华盛顿——德克萨斯州共和党人杰克·埃尔泽在赢得一场特别选举几天后，于周五宣誓就职选举其中他击败了前任的遗孀，她得到了前总统的支持唐纳德·特朗普。
特朗普继续对共和党拥有巨大的影响力，自2020年总统选举失败以来，他一直试图让自己成为一个国王。然而，周二，埃尔泽伊从幕后战胜共和党人、众议员罗恩·赖特的遗孀苏珊·赖特，这表明他的影响力可能有限——尤其是在郊区。
“我相信美国是例外的。我爱我的国家。很荣幸能为大家服务，”在众议院议长南希·佩洛西主持的就职宣誓后，埃尔泽伊在众议院说。
埃尔泽感谢他的家人，并承诺以“安静的职业精神”代表第六国会选区他还为67岁的罗恩·赖特默哀，他在第二个任期刚开始几周就于今年2月去世。莱特被诊断患有COVID-19，患有肺癌。苏珊·赖特也被诊断出患有新冠肺炎，一度和丈夫一起住院。
埃尔泽伊在特别选举决选中的胜利令许多人感到意外。他是一名共和党州议员，5月份仅次于苏珊·赖特，仅以微弱优势战胜民主党人进入决选。
特朗普支持赖特，并为她录制了一个电话会议。由前特朗普竞选经理科里·莱万多夫斯基(Corey Lewandowski)担任主席的政治行动委员会“让美国伟大行动”(Make America Great Action)在上周末投入10万美元购买广告，试图确保她的胜利。
埃尔泽伊在2018年以微弱劣势失去了共和党的席位提名。达拉斯附近的北德克萨斯地区长期以来一直是共和党的地盘。但特朗普在该地区的支持率也直线下降:在2016年以两位数的优势获胜后，他去年的支持率仅上升了3个百分点，反映出德克萨斯州蓬勃发展的郊区成为民主党人更有利的领地的趋势。
埃尔泽伊没有与这位两次被弹劾的前总统保持距离。相反，他试图通过筹集更多资金和争取其他支持，包括前德克萨斯州州长里克·佩里的支持，来克服特朗普缺乏支持的问题。
Texas congressman sworn in after beating Trump-backed rival
WASHINGTON -- Texas Republican Jake Ellzey was sworn in to the House on Friday, days after winning a specialelectionin which he defeated his predecessor's widow, who was backed by former PresidentDonald Trump.
Trump continues to hold tremendous sway over the GOP and has sought to make himself a kingmaker since losing the 2020 presidential election. Yet Ellzey’s come-from-behind victory Tuesday over Republican Susan Wright, widow of Rep. Ron Wright, suggests there may be limits to his influence — particularly in the suburbs.
“I believe America is exceptional. I love my country. It’s an honor to serve,” Ellzey said from the House floor after taking an oath of office administered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ellzey thanked his family and pledged to represent the 6th Congressional District with “quiet professionalism.” He also held a moment of silence for Ron Wright, 67, who died in February just weeks into his second term. Wright was diagnosed with COVID—19 and had lung cancer. Susan Wright was also diagnosed with COVID-19 and at one point was hospitalized with her husband.
Ellzey's victory in the special election runoff was a surprise to many. He was a Republican state legislator, finished second to Susan Wright in May and only narrowly made the runoff over a Democrat.
Trump endorsed Wright and recorded a robocall for her. Make America Great Action, a political action committee chaired by former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, plunged $100,000 into an ad buy over the weekend, in an effort to seal her victory.
Ellzey narrowly lost the GOP nomination for the seat in 2018. The North Texas district near Dallas has long been Republican territory. But Trump’s support in the district has also plummeted: after winning it by double-digits in 2016, he carried it by just 3 percentage points last year, reflecting the trend of Texas’ booming suburbs becoming more favorable territory for Democrats.
Ellzey did not distance himself from the twice-impeached former president. He instead sought to overcome the lack of Trump’s backing by raising more money and touting other endorsements, including the support of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
