ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In this week’s Big Country Politics Sunday conversation, Vance Boyd stopped by to discuss his candidacy as a Republican candidate for District 19 U.S. House Representative.

Boyd is the owner of a contracting business in Abilene but is also known for his time as a professional bull rider of 18 years.

“I got to live the life most people dream of,” said Boyd. “It’s probably the only sport where when you walk away you’re a little bit surprised, thankful but surprised and you do a little inventory when you hit the ground.”

When it comes to running for District 19 U.S. House Representative this isn’t Boyd’s first rodeo. Boyd last ran for this same position in 2020 in which Jodey Arrington won over 89 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.

“That was sort of an inspired moment,” said Boyd. “It was three days before the filing deadline and I was kicking it around. This time around we put together a really good team of people that we all share the same vision. Congress has a 98 percent re-election rate and it’s not because they’re all swell and doing a great job it’s because the apparatus to be a legitimate contender at this level requires a lot of resources, a lot of hours, and a lot of enthusiastic volunteers.

As Boyd prepares to primary the incumbent candidate Jodey Arrington in March, Boyd was asked why challenge an established candidate like Arrington.

“I think you can look at every problem we have that we deal with and becomes a frustration to the voters and the common denominator is a career politician and the political class,” said Boyd. “Especially our incumbent who is detached from the realities that people deal with here in west Texas. The career political class should be screaming from the rooftops to correct these obvious problems we have are silent or they’ll talk it death and meanwhile, we’re three years down the road and nothing has happened.”

In terms of the obvious problems, Boyd elaborated on the issues concerning the Texas-Mexico border.

“We have to have border security and accountability for when the flood of drugs and human trafficking and again there’s no sense of urgency to stop it,” said Boyd. It kind of stuns me because there’s nothing more important than drug overdoses and human trafficking.’

Abilene is roughly 4 hours away from the Del Rio-Mexico border and about 5 hours away from the Eagle Pass-Mexico border. If elected Boyd described how he would address the dilemma surrounding the Texas-Mexico border.

“That’s really the only way the problem will be solved is to close the border. Anyone who came to this country illegally is entitled to nothing,” said Boyd. “The ones that are waiting in line that have done the paperwork and are waiting and waiting to become U.S. citizens letting others cutting in the line in front of them is not what an organized government would do.”

If elected one of Boyd’s initiatives is to fight to protect and champion West Texas food producers. Boyd explains his plan.

“I couldn’t believe this is allowed to stand this far is Country of Origin Labeling should be put on everything across the board every agricultural product,” said Boyd. “I think it was in 2015 when they eliminated those guidelines for beef and pork, I believe poultry has to now where they don’t have to be labeled the country of origin. Which makes no sense to me.”

Boyd went on to describe how inflation is impacting cattle prices and specifically the cattle industry.

“One statistic I read from it was an article in a Missouri publication that wrote down and analyzed it said a producer took a cow-calf pair to the sale and earned around $518.20,” said Boyd. In 2020 it dropped to $85. That’s an 84% decrease in what is earned and I know consumers aren’t paying 84% less at the supermarket. Inflation is out of control, and this is one thing that should have been fixed a long time ago, why our congressman has not pushed it when he claims to be the friend of the West Texas cattlemen well I am a cattleman, and it affects me every time I take cattle to the sale barn.”

The U.S. House Representatives are up for election every two years. If elected Boyd shared his thoughts on term limits for members of Congress.

“I think Congress should be three terms, six years, and then you go home to your life and your business,” said Boyd. “I think our founders when they set up this ingenious system, didn’t see that it would be a career where someone could go into Congress and come out a multimillionaire a few years later. I think term limits would solve so much. I will commit to six years. If I’m blessed enough by the people of this district to be put in that office. It’ll be six years and I would hope to endorse someone that champions the same issues I do.”

District 19 is made up of 33 counties spanning from Abilene and the Big Country to Lubbock and a portion of the South Plains. Winning the Lubbock area is key for a candidate in this race which Boyd is confident he can do.

“I have a lot of friends up there and one of my boys is going to school there right now. Mathematically we have to have a decent piece of Lubbock to get past the 50%,” said Boyd. “The buzz I’m getting from people we visited with in Lubbock. It’s looking pretty good. We went to the recent Lubbock Republican Party meeting at the Lincoln Reagan dinner, and we were working the room. People were whispering to me and shaking my hand telling me ‘Thank you for running. I appreciate you running.'”

Visit his website for more information about Boyd, his programs, and his plans for District 19 if elected.