Crawford Clay

Crawford Clay
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Crawford Clay I
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas
In office January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2009
Preceded by	Greg Jones
Succeeded by	Shirley Phelps
Personal details
Born	Crawford Zebulon Clay Jr. March 20, 1972 (age 47) Denton, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Julia Hicks (m. 2000)
Children	3
Parents	Crawford Clay Sr. (father) Cheryl Estes (mother)
Residence(s)	Denton, Texas
Education	University of Texas at Austin (BA, JD)

Crawford Zebulon Clay II (born March 20, 1972) is an American jurist and politician serving as the United States Representative for Texas's 4th congressional district since 2019. A Republican, Clay previously served as judge and district attorney of Denton County, and was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas from 2007 to 2009.

Following Republican senator Howard Frankston's decision not to run for re-election in the 2020 senate election, Clay announced his candidacy for the Senate seat in late 2019. His principal opponents in the Republican primary were United States Air Force general Joseph Frankston and Tarrant County justice of the peace Randall Cramp. Despite entering the hotly contested race in third place, Clay ultimately secured the Republican nomination, winning 51.7% of his party's vote in what analysts considered "a stunning upset." His Democratic opponent in the upcoming general election is current mayor of Houston Harold Baines.

Early life

Family

Crawford Zebulon Clay II was born on March 20, 1972 in Denton, Texas, the second of two children to Cheryl (née Estes), a housewife, and Crawford Zebulon Clay Sr., an attorney. He is of almost entirely English descent. The Clay family, estimated to be worth at least $500 million, have been active in Texan politics since the late 18th century, and members held high government office in the short-lived Republic of Texas and the Confederate States of America. Clay's ancestors fought at the Battle of the Alamo and served in the notorious Confederate Texas Brigade. Clay once claimed to have "Texas in [his] blood."

Clay grew up on a horse ranch near Denton, one of many agrarian properties owned by his family. As a child he and his brother, Rob, were passionate fans of the rodeo. He became a proficient horseman by the age of ten, claiming in an interview with Western Horseman that he was "born in the saddle." He was also a pious parishioner and frequent volunteer of the local Baptist church. When Clay was twelve, his father was elected representative of Texas's 4th congressional district, succeeding Clay's grandfather, Harlan Clay.

Education

Clay attended Liberty Christian School, where he participated in the debating society and captained the men's water polo team. In 1990 he was accepted to the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in political science before studying law at University of Texas School of Law. While at school, Clay remained active in debate and water polo, while also dabbling in drama and joining the university's Young Conservatives of Texas chapter. He was elected chairman of the chapter in his final year at university. Clay graduated magna cum laude in 1997.

Legal career

Private practice

After graduating, Clay moved back to Denton, where he joined the law firm Hudson & Croft. In 2005, Clay was made partner at the firm, which was renamed Hudson, Croft, & Clay, and is now known as Hudson & Katz.

United States Attorney

In 2006, President John J. Burke nominated Clay to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. He was confirmed by voice vote and was sworn in on January 9, 2007.

Clay's two years as United States Attorney were marked by a large number of cases filed against undocumented immigrants and suspected terrorists. In 2009, Clay resigned to run for district attorney of his native Denton County.

District attorney

Clay easily won the election and served as district attorney of Denton County for four years. During his tenure the county's crime rate decreased by 24.6%, a statistic he continues to reference. Clay also claims to be personally responsible for deporting "over a hundred violent illegal aliens" while in office.

Judge

In 2013, Clay was elected to the judgeship of Denton County, a post he held until he was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019. He attracted notable local attention because of his habit of lambasting criminal defendants, with one Denton resident reporting in 2014 that "Clay's courtroom is better entertainment than prime time TV." Clay was recused from a record number of cases during his tenure.

U.S. House of Representatives

Election

In 2017, Clay's father, Crawford Clay I, announced that due to his deteroriating health he would not seek re-election the next year. With the retiring congressman's endorsement, Clay confirmed his candidacy for the representative of Texas's 4th congressional district in a press conference in Denton the next day. Clay faced no serious competitor in the Republican primary and Democratic challenger Arturo Rojas, a paralegal, in the general election. As the 4th district is the eighth-most Republican congressional district in the country, the election was widely expected to be a safe Republican hold. Despite his high chances, Clay prosecuted a highly active and well-financed campaign. He defeated Rojas with 84.3% of the vote, and was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2019.

