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Pritesh Gandhi
Pritesh Gandhi (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 10th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary runoff on July 14, 2020.
Elections
2020
See also: Texas' 10th Congressional District election, 2020
Texas' 10th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
Texas' 10th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 10
Incumbent Michael McCaul defeated Mike Siegel and Roy Eriksen in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 10 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael McCaul (R) | 52.5 | 217,216 |
 | Mike Siegel (D) | 45.3 | 187,686 | |
 | Roy Eriksen (L) | 2.2 | 8,992 | |
| Total votes: 413,894 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Lloyd Coker (Conservative Party)
- Olis Bahari (Independent)
Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 10
Mike Siegel defeated Pritesh Gandhi in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 10 on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Siegel | 54.2 | 26,799 |
 | Pritesh Gandhi | 45.8 | 22,629 | |
| Total votes: 49,428 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 10
Mike Siegel and Pritesh Gandhi advanced to a runoff. They defeated Shannon Hutcheson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 10 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Siegel | 44.0 | 35,651 |
| ✔ | | Pritesh Gandhi | 33.1 | 26,818 |
 | Shannon Hutcheson | 22.9 | 18,578 | |
| Total votes: 81,047 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 10
Incumbent Michael McCaul advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 10 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael McCaul | 100.0 | 60,323 |
| Total votes: 60,323 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 10
Roy Eriksen advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 10 on March 21, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Roy Eriksen (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Pritesh Gandhi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
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Climate Change: Twelve Miles of Life When we think about global warming and climate change it is easy to imagine our planet as a large, immutable force. But, all known life exists in only twelve vertical miles, from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Think about that for a second… Yet, we have members of Congress that continue to deny the evidence that is staring them in the face – that climate change is real In 2017, the United States saw four hurricanes make landfall, three of which caused massive damage, and two of which were Category 5s – the result of warming waters building stronger storms. The next year, we saw the deadliest wildfires in our country’s history. Across the country, our farmers are being disrupted at a catastrophic pace as crops are impacted by a changing climate. If we don’t match the warnings of record-flooding along our Gulf Coast, of record-charring on the Gold Coast, of record crop failures from coast-to-coast, and of record coughing in our exam rooms and living rooms with the urgency they require, the damage we are doing to our climate will become irreversible and we will have left our kids and grandkids in greater peril than we may ever know. I will fight for: Clean air & clean water by reinstating the Obama-era climate policies and unshackling the EPA. Historic investments in expanding Texas’ production of low-carbon energy sources (we are a national leader in wind energy production). Investing in efficiency to reduce energy costs for consumers while avoiding environmental impacts (e.g., retrofitting existing housing stock). Investing in conservation to protect green spaces, wildlife, and our habitat. Investments in R&D with the national innovation system of universities, national labs, and industry to unleash new economic opportunity as we navigate the transition to a low-carbon world. Carbon fee & dividends as a way to immediately reduce emissions. Re-entry into the Paris Climate Agreement. Linking this transition to renewable energy with a focus on vocational and technical skills training because without environmental justice we cannot scale these efforts. Common-Sense Gun Safety Physicians like me see the trauma caused by our weak gun safety laws every day. In 2012, weeks after the tragedy at Sandy Hook, I founded a group, Doctors Against Gun Violence, while I was doing my residency at Tulane Hospital in New Orleans. Along with fellow physicians, I crisscrossed the state of Louisiana providing a louder voice to promote evidence-based research in a campaign for common-sense gun safety laws. Fund gun violence research. After decades of the NRA placating gun manufacturers and bullying our elected officials to turn a blind eye, Congress is finally taking action to understand our gun violence crisis. However, the Senate is now blocking $50 million in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence. The Senate should fund these efforts immediately. Congress should implement these changes immediately: Pass Universal Background Checks. No person should be able to purchase a deadly firearm from another person without first passing a background check that ensures they don’t have a criminal history, or a history of violence against themselves or others, that prohibits them from owning a gun. Support Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Allow physicians and family members to report individuals – who are a risk to themselves or others – to law enforcement and allow law enforcement to temporarily revoke access to firearms with the order of a judge. Ban Assault Weapons and Large-Capacity Magazines. No civilian should have a weapon of war for personal use. Congress should ban the purchase of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. Congress should also take steps to regulate the estimated 15 million assault weapons that are already in circulation, including establishing voluntary buy-back programs. Close the Partner and Stalker Loopholes. Congress should expand the list of persons prohibited from purchasing a firearm to include individuals with a history of domestic violence and stalking. End Gun Industry Immunity. Treat the gun industry just like any other and allow victims of gun violence to seek civil compensation from irresponsible gun manufacturers. Congress should close this NRA favored loophole in our civil justice system. Health is a Fundamental Human Right I am a physician. I take care of sick people. And I am fed up with America’s systems making people sicker. Let’s be clear: we have rules and regulations attempting to make using care as difficult as possible – a cynical attempt at reducing healthcare utilization in our state and country. Not too long ago, I met a woman who had complained of abdominal pain and progressive weight loss for years. She had ignored signs of colon cancer because cost put the evaluation she needed out of reach. I treat patients with arthritis, unable to afford medications or specialists. I see working-class adults suffering from back and neck pain for years because the expense of physical therapy keeps relief out of reach. We can do better. And we will. No American should be without insurance. This means Congress should pass legislation that expands Medicare for all that want it. And, this legislation needs to meaningfully engage on social determinants of health such as housing, poverty, food insecurity, and education. As we fight for universal coverage, we need to be practical about the realities of the pace of social change. Congress should also pursue changes to our current system that will immediately improve the health of communities because we maintain a moral obligation to help families now. While fighting for universal coverage, Congress should implement these changes immediately:
Humanity at Our Border I am the son of immigrants. The immigrant experience defines the American narrative. These stories are ones of courage and will: mothers who come to our border seeking refuge from violence, scholars who come to study, families who seek a better life. We must call out unjust and cruel policies that seek to punish, demean, and harm immigrants and their families. I will fight for our shared humanity by:
Investing in Our Workforce I believe in our workforce. At one point in our history, our government did too. We were committed to a flourishing middle class and we built protections for workers and their families. And then we walked away. We walked away from investing in the most important aspect of our economy – our workforce. We walked away from labor protections and unions. We walked away from basic support for working families. America has arrived at an economy where 1% of our citizens hold 40% of the wealth, while the majority of our citizens say they are one unexpected bill away from economic ruin. We can do better.
