It can be hard for a member of Congress to prioritize the search for life on other planets when all politics are local. It seems that Rep. John Culberson's (R-Texas) devotion to space exploration may have caught up with him in the 2018 midterm elections, as he lost to Democrat Lizzie Fletcher. Even though Culberson's congressional district is located near NASA's Johnson Space Center, it was also hammered by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. And while he helped secure funding for hurricane relief, the folks at home noted a disparity in how he spent his political capital. The Houston Chronicle endorsed Fletcher, noting that Culberson "cared a bit more about the water on Europa, an icy moon orbiting Jupiter, than he does about the water in the Addicks and Barker dams. Or in our bayous. Or in our homes."
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