By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
Democratic congressional candidate Evan Hunt used a virtual town hall Wednesday night to outline his positions on education, transgender athletes, infrastructure and government accountability, arguing Congress should spend less time on culture-war debates and more time addressing the everyday concerns of families across Texas’ 3rd Congressional District.
“I just think, frankly, we make too much of these culture war issues,” He said. “They affect a very small portion of the population and I want to get back to real work on real issues, because we have so many problems to solve.”
Religion in public schools
Religion in public schools became one of the evening’s longest discussions.
Hunt said he supports teaching students about religion as part of history but opposes government promoting one faith over another.
“If people want to take an elective in Christian history or Bible teachings, I mean, okay, if we’re doing that, then there should be electives for the other religions as well,” Hunt said. “There is no room for theology at the moment. Let’s get back to making sure we have the best public schools in the world.”
Asked by TX3DNews to elaborate after the town hall, Hunt said the distinction is constitutional.
“Teaching about religion is appropriate. The Bible has had a profound influence on history, literature, and our nation’s founding,” he said. “But teaching one religion as truth or promoting one faith over another crosses the line. Public schools should educate, not indoctrinate.”
Hunt said Texas crossed that line by encouraging schools to use the Bible “not just as a historical reference, but as a central instructional tool in elementary classrooms.”
“Government should never favor one faith over another,” he added.
Transgender athletes
The discussion also turned to transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports.
“I don’t think our community is ready for trans girls to be on girls sports teams,” Hunt said.
Rather than calling for Congress to establish a national policy, Hunt said those decisions should remain with local school districts.
“I don’t think the federal government should be making decisions along these lines. This is for ISDs,” he said.
In a follow-up response, Hunt said his role in Congress would be to represent the district rather than advance a personal agenda.
“As a member of Congress, my job is to be an advocate, not an activist. I represent my constituents, not just my own views,” he said.
He said policies involving transgender athletes should be developed through “an evidence-based process involving state athletic associations, medical experts, parents, coaches, and local school leaders” to balance fairness, safety and inclusion.
Sharia law and campaign priorities
Responding to a question about voters who believe Sharia law poses a threat, Hunt encouraged residents to meet members of their local Muslim communities rather than rely on political messaging.
“You don’t need an anti-Sharia caucus. You don’t need to fear your neighbors based on what they believe,” Hunt said.
Hunt said his perspective has been shaped in part by his military service, where he served alongside Muslims and spent years fighting extremist groups overseas.
“I don’t fear Muslims. I don’t fear Christians. But I do fear extremists,” Hunt said.
He argued the Constitution already provides safeguards against any attempt to replace U.S. law with religious law and said Congress should spend more time addressing infrastructure, housing and education than debates he believes divide communities.
Transportation and North Texas’ rapid growth
Questions about transportation and the region’s rapid growth prompted Hunt to argue that members of Congress should compete aggressively for federal infrastructure dollars, and to criticize representative Keith Self for what he described as a reluctance to pursue that funding.
“A federal congressperson usually takes home $10 to $20 million every year for their district,” Hunt said, adding that projects such as DART expansion are often funded largely by the federal government.
Hunt also voiced support for bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing affordable housing and limiting large-scale purchases of homes by private equity firms.
Evan Hunt on accountability and call to debate
Hunt also highlighted several government reform proposals that have become central to his campaign, including a 12-year congressional term limit, banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks, restricting lobbying by former members of Congress and ending out-of-cycle redistricting. He said the reforms are aimed at restoring public trust and accountability in Washington.
That same theme of accountability, Hunt said, extends to how elected officials engage with voters.
“Public office is a public trust,” Hunt said. “Debates and town halls let voters compare ideas, ask tough questions, and hold us accountable. If you’re asking people to represent them in Congress, you should be willing to stand before the people and answer for your record.”
Hunt said Self’s continued refusal to debate deprives voters of the opportunity to compare the candidates side by side.
“It’s disappointing that Congressman Keith Self has repeatedly declined opportunities to debate,” he said. “The people of this district deserve that accountability.”
The town hall offered voters one of the fuller looks yet at how Hunt would approach the office if elected, and at the contrasts he intends to draw with Self through November.