I will fight for investment in worker training and economic development: Increasing funding for workforce training opportunities outside of the four-year degree, including high school pre-apprenticeship programs, apprenticeships, and occupational credentials Fostering industry partnerships with high schools and community colleges to create training-to-work pipelines Directing economic development and incentives to rural and underserved communities I will fight for working families:
I will fight for investments for workers who are between jobs:
And we must protect and expand Social Security for our nation’s workers, who have contributed to the program for their lifetime. Investing in Rural Communities Washington is leaving rural Texas communities behind. Too many Texas families have to choose between rural communities they’ve grown up in and economic opportunities in the larger cities. Over the last couple of decades we have witnessed a historic decline in the middle class with a widening income inequality gap and yet, legislators in DC do nothing to keep our families together in rural America. We can do better. In Congress, I will fight to: End the trade war and tariffs that are hurting farmers and ranchers. Support legislation, such as HR 1328 (ACCESS BROADBAND ACT), to increase access to broadband internet in rural communities to open up access to the world economy and health care advances, like telemedicine. Build on Texas’ strength as a wind energy leader by investing in the expansion of renewable energy production. Expand access to capital for rural entrepreneurs and small business owners by supporting legislation such as H.R. 2409 (Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act). Pass Medicaid expansion which will at least ensure that Texans benefit from the millions of federal dollars that we have left on the table – this is support that we could have been receiving to maintain and bolster our rural hospitals and safety net system. Protecting Women’s Health As a primary care doctor, I have witnessed women’s rights be chipped away slowly in Texas. I am running for Congress to stop the assault on women’s health. I believe that reproductive justice should never be on the table to be leveraged in budget or legislative negotiations. I will fight for women’s health by:
Restoring Faith in American Democracy Americans are losing faith in government, and for good reason. Congress must take bold action to protect voting rights, get dark money out of politics, and end legalized corruption by elected officials. Congress should implement these changes immediately to restore confidence in our elections: Disclose “Dark Money” spending in our elections. Dark money groups who operate as non-profit social welfare organizations spend millions in our election while hiding who is funding them. Congress must pass the DISCLOSE Act [H.R. 6239—115th Congress] and bring transparency to our elections. Make voting easier. Automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting, and ending felon disenfranchisement are common sense ways to make it easier for Americans to participate in our democracy. The Senate must pass H.R. 1 [For the People Act of 2019] and implement these changes. End partisan gerrymandering. The federal courts have failed to fix the problem of partisan redistricting, so Congress must act. Congress must pass legislation implementing non-partisan redistricting reform. Overturn Citizens United. The Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates to dark money in political campaigns. Congress must pass H.J. 2 [Democracy for All Amendment] a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United. Congress should implement these changes immediately to restore confidence in our governance: Stop the revolving door. Members of Congress and their senior staff face only minimal “cooling off periods” between government service and becoming a registered lobbyist. This practice breeds corruption and must end. Congress must pass a 10 year lobbying ban for Members of Congress and their senior staff. Ban individual stock ownership by Members of Congress. Congressman McCaul made more than 7,000 stock trades over a two year period. And, he’s not alone. Members of Congress routinely trade stock; often those trades involve companies whom their committee has industry oversight. Congress must ban individual stock ownership for Members of Congress. Mandate the disclosure of tax returns for Presidential candidates. In 2016, President Trump ended the long established practice of voluntary tax return disclosure by candidates for President. These disclosures are an important vetting mechanism to ensure Presidential candidates don’t have conflicts of interest or are compromised by a forgien entity. Congress must pass legislation mandating the disclosure of at least 10 years of tax returns for all presidential candidates. [1] |
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| —Pritesh Gandhi 2020 campaign website[2] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pritesh Gandhi 2020 campaign website, "Key Issues," accessed February 17, 2020
