Goldman seeks second term as Democrat challenges him to represent Fort Worth in US House 

The race for Texas’ Congressional District 12 features first-term Republican incumbent Craig Goldman and Democrat Angela “Heli” Rodriguez Prilliman.

The winner will represent much of Fort Worth in the U.S. House. Early voting starts Oct. 19, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

A former Texas House member, Goldman, 58, succeeded U.S. Rep. Kay Granger. He counts passage of an energy efficiency bill as a major first-term achievement. The bill repealed Biden administration conservation standards for commercial refrigerators and freezers.

“It all starts with relationships and friendships,” Goldman, one of three freshman representatives who joined the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee this year in a wave of turnover, told the Fort Worth Report. “And then providing good legislation that makes common sense, good conservative legislation.”

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Goldman was elected to Congress in 2024 with 63.5% of the vote, defeating Democrat Trey Hunt.

Prilliman, 39, supports federal universal healthcare and universal childcare. She said she has raised little money during her race against Goldman, opting instead to block walk and campaign with Democratic groups backing state Sen. Taylor Rehmet, gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

“People are shocked that you show up,” said Prilliman, who has been spending much of her time recently campaigning in Parker County, which went 85% for Goldman in 2024.

Voters in heavily red areas are frustrated by access to healthcare and affordable childcare and about rapidly developing issues like data centers, she said.

“They don’t have healthcare, childcare out there,” Prilliman said. “Families are struggling. Moms are struggling.”

A large number of Americans support “Medicare for All” healthcare, but Democratic leaders have been divided between that and more traditional approaches like improving the federal Affordable Care Act. Prilliman said she would pay for her healthcare and childcare proposals via a tax on the mostly wealthy Americans.

“Two (percent) to five percent,” she said, acknowledging the idea is a starting point. “That’s nothing” for those people to pay.

Republicans have strongly backed President Trump on immigration, even with high-profile enforcement activity and shootings by ICE agents. Polls show Trump’s popularity has taken hits from inflation and the Iranian conflict, but Goldman questioned their veracity.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill made permanent a raft of tax cuts, installed deductions on certain tip and overtime income through 2028 and cut spending on programs like Medicaid. But nonpartisan estimates said the bill would also drive up the federal budget deficit — now at $2 trillion annually — by trillions of dollars.

Goldman said the law meant Republicans prevented a hefty tax increase as Democrats campaign on more spending.

“I think we as Republicans have a much better message,” he said. “We got rid of waste fraud and abuse in Medicaid. We gave middle-class American citizens a major tax cut. Democrats have zero message. In fact, they voted opposite.”

In the next Congress, Republicans want to dramatically increase defense spending and continue to cut discretionary spending. In 2024, 24% of the budget went to federal health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid; 21% to Social Security; 13% to defense; and 13% to interest payments on the federal debt. Other spending made up the remainder.

The Social Security Board of Trustees projects “taxes will be enough to pay for only 75 percent of scheduled benefits” by 2035. 

“We’ve got to set all party differences aside,” Goldman said about the program. “We’ve just got to look at it. That would fall under our committee. We can’t continue on the current path. Because all it’s doing is increasing our national debt.”

Prilliman characterized a focus on the budget deficit, to the exclusion of meaningful conversation about universal healthcare and childcare, as “Republican talking points.”

“Everybody feels the need for childcare,” she said. “These things are extremely hard to find, and they are very expensive.”

Prilliman said Democrats will make heavy gains in Congress.

“Once we flip all these seats, a lot of these (issues) are going to be confronted,” she said.

Goldman said polling can be unreliable. He pointed to 2016 polls that showed Hillary Clinton defeating Trump, but Trump prevailed.

“You don’t know who the pollsters are polling. Are they registered voters? Are they likely voters? Not everybody answers their phone,” Goldman said. “My colleagues all over the United States of America have their heads down, they’re getting their message out.”

Democrats are advancing the rapid growth of data centers as a potential issue for Congress. Environmental impact is an issue that needs to be addressed alongside Trump’s rollback of environmental regulations.

“We need to rebuild a lot of these environmental agencies that Trump has gutted,” Prilliman said. 

Goldman said he sees data centers as a state and local issue.

“I don’t think we need a federal bill to do anything to limit what cities and counties can do,” he said.

On Iran, Goldman said, “everyone wants that conflict to end. I think Iran is playing games. I don’t think it helps them in the long run.”

Gasoline prices nationally remain high, but Goldman said Texas had record oil and gas production last month.

On immigration, Prilliman supports abolition of ICE and said she supports a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

“If they’re here, give them a Social Security number and let them work” while they work through the federal process, she said. “There’s no reason not to do that. To have people waiting around for years, having them work under the table just to survive, it’s ridiculous.”

Goldman lauded Trump for deporting undocumented immigrants with hard criminal records and stopping the flow of illegals over the southern border that he said then-President Joe Biden allowed. Republicans previously have been interested in reaching agreement on immigration, he said. 

“This goes back to when President (George W.) Bush was president and when (Sens.) Ted Kennedy and John McCain had a plan for worker visas, for people to come to the country legally, pay their taxes, and George Bush says, ‘Get that to my desk and I’ll sign it,’” but the two parties couldn’t reach agreement, Goldman said.

On foreign trade, American consumption has historically accounted for about 70% of the nation’s gross domestic product, with the demand leading to big trade deficits with most of the nation’s trading partners. But Trump has said many nations have taken advantage of the U.S. with unfair practices.

“Trump has opened up a lot of eyes to a lot of Americans, me being one of them, frankly,” Goldman said. “Our allies in some cases were taking advantage of us. I am for free trade, but I’m also for fair trade.”

Goldman addressed critics who have said he hasn’t scheduled any town hall events as a congressman.

“Where I’m invited, I try and go,” he said. “Going back and forth to Washington, D.C., having one or two nights a week at home, it’s demanding on the schedule. When I’m home, I’m in places where I’m invited.”

Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at [email protected].

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