When most of us sat down to watch President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress back in March, we expected that Republicans would stand and cheer, and Democrats would be…well…Democrats. We were shocked when they could not bring themselves to stand for mothers who had lost their children at the hands of illegal immigrants, and the widow of a police officer. But perhaps their most egregious act was not mustering the decency to stand for DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor. When soon-to-be Secret Service Director Sean Curran made him an honorary agent, there could not have been many dry eyes in the chamber.
Theodis Daniel has thrown his hat in the ring for Texas 18th District Seat.
“Not a Politician”Way to go Cowboy!https://t.co/VvC9nSPFsy
— Angel V (@XennialAngel) August 14, 2025
DJ’s dream is to be a police officer. But now, America may get to know his dad, Theodis Daniel, as well. The elder Daniel has announced that he will run as a Republican for Texas’ 18th Congressional district seat in a special election in November. The seat was formerly held by the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX) for nearly 30 years before her death in July 2024. Her successor, the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, passed away in March 2025.
READ MORE: Country Superstar Responds to 13-Year-Old Honorary Secret Service Agent, DJ Daniel’s Plea
The field is a crowded one, but Daniel says there is one important way he’s different from the pack:
“I’m a regular guy. I am not a politician. I don’t have six-figure deals. I’m just a regular dude trying to make it. Single dad. I got three kids to myself. I’m a disabled veteran just trying to make a difference regardless of what I’m going through.”
He adds, “I don’t call myself a politician. I’m a public servant first, because my duty is to the people.”
His campaign appears to be a no-nonsense, straightforward one. He is running on issues like supporting law enforcement, safety, healthcare, and education — issues he says aren’t “abstract,” like those Democrats insist on talking about that have no effect on the majority of Americans. Daniel says they are “battles my family and I face every day.”
Daniel is different from his fellow candidates in that, if elected, he would commit to a term limit, and says the people of Texas’s 18th district have been “duped and are ready for real progress.” He says what many Americans think, that once elected, too many politicians get comfortable in office and forget why and for whom they are there, saying:
“Sometimes, when you marinate meat, you kind of ruin it. Some people just wear out their welcome. It’s like somebody coming to your house, wanting to stay for a little bit, and they stay there for two or three days. Well, these folks got comfortable. When people get comfortable, they get lazy. When they get lazy, they get forgetful and disrespectful.”
“I’m a public servant first, because my duty is to the people.”
Theodis Daniel, the father of young cancer survivor DJ Daniel, announces his run for Texas’ 18th district seat. pic.twitter.com/hTv28rkKJG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 14, 2025
In 2018, DJ was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer and given less than five months to live. His father says that “most parents wouldn’t know what to do about that, when you hear that being told to you by the doctor.” Daniel explains that he has “learned resilience in the face of adversity.” He adds:
“I want to run because I feel like everything that my son and I have been doing for the last six years or so, we have brought joy to people’s lives and gave them hope, which I didn’t think it was going to turn into nothing like this, but it feels good.”
That adversity continues. In May, DJ was diagnosed with three more tumors.
Currently, there are a whopping 23 candidates, mostly Democrats, vying for the 18th Congressional district seat. They include former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, former Texas House member Jarvis Johnson, and the son of boxing legend George Foreman, George Foreman IV, who is running as an independent.
Theodis Daniel said simply that, if elected, he will “get up every day and get out there and make it happen” for the people of Texas 18:
Friends,
I’m running for U.S. Congress in Texas District 18 because our community deserves a stronger voice in Washington-one that puts people first. Together, we can fight for better jobs, quality education, safer neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/MC3KpQckFS— Theodis Daniel For Congress (@Tdanielfortx) August 14, 2025
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