Republican Rob Altman seeks U.S. House District 10 seat

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - As Texas prepares for the March 3 primary election, Rob Altman is making his case for the U.S. House seat representing District 10.

A Life of Service

Altman, a Texas A&M University graduate who also earned a degree from the Bush School of Government and Public Service, served the country for more than 25 years on active duty, including 30 months in a combat zone. After a medical retirement, he worked in business development and the financial industry while remaining active in veterans advocacy and serving as a scoutmaster.

“My life has been about service, whether it was serving our country,” Altman said. “The things that made me happy during those days was working for veterans advocacy and being a scoutmaster, teaching young people about citizenship and being engaged in our process in America.”

His reason for running is straightforward.

“The reason I’m running for Congress is simply to serve,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to be a model public servant for the district. I want people to know their congressperson. I want people to know that they can have my number, they can call me, and that I will be very attentive to their issues.”

Agriculture, Energy and National Security

When asked about the most critical issue facing District 10, Altman pointed to the district’s diverse geography and the interconnected challenges of agriculture and energy.

“District 10 is made up of, as we would say in the military, three different areas of operations,” Altman said. “In the east, you have agriculture and they’re concerned about water and energy and what the incoming data centers might do to them. At A&M, obviously, it’s about Texas A&M and agriculture. And then west, you have Austin, but you also have rural farmland out there.”

Altman emphasized that agriculture and energy relate directly to national security. He expressed concern about the impact of data centers on local communities.

“Yes, it’s wonderful in our system that private entities can come into a place, but what are the impacts on the local community?” he said. “I want to, at the federal level, bring exposure to what’s happening. I’m a less government guy, but I think it is important for us to have conversations.”

Making the Brazos Valley Home

Altman recently moved back to the Brazos Valley, where his sister runs the Carnegie History Center and his mother is buried near the Aggie Field of Honor. He argued that living in the Brazos Valley positions him to represent the area effectively.

“For me, it starts here at home. For me, it’s 97 miles to Austin, 100 miles to the border of the Alabama Coushatta tribe,” he said. “BCS is the heart of this district and A&M and everything that’s happening here with national security and research and agriculture and all the great things the engineering school is doing to include the farmers and the ranchers around here.”