AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democratic Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has pushed for police accountability and more durable gun legal guidelines after the Uvalde faculty taking pictures, introduced Monday he’ll run for U.S. Senate in 2024.
He turns into the second Texas Democrat to embark on what will likely be a longshot bid to disclaim Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a 3rd time period representing the nation’s largest crimson state.
In May, Rep. Colin Allred grew to become the primary to enter the race. He says his marketing campaign has since raised greater than $6 million. It units up a uncommon aggressive Democratic major for a serious race in Texas, the place a long time of Republican dominance have usually discouraged bigger-name Democrats from operating statewide.
Gutierrez was little identified past his South Texas district, which incorporates Uvalde, earlier than a gunman killed 19 kids and two lecturers at Robb Elementary School. He spent the following yr making impassioned pleas for more durable gun legal guidelines and firings over police ready greater than an hour to confront the gunman.
No Democrat has received statewide workplace in Texas in almost 30 years. Former congressman Beto O’Rourke almost beat Cruz in 2018 – in what was a powerful yr for Democrats nationally — however was soundly defeated by double-digits final yr in a problem towards Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Both Gutierrez and Allred are probably to attract consideration to Cruz voting to reject the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump in 2020. Allred has additionally accused Cruz of abandoning Texas by occurring trip together with his household throughout a lethal winter storm a number of weeks later.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com