Tenure

As representative, Clay sponsored legislation which would relax regulations on oil drilling and nuclear power, as well as a number of farm bills which would slash billions of dollars from the food stamp budget. One year into his term he maintained a 78% approval rating among his constituents, as well as an A+ grade from the National Rifle Association and ratings of 90% to 100% from the National Right to Life Committee, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Christian Coalition of America, and the American Farm Bureau.

Clay endorsed Randall Cramp in the 2019 Senate special election, later expressing support for Karen Brookshire.

Senate campaign

Republican primary

Shortly after Senator Howard Frankston announced his retirement in 2019, Clay launched his candidacy to succeed him in the Senate. The other front-runners in the Republican primary were JP and perennial senate candidate Randall Cramp and Senator Frankston's own son, Joseph Frankston, who was widely favored to win throughout the primary, consistently polling ahead of the other candidates. Despite polling at only 13% in late January 2020, Clay distinguished himself from the other candidates by actively campaigning, climbing to 20% support by early Febuary. Clay was widely perceived as having the "highest ceiling" among the Republican candidates, representing a middle ground between the more moderate Joe Frankston and the ardent Bernard Porter supporter Randy Cramp.

A televised debate between the Republican candidates was held in late Feburary, after which Clay's popularity rose to 26% compared to Frankston's 34% and Cramp's 18%. 21% of those polled remained undecided. Shortly afterward, Cramp suspended his campaign and endorsed Clay; many of Cramp's endorsers, including Bernard Porter, followed suit. In the last poll conducted before the election, Clay polled at 38%, overtaking Frankston by one point. The primary was one of the costliest and most competitive across the nation.

On March 4, the day after the primary, news outlets reported that Clay had won the nomination, taking 51.7% of the vote to Frankston's 48.3%. There was considerable coverage and analysis of the primary, with many experts surprised at the defeat of the favorite son candidate, Frankston (who was also endorsed by the leader in the Republican presidential primary, Nathaniel Richardson). Clay's nomination was dubbed "a stunning upset" and "a grassroots victory" by some in the media. Analysts attributed the unexpected results to Frankston's "invisible" campaign and remarks during the debate which appeared to equivocate on the question of a border wall. Clay also benefitted from his experience campaigning and the broadness of his coalition, which appealed to the majority of both Frankston's and Cramp's voters.

General election

Clay will face Democrat Harold Baines, the mayor of Houston, in the general election in November. He faced criticism early in the campaign due to advertisements which implied that Baines suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Clay denounced the ads, claiming that he had no part in their production, but continued to refer to his opponent as "Sleepy Harry."

As of mid March, Clay polled at 42%, leading Baines by only three points, while 19% of the Texan electorate remained undecided.

Political positions

Abortion

Clay opposes abortion. In 2019, he was rated at 0% by NARAL and 100% by the National Right to Life Committee. He stated that "life begins at conception" and expressed his juridical belief that Roe v. Wade is unconsitutional and should be overturned, with rulings on abortion devolved to state governments.

Gun rights

Clay opposes many gun control measures, including bans on semi-automatic firearms. He supports red flag laws as a possible solution to gun violence.

Energy and environment

Clay rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. He encouraged President Arnold Wolf to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords and has advocated for decreased environmental regulations on oil drilling and other energy concerns.

Immigration

Clay maintains a hard-line stance in favor of President Wolf's proposed border wall. He has stated that America "should celebrate legal immigrants" while deporting those who illegally enter the country.

Health care

Clay supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in favor of an expansion of Medicare.

Foreign policy

Clay is a vocal supporter of Israel.

Electoral history

2018

Republican primary results, 2018
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Crawford Clay	60,115	92.5%
	Republican	Paul Engel	4,901	7.5%
Total Votes			65,016

Texas's 4th congressional district, 2018
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Crawford Clay	192,026	84.3%
	Democratic	Arturo Rojas	35,874	15.7%
Total Votes			227,900

2020

U.S. Senate Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Crawford Clay	999,902	51.7%
	Republican	Joseph Frankston	934,145	48.3%
Total Votes			1,934,047

Personal life

Clay married his fiancée of eight months, Julia Hicks, in 2000. Together they have a daughter, Abigail (b. 2006), and two sons, Crawford III (b. 2008) and Marshall (b. 2012).

Clay is a Baptist and has emphasized the prominent role his faith plays in his life in interviews. He professes to pray before every session of Congress.