because I want my grand-daughters to have the same opportunities and pay as their brothers! I will fight to pass Equal Pay for Equal Work!"
On raising the Minimum Wage he says: "I know that raising the Minimum Wage is of utmost importance to women and their families. That will be my first priority. It is the economically sound thing to do!"
He continues: "Women deserve affordable health care. Women's diseases deserve the same research Dollars as men's but they don't get them! I will work to change that!"
He think the women's health clinic laws passed by the Texas Legislature last year went "much too far." Cozad says: "The government should not control you or your loved one's life or death decision. I will fight to preserve your right to make your own health decisions. When faced with horrible choices, no one should have the government dictate which life must be sacrificed if a difficult pregnancy endangers the mother's life. That is something that should be based on the soundest medical advice available and no woman should be denied health care procedures in one state which are legal in others! Texas is one of only a few states which denies women access to clinical abortions in cases of rape, incest and extreme endangerment to the life of the mother!"
"As a father and a grandfather, I would be very upset if I learned my daughter was denied a medical procedure in Texas which could save her life which is legal in most other states in the nation!"
The impact of access to healthcare for women in Texas was acute before the passage of the bill which Senator Wendy Davis filibustered. Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured adults. A disproportionate number of Congressman Joe Barton voted repeatedly to shut-down the government in attempting to force the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Cozad says: "Healthcare must be affordable and accessible to everyone. I will work to improve the Affordable Care Act, not to repeal it. When you help send me to Washington, I assure you that I will not vote to shut the government down to dodge a difficult vote! I'm going there to solve problems, not avoid them!"
"Joe Barton voted to shut the government down and to keep it shut-down, ignoring the damage it was doing to the very people who sent him to office to improve their lives. Instead he made their lives more difficult!" Cozad continues and explains that the amount of money the Governmental Shut-Down in 2013 cost the taxpayers each day it was shut down was approximately the same as the construction cost for the Cowboy's new football stadium in Arlington. "When I think of what 16 times the construction cost of the Cowboy Stadium could accomplish for women and their families in this district, it angers me. When I'm angry, I look for solutions!" Cozad says: "This former Marine Corps officer wants to join Congressman Marc Veasey in the North Texas Congressional Delegation to work for solutions which improve the lives of the people in this state."
When asked why people from outside his district should support him he says: "The Democratic Party must gain at least 16 seats in the United States Congress to stop the obstruction. My opponent works to hinder the EPA in enforcing the Clean Air Act. This impacts mothers with children who have asthma all over the United States, not just in Arlington or Navarro or Ellis Counties. Congressman Barton's efforts to exempt damage to water from horizontal drilling and fracking exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act. This impacts families in Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York and many other states across the nation.
He says: "I need help to make the Texas 6th District one of 16 additional Democratic seats to stop the obstruction in Congress. Please contribute to my campaign by Act Blue."
NOTE: Activist and author Faith Chatham is currently serving as Chief of Staff for the Cozad for Congress Campaign. A frequent author and editor on Wise Women Won't Wait Anymore, she identifies campaigns which advance the rights of women and girls. She joined the Cozad for Congress Campaign because she agrees with him on the importance of rapid conversion to sustainable energy and the importance of passing the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and for access to affordable health care for everyone.
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