Hegar and West battling for shot at Republican Cornyn in U.S. Senate runoff

One-on-one with Democratic U.S. Senate candidates

With polls showing Republicans losing some ground in Texas, the Democratic runoff for U.S. Senate is taking an added importance. As early voting continues, FOX 26 political reporter Greg Groogan offers a look at the battle to face John Cornyn.

HOUSTON - Two Democrats and one chance – the opportunity this fall to knock Republican John Cornyn out of his seat in the United States Senate.

On the campaign trail, former Houston Prosecutor and longtime Dallas State Senator Royce West cites his pivotal role passing legislation that put body cameras on Texas police.

“Yes, it’s made a difference. It’s that kind of forward thinking that you are going to need your Senator to have. You are going to have to have someone to build coalitions based on interest. I have that ability. I have demonstrated that ability,” said West.

As a well-known African-American leader, West believes he’s best equipped to harvest the enormous energy surrounding the push for racial justice and enact meaningful law enforcement reform.

“There should be one law in this country when police can use deadly force and each state should have to adopt that law as a condition for receiving federal grants,” said West.

Afghan war hero M.J. Hegar contends West doesn’t have a monopoly on ideas to drastically improve American policing.

“When you militarize police, they go out and that’s an escalation and then the civilian population, they should be partnering with to make our community safer, are going to respond as if they are in a war. I believe we should be able to hold police accountable,” said Hegar.

While West trumpets his two and half decades in the Texas Senate, Hegar relishes her role as an outsider, billing herself as an over-due instrument of change for government dominated by special interests.

“We need leaders that stop asking their political party leaders what the best message is for their re-election and start getting leaders that ask what’s the best thing for our constituents to save lives, get our economy back up and running for regular, everyday Texans and the workers, who we say are essential for keeping our country running, but we don’t treat them like they are essential,” said Hegar.

In the final minutes of the final debate the gloves finally came off between these two candidates with West accusing Hegar of being a Republican posing as a Democrat and Hegar questioning how West managed to become a multimillionaire while in public service.

Election Day is July 14th.