'All hat, no cattle': Texas GOP candidate gets pilloried for the glaring problem with his campaign

With Rep. Ron Wright's (R-Texas) seat up for grabs following his death from complications of COVID, there are several candidates hoping to take his place. Former professional wrestler Dan Rodimer is one of them.

On the marketing side, Rodimer has turned quite a few heads by touching on all of the key topics Republican voters typically gravitate to. According to the New Republic, Rodimer discussed an array of Republican interests as he leveraged rhetoric that has been popularized by the political party's voters.

"From complaints about 'communism' to whingeing about how Democrats 'hate our way of life," to expressing concern about "Commies in D.C. are ruining America," a cowboy hat-wearing Rodimer declared that it is time to "make America Texas again." While some Texans are already rallying behind Rodimer, many critics and some Republican lawmakers have noticed the big problems with his political campaign. Everything about his history suggests he is a political fraud.

"Originally from New Jersey, Rodimer attended a preparatory school in the suburbs before moving to Florida for college and law school," The Washington Post wrote. The New Republic also noted that "Rodimer's buttoned-up, mild-mannered campaign ads from just a year before, when he ran for Congress in Nevada."

The publication even noted that Rodimer's accent is contrived in the new political ad. "Trading his starched polo for a 10-gallon hat and replacing his meek voice with a half-baked impression of Doc Holliday, Rodimer had refashioned himself as a cosplay cowboy—one who'd firmly back the kinds of illiberal, authoritarian policies swiftly rising in popularity on the Texas right," the publication wrote.

A CNN segment highlighted the stark contrast in the divergent personas Todimer has adopted in the two campaigns:

Even Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) insists Rodimer is "all hat, no cattle." After Rodimer's ad was released, Gaetz took to Twitter with lambasting remarks about him and the ad describing it all as "fake."

"Jake Texan makes fake video of fake bull ride," Gaetz tweeted. "We already have enough phonies in congress. Texans, please send this Nevada man back to his true home state (where he lost two prior elections). Texas shouldn't import its congressmen. Big Dan is all hat, no cattle."

The latest report underscores an ongoing problem within the Republican Party. With the rise of Trump, the political party's belief systems and Republican lawmakers' level of authenticity has eroded.