Paxton and the war between Ukraine and Russia are key points of conflict in the congressional race in North Texas' 12th district – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The only congressional runoff in North Texas is for the seat of longtime Congresswoman Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth. Granger is retiring from Congress and will have big shoes to fill, having served as chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

The Twelfth Congressional District covers most of Parker County and the western half of Tarrant County, including Fort Worth.

In the March primary, Texas Republican Rep. Craig Goldman of Fort Worth was well ahead of his challengers with 44% of the vote, but that was not enough to win the seat. Goldman and runner-up John O'Shea will face the May 28 primary.

Goldman has a significant financial advantage, raising nearly $1.9 million in campaign contributions, and is backed by the Texas Home School Coalition, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former U.S. Energy Secretary and Gov. Rick Perry, and outgoing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger.

Contributions from Goldman's challenger, businessman John O'Shea, total just over $300,000. He is backed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former Trump strategist Roger Stone and the True Texas Project.

Both said one of their top priorities is to provide more resources to the Texas-Mexico border, as historically high numbers of migrants have crossed the border illegally in recent years.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

One of the strongest dividing lines between the two candidates is the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Goldman said he would have voted for the bipartisan aid bill, which would send billions of taxpayer dollars to the Eastern European country to fend off a Russian invasion. O'Shea said he would have voted against the bill and believes Russia has a claim on the country that it wants to take over.

The 12th Congressional District is home to major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Much of the tax money from the foreign aid bill will go to American defense contractors to build the weapons that Ukraine is using in its war.

“I believe in strength, in peace through strength, and that means a very strong military, robust military spending,” O'Shea said. “I don't think that's going to provide our military-industrial complex with contracts for a war that is already a foregone conclusion and that has no real strategic interest for us.”

O'Shea said he was not happy with the U.S. supporting the Western-aligned government over the Russian-aligned government during a 2014 power transition known as the “Maidan Revolution.” He noted that Russian is spoken in the eastern half of the country and believes Putin's Russia is laying claim to the land it is trying to conquer.

Pointing to the longstanding violence in the contested region, O'Shea said: “They had been working for independence or sovereignty for a while. In fact, we had already approved that when Yugoslavia broke up, and we gave them the right, in a sense, to divide the country and secede. So now they are using that very basis to bolster their arguments.”

Goldman told NBC 5 he sees the bipartisan vote in Congress as a crucial step in preventing a larger confrontation.

“We have to defend our allies in Ukraine. This is no different than what happened in the '20s and '30s when we were building up. This is no different than what Adolf Hitler did when he started taking land and then, you know, trying to take over the world,” Goldman said. “This is no different.”

He strongly disagreed with O'Shea's position, saying: “Russia has no claim to the land of Ukraine.”

“We do not need to send a single soldier, a single man or a single woman, to Ukraine on behalf of the United States of America right now. If Ukraine falls to Russia, we will send troops, because then they will be on the border of our NATO allies,” Goldman said.

Responding to O'Shea's criticism of the “military-industrial complex” and his support of defense contractors in the district, Goldman said: “Will I support anything Lockheed Martin does in the congressional district to build the F-35? You're damn right about that,” Goldman said.

Lockheed Martin is the largest employer in the district and the driving force behind the planning and production of the new F-35 fighter jet, according to Goldman.

“That's why I will be absolutely committed to defense and will strongly support the continued construction of the F-35, not only for the United States but also for our allies around the world,” Goldman said.

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON

Another important difference between the two candidates is their support and shared history with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Rep. Goldman was among two-thirds of Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives who voted to impeach Paxton in the summer of 2023 on abuse of power and bribery charges. In the fall, the Texas Senate voted to acquit him in a contentious impeachment trial. Paxton has been on a “vengeance spree” ever since.

“The Texas House of Representatives did not vote on whether he was guilty or not. We were constitutionally obligated to answer one question: Is there enough evidence to put him on trial? The Texas House of Representatives said, 'Yes,'” Goldman said. “The Texas Senate then agreed with us before they proceeded with their entire impeachment process. The very first vote of those senators was: Is there enough evidence to put him on trial? They said, 'Yes,' and then they went ahead.”

Regarding the outcome of the trial, the acquittal by the Senate, Goldman said: “That is in the hands of the senators. I mean, the senators were part of the process and they listened to the testimony and that is how they voted.”

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O'Shea described Paxton as a longtime friend who supported him for the office.

“For me, it's funny that he endorsed me back when I was running against Congresswoman Kate Granger. Ironically, now that Craig is entering the race, you could maybe look at that as a double effort,” O'Shea said.

Regarding Goldman's list of major sponsors besides Paxton, O'Shea said: “I knew I was taking on the establishment.”

O'Shea said the one thing he didn't expect was Lt. Gov. Patrick's endorsement of Goldman. Patrick is in a very public and costly dispute with House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont. Goldman was one of Phelan's top deputies in the House.

“Ultimately, I'm looking for voter support. So I'm going to as many organizations as I can, to as many meet-and-greet events, just sharing my message and hoping it gets through to voters,” O'Shea said.