Kay Granger On Path To Re-Election Without Well-Funded Challenger

Arlington TX

08 February, 2022

6:04 PM

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By Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report February 8, 2022 At this time two years ago, it was unclear if U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth — one of the most well-known figures in Tarrant County politics — would survive a primary challenge from the right. Former Colleyville city councilman Chris Putnam earned national headlines for his well-funded campaign against Granger, the most senior Republican woman in the House. In 2022, that hard-fought battle is a distant memory for Granger, 79, who defeated Putnam by more than 10,000 votes that spring and cruised to victory in November. Now, just days away from the beginning of early voting in the primary, Granger faces an unobstructed path to a 14th term representing Texas' 12th Congressional District, where she remains the lone Republican woman from Texas. Her two primary challengers, political newcomers Alysia Rieg and Ryan Catala, have raised funds in the hundreds of dollars, not the $1 million or so necessary to be a viable contender, according to TCU political science professor James Riddlesperger. Incumbents are re-elected with "astonishing regularity," and without name recognition it's nearly impossible to win, he said. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.