The Democratic primary field has begun to take shape in Texas’ 10th Congressional District, where two candidates are already vying to take on U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin.

Pritesh Gandhi, a primary care physician, and Mike Siegel, the district’s 2018 Democratic nominee, both have started actively campaigning and fundraising within the far-reaching district, which extends from Austin to the Houston suburbs, spanning seven largely rural counties in between.

The early campaign activity — 11 months remain until the 2020 primaries in March — reflects fresh national interest in the district. Though few political observers placed McCaul’s seat on their radar, he won by only 4.3 percentage points in November, prompting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to place the district on its 2020 shortlist of targets.

McCaul has confirmed he is seeking re-election, and he has yet to draw a primary challenger this cycle. Now in his eighth term, he first won the seat in 2004, and has never failed to draw more than 80 percent of the vote in a Republican primary since his initial race.

As for his prospects against Democrats, McCaul did not appear unsettled by his narrower-than-usual win in 2018. He said he doesn’t think his seat is in play.

“The last election was skewed by straight-ticket voting,” McCaul continued. “Nobody even knew my opponent. The next time it's going to be voting on the candidate, and not just straight party ticket. So, I think it'll be very different.”

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2017 that will end by the 2020 general election the practice of straight-ticket voting — casting a ballot for every candidate from a single party by checking one box.

In 2018, Siegel said, straight-ticket voting “could cut either way.” He contended that McCaul is largely unknown across the district, too, and that the incumbent benefited from Abbott’s coordinated campaign just as Siegel himself was buoyed by Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s Senate candidacy.

Regardless, Siegel has far from a clear path to a rematch. Gandhi formally joined the race in early March, raising about $161,000 during the 27-day span from then until the end of the first-quarter filing period, according to his campaign. He heads into the second quarter with $157,000 cash on hand.

“As people get to know my story, they're going to see that (I have) a lifetime of experience, that this isn't something that, a seat opened up and I decided that now would be the time to run for it,” Gandhi said.

A former Fulbright Scholar, Gandhi works as the associate chief medical officer for People’s Community Clinic, an Austin-based nonprofit that provides health care services primarily to uninsured or underinsured patients.

Gandhi decided to enter the race, he said, because there is a “vacuum of basic human decency and leadership in the halls of Congress that needs to be filled.” In recent years, Gandhi has joined rallies advocating for paid sick leave, and he is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All.

“I've been doing this stuff for years, before I had any inclination to run,” Gandhi said. “And that is because the stories and the experiences of the patients, their families and their communities are seared into my day-to-day thinking.”

For his part, Siegel left the door open to another run shortly after the November election, then in January released a video titled, “We’re Still Running.” On Feb. 1, he resigned from his job as an attorney for the city of Austin to hit the campaign trail full time.

Siegel has raised about $150,000 so far, he said, and maintains more than $100,000 cash on hand. His platform includes support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal resolution, along with a $15 minimum wage.

Though national Democrats largely ignored Siegel during the 2018 race, his campaign drew attention shortly before the election when a field director was detained at the Waller County courthouse while delivering a letter related to a dispute over alleged voter suppression of Prairie View A&M University students.

Siegel appeared on MSNBC host Rachel Maddow’s show to address the issue, which was ultimately resolved.

Now seeking a second chance to face McCaul, Siegel said he was not particularly surprised to receive at least one primary opponent.

“It's due to our success in making this appear winnable,” he said. “Last year it was deep red. No one thought McCaul could be beaten, or at least no one in D.C. thought he could be beaten. And now it's a national battleground, so it's attractive.”

Gandhi acknowledged Siegel’s effort in 2018, but did not believe it should have dissuaded him from mounting a primary run.

"Yes, Mike ran last year and ran a good race,” Gandhi said. “But I've been fighting for people in this district every waking moment over the last few years."

McCaul, who saw his 19-point win in 2016 cut by more than 14 points last year, now serves as the top Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee.

A former federal and state prosecutor, he previously served as chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security for the maximum number of terms allowed by the GOP.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

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