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Matthew Dowd is ending his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Texas after the Democratic primary field he was running in became more diverse.
“A diverse field is now emerging in the Democratic primary for this office,” Dowd said in a statement Tuesday. “I do not want to be the one who stands in the way of the greater diversity we need in politics.”
MATTHEW DOWD NUKES 175K TWEETS AHEAD OF CAMPAIGN FOR TEXAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Matthew Dowd. (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
(Lorenzo Bevilaqua)
The 60-year-old Dowd was the chief strategist for Bush’s 2004 campaign and served as a operative working for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 reelection campaign. He became a political analyst for ABC News in 2007, eventually becoming a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump.
Dowd made the decision to run two years after penning an op-ed for ABC News arguing that “white male Christians” should step aside and let more diverse candidates run for office.
“Instead of waiting for the diverse population of America to keep pushing and prodding, I would humbly suggest that we as white male Christians take it upon ourselves to step back and give more people who don’t look like us access to the levers of power,” Dowd wrote at the time.
“We as white male Christians should do what real leadership demands and practice a level of humility which demonstrates strength by stepping back from the center of the room and begin to give up our seats at the table,” he added.
But in September, Dowd put his hat into the ring for the race for lieutenant governor, though he argued in his statement Tuesday that he did so because the only declared candidate at the time “was a white male Christian.”
With a number of more diverse candidates now entering the race, Dowd said it was his time to step aside.
“I have always strived to be a person of integrity by living the values I espouse,” Dowd’s statement said. “Us white male Christians need to step back and give others room to lead.”
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Texas State Capitol. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
But Dowd assured followers that he was not going to step out of politics completely, saying he will continue to advocate for candidates “who step forward to serve the public with integrity.”
“I will continue to speak out on democracy and help elect servant leaders with common sense and common decency who believe in the common good, up and down the ballot, in Texas and across the nation,” Dowd said.