6 MAY 8, 2022Just Asking
“It’s important to model the behavior
that you want to see.”
INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPH BY KK OTTESENWill Hurd, 44, is a former three-term U.S. representative (R-Tex.) and
former undercover CIA officer. An entrepreneur and cybersecurity
expert, Hurd is the author of “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to
Getting Big Things Done,” released in March. He lives in San Antonio.There’s a story in your new book where you’re in
Afghanistan taking around a congressional delegation, and
disappointed in their lack of knowledge and maybe lack of
interest in learning about what they didn’t know. Can you
talk about how that motivated you to run for Congress?
I went in the CIA when I was 22, right out of my undergrad.
Best job on the planet. I had fun serving my country in exotic,
dangerous places. My job was to recruit spies and steal secrets.
But I also had to brief members of Congress, and I was pretty
shocked by the caliber of our elected officials. And my mama
always said, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the
solution.” I just felt I could help the intelligence community in a
different way to help keep the country safe.You say America needs a “reboot” and the Republican Party
needs a reboot — saying specifically to the Republican Party:
“Don’t be an a--hole, racist, misogynist or homophobe.” So
how do you envision a reboot of the party when moderates
[are] censured, primaried, and those leaders who would
take up that mantle — like you, [U.S. Rep. Adam] Kinzinger
— are leaving?
There’s going to be new ones coming in. I think this is a
uniquely Washington, D.C., thing where everybody focuses on
the party as only the elected officials. But I see the party as
voters, the people that are actually voting. The reality is 80
percent of Americans are somewhere in the middle, and they
don’t get talked to because of the way the primary structures are
set up. But this is how I won my elections. Nobody thought a
Black Republican could win in a 71 percent Latino district.
People didn’t think I could win a primary. So I’ve done this. AndI’ve helped other candidates do it in other races. And this is not
just a Republican thing. We need two strong parties to have a
true competition of ideas to address the challenges that our
country is going to be faced with. If we keep doing the same
things the same way, we get the same outcomes. And so at some
point, there’s going to be enough people that stand up and say
enough is enough.Would you say there’s a leadership vacuum now?
One hundred percent there is. And we need to inspire rather
than fear-monger. Everybody’s been saying this for a long time,
but nobody’s really trying to do anything about it. Look, my
social media profile would be 10 times what it is now if I said
crazy things. But guess what: That’s not me and I’m not going to
participate in that. I refuse. Because I also think it’s important to
model the behavior that you want to see. And so I’m going to do
things my way. And if it works, great; if it doesn’t work, that’s
okay, too — just put in the effort and try to make an impact. And
as long as I can go back in my community and [hold up] my
head and explain why I did things, then I’m going to be happy.How optimistic do you feel about the situation today and the
possibility of a reboot?
I think things might get worse before they get better. But I do
think they get better. I do think our best days are actually ahead
of us. People want to be inspired; they want to believe in
something better than themselves. These are tough decisions,
hard problems. And there are some people that believe that
there’s potential for a civil war before there is an American
reboot. I understand that, but there’s just too many people that
love this country that are frustrated with the system that are
ready to do something a little bit different. And whoever taps
into that, you’re going to see long-term success.KK Ottesen is a regular contributor to the magazine. This interview has
been edited and condensed. For a longer version, visit wapo.st/
magazine.Will Hurd