Referring to former Air Force fighter pilot August Pfluger II and ex-congressional aide Brandon Batch, who moved home to San Angelo and Midland, respectively, to run, Lacy said, “I didn’t just move back to run for Congress.
“I’m from West Texas and I understand the oil and gas industry better than any other candidate in this race, which is extremely critical in the Permian Basin. Without oil, we don’t have an economy. I will go fight the liberal left and the Green New Deal, who want to shut down fracking and shut this industry down.”
President-CEO of the Lacy Oil Corp., Lacy said he expects to spend more than $1 million in the race to succeed the retiring 11th District Congressman Mike Conaway of Midland. “It’s not entirely my own money,” he said.
Lacy is a fourth-generation oilman whose company was founded by his granddad James W. Lacy, who got his start in the oilfields of South Texas and Oklahoma. He served six years on the Midland City Council from District 4, the western and northwestern sides of town. He has a finance degree from the University of Texas Permian Basin.
Asked what the voters are saying, Lacy said, “That we need a strong fighter in Washington who will stand with President Trump and build a wall at the southern border because we’ve got crime and drugs flooding into the State of Texas.
“They want an individual who will be a strong defender of the Second Amendment and have a strong pro-life stance because the right to life is a huge issue at the candidates’ forums. We also need to streamline the process for people who want to enter this country legally because right now the whole process takes five to 10 years while those who enter illegally get free health care and free education on the backs of the American taxpayers.”
Lacy said marshalling support for the energy business in Washington is important not only to the Basin but also to the nation because achieving energy independence is integral to national security. “We are the fastest-growing area in the country and we need my expertise in labor and transportation issues,” he said.
“I don’t know who else will be in the runoff. It might be Pfluger. When we go to the runoff, it will be a completely different campaign at that point.
“We need a man with actual experience to fight for this industry. Shaking hands and getting in front of people is a good portion of it, too. I am West Texas and I am the right individual to represent this district in the United States Congress.”
The other Republican candidates are Wesley Virdell of Brady, Robert Tucker of Comanche, Ned Luscombe of Gardendale, Gene Barber of Colorado City, J.D. Faircloth of Midland and Casey Gray and Jamie Berryhill Jr., both of Odessa. Democrat Jon Mark Hogg and Libertarian Wacey Alpha Cody, both of San Angelo, are unchallenged in the primary.
Monday is the final day to register to vote in the March primaries.
Here are other important dates for this year’s election:
>> Feb. 18: Early voting begins for the Texas primaries and ends 10 days later. Visit co.ector.tx.us/page/ector.elections for more information about Ector County voting.
>> Feb. 21: Final day to request a ballot to vote by mail in the primaries.
>> Feb. 28: Early voting ends.
>> March 3: Election day.
Bob Campbell is a reporter for the Odessa American covering Religion and Lifestyle in the Permian Basin